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Borough of Stroudsburg, PA
Monroe County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
[Ord. 714, 11/13/1991, § 601]
The minimum improvements required for all subdivisions and land developments which shall be provided and installed by the subdivider as a condition for final approval of any plan shall be as set forth in this Part. Alternate improvement standards may be permitted if the Borough Council deems them equal or superior in performance characteristics to any specified improvements. All improvements are subject to the review, approval, advice and inspection of the Borough Council. Additional or higher type improvements may be required in specific cases where the Borough Council finds them to be necessary to create conditions essential to the public health, safety and general welfare of the citizens of the Borough.
[Ord. 714, 11/13/1991, § 602]
Minimum improvements to be required of the subdivider, where applicable, shall include the following:
Table 6-1
Type of Improvement Required
Medium Density Residential and Nonresidential Areas (a)*
Low Density Residential (b)
Improved street
X
X
Curbs
X
Gutters
(d)
(d)
Adequate drainage and/or storm sewers
X
X
Sidewalks
X
(c)
Monuments and markers
X
X
Street name signs
X
X
Street lighting
X
X
Fire hydrants
X
X
Electric and telephone
X
X
Central water and sewer
X
X
NOTES:
(a)
Medium density includes development having a net project density of more than three units per acre.
(b)
Low density includes development having a net project density of up to three units per acre.
(c)
Sidewalks will not normally be required except where needed to facilitate traffic to school, shopping, park or other uses which generate pedestrian traffic, or to facilitate pedestrian safety, or in developments having a net project density of three or more units per acre.
(d)
Sod, bituminous paving, stone or concrete gutter shall be provided in accordance with sound design and maintenance standards, where required to adequately control stormwater.
X indicates that the improvement is required.
[Ord. 714, 11/13/1991, § 603]
1. 
Streets (and alleys where provided) shall be graded, surfaced and improved to the grades and dimensions shown on the plans, profiles and cross-sections submitted by the subdivider and approved by the Borough Council.
2. 
Surfaces.
A. 
Entire cartway width shall be graded to the approved cross section, plus any additional portion of the right-of-way as required by Borough Council to facilitate adequate drainage, vehicular and pedestrian circulation. All trees, stumps and other material deemed unsuitable by the Borough Council shall be removed to a depth of two feet below subgrade and the excavation shall be backfilled and suitably compacted.
B. 
The finished road surface, both tangent and curve, shall be crowned at 1/4 inch per foot away from the center line. A proper superelevation shall be required on major traffic streets and collector streets when the curb radii are less than 1,200 feet on major streets and less than 600 feet on collector streets.
C. 
Prior to placing the street surface, the subgrade shall be graded parallel to the finished crown to permit the proper drainage of the subbase. The subbase shall be properly outletted. Adequate subsurface drainage for the streets and all subsurface utilities as acceptable to the Borough Council shall be provided or installed by the subdivider.
D. 
Minimum slopes of banks measured perpendicular to the center line of the street shall be three to one for fills, and two to one for cuts.
3. 
Material.
A. 
A portion of cartway required to be paved shall be provided by the subdivider with a suitable base and subbase material placed on a well compacted and prepared subgrade. A surface course will be provided on all streets. The base, subbase and surface course shall conform with PennDOT requirements contained in their publication entitled "Guidelines for Design of Local Roads and Streets, Publication 70" or shall have an equivalent paving strength.
B. 
Subbase material shall be native gravel, or an equivalent strength of crushed stone, as per the specifications of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and approved by the Borough Council.
C. 
If the subgrade material has adequate bearing capacity and is well drained, the subbase may be omitted, if approved by the Borough Council.
4. 
The portion of the cartway designated as a shoulder shall be improved as follows:
A. 
In medium density areas, shoulders may not be used.
B. 
In very low density and low density residential and in nonresidential areas, all shoulders shall be constructed of native crushed stone or gravel or other equivalent material at least six inches thick, except that Borough Council may require shoulder areas to be fully paved if warranted by street requirements, traffic, or other functional requirement.
C. 
Slopes of shoulders shall be one inch per foot in fill areas and 1 1/2 inch per foot in cut areas.
5. 
In all respects in which standards for required improvements are not set forth herein or specified by the Borough Council, the applicable standard requirements of the Pennsylvania State Department of Transportation shall govern, performed in the manner prescribed in the standard specifications for road construction of said Department for the type of construction under consideration.
6. 
Driveway entrances or aprons within the street right-of-way shall be improved to their full width.
[Ord. 714, 11/13/1991, § 604]
1. 
