The Council shall not approve any plat for subdivision
or land development unless the land whereon buildings are to be constructed
shall be of such character that it can be used for building purposes
without danger to health or peril from flood or other hazard.
Existing natural features which would add value
to the subdivision and the Borough, such as trees, steep slopes, watercourses,
wetlands, areas of historical significance and similar irreplaceable
assets, shall be preserved, insofar as possible, through careful design
of the subdivision or land development. Clearance of trees, vegetation
or grading of the site shall be in accordance with Borough ordinances.
The following provisions shall apply to all uses of land in all districts
unless otherwise noted:
A.
All lands, regardless of their slope, from which structures
or natural cover has been removed or otherwise destroyed shall be
appropriately graded and seeded within a reasonable time of such clearance
activity. The phrase "a reasonable time" shall be interpreted to be
within two weeks during the growing season and shall be rigidly applied
to construction activities in order to accomplish the intent of keeping
erosion and siltation to an absolute minimum.
B.
No more than 35% in R-1 and R-2 Districts and 60%
in the B-1 District by area of natural vegetative cover of any lot
or parcel may be removed for construction purposes or any other activity.
C.
No cut or fill grade shall exceed a slope of 2/1 or
50%. This provision shall apply to all cuts and fills exceeding 100
square feet in exposed surface area, including cuts and fills on land
naturally exceeding 2/1 in slope.
D.
Slopes. In areas of slopes, i.e., those above 8%,
the following standards shall apply:
(1)
Eight percent to 15%: no more than 35% of such areas
shall be developed and/or regraded or stripped of vegetation.
(2)
Fifteen percent to 25%: no more than 30% of such areas
shall be developed and/or regraded or stripped of vegetation.
(3)
Twenty-five percent or more: no more than 20% of such
areas shall be developed and/or regraded or stripped of vegetation.
E.
No grading, cutting, filling or other disturbing of
the land or the natural vegetation is permissible within the floodplain
of one-hundred-year frequency or within 50 feet of any flowing stream
except as permitted by action of the Council. In such cases permission
may be granted, provided that the appropriate Department of Environmental
Protection agency, or any successor agency, provides adequate justification
and/or grants permission.
F.
Keep cut-fill operations to a minimum, and ensure
conformity with topography so as to create the least erosion potential
and adequately handle the volume and velocity of surface water runoff.
G.
Tree protection. It is the expressed intent of this
chapter that every effort be made through the design, layout, and
construction of development projects to incorporate and save as many
trees as possible. No person shall cut or clear trees for the sole
purpose of offering land for sale.
(1)
Whenever possible, trees shall not be removed unless
they are diseased, dead, located within the proposed street right-of-way,
within the proposed building area, or within utility locations and
equipment access areas. In areas where trees are retained, and land
disturbance will occur, the original grade level shall be maintained.
(2)
Fencing shall be required around the hazard zone of
any tree in the area to be disturbed or bordering it.
H.
Watercourse protection. Where a subdivision or land
development is traversed by a natural watercourse, there shall be
provided a drainage easement or right-of-way conforming substantially
to the line of such watercourse and of such width as will be adequate
to preserve natural drainage.
The Council shall not approve any plat unless
all streets thereon shall be of sufficient width and proper grade
and shall be located to accommodate the probable volume of traffic
thereon, afford adequate light and air, facilitate fire protection,
provide access of fire equipment to buildings and provide a coordinated
system of streets conforming to the Borough's plan of streets. See
Table 1[1] for specific design standards, and see Chapter 194, Article II, Construction Standards, and § 225-24, Street openings and construction standards, of Chapter 225, Zoning, or their successors.
A.
Local streets shall be so planned as to discourage
through traffic.
B.
Wherever there exists a dedicated or platted portion
of a street or alley along a boundary of the tract being subdivided
or developed, the remainder of said street or alley, to the prescribed
width, shall be platted within the proposed subdivision or land development.
C.
Culs-de-sac shall normally not be longer than 800
feet, including a turnaround which shall be provided at the closed
end with an outside curb radius of at least 40 feet and a right-of-way
radius of not less than 50 feet. The maximum grade of the turnaround
portion of the cul-de-sac shall be 5%.
D.
Alleys shall not be permitted in R-1 Residential Districts
but may be included in R-2 Residential and Rural Business (B-1) areas
where needed for loading and unloading or access purposes.
E.
The minimum distance between center lines of parallel
or approximately parallel streets intersecting a cross street from
opposite directions shall be 150 feet.
F.
Intersections of more than two streets at one point
shall be avoided.
G.
Dead-end streets shall be prohibited unless provided
with a turnaround or cul-de-sac arrangement.
H.
Minimum right-of-way widths, paving widths, angle
of intersection, curb radius, distances along sides of sight triangles,
horizontal alignments, vertical alignments, as well as maximum grades
shall be in accordance with Table 1.[2]
[2]
Editor's Note: Table 1 is included at the end of this chapter.
I.
Right-of-way requirements may be increased by the
Council where deemed necessary because of special circumstances.
J.
Driveways and access drives shall enter public streets
at safe locations. No driveway or access drive shall enter a public
street closer to an existing intersection than 50 feet, and a reasonable
safe sight distance shall be provided.
[1]
Editor's Note: Table 1 is included at the end of this chapter.
Blocks ordinarily shall not exceed 800 feet
in length. Where it is necessary for blocks to exceed this length,
pedestrianways or easements may be required near the center of the
block.
