A.
Location and alignment.
(1)
All streets in the subdivision shall be designed so
that, in the opinion of the Board, they will provide safe vehicular
travel and discourage nonterminal traffic and excessive speed. Due
consideration shall also be given by the subdivider to the attractiveness
of the street layout in order to obtain the maximum livability and
amenity of the subdivision.
(2)
The proposed streets shall conform to the master or
study plan when adopted in whole or in part by the Board.
(3)
Provision satisfactory to the Board shall be made
for the proper projection of streets, or for access to adjoining property
which is not yet subdivided.
(4)
Reserve strips prohibiting access to streets or adjoining
property shall not be permitted.
(5)
Streets shall be laid out so as to intersect as nearly
as possible at right angles. No street shall intersect any other street
at less than 60°.
(6)
The minimum distance between adjacent parallel streets
is 300 feet at intersections. This provision shall include streets
on both sides of the street intersected. There shall be no offsets
at intersections with four or more legs.
[Amended 3-21-1991]
(7)
No new streets shall be designed so as to create zoning
violations.
[Added 4-5-1990]
B.
Type of streets.
(1)
Any proposed street shall be indicated on the plans
as being one of the following classes:
(a)
Place: These streets shall be not over 500 feet
in length, unless otherwise allowed by the Board, with no allowance
for future extension. A maximum average daily traffic (ADT) of 100
vehicles per day will be allowed for a street to be classified as
a place.
(b)
Lane: The major purpose of these streets shall
be to provide access to lots. They would be streets not subject to
nonterminal traffic. The ADT for this type of street would be between
100 and 400 vehicles per day.
(c)
Subcollector: The ADT for this type of street
would be between 400 and 1,000 vehicles per day. For the most part
this type of street will serve several places or lanes.
(d)
Collector: The ADT for this type of street would
be between 1,000 and 3,000 vehicles per day.
(e)
Arterial: The ADT for this type of street would
be over 3,000 vehicles per day.
(2)
The ADT of a street shall be determined by applying
a factor of 10 vehicles per day per lot served either directly or
indirectly by the street plus an allowance for through traffic where
applicable. The classification of each street in a subdivision and
an estimate of its ADT should be included in or with the plans. The
Planning Board reserves the right to make the final decision regarding
the classification of a street and its estimated ADT. Consideration
must be given to future traffic from undeveloped land which would
be served by the proposed street system.
C.
Design requirements. See Table 4.1.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Table 4.1 is included at the end of this chapter.
D.
Intersections. The intersection of places and lanes
with other streets shall have a property line radius of 15 feet and
a curbline radius of 25 feet. The intersections of all other streets
shall have a property line radius of 25 feet and a curb radius of
35 feet. The Planning Board reserves the right to increase these radii
wherever it may deem necessary for public safety. Maximum grade allowed
within 100 feet of an intersection, measured from the outer gutter
line, is 2.5%.
[Amended 3-21-1991]
E.
Dead-end streets.
[Amended 3-15-2001]
(1)
“Dead-end streets” for the purpose of
these regulations is a street meeting the design criteria for either
a place, lane, subcollector, collector, or arterial which has only
one means of access/egress.
(2)
Dead-end streets shall not be longer than 500 feet
measured from the nearest intersecting through street unless, in the
opinion of the Board, a greater length is necessitated by topography
or other local conditions.
(3)
In order for a street not to be considered a dead-end
street, there shall be at least two means of egress on to through
streets. The two means of access/egress shall be separated by the
distance of at least 300 feet.
(4)
Dead-end streets shall be provided at the closed end
with a turnaround having an outside roadway diameter of at least 100
feet and a property line diameter of at least 120 feet.
(5)
Minimum gutter grades on culs-de-sac will be 1.00%.
A typical cross section can be found in Figure
4.2.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Figure 4.2 is included at the end of this chapter.
A.
Easements for proposed or future utilities across
lots or centered on rear or side lot lines shall be provided and shall
be at least 20 feet wide with provisions made for access thereto.
B.
