6.8.6 Street Geometry: Street geometry (i.e., horizontal and vertical alignment) should be selected to achieve both safe vehicular movement and adequate sight distances for associated design speeds. The design engineer shall demonstrate conformance to this objective by providing tables of calculations which indicate the resultant sight distances.

6.8.7 Excess Right-of-Way: Right of way widths in excess of the standards designated in Tables 1A, 1B, and 1C may be required whenever, due to anticipated future traffic/loading conditions, additional width is necessary to provide improved alignment.

6.8.8 Cul-de-sac - Temporary: The subdivision design shall provide for continuation of streets between adjacent properties when such continuation promotes the convenient movement of traffic, effective fire protection and emergency vehicle access, efficient snow removal service and efficient provision of utilities, and/or where such continuation is in conformance with the Town's Master Plan.

If the adjacent property is undeveloped and a street must be dead-ended temporarily, the right-of-way shall extend to the property line.

6.8.9 Cul-de-sac- Permanent: If a street will not extend beyond the subdivision boundaries and its continuation is not required for access to an adjoining property, the terminus shall not be nearer the subdivision boundary than fifty feet (50'). A permanent dead-end street shall be provided with a cul-de-sac turnaround in accordance with Section 6.8.1, Table 1A.

6.8.10 Reserve Strips: Reserve strips prohibiting access to streets or adjoining Property shall not be permitted except where, in the opinion of the Board, such strips shall be in the public interest.

6.8.11 Intersections: Streets shall be laid out so as to intersect as nearly as possible at right angles, and in no case at less than a 75 degree angle. New intersections at one side of an existing street shall align directly with any existing intersection at the opposite side of the street whenever feasible. Street intersection jogs with centerline offsets of less than one hundred and fifty feet (150') shall not be permitted.

Street intersections shall be designed with a flat grade (not greater than 3%) for a distance of at least one hundred (100') feet as the street approaches each side, as applicable, of any intersecting street, except that for courts intersecting with lanes or local streets, the grade shall be not greater than 4% for a distance of at least seventy-five (75') feet from the intersection. [Amended 5-18-95]

The minimum sight distances (in both directions) at all intersections of streets shall be three hundred twenty-five (325') feet, i.e., for a design speed of forty (40 mph) miles per hour; greater sight distances may be required for higher design speeds.

As a minimum, a continuous low-profile, modified Cape Cod berm shall be provided as an integral part of all new streets, except for courts. Modified cape cod berm shall be required on courts at intersections and on grades over four (4) percent. On cul-de-sac turnarounds and at intersections with collector or local streets, sloped granite curbing shall be required. Sloped granite curbing shall be required where road grades are over two (2) percent but less than six (6) percent. Vertical granite curb shall be required at the back of catch basins, on grades over six (6) percent, and at the intersections with arterial streets, except that the Board may allow sloped granite curb in lieu of vertical granite curb at the back of catch basins or on grades over six (6) percent if the entire proposed street is being provided with sloped granite curb. [Amended 5-18-95]

Reference is made to details of "Typical Cross Sections, Curbing Construction" Figure II.

Driveway aprons and road pavement shall be installed at the same time. Aprons shall extend from the street to the lot. In the event that the driveway aprons can not be installed at the same time as the street construction, it shall be the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the driveway aprons are installed, in accordance with the Department of Public Works standards, prior to the acceptance of the street by Town Meeting. If a lot is undeveloped, the applicant shall curb the frontage of the lot until such time as the lot owner obtains a street opening permit. The Department of Public Works shall not be responsible for the installation of driveway aprons after the construction of the subdivision streets.

6.11.1 Requirement: Sidewalks shall be required on both sides of the street along all arterials. Sidewalks shall be required on one side of the street along all lanes local and collector streets unless the Board determines pedestrian movement is otherwise accommodated. [Amended 5-18-95]

6.11.2 Design Standards: The design and construction of sidewalks shall be based upon the nature and density of development as shown in TABLE II:

TABLE II - Minimum Design Standards for Sidewalks

Footnotes:

(1) Meandering - following existing terrain and major features such as stone walls, large trees, or rock outcroppings, within the street right-of-way.

(2) Standard - uniform width parallel to the street.

6.11.3 Materials: Where new sidewalks are to be constructed in short sections to connect existing sidewalks, the new sections shall be constructed to the same specifications as the existing sidewalks.

