A.
The design standards herein specified are minimum
standards. When restrictive covenants or deed restrictions imposed
by the developer are more restrictive, they shall govern.
B.
Where the literal compliance with the standards specified is clearly impractical, a modification may be granted in accordance with the procedures and criteria specified in Article VII of this chapter.
C.
Land susceptible to flooding, exceptionally high water
table, unstable subsurface conditions, steep or unstable slopes, presence
of high voltage or high pressure overhead or underground utilities,
etc., shall not be approved for subdivision or development unless
the hazards have been eliminated or unless the proposed plan shows
safeguards adequate, in the opinion of the Township Engineer, to protect
the proposed use of the land.
D.
The subdivision or land development plan shall conform to the Township's Comprehensive Plan and Chapter 300, Zoning, and shall represent a logical extension of the municipal street, sewer and water networks, or, if extending across municipal boundaries, to these networks in the adjoining municipalities.
E.
Design standards and criteria for the construction of all required improvements, as shown on any subdivision plat or land development plan given final approval, shall comply with the specifications of Appendix A, Butler Township Standard Details, attached to this chapter.[1]
[Added 12-21-2009 by Ord. No. 846]
[1]
Editor’s Note: Appendix A is included at the end of this chapter. Ordinance No. 846 provided that said Appendix may be amended from time to time by resolution of the Board of Commissioners.
A.
Layout and continuity.
(1)
The layout of streets in a subdivision or plan shall
be logically related to topography in order to produce usable lots
or areas for development, reasonable grades and preserve the amenities
of the site.
(2)
Local streets in a subdivision or plan shall be designed
to discourage through traffic.
(3)
Streets shall be extended to the boundaries of the
subdivision or plan where such extension will connect to an existing
or recorded street in an adjacent subdivision or plan or shall represent
a logical connection into undeveloped adjacent land because of topography
or shape of the adjacent land.
(4)
Where a subdivision or plan abuts a major highway,
the arrangement within the subdivision or plan shall be oriented away
from the major highway, and the number of access points to the highway
shall be kept to a minimum.
(5)
Where a subdivision or plan abuts an already existing
public road owned and maintained by Butler Township or the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania, the right-of-way width of which is less than 50 feet,
the applicant shall be requested to offer for public dedication, land
abutting said right-of-way to provide a minimum aggregate right-of-way
width of 50 feet or a maximum of 25 feet on each side, measured from
the center line of the right-of-way. In the case of variable width
rights-of-way where Pennsylvania Department of Transportation or Butler
Township standards require greater right-of-way widths, additional
land shall be requested for public dedication to provide continuity
of design and safety to vehicular traffic.
[Amended 12-21-2009 by Ord. No. 846]
(6)
Half streets or partial streets shall be prohibited,
except that, where a proposed subdivision or plan abuts property along
such a public street on the abutting property, the proposed subdivision
or plan shall complete the street, and it shall be recorded in the
plan. At least 25 feet of right-of-way width, measured from the center
line of the public street, shall be provided on the property proposed
for subdivision. The applicant shall be requested to offer, for public
dedication, land abutting said right-of-way where the existing right-of-way
width is less than 50 feet. A minimum width of 25 feet, measured from
the right-of-way center line, on either side of right-of-way shall
be requested from the applicant in order to provide continuity of
design and safety to vehicular traffic.
[Amended 12-21-2009 by Ord. No. 846]
(7)
Alleys shall not be permitted in residential developments, but may be provided in commercial or industrial developments where needed for loading, unloading or secondary access. Where authorized by the Township, alleys shall have a minimum right-of-way width of 30 feet and shall be paved with a minimum base which meets the standards of § 252-28 of this chapter for a Township street.
B.
Street alignment.
(1)
Street alignment and intersections. All streets and
intersections shall be designed in accordance with the requirements
of the latest edition of A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways
and Streets, issued by the American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
(2)
Street grades.
(a)
Center-line grades shall not exceed 12% over
a distance not in excess of 300 feet, and all center-line grades over
a distance in excess of 300 feet shall not exceed 10%.
(b)
Minimum grades along center lines shall be not
less than 1%.
(c)
Vertical curves shall be installed on all street
grade changes exceeding 1%.
(d)
Center-line grades on culs-de-sac shall not
exceed 6%.
(4)
Culs-de-sac.
(a)
Cul-de-sac streets shall not exceed 1,200 feet
in length and shall be provided at the closed end with a circular
turnaround having a paved area at least 80 feet in diameter within
a right-of-way whose diameter is at least 100 feet.
(b)
If a subdivision or plan is developed over several
stages and roads are to be extended as development proceeds, cul-de-sac
streets produced in one stage to be extended in a later stage shall
be provided within the limits of the first phase of the plan or on
the adjacent remnant parcel on which the next phase is proposed, provided
that the right-of-way for the cul-de-sac is recorded with the approved
phase of the plan and the construction of the cul-de-sac is guaranteed
by the improvement bond posted for the approved phase. In the event
that the street is extended in the future, the abandonment of the
right-of-way for the cul-de-sac shall be subject to the concurrence
of all owners in the recorded plan on which the right-of-way is recorded.