Where a subdivision is traversed by a watercourse,
drainageway, channel or stream, a stormwater easement or drainage
right-of-way 30 feet in width shall be provided. In addition to providing
for construction, maintenance and access, said easements shall contain
flowage rights. In the event that a stream is of a seasonal nature
or the exact course cannot be determined, then total flowage rights
across the land in question shall be provided.
C.
When, in the opinion of the Planning Board, pedestrianways
or bicycle paths should be provided to connect with adjacent land,
an easement (or deed) shall be granted to the Town for such purpose.
To the greatest extent possible, pedestrianway easements shall coincide
with those of underground utilities.
A.
Wherever possible, sanitary sewers shall be installed
to serve a proposed subdivision. The sewers shall be designed so that
the velocity of the flow will be at least two feet per second during
periods of peak flow. The sizing of sanitary sewers shall be as specified
in the Sanitary Sewer Study for the Town of Agawam, 1972, by Tighe
& Bond and/or as approved by the Town Engineer. The total design
of the system shall also meet with the approval of the Town Engineer.
B.
In areas where sanitary sewers are not presently available
but where provisions are made for their future construction in the
Sanitary Sewer Study and the Town's capital budget program, then a
capped sanitary system, including laterals, shall be installed.
C.
Sewage pumping stations or lift stations, where necessary
and allowed, shall meet with the approval of the Town Engineer. In
general these stations will only be allowed where called for in the
Sanitary Sewer Study. In some cases stations other than those shown
in the study will be allowed if it can be demonstrated that the station
will be able to be eliminated by trunk sewer construction in the foreseeable
future. The costs of operating and maintaining a station shall not
be assumed by the Town until one year from the date of completion
of the last house in the last section of the subdivision.
D.
The sewer lateral to each lot shall be shown on the
plans. During the time the applicant is responsible for the station
he shall enter into an agreement with the Town of Agawam relative
to its maintenance and operation.
A.
A system of drains shall be installed to collect stormwater
from the proposed streets and lots and to transmit the water to a
point where it may be discharged in a natural watercourse or stream.
The drains shall be designed to have a minimum velocity at design
flow of three feet per second and a maximum velocity of 10 feet per
second. The sizing of storm drains and culverts shall be as specified
in the Report on Storm Drainage for the Town of Agawam by Tighe &
Bond, 1972, and/or as approved by the Town Engineer.
B.
In general, surface water from the lots shall not
be deposited directly into the ways. The area within the setback line
may be graded to drain toward the street line. All other surface water
from individual lots shall be handled insofar as possible within the
lots themselves. Developers shall provide for lot surface drainage
by a system separate from drainage of the street, by the use of swales,
culverts, retention ponds, yard drains and piping, riprapped outlets
at the water body, etc., in a manner which shall protect the natural
water table unless the lowering of the water table is necessary for
the health of the occupants. Strict attention shall be paid to the
relationship of leaching fields to surrounding grading. Surface water
systems shall not connect into the road drainage system except by
permission of the Board, in which case such condition shall be noted
on the approved plan. The total design of the system shall also meet
with the approval of the Town Engineer.
C.
Where, in the opinion of the Town Engineer and/or
Planning Board, the discharge of stormwater from a subdivision will
alter the character of a watercourse to overflow its banks (confines),
then the applicant will be required to submit drainage and flowage
easements along said watercourse to a point where it is determined
by the Town Engineer and/or Planning Board that the effect of the
stormwater drainage discharge will have a negligible effect on the
watercourse. The easements and flowage rights shall be of such width
to cover the extent of the suspected flooding. These easements and
flowage rights will be required both within and outside of the boundaries
of the proposed subdivision. The total design of the system shall
also meet with the approval of the Town Engineer.
D.
All subdivisions shall be constructed in conformance
with the Town Storm Drainage Ordinance.[1] Detention ponds will be utilized as required, and each
detention pond will be fenced except as otherwise required by the
Department of Public Works. Construction standards shall comply with
Department of Public Works Standards. No dry wells or leaching fields
for the underground disposal of stormwater will be allowed. No stormwater
holding ponds without positive surface outlets shall be allowed.
E.
Lot grading plan procedures. The Town of Agawam requires
the following procedure to be followed for lot grading plans for all
subdivisions approved after January 1, 2004.