6.11.4 Americans with Disabilities Act: All sidewalks and ramps shall conform with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

6.12.1 Requirements: Monuments shall be installed at all street intersections, at all points of change in direction or at curvature of streets, at two (2) property corners of all new lots and at any other points where, in the opinion of the Board, permanent monuments are necessary.

6.12.2 Monument Spacing: Monuments located in the street right-of-way shall be spaced so as to be within sight of each other, the sight lines being contained wholly within the street right-of-way limits. The maximum interval shall be one thousand feet (1000').

6.12.3 Monument Materials: Monuments shall be either standard granite markers of not less than four feet (4') in length and not less than five inches (5") square, and shall have a drill hole in the center or shall be made of concrete and reinforcing bar and of similar dimensions as noted above. If subsoil conditions prohibit installation of four (4') foot monuments, with advance approval by the Board, monuments meeting alternative specifications shall be installed. Monuments shall be set flush with the finished grade.

6.12.4 Monument Certification: No permanent monuments shall be installed until all construction which would destroy or disturb the monuments is completed. Placement and location of bounds are to be certified by a registered professional land surveyor after installation of the street, and shall be shown on the "as-built" or record plans.

6.13.1 Installation: All utility lines, and/ or other subsurface facilities within the street rights-of-way shall be installed prior to the preparation of the street base material.

6.13.2 Identification: The subdivider shall provide and install utility identification tape for all underground utility installations. The tape shall be placed in the trench a minimum of twelve inches (12") above the pipe, conduit or cable and not less than twelve inches (12") below the finished grade.

Identification tape for utilities shall be traceable, durable, and either non-biodegradable plastic or metallic, and shall be approximately six inches (6") wide by four thousandths (.004) inches, or four mil, in thickness.

The following colors shall be used:

Orange- Gas

Yellow- Electric

Green- communications (telephone, cable, fire alarm)

Blue- Water

Red- Sanitary Sewer

6.13.3 Easements: Wherever necessary, the Board shall require perpetual, unobstructed easements for sewers, storm drains, power lines and water mains. Such easements shall be a minimum width of thirty feet (30'), centered on the utility, and shall be indicated on the Definitive Plan by metes and bounds.

Storm water run-off shall be disposed of through a combination of storage and controlled release, as indicated in the Rules and Regulations Governing Storm Water Management (See Appendix VIII.) Drainage systems shall be designed according to the following principles and criteria:

6.14.1 Peak Flows: Property shall be developed in such a manner as to maximize storm water recharge on the site and to minimize direct overland run-off into adjoining streets and watercourses. Peak flows and run-off at the boundaries of the subdivision shall be no higher following development than before development, for the 10 and 100 year storm events.

6.14.2 Capacity: Drainage systems shall have adequate capacity to handle all storm water run-off presently flowing through the subdivision, as well as to dispose of any additional run-off generated by the proposed development up to and including the run-off from a one hundred (100) year storm using the following methods: a) the flow from storms of up to a twenty-five (25) year frequency and a twenty-four (24) hour duration shall be conveyed through the storm drain system on the subdivision site. Storm drain piping and grade inlets shall be designed for a 25 year storm event; b) Detention facilities and culverts shall be provided to handle all run-off, up to and including the run-off generated by the one hundred (100) year, twenty-four (24) hour storm. As a minimum, detention basin routing calculations shall be prepared for the ten (10) and one hundred (100) year storm events.

6.14.3 Release Rate: The combination of storage and design release rate shall not result in a storage duration of greater than seventy-two (72) hours. Maximum depth of storm water detention/retention areas shall be two feet (2'). [Amended 2-18-99]

6.14.4 Outlet Structures: Outlet control structures shall be designed as simply as possible and shall require little or no maintenance for proper operation.

6.14.5 Emergency overflow: Each storm water detention area shall be provided with a method of emergency overflow in the event of a storm in excess of the one hundred (100) year frequency type.

6.14.6 Natural Patterns: Natural drainage patterns shall be used wherever possible. All existing watercourses shall be left open unless approval to close them is obtained through the Conservation commission. All new open watercourses shall be appropriately seeded, sodded, and riprapped.

6.14.7 Alteration: Any alteration of land on the site shall be such that changes in existing patterns of drainage shall not affect properties outside the subdivision by increasing the amount or rate of peak flow.