Curbs where required shall be vertical cement, vertical stone or rolled curb and gutter as follows:
A. 
Plain cement concrete curb, six inches at the top, eight inches at the bottom and 18 inches in height from top to bottom with the slope to the street side.
B. 
Rolled cement concrete curb and/or valley type cement concrete gutter, 24 inches wide by 12 inches from top to bottom.
C. 
Gutters, where required, shall be of sod, bituminous paving stone or concrete in accordance with sound design and maintenance criteria. All curbs and gutters shall be in conformance with good engineering practice and subject to the approval of the Borough Council.
[Ord. 714, 11/13/1991, § 605]
1. 
Sidewalks where required shall be located within the street right-of-way and shall not be closer than one foot from the right-of-way line, nor closer than three feet from the curb or shoulder line.
2. 
Sidewalks and crosswalks shall be a minimum of 42 inches wide and shall be constructed of concrete four inches thick in residential areas and six inches thick in commercial and industrial areas, places on a suitable subbase. Sidewalks at driveway crossing shall be at least eight inches thick.
3. 
All sidewalks shall be designed in accordance established engineering practice and subject to the approval of the Borough Council.
[Ord. 714, 11/13/1991, § 606]
1. 
Street lights, where required, shall be installed with underground lines wherever possible and the subdivider shall provide or make arrangements for a complete energy efficient street lighting system within the subdivision.
2. 
Such systems shall provide a safe level of illumination and shall be reviewed by the appropriate utility company.
[Ord. 714, 11/13/1991, § 607]
1. 
Sewer and water facilities shall meet the requirements of § 22-502, Subsection 4, and shall also conform with the following:
A. 
Public water lines and sanitary sewer lines shall be required in all cases.
B. 
Sanitary sewers shall have a minimum inside diameter of eight inches and a minimum grade of 0.4% unless pressure sewers are used. Manhole spacing shall meet the regulations of the appropriate agency. The manhole frames, covers and steps shall be designed in accordance with accepted specifications approved by the Borough Council.
C. 
Where a subdivision is provided with a complete water main supply system, fire hydrants shall also be installed in accordance with the requirements of the Insurance Services Office of Pennsylvania, subject to approval by the Borough Council.
[Ord. 714, 11/13/1991, § 608]
Storm drainage and other utility facilities shall be provided as required in Part 5 of this chapter and in accordance with sound engineering practice and subject to the approval of the Borough Council.
[Ord. 714, 11/13/1991, § 609]
1. 
Monuments shall be of concrete or stone with a minimum size of four inches by four inches by 36 inches and shall be marked on top with 1/2 inch round brass pin, or a drilled hole. Markers shall consist of iron pipes or iron or steel bars at least 24 inches long, and not less than 3/4 inch in diameter.
2. 
Monuments and markers shall be placed so that the scored or marked point shall coincide exactly with the intersection of lines to be marked, and shall be set so that the top of the monument or marker is level with the surface of the surrounding ground and the elevation permanently recorded on at least one monument using the U.S.C. & G.S. datum.
3. 
Monuments shall be set in readily accessible locations at all corner and angle points of the boundary of the original tract being subdivided and at a minimum of two points of intersection of the right-of-way lines and at all street intersections so as to permanently locate or provide reference for all property lines.
4. 
Markers shall be set:
A. 
At the beginning and end of all curves along street property lines.
B. 
At all points where lot lines intersect curves, either front or rear.
C. 
At all angles in property lines of lots.
D. 
At all other lot corners.
5. 
Any monuments or markers that are removed shall be replaced by a registered land surveyor at the expense of the person removing them.
[Ord. 714, 11/13/1991, § 610]
Bridges and other stream crossing structures which are part of the proposed street system shall be designed and constructed in according with current PennDOT standards and specifications. Evidence of compliance with and approval of the Division of Dams and Encroachments, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, shall be provided, if applicable.
[Ord. 714, 11/13/1991, § 611]
The developer shall provide the subdivision or land development with adequate street signs at the intersections of all streets. Sign style and characteristics, i.e., color and lettering, shall be acceptable to the Borough Council.
[Ord. 714, 11/13/1991, § 612]
Traffic signals and signs may be required where traffic studies determine them necessary to provide safe traffic circulation. Such traffic signals and signs shall meet the design standards as established by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in PennDOT Bulletin #42 or latest edition.
[Ord. 714, 11/13/1991, § 613; as amended by Ord. 824, 9/10/2002]
1. 
