In considering applications for subdivision of land, the Planning Board shall be guided by the standards set forth below. These standards shall be considered to be minimum requirements and shall be waived by the Planning Board only under circumstances set forth in Article VI herein.
A. 
Character of land. Land to be subdivided shall be of such character that it can be used safely for building purposes without danger to health or peril from fire, flood or other menace.
B. 
Conformity to Official Map and Master Plan. Subdivisions shall conform to the Official Map of the village and shall be in harmony with the Master Plan, if such exists.
C. 
Specifications for required improvements. All required improvements shall be constructed or installed to conform to the village specifications, which may be obtained from the Village Engineer.
A. 
Width, location and construction. Streets shall be of sufficient width, suitably located and adequately constructed to conform to the Master Plan, if such exists, and to accommodate the prospective traffic and afford access for fire-fighting, snow removal and other road maintenance equipment. The arrangement of streets shall be such as to cause no undue hardship to adjoining properties and shall be coordinated so as to compose a convenient system. All components of street layout shall be in accordance with the most recent revisions to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials "Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets."
B. 
Arrangement. The arrangement of streets in the subdivision shall provide for the continuation of principal streets of adjoining subdivisions and for proper projection of principal streets into adjoining properties which are not yet subdivided, in order to provide necessary fire protection, movement of traffic and the construction or extension, presently or when later required, of needed utilities and public services such as sewers, water and drainage facilities. Street rights-of-way shall be extended to the limits of properties being developed or subdivided to allow for continuous dedicated access. Where, in the opinion of the Planning Board, topographic or other conditions make such continuance undesirable or impracticable, the above conditions may be modified. Local streets shall serve 150 lots or fewer. Collector streets shall serve 150 lots or more. Major or arterial street classifications shall be determined by the Planning Board and Village Engineer.
C. 
Special treatment along major arterial streets. When a subdivision abuts or contains an existing or proposed major arterial street, the Board may require marginal access streets, reverse frontage with screen planting contained in a nonaccess reservation along the rear property line, deep lots with rear service alleys or such other treatment as may be necessary for adequate protection of residential properties and to afford separation of through and local traffic.
D. 
Provision for future resubdivision. Where a tract is subdivided into lots substantially larger than the minimum size required in the zoning district in which a subdivision is located, the Board may require that streets and lots be laid out so as to permit future resubdivision in accordance with the requirements contained in this chapter.
E. 
Dead-end streets. The creation of dead-end or loop residential streets will be encouraged wherever the Board finds that such type of development will not interfere with normal traffic circulation in the area nor adversely affect emergency vehicle access. In the case of dead-end streets, where needed or desirable, the Board may require the reservation of a twenty-foot-wide easement to provide for continuation of pedestrian traffic and utilities to the next street. In general, the length of dead-end streets shall not exceed six times the minimum lot width for the zoning of the subdivision.
F. 
Subdivisions containing 20 lots or more shall have at least two street connections with existing public streets or with streets shown on the Official Map, if such exists, or streets on an approved subdivision plat for which a bond has been filed.
G. 
Block size. Blocks generally shall not be less than 400 feet nor more than 1,200 feet in length. In general, no block width shall be less than twice the normal lot depth. In blocks exceeding 800 feet in length, the Board may require the reservation of a twenty-foot-wide easement through the block to provide for the crossing of underground utilities and pedestrian traffic, where needed or desirable, and may further specify, at its discretion, that a four-foot-wide paved footpath be included.
H. 
Local streets. Locals streets shall be so laid out that their use by through traffic will be discouraged. Intersections with collector or major arterial streets shall, in general, be at least 500 feet apart. Four-way intersection shall be avoided on local streets. The offset distance between three-way intersections on local streets shall be 150 feet.
I. 
Angle of intersection. In general, all streets shall join each other so that for a distance of at least 100 feet, the street is approximately at right angles to the street it joins.
J. 
Relation to topography. The street plan of a proposed subdivision shall bear a logical relationship to the topography of the property, and all streets shall be arranged so as to obtain as many of the building sites as possible at or above the grade of the streets. Grades of streets shall conform as closely as possible to the original topography.
K. 