(5)
Street names.
(a)
Streets that are extensions of existing streets
or are substantially in alignment with them shall bear the name of
the existing street.
(b)
Street names shall be subject to the approval
of the Board of Commissioners and shall not duplicate names already
in use within the same postal zip code zone.
(6)
Private lanes.
(a)
A private lane, as defined by this chapter,
may be permitted only when such lane serves only one lot that has
no other access to a public street, provided that the property from
which the lot is subdivided has frontage on a public street.
(b)
Such a lane shall not be subject to the standards
of this chapter for construction of a public street, unless any lot
or parcel it serves is proposed to be further subdivided into two
or more lots with frontage on a private lane shall mandate construction
of a public street in accordance with the requirements of this chapter
for constructing a public street. The plan for recording shall contain
a notation regarding this requirement to provide a public street if
the property is resubdivided.
(c)
No more than one private lane shall be permitted
on any property legally existing prior to the adoption of this chapter.
(d)
House numbers for dwellings located on private
lanes shall be placed at the intersection of the private lane and
the public street and shall be visible from the public street.
(e)
The minimum width of the required right-of-way
for a private lane shall be 15 feet, unless there is a possibility
that the property fronting on the private lane can be further subdivided;
then the minimum width of the required right-of-way for the private
lane shall be 50 feet.
(f)
The required width of the cartway shall be not
less than 10 feet and shall have a mud-free, dust-free surface. The
maximum permitted grade of a private lane shall be 12%.
(g)
Approval of a private lane shall be subject
to the execution and recording of an agreement between the adjoining
property owners and the Township, where the Township is a third party
beneficiary, to maintain the private lane and placement of a notation
on the plan for recording indicating that the Township has no maintenance
responsibilities for the private lane.
A.
Public utilities.
(1)
Where possible, utilities shall be placed within the
street rights-of-way, but where that is not possible, they shall be
placed, except to accommodate unusual sanitary or storm sewerage conditions,
within easements centered on side or rear lot lines.
(2)
Easements shall be not less than 10 feet in width
and shall be aligned across blocks and across plans, but may be increased
in width to meet the requirements of individual utilities using them.
(3)
A minimum distance of 20 feet shall be maintained
between any point of a residential building and the nearest petroleum
products or natural gas transmission line.
B.
Drainage. All subdivisions and plans shall comply with Chapter 242, Stormwater Management, of the Code of the Township of Butler.
[Amended 5-16-2011 by Ord. No. 855]
C.
Dedications. Where sites for parks, schools, playgrounds
or other public use areas are required for conformance with objectives
of the Township's Comprehensive Plan within the subdivision plan,
or open areas are proposed for dedication to the Township or a private
association by the developer, such dedication shall be designated
as "dedicated" or "reserved" on the final plat, together with the
name of the agency responsible for their maintenance.
A.
Every lot in a subdivision shall abut a public street, except for a single lot on a private lane authorized in accordance with § 252-23B(6) of this chapter.
B.
Lots shall not be less in depth than their width nor greater in depth than 2 1/2 times their width, unless a modification to this requirement is granted because of unusual topographic, drainage or other special conditions in accordance with the procedures and criteria specified in Article VII of this chapter.
C.
Side lines of lots shall be at right angles or radial
to street lines as nearly as possible.
D.
Corner lots shall be increased in width to allow a
buildable area comparable to an interior lot.
E.
Double-frontage lots shall be discouraged except where
such lots abut a major highway along their rear line, in which case
the rear building line of the lots shall be 75 feet from the major
highway right-of-way line.
F.
Minimum lot dimensions and areas shall not be less than those specified in Chapter 300, Zoning, for the zoning district containing the lot.
G.
Within a subdivision or plan where public or community
sewage disposal is not contemplated, soil percolation tests in accordance
with procedures of the state regulatory agency shall be undertaken.
Results of the tests shall be made available to the Planning Commission
and shall be a determinant in deciding minimum lot size and/or density
of development.
H.
The arrangement within a subdivision or land development
plan and areas set aside for community facilities and nonresidential
uses shall be approved by the Planning Commission Board of Commissioners
based on circulation, parking and location relative to the residential
uses in the plan.
I.
All land in a subdivision shall be platted for a specific
purpose.
J.
Lot lines within a subdivision shall be arranged to
minimize the amount of drainage passing from one lot directly onto
a neighboring lot. The Board of Commissioners may direct the developer
to provide drainage easements or grade swales along lot lines to control
drainage across lots.
K.
Existing natural features, existing topography and
significant trees shall be retained wherever possible, and clearance
of ground cover shall be minimized to reduce erosion and maintain
drainage patterns.