In an attempt to preserve and enhance the environment of Stroudsburg Borough, all new construction should be carried out in a manner that would preserve the desirable natural growth of the construction site. Where a residential subdivision or residential land development will be cleared and made substantially void of trees, the subdivider shall be required to plant shade trees adjacent to all street rights-of-way.
A. 
Commercial subdivision or commercial land development shall provide landscaping in accordance with the applicable standards below:
(1) 
Compliance. The plan shall comply with the provision of this section, including the number, type, location and size of trees.
(2) 
Plant Species. The plan shall include plant species that are suitable for local soil and Climate conditions, are reasonably resistant to disease, insects and road salt and are in a healthy condition when planted.
(3) 
Sight Distance Requirements. The plan shall comply with the sight distance requirements of this chapter, including intersections of public streets and access drives of commercial, industrial and multifamily developments. The Borough may permit some landscape material to be placed in the clear sight triangle when it determines that the type of material and its location will not create a hazard to motorists or conflict with utility locations.
(4) 
Ground Cover. The plan shall show natural year-round ground cover on at least 15% of the lot. This natural ground cover shall be capable of preventing soil erosion and the emanation of dust during dry weather.
(5) 
Topsoil Protection. Topsoil shall not be permanently removed from a lot except from areas that will covered with buildings or paving. This shall not prohibit the temporary movement and storage of topsoil during construction.
(6) 
Healthy Trees Over six Inches. Existing healthy trees over six inches in trunk diameter shall be preserved insofar as possible, as determined by the Planning Commission and Borough Council. Existing healthy trees shall be protected during construction by a protection barrier located at least 12 feet from the tree in all directions.
(7) 
Tree Removal. All desirable trees six inches or more in diameter shall not be removed as part of or in preparation for a subdivision or land development unless they are located within 10 feet of a proposed cartway or within a utility corridor, stormwater detention basin, parking area, loading or unloading area, sidewalk portion of the right-of-way, driveway, on-site sewage system or within 20 feet of the foundation area of a new structure, or unless these trees are diseased or are (as determined by the Planning Commission and Borough Council) excessive in number and thinning will promote and enhance the healthy development of the remaining trees.
(8) 
Tree Measurements. Unless otherwise noted, all measurements of tree diameter shall be taken 4 1/2 feet above natural grade level.
(9) 
Number of Trees Required for Each Building Site. Each building site shall include a minimum of 12 deciduous or evergreen trees for each one acre. Each deciduous tree shall be 3 1/2 inch caliper or greater, and each evergreen tree shall be six to seven feet in height or greater. As an alternate, 10 trees for each one acre shall be required if deciduous trees are four inches in caliper or greater and evergreen trees are eight to 10 feet in height or greater. Five shrubs 2 1/2 feet in height or greater may be substituted for one tree 2 1/2 inch caliper for a maximum of 20% of the tree requirement.
(10) 
Paved Area Landscaping Size and Type of Trees.
(a) 
A minimum of one tree shall be required for every 3,000 square feet of paved area within a lot.
(b) 
Shade trees shall be a minimum of 3 1/2 inch caliper and of a species approved by the Borough.
(c) 
Ornamental tress shall be a minimum of 3 1/2 inch caliper and of a species approved by the Borough.
(d) 
Evergreen trees shall be a minimum of six feet in height and of a species approved by the Borough.
(e) 
Shrubs shall be a minimum of 24 inches in height and of a species approved by the Borough.
(f) 
Trees required by this section shall be planted around the perimeter of the paved area, along internal driveways and access drives and/or within the paved area. All trees within the paved areas shall be shade trees as enumerated in the Borough Shade Tree Ordinance.
(g) 
Any lot with more the 20,000 square feet of paved area shall include shade trees within islands within the paved area; these islands shall include an area equal to at least 5% of the paved area. Such islands and curbing shall be used to carefully channel vehicular traffic through the paved areas.
(h) 
A maximum of 15 consecutive and continuous parking spaces in a row shall be permitted without being separated by a shade tree.
(i) 
All landscaping materials required by this section shall be installed in accordance with the approved landscape plan.
(j) 
Newly planted tress that die, become diseased or pest-ridden shall be replaced by the developer until the developer sells an individual lot to a private property owner. The owner will then be responsible for the tree.
(k) 
Trees within the street right-of-way are under the control of the Borough of Stroudsburg, and all other required plantings shall not be removed without a permit from the Zoning Officer, except for trees removed by the Borough or the state and for trees approved to be removed under this chapter.