Other required streets. Where a subdivision borders on or contains a railroad right-of-way or limited access highway right-of-way, the Planning Board may require a street approximately parallel to and on each side of such right-of-way, at a distance suitable for the appropriate use of the intervening land (as for park purposes in residential districts or for commercial or industrial purposes in appropriate districts). Such distances shall also be determined with due regard for the requirements of approach grades and future grade separations.
L. 
Occasionally, where necessary, private roads shall be laid out to permit a common access right-of-way of sufficient width to allow for emergency vehicle access, including the necessary pavement cross section and geometry. All other utilities and structures shall be positioned so as not to interfere with emergency vehicle access at any time. Snow removal must be accounted for by the property owner(s).
M. 
The necessity of sidewalks shall be evaluated by the Planning Board and Village Engineer and a recommendation from the Planning Board given to the Board of Trustees for a final decision.
N. 
The use of curbs, gutters or shoulders shall be determined by Village Board of Trustees.
O. 
In determining the general layout of streets, adequate provisions shall be made for minimum sight and stopping distances required as per American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standards.
P. 
Permanent right-of-way monumentation shall be provided at appropriate locations as directed by the Village Engineer.
A. 
Widths of rights-of-way.
(1) 
Dedicated streets shall have the following widths (when not indicated on the Master Plan or Official Map, if such exists):
Type of Street
Minimum Right-of-Way Width
(feet)
Minimum Pavement Width Excluding Curbs or Gutters
(feet)
Major streets
66
24
Collector and local streets
60
24
(2) 
Depending upon the zoning of undeveloped land, modifications to the minimum pavement widths may be made as determined by the Village Board of Trustees. Any development which includes or is adjacent to an existing nonconforming right-of-way shall extend the nonconforming right-of-way to standard width, if possible, within the new development. Where excessive cuts or fills are necessary, the right-of-way width shall be extended, as determined by the Village Engineer, to include the cut or embankment area.
B. 
Improvements. Streets shall be graded and improved with pavements, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, storm drainage facilities, water mains, sewers, streetlights and signs, street trees and fire hydrants, except where waivers may be requested, and the Board of Trustees may waive, subject to appropriate conditions, such improvements as it considers may be omitted without jeopardy to the public health, safety and general welfare. Pedestrian easements shall be provided as required by the Village Engineer. Such grading and improvements (utility and roadway) shall meet all minimum design criteria of AASHTO Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, most recent revision, and the Village of Caledonia Design Criteria and Construction Specifications for Land Development,[1] most recent revisions, shall be approved by the Village Engineer.
(1) 
Fire hydrants. Installation of fire hydrants shall be in conformity with all requirements of standard thread and nut as specified by the New York Fire Insurance Rating Organization and the Division of Fire Safety of the State of New York.
(2) 
Streetlighting facilities. Lighting facilities shall be in conformance with the lighting system of the village. Such lighting standards and fixtures shall be installed after approval by the appropriate power company and the authorized Village Electrical Inspector.
[1]
Editor's Note: The Design Criteria and Construction Specifications are on file in the village offices.
C. 
Utilities in streets. The Planning Board shall, wherever possible, require that underground utilities be placed in the street right-of-way between the paved roadway and street right-of-way line. The subdivider shall install underground service connections to the property line of each lot within the subdivision for such required utilities before the street is paved. All underground utilities shall be stubbed or plugged with appropriate appurtenances to make future connections possible. All stubbed utilities shall be staked with location markers.
D. 
Utility easements. Where topography is such as to make impractical the inclusion of utilities within the street rights-of-way, perpetual unobstructed easements of at least 20 feet in width shall be otherwise provided, with satisfactory access to the street. Wherever possible, easements shall be continuous from block to block and shall present as few irregularities as possible. Such easements shall be cleared and graded where required.
E. 
Grades. Grades of all streets shall conform in general to the terrain and shall not be less than 1/2% nor more than 5% for major collector streets or 7% for local streets in residential zones. In the vicinity of intersection, the following minimum grades shall apply:
Location
Grade
(percent)
Within intersection
1
Within 50 feet of intersection
1 1/2
From 50 to 100 feet of the intersection
3
F. 
Changes in grade. All changes in grade shall be connected by vertical curves as follows. The minimum vertical curve length shall be 100 feet. The minimum distance between vertical curve tangents shall be 100 feet. Vertical curves are not required for changes of slope for which the algebraic sum is less than 2%.
G. 