[Added 3-4-2004; amended 1-19-2006]
(1)
Review scope. This review/approval process will address
drainage and runoff concerns for the lot in question, adjacent lots,
and the subdivision as a whole only. The elevation of the foundation
is reviewed for comparison to adjacent grades, and generally for comparison
to adjacent homes. This review does not address the constructability
of the foundation.
(2)
Procedure overview.
(a)
Step 1: Lot grading plan approval. The owner's
engineer/surveyor submits information for review and approval to Agawam
DPW Engineering. It is hoped that the owner is part of this process
in order to expedite Step 2.
(b)
Step 2: Builder/owner sign-off. The owner and
builder send a letter to DPW indicating that the approved lot grading
plan will be complied with during construction. The owner/builder
sign-off, including all information shown in the sample letter, must
be forwarded to DPW within one week after Step 1 is complete. The
white form will be forwarded from DPW to the Building Department for
the building permit after this step is complete.
(c)
Step 3: Construction field check. The builder/owner
will contact DPW Engineering to schedule a field check on the top
of foundation wall to ensure compliance with the approved lot grading
plan. The fee for this inspection is $70. The builder/owner must allow
a forty-eight-hour window for DPW to perform the field check. DPW
is available Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except holidays.
The builder will be contacted by Agawam DPW with the results of the
field check. Failure by the builder to comply with the approved lot
grading plan will result in DPW notifying the Planning Board. The
Planning Board will then request the Building Department to issue
a stop-work order for the lot until a resolution can be agreed upon.
(d)
Step 4: Upon completion of construction and
prior to a certificate of occupancy being issued by the Inspector
of Buildings, the builder/owner will submit an as-built plan to the
Inspection Services Department. The as-built plan shall be prepared
by a registered land surveyor. Failure to submit the as-built plan
shall result in a hold on the issuing of the certificate of occupancy.
If the as-built plan shows deviation from the lot grading plan, the
builder/owner will be required to receive approval for the new plan
from the Planning Board prior to the issuance of a certificate of
occupancy.
A.
Water mains and appurtenances such as hydrants, valves,
blowoffs and air release valves shall be installed to serve all lots
on each street in the subdivision. The sizing of water mains shall
be as specified in the Water Distribution Study when completed and/or
as required by the Town Engineer. In general the minimum size water
main that will be allowed is an eight-inch-diameter line.
B.
Hydrants shall be installed to provide fire protection
to the subdivision. The maximum distance allowed between hydrants
is 500 feet. Wherever possible, hydrants should be located at lot
lines.
C.
All intersections of water mains shall be fully valved.
Also, main line valves shall be installed every 1,000 feet along a
water main.
D.
The water service connection to each lot shall be
indicated on the plans. The total design of the system shall also
meet with the approval of the Town Engineer.
Underground electric and telephone lines and
gas mains, including service connections, shall be shown on the plans.
The location of streetlighting standards shall be indicated on the
plans and the lighting shall be of a type adopted for use in the Town
of Agawam. The location and design of streetlighting systems shall
meet the requirements of the Department of Public Works. Letters from
respective utility companies shall be submitted to the Board indicating
their approval of the utility design.
Before approval of a plan, the Board may also
in proper cases require the plan to show a park or parks suitably
located for playground or recreation purposes or for providing light
and air. The park or parks shall not be unreasonable in area in relation
to the land being subdivided and to the prospective uses of such land.
The Board may, by appropriate endorsement on the plan, require that
no building be erected upon such park or parks without its approval.
Strict regard shall be shown for all natural
features, such as large trees, watercourses, scenic points, historic
spots and similar community assets which, if preserved, will add attractiveness
and value to the subdivision.
Provisions for pedestrian and bicycle access
shall be made in all subdivisions connecting public open space or
commercial areas. When roads do not connect with the adjacent subdivisions
or open land, such nonvehicular access shall be provided. The pedestrian/bike
path shall be eight feet in paved width with a minimum easement or
deeded width of 16 feet. All ways shall be clearly marked and landscaped
to protect adjoining lot owners. Such ways shall be secured by easement
or deeded to the Town.