6.14.8 Structured Systems: If soil conditions or topography make natural drainage systems impractical and existing drains in adjacent streets or easements have adequate capacity to accommodate the drainage flow from the subdivision, a structured system shall be used and appropriate connection to the existing Town drainage system shall be made.

6.14.9 Calculations: Hydraulic calculations, prepared by a registered professional engineer, shall be submitted to substantiate all design features of any proposed drainage system. Computations for run-off shall be made in accordance with standard engineering practice, acceptable to the Town Engineer and/or the Board's Designee, and the method of calculation shall be noted.

6.14.10 Basin Side Slopes: Basin area side slopes shall be kept as close as possible to natural land contours, i.e. ten percent (10%) or less wherever possible. A maximum 6:1 side slope may be constructed for the interior of the basin areas. For security purposes fencing may be required by the Board. Drainage basins shall be designed for easy access for maintenance vehicles and personnel. [Amended 2-18-99]

6.14.11 Drainage Easements: If it is necessary to carry drainage across lots within the subdivision, storm drainage easements shall be provided, of such width and construction as will be adequate to accommodate the volume and velocity of the run-off. However, no such easement shall be less than thirty feet (30') in width.

If a detention basin is proposed, the boundary of the required easement shall be at least twelve feet (12') beyond the maximum extent of the one-hundred (100) year flood stage and further, the easement should be configured to provide construction vehicles with adequate access around the perimeter of the basin. [Added 2-18-99]

If a proposed drainage system would carry water across land outside the subdivision boundaries to an approved outfall, appropriate drainage rights shall be secured by the subdivider at the subdivider's expense, and shall be referenced on the Definitive Plan.

6.15.1 Installation: The subdivider shall be responsible for installing water facilities, including, but not limited to water supply, pipes, hydrants, hydrant markers, gates, valves, and all other related appurtenances, in accordance with the Regulations of the Water Division of the Department of Public Utilities. Any extension of an existing line and/or creation of a new line requires approval from the Town of Ipswich Board of Selectmen, acting as Water Commissioners. A copy of the written approval from the Water Commissioners shall be submitted to the Planning Board prior to the start of construction of the subdivision. Connections from the main to the exterior line of the street right-of-way shall be constructed for each lot unless the Board of Health has approved individual wells. Said water facilities shall be shown on the definitive plan. [Amended 5-18-95]

6.15.2 Fire Hydrants: Fire hydrants shall be required for all a subdivisions, except that hydrants shall not be required for courts if the terminus of the court is within 300 feet of an existing, operable fire hydrant. Fire hydrants, with hydrant markers, shall be located not more than five hundred feet (500') apart; shall be approved, in writing, as to location by the Fire Chief and the Water Division of the Department of Public Utilities; and shall be shown on the Definitive Plan. [Amended 5-18-95]

6.15.3 Extensions: Reasonable provisions shall be made for extension of the water main to adjoining property, including installation of water gates. Appropriate easements may be required.

6.15.4 Additional Alternative System of Water Supply/Fire Protection: If the municipal water supply is available but the minimum required flow is not available, in addition to extending the municipal water system, the applicant shall propose an alternative system for providing water supply for fire protection.

6.15.5 Municipal Water Supply Not Available: If the municipal water supply is not available to the subdivision, the applicant shall propose an alternative method of providing water supply for fire protection. Water for firefighting may be supplied by natural or man-made bodies of water. The surface of each pumping access point shall be adequate to support at least 42,000 pound gvw vehicles at all times of the year. Provisions shall be made so that such water suction points shall be visible and useable in all weather conditions. Each dry hydrant which may be exposed to damage by vehicular traffic shall be protected by suitable barriers.

6.16.1 Installation: In the event that the Town sanitary sewer system is located within four hundred feet (400') of the subdivision, the subdivider shall be responsible for connecting all lots to the sewerage system. The connections shall be made in accordance with the Town's Master Sewer Plan as last revised, to the extent applicable. Connection to the system shall require an approval from the Town of Ipswich Board of Selectmen, acting as Sewer Commissioners, and any other required approvals, including, but not limited to, a permit for extension of the sewer system issued by the Massachusetts Division of Water Pollution Control.