Curve radii at street intersection. All street right-of-way lines at intersections shall be rounded by curves of at least a twenty-foot radius. Where streets intersect major or arterial streets, additional right-of-way shall be provided in the shape of a triangle, the sides of which are 75 feet minimum length as measured from intersection of the right-of-way lines back along the right-of-way lines away from the intersection. Additional right-of-way may be necessary as determined by the Village Engineer. Curb or gutter radii shall be as follows for intersections. Local streets shall have twenty-five-foot curb/gutter radii minimum. Collector streets shall have thirty-five-foot curb/gutter radii minimum. All others shall be determined on an individual basis.
H. 
Steep grades and curves; visibility at intersections. A combination of steep grades and curves shall be avoided and shall be in conformance with American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials standards. In order to provide visibility for traffic safety, that portion of any corner lot (whether at an intersection entirely within the subdivision or on a new street with an existing street) which is shown shaded on Sketch A shall be cleared of all growth (except isolated trees) and obstructions above the level of 3 1/2 feet higher than the center line of the street. If directed, the ground shall be excavated to achieve visibility.
I. 
Dead-end streets (culs-de-sac). Where dead-end streets are designed to be so permanently, they should, in general, not exceed 500 feet in length or six times the minimum allowable lot width for that type of zoning, whichever is greater, and shall terminate in a circular turnaround having a minimum right-of-way radius of 70 feet and an outside pavement radius of 60 feet. At the end of temporary dead-end streets, a temporary turnaround with a pavement radius of 50 feet shall be provided, unless the Planning Board approves an alternate arrangement. Temporary turnaround construction shall be approved by the Village Engineer.
J. 
Watercourses.
(1) 
Where a watercourse separates a proposed street from abutting property, provisions shall be made for access to all lots by means of culverts or other structures of design approved by the Village Engineer.
(2) 
Where a subdivision is traversed by a watercourse, drainageway channel or stream, there shall be provided a stormwater easement or drainage right-of-way as required by the Village Engineer, but in no case less than 20 feet in width. A fifty-foot easement (width as measured outside of the watercourse in plain view) shall be provided over creeks and streams.
K. 
Horizontal curves. In general, street lines within a block deflecting from each other at any one point by more than one degree shall be connected with a curve, the radius of which for the center line of the street shall not be less than 400 feet on major streets, 200 feet on collector streets and 150 feet on local streets. There shall be a minimum of 100 feet between tangents of horizontal curves.
L. 
Service streets or loading space in commercial development. Paved rear service streets of not less than 20 feet in width or, in lieu thereof, adequate off-street loading space, suitably surfaced, shall be provided in connection with lots designed for commercial use.
M. 
Private streets/road shall be designed to handle H-20 vehicle loading and meet all necessary emergency vehicle passage requirements.
N. 
Free flow of vehicular traffic abutting commercial development. In front of areas zoned and designated for commercial use or where a change of zoning to a zone which permits commercial use is contemplated, the street width shall be increased by such amount on each side as may be deemed necessary by the Planning Board to assure the free flow of through traffic without interference by parked or parking vehicles and to provide adequate and safe parking space for such commercial or business district.
A. 
Type of name. All street names shown on a preliminary plat or subdivision plat shall be approved by the Planning Board. In general, streets shall have names and not numbers or letters.
B. 
Names to be substantially different. Proposed street names shall be substantially different so as not to be confused in sound or spelling with present names, except that streets which join or are in alignment with streets of an abutting or neighboring property shall bear the same name. Generally, a street that is continuous, such as a loop street, shall retain the same name.
A. 
Lots to be buildable. The lot arrangement shall be such that in constructing a building in compliance with Chapter 215, Zoning, there will be no foreseeable difficulties for reasons of topography or other natural conditions. Lots should not be of such depth as to encourage the later creation of a second building lot at the front or rear.
B. 
Side lines. All side lines of lots shall be at right angles to straight street lines and radial to curved street lines, unless a variance from this rule will give a better street or lot plan.
C. 
Corner lots. In general, corner lots should be larger than interior lots so as to provide for proper building setback from each street and to provide a desirable building site.
D. 
Driveway access. Driveway grades between the street and the setback line shall not exceed 10%.
E. 
Access from private streets. Access from private streets shall be deemed acceptable only if such streets are designed and improved in accordance with this chapter.
F. 
