No new public road, private road or driveway, including undeveloped lots of record, shall be permitted or constructed unless it complies with the appropriate requirements of the Town Subdivision Ordinance and this section.
(A) All new public and private roads and driveways shall be designed and constructed to minimize the potential for landslides, erosion and runoff.
(B) Roads and driveways shall be located such that the maximum number of existing trees on the site is preserved.
(C) Roads and driveways shall be designed to create the minimum feasible amounts of land coverage and the minimum feasible disturbance of the soil. Variations in road design and road construction specified by the town in its subdivision ordinance regulations shall be permitted, as may be approved by the town, to prevent the dedication of unnecessarily large amounts of land to the roads or driveways. One-way streets shall be permitted and encouraged where appropriate for the terrain and where public safety would not be jeopardized in the opinion of the town. For instance, a two-way road may have the directions of flow split into one-way pairs that differ in elevation, circumnavigate difficult terrain, or avoid tree clearance.
(D) While it is a benefit to the environment and the natural world to allow for narrower road widths and steeper road slopes, it is also recognized by the town that minimum standards for access drives are designed to provide emergency responders the ability to protect residents and their respective structures. So, while variations to the town's and the state's street standards will be heard and considered, the input from the Town Fire Department and the Polk County EMS will be collected. The applicant for any project that is to be governed by this chapter wherein new streets are proposed to be built shall hold a preliminary conference with appropriate emergency response personnel to discuss the proposed provisions of access. It shall be considered by both parties that in these cases, care of the environment and care of safety issues may be conflicting issues and so compromises shall be considered. The overall objective of these preliminary meetings is to reach an understanding of how the development can be built in a way that reduces the environmental impacts associated with it, while preserving the safety of those who will be living in the development. Any agreements made at these meetings shall be submitted in writing upon application for any appropriate land-disturbing activity.
(E) When roads are approved to cross over streams and rivers, the use of bridges shall be preferred over the use of culverts. If a culvert is to be used it must be properly designed and installed to prevent erosion and to allow the passage of aquatic wildlife in either direction of the stream or river.
(F) If a specific roadway is the only access to other structures, then it shall remain unblocked at all times.
(G) All developments shall be provided with at least two points of access. Each access provided shall provide access to the entire development in case one access point is compromised. For phased subdivisions both points of access shall be open and unobstructed during any time in which one or more persons is living in the subdivision.
(Ord. passed - -2008)