6.16.2 Sewer Options: If the subdivider is not required to connect to the Town sanitary sewer system, the subdivider must provide an alternative system for wastewater disposal. The following options are available: a) install a communal sewage disposal system, the design and construction of which shall be subject to the approval of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Ipswich Board of Health and all other necessary review agencies; or b) provide engineering data in accordance with Title V: "Minimum Requirements for the Subsurface Disposal of Sanitary Sewage" of the Massachusetts Environmental Code and with the Rules and Regulations for Sewage Disposal Installations as promulgated and amended from time to time by the Town of Ipswich Board of Health (See Appendix V.), to prove to the satisfaction of the Board and the Board of Health the feasibility of providing private on-lot sewage disposal systems for each lot. Each on-lot system shall be located in the front yard, wherever practical, to facilitate future connections to the Town sanitary sewer system.

6.17.1 Installation: All electrical and communications lines shall be installed underground. Communications lines shall include, but not be limited to, telephone and community antenna television cable.

6.17.2 Electric Lines: The electrical power distribution shall be installed in accordance with the specifications of the Rules and Regulations of the Department of Public Utilities of the Town of Ipswich in effect at the time of application.

6.18.1 Location: Street trees shall be required to be planted, at the subdivider's expense, on all streets within the tract being subdivided. Trees shall be planted within the street right-of-way, between the area designated for sidewalks and the sideline of the street pavement and shall be spaced at intervals of approximately fifty feet (50') on center, but no closer than thirty-five feet (35') on center.

6.18.2 Species: The species of street trees selected shall be of Zone 6 hardiness and shall be of licensed nursery stock with good root development and branching characteristics, and with one-year warranty. Existing trees may be preserved as street trees if inspected and approved by the Tree Warden.

6.18.3 Size: The minimum size of street trees shall be two and one-half inches (2-1/2") in caliper, measured four feet (4') from the ground level and eight to ten feet (8-10') in height, in place.

6.18.4 Planting: Street trees shall be planted in holes at least six inches (6") deeper than and one and one-half (1-1/2) times as wide as the root ball. Trees shall be planted at their previous depth in good quality topsoil and shall be securely staked (See Figure 6).

6.18.5 Slopes: All cut-and-fill slopes within or contiguous to the street right of way shall be planted with suitable, well rooted, low growing plant materials or grass as determined by the Board, with advice from the Tree Warden. A wood chip or comparable mulch shall be used with ground cover plants to minimize erosion. Planting of sod may be required.

6.18.6 Cleared Areas: All cleared areas of the street right-of-way not to be planted with ground cover, and all disturbed area within public easements, shall be loamed with not less than six inches (6") compacted depth of good quality loam and shall be seeded with turf grass seed or such mixture as may be approved by the Tree Warden. Seeding shall be completed at appropriate times of the year and in such a manner as to insure an appropriate growth of grass. (See Appendix IX. Rules and Regulations Governing Soil Erosion and Sediment Control)

Guard rails shall be installed in all areas where fill slopes are in excess of 3:1. Appropriate slope treatment and erosion control measures shall be provided for all slopes in excess of 3:1 and rip-rap may be installed on all slopes in excess of 2:1, unless otherwise specified by the Board.

Street signs shall be installed at all intersections in conformity with the specifications of the Department of Public Works. Until such time as each street is accepted by the Town as a public way, the sign posts at the intersection of Each street with any other street, shall have affixed thereto a sign designating such street as a private way. The costs for advertising for hearing, and for data collection in support of filings for traffic regulations on streets to be accepted, shall be borne by the applicant.

Provisions shall be made for street lighting connections at locations determined by the Board, after consultation with the Department of Public Utilities. All installations shall be in accordance with the Rules and Regulations of the Department of Public Utilities and/or the Electric Light Department.

The Board may require that the subdivider designate a portion of the subdivision tract for reservation for a period of three years for municipal purposes. Reservation of land shall not be unreasonable in relation to the size of the tract being subdivided and to the prospective uses of the reserved land.

If the Board reserves land, notation shall be made on the plan concerning the area being reserved and the requirements that no street, utilities, building or other improvements within the boundaries of the land being reserved may be made without the Board's approval for a period of three (3) years from the date of endorsement of the Definitive Plan. If the Board requires the reservation of land for public purposes, in conjunction with its conditions for the approval of the subdivision, it shall require the subdivider to send a letter to the Board of Selectmen, indicating the name of the subdivision, the street name, the lot number and the street number as so reserved.