Monuments and lot corner markers. Permanent monuments meeting specifications approved by the Village Engineer as to size, type and installation shall be set at such block corners, angle points, points of curves in streets and other points as the Village Engineer may require, and their location shall be shown on the subdivision plat.
A. 
Removal of springwater and surface water. The subdivider may be required by the Planning Board to carry away by pipe or open ditch any springwater or surface water that may exist either previous to or as a result of the subdivision. Such drainage facilities shall be located in the street right-of-way, where feasible, or in perpetual unobstructed easements of appropriate width.
B. 
Drainage structure to accommodate potential development upstream.
(1) 
A culvert or other drainage facility shall in each case be large enough to accommodate potential runoff from its entire upstream drainage area, whether inside or outside the subdivision. The Village Engineer shall approve the design and size of facility based on anticipated runoff from a ten-year storm under conditions of total potential development permitted by Chapter 215, Zoning, in the watershed.
(2) 
The village shall share the cost of culverts larger than that which is required to properly service the subdivision.
C. 
Responsibility for drainage downstream. The subdivider's engineer shall also study the effect of each subdivision on the existing downstream drainage facilities outside the area of the subdivision; this study shall be reviewed by the Village Engineer. Where it is anticipated that the additional runoff incident to the development of the subdivision will overload an existing downstream drainage facility during a five-year storm, the Planning Board shall notify the Village Board of such potential condition. In such case, the Planning Board shall not approve the subdivision until provision has been made for the improvement of said condition.
A. 
Recreation areas shown on Village Plan. Where a proposed park, playground or open space shown on the Village Plan is located in whole or in part in a subdivision, the subdivider shall show such areas on the plat in accordance with the requirements specified in Subsection B below and notify the Village Board. Such area or areas may be dedicated to the village or county by the subdivider if the Village Board approves such dedication.
B. 
Parks and playgrounds not shown on Village Plan.
(1) 
The Planning Board shall require that the subdivider reserve sites of a character, extent and location suitable for the development of a park, playground or other recreational purpose. For a major subdivision, each reservation shall be of an area equal to 5% of the total land within the subdivision, but in no case shall a reservation be less than two acres. The area to be reserved shall possess the suitable topography, general character and adequate road access necessary for its recreational purposes.
(2) 
Where the Planning Board requires land to be set aside for parks, playgrounds or other recreational purposes, the Board shall require that the site be graded, loamed and seeded and may require it to be fenced.
C. 
Waiver of plat designation of area for parks and playgrounds.
(1) 
In cases where the Planning Board finds that due to the size, topography or location of the subdivision, land for park, playground or other recreation purpose cannot be properly located therein or if, in the opinion of the Board, it is not desirable, the Board may waive the requirement that the plat show land for such purposes. The Board shall then require as a condition to approval of the plat a payment to the village of an amount as shall be set forth from time to time by resolution of the Board of Trustees and as indicated on a fee schedule on file in the office of the Village Clerk. The amount of land which otherwise would have been acceptable as a recreation site shall be determined in accordance with the standards set forth in Subsection B of this section.
(2) 
Such amount shall be paid to the Village Board at the time of final plat approval, and no plat shall be signed by the authorized officer of the Planning Board until such payment is made. All such payments shall be held by the Village Board in a special Village Recreation Site Acquisition and Improvement Fund, to be used for the acquisition of land that is suitable for permanent park, playground or other recreational purposes and which is so located that it will serve primarily the general neighborhood in which the land covered by the plat lies and shall be used only for park, playground or other recreational land acquisition or improvements. Such money may also be used for the physical improvement of existing parks or recreation areas serving the general neighborhood in which the land shown on the plat is situated, provided that the Planning Board finds there is need for such improvement.
D. 
Reserve strips prohibited. Reserve strips of land which might be used to control access from the proposed subdivision to any neighboring property or to any land within the subdivision itself shall be prohibited.
E. 
Preservation of natural features. The Planning Board shall, wherever possible, establish the preservation of all natural features which add value to residential developments and to the community, such as large trees or groves, watercourses and falls, beaches, historic spots, vistas and similar irreplaceable assets. No tree with a diameter of eight inches or more as measured three feet above the base of the trunk shall be removed unless such tree is within the right-of-way of a street shown on the final subdivision plat. Removal of additional trees shall be subject to the approval of the Planning Board.