(l) 
No prohibited vegetation shall be planted. The Zoning Officer shall maintain a list of prohibited vegetation.
(11) 
Credit for Existing Trees.
(a) 
If healthy, existing trees are to be preserved that will generally meet the requirements of this section, the Borough may, in its discretion, permit the existing tree(s) to serve as a credit toward the number of shade trees required to be planted. In addition, the Borough, in its discretion, may permit existing trees that would otherwise be required to be maintained by this chapter to be removed in exchange for the developer planting replacement trees in accordance with this section. The following standards shall be used to determine the extent of credit:
Diameter of Tree Trunk of an Approved Preserved Tree
(measured at 4 1/2 feet above the natural grade)
Number of Credited Trees
Greater than 30 inches
6
15 to 29 inches
4
7 to 14 inches
2
2 to 6 inches
1
(b) 
To be eligible for use as credit toward a required tree, a preserved tree shall be maintained in such a manner that a minimum of 50% of the ground area under and within the outer perimeter of the tree shall be maintained in natural ground cover and at the existing natural ground level.
(12) 
Buffer Strips.
(a) 
See the requirements for buffer strips and evergreen screening in § 27-617 of the Borough Zoning Ordinance [Chapter 27]. The required landscaping in this subsection shall be in addition to the landscaping required within buffer yards.
(b) 
Buffer strips shall be eight feet in width and shall be required to screen truck parking, loading areas, outdoor storage, refuse containers or similar activities from view from any surrounding street or abutting residential district.
(c) 
Buffer strips shall include a dense screen planting of trees, shrubs or other plant material to serve as a barrier to visibility and shall consist of evergreen plant material.
(d) 
Plant materials selected for buffer strips shall achieve a size greater than the height of the activity to be screened.
B. 
Street Trees and Residential Subdivisions.
(1) 
Street Trees. It is required that street trees are planted under this section within all land developments and major subdivisions.
(2) 
Size, Types, Planting and Maintenance. All required street trees shall meet the requirements for trees as enumerated in the Borough Shade Tree Ordinance.
(a) 
Within and abutting all land developments, along any public street or street intended to become public, or along any private street or access drive, one deciduous street tree shall be required for every 30 or 40 feet of total distance along each side of all such streets.
(b) 
The trees required within this section shall be generally, but not necessarily exactly, evenly spaced apart. If trees are to be planted on both sides of a street, consideration should be given to creating a pattern or interesting design by examining the relationship of the trees on both sides of the street to each other, as well as the trees on the adjacent property.
(c) 
The distance that trees shall be planted from the curb, cartway or shoulder shall be determined by the Borough in consideration of the particular development and types of trees being planted. The Borough may require a specific location to match street tree layout of adjoining properties or to ensure adequate sight distance or provide adequate width for future street widening.
(3) 
Residential Subdivisions. The Borough shall apply this section to residential developments or subdivisions 1/2 acre or larger in size.
[Ord. 714, 11/13/1991, § 614]
Exposed ground surface in all parts of the subdivision shall be paved or covered with stone screening, or other solid material, or protected with a vegetative growth that is capable of preventing soil erosion and the emanation of dust during dry weather. The vegetative cover shall not be poisonous in nature.
[Ord. 714, 11/13/1991, § 615]
1. 
Minimum dimensions of required parking spaces shall be 10 feet wide and 20 feet in depth. When more than 10 parking spaces are provided on any one lot, 1/3 of the spaces may be a minimum of nine feet wide and 18 feet deep. Aisle widths providing access to parking spaces shall be adequate to provide for safe and convenient turns into and from parking spaces based upon standard engineering practices. Minimum aisle widths shall be 12 feet for 0° angle (parallel) parking, 11 feet for 30° angle parking, 13 feet for 45° angle parking, 18 feet for 60° angle parking and 24 feet for 90° angle parking.
2. 
Handicapped parking spaces shall be provided as required by state and federal regulations.
[Ord. 714, 11/13/1991, § 616]
1. 
Floodplain Ordinance.
A. 
All subdivisions and land developments located in a designated flood-prone area shall conform with the requirements and definitions of the Borough of Stroudsburg Ordinance No. 567 entitled "Floodplain Ordinance."
B. 
All such proposed development shall be designed in accordance with the floodplain management principles and requirements of said ordinance.
2. 
As a basis for determining conformance with these requirements, the Borough Council may utilize information provided by recognized applicable authorities or studies.
3. 
If the Borough Council determines that only a part of a proposed plan can be safely developed, it shall limit development to that part and shall require that development proceed consistent with this determination.