The lot and yard sizes shall conform to the requirements of Chapter 225, Zoning, then in effect, and the lots shall be designed to be in accordance with the following design standards:
A.
Lots shall be laid out so as to provide buildable
areas, accessible driveways, and usable yards and open space areas
with the minimum possible disturbance to the site.
B.
Every lot shall be provided with access adequate for
the use of public safety vehicles and other public and private purposes
and shall abut for not less than 100 feet on a public or private street
system improved in accordance with this chapter and connected to the
general street system.
C.
Side lot lines shall be approximately at right angles
to straight streets and on radial lines on curved streets wherever
feasible. No lot shall have less area or width than that required
by the zoning regulations applying to the lot in the area in which
it is located. The area of the lot shall only be considered as that
portion bounded by the side, front and rear lot lines. Area may include
part of the road right-of-way if the lot line is deeded to the center
line of the road.
D.
Very irregular lots shall be avoided unless such variations
shall improve the overall neighborhood design.
E.
Double-frontage lots shall provide the minimum frontage along each street and the minimum front setbacks required by Chapter 225, Zoning Ordinance.
[Amended 8-8-2011 by Ord. No. 434]
F.
When a tract is subdivided into larger than required
building lots and there is no covenant preventing resubdivision of
the lots, such lots or parcels shall be so arranged as to permit a
logical location and opening of future streets and resubdividing with
provisions for adequate utility connection for each subdivision. No
subdivision or land development shall be approved which effectively
landlocks an adjacent property.
Easements for utilities and drainage shall have
a minimum width of 20 feet. Where a subdivision is traversed by a
watercourse, there shall be provided a stormwater easement or drainage
right-of-way of width sufficient for the purpose.
The water supply and sewage disposal systems
for the subdivision or land development shall meet the design standards
and requirements of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection,
the Municipal Authority of the Borough of West View, the McCandless
Township Sanitary Authority, the Allegheny County Health Department
and/or any other governmental entity having jurisdiction thereof.
No zoning permit shall be issued for any land development until that land development has been approved pursuant to this section. This section shall not apply to single-family dwellings which are regulated under Chapter 225, Zoning. The Council shall not approve a land development unless the following standards are met:
A.
Buffer yard. A planted twenty-foot-wide visual barrier
shall be provided and maintained on any property in a Rural Business
District which is contiguous to any residential district, except where
natural or physical barriers exist which are deemed to provide an
adequate buffer by the Council. This visual barrier shall be composed
of plants and trees arranged to form both a low-level and a high-level
screen. The high-level screen shall consist of evergreen trees planted
with specimens no smaller than three inches in caliper, and planted
at intervals of not more than 10 feet. The low-level screen shall
consist of shrubs or hedges planted at an initial height of not less
than two feet, placed in alternating rows to produce a dense visual
barrier. Any plant not surviving three years after planting shall
be replaced. Mature trees, woodlands, or other high-quality existing
vegetation which remains undisturbed between the parking area and
right-of-way or adjoining properties may be used to satisfy the requirements
of this section. New shrubs or trees may be added to provide an effective
screen.
B.
Landscaping. Any part or portion of the site which
is not used for buildings, other structures, loading or parking spaces
and aisles, sidewalks and designated storage areas shall be planted
with an all-season ground cover and shall be landscaped with trees
and shrubs in accordance with overall landscape plan and shall be
in keeping with natural surroundings.
C.
Landscaping for parking lots. Any off-street parking
area with five or more spaces shall provide a landscaped parking area
which shall be in addition to open area requirements of the district
and any required buffer yard. Such landscaped area shall be at least
10 feet wide and have at least one three-inch-caliper evergreen tree
planted for every five parking spaces, or portion thereof.
D.
Lighting. All parking areas, driveways and loading
areas, entryways, and pedestrian paths shall be provided with a lighting
system which shall furnish an average minimum of 0.5 footcandle within
such areas during hours of operation. All lighting shall be completely
shielded from traffic on any public right-of-way, from any residential
district and any adjacent property.
E.
Internal circulation. The interior circulation of
traffic in rural business areas shall be designed so that no driveway
or access lane providing parking spaces shall be used as a through
street. If parking spaces are indicated by lines with angles other
than 90°, then traffic lanes shall be restricted to one-way permitting
head-in parking. No driveway or street used for interior circulation
shall have traffic lanes less than 10 feet in width.
F.
Access. Areas provided for loading and unloading of
delivery trucks and other vehicles, and for the servicing of shops
by refuse collection, fuel and other service vehicles, shall be adequate
in size and shall be so arranged that they may be used without blockage,
or interference with the use of public streets or sidewalks, other
accessways or automobile parking facilities.
G.
Traffic control. No design shall be approved which
is likely to create substantial pedestrian or vehicular traffic hazards
endangering the public safety. Safety requirements which may be imposed
in such a review shall include traffic control devices, acceleration
or deceleration lanes, turning lanes, traffic and lane markings, walkways,
and signs. The developer shall be responsible for the construction
of any such traffic control devices.
H.
Stormwater management. Adequate stormwater retention facilities shall be provided to ensure that stormwater runoff after development shall not be greater than the runoff which would occur from the site in its natural state during a storm less than or equal to the one-hundred-year storm, as is more particularly set forth in Chapter 190, Stormwater Management, then in effect, or its successor.
