(A) Type of street required. All non-private subdivision lots shall abut on a public street. All public streets shall be dedicated to the town after construction and acceptance by the town. All streets shall be built and maintained to NC DOT standards.
(1) Private subdivisions operated by a bona fide homeowners' association may choose to have private streets. Such streets must meet the standards of this chapter.
(a) Street pavement shall be located in the center of the right-of-way.
(b) A public turn-around shall be provided at the entry to a private subdivision.
(B) Subdivision street disclosure statement. Such a statement must be shown on the plat along with a showing of all streets and designated in accordance with G.S. § 136-102.6 and public or private designation. Where streets are designated as public but not accepted into the municipal or state system before lots are sold, a statement explaining the status of the streets shall be included with the final plat.
(C) Marginal access streets. When a tract of land to be subdivided adjoins a principal arterial street, the subdivider may be required to provide a marginal access street parallel to the arterial street or reverse frontage on a minor street for the lots to be developed adjacent to the arterial. Where reverse frontage is established, private driveways shall be prevented from having direct access to the principal arterial.
(D) Access to adjacent properties. Where, in the opinion of the Planning and Zoning Board, it is necessary to provide for street access to an adjoining property, proposed streets shall be extended by dedication of the boundary of such property and a temporary turn-around shall be provided. No land will be left land-locked within or outside the subdivision by the creation of the subdivision.
(E) Coordination and continuation of streets. The proposed street layout within a subdivision shall be coordinated with the existing street system to the surrounding area and, where possible, existing principal streets shall be extended.
(F) Street names. Proposed streets which are obviously in alignment with existing streets shall be given the same name. In assigning new names, duplication of streets shall be given the same name. In assigning new names, duplication of existing names shall be avoided and in no case shall the proposed name be phonetically similar to existing names irrespective of the use of a suffix such as street, road, drive, place, court, etc. Street names shall be subject to the approval of the Planning and Zoning Board, as outlined above.
(G) Collector and minor streets. Collector and minor streets shall be so laid out that their use by the through traffic will be discouraged. Streets shall be designated or walkways dedicated to assure convenient access to the Atlantic Ocean, Intracoastal Waterway, parks, playgrounds, and other places of public assembly.
(H) Design standards. The design of all streets and roads within the jurisdiction of this chapter shall be in accordance with the accepted policies of the State Department of Transportation, Division of Highways, and taken or modified from the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) manuals. The NC DOT, Subdivision Roads Minimum Construction Standards, July 1, 1985, as amended, shall apply for any items not included in this chapter or where stricter than this chapter.
(1) Right-of-way widths. Right-of-way widths shall be not less than the following and shall apply except in those cases where right-of-way requirements have been specifically set out in the Town Thoroughfare Plan:
(a) Minor thoroughfare: 60 feet.
(b) Local street: 60 feet.
(c) Cul-de-sac: 100 foot diameter for turn around.
(2) Pavement widths. Pavement widths or graded widths shall be as follows:
(a) Streets with curb and gutter (measured face-to-face of curb):
Minor thoroughfare: 34 feet
Local road: 24 feet
Marginal access (frontage): 24 feet
Cul-de-sac: 24 feet
Cul-de-sac turnaround: 80 feet in diameter
(b) Streets without curb and gutter:
Minor thoroughfare: 30 feet
Local road: 20 feet
Marginal access (frontage): 20 feet
Cul-de-sac: 20 feet
Cul-de-sac turnaround: 80 feet in diameter
(3) Roads and street surfaces. All subdivision streets and roads shall be constructed to meet the current requirements of the State Department of Transportation, Division of Highway's secondary roads plan of state maintenance.
(4) Tangents. A tangent of at least 100 feet shall be provided between reverse curves on all streets.
(5) Street intersections. Street intersections shall be laid out as follows:
(a) All streets shall intersect as nearly as possible at right angles and no street shall intersect at less than 60°.
(b) Intersections with a major street shall be at least 1,000 feet apart measured from centerline to centerline.
(c) Where a centerline offset (jog) occurs at an intersection, the distance between centerlines of the intersecting streets shall be not less than 125 feet.
(d) Property lines at street intersections shall be rounded with a minimum radius of 20 feet. At an angle of intersection of less than 90°, a greater radius may be required.
(e) Proper sight lines shall be maintained at all intersections of streets. There shall be a clear sight distance of 150 feet for major streets and 75 feet for all other streets from the point of intersection as measured along the centerline. No building or obstruction shall be permitted in this area.
(6) Half streets. The dedication of half streets of less than 60 feet at the perimeter of a new subdivision shall be prohibited. If circumstances render this impracticable, adequate provision for the concurrent dedication of the remaining half of the street must be furnished by the subdivider. Where there exists a half street in an adjoining subdivision, the remaining half shall be provided by the proposed development. However, a partial width right-of-way, not less than 60 feet in width, may be dedicated when adjoining undeveloped property that is owned or controlled by the subdivider; provided that the width or a partial dedication will permit the installation of such facilities as may be necessary to serve abutting lots. When the said adjoining property is subdivided, the remainder of the full required right-of-way shall be dedicated.
(7) Cul-de-sacs. All dead-end streets shall not exceed 500 feet in length unless necessitated by topography and shall be provided with a turn-around having the dimensions stated above.
(8) Alleys. An alley may be provided to the rear of all lots used for other than residential purposes. Alleys are prohibited in residential blocks unless approved by the Planning and Zoning Board. All alleys shall be designed in accordance with the Department of Transportation, Division of Highways' specifications and standards and shall meet the following requirements:
Right-of-way width: 20 feet
Property line radius at alley intersections: 15 feet
Minimum centerline radius when deflection angle of more than 10° occurs: 35 feet
Minimum turn-around diameter of dead-end alley (right-of-way width): 80 feet
(9) Geometric characteristics. The standards outlined below shall apply to all subdivision streets proposed for addition to the State Highway System or Municipal Street System. In cases where a subdivision is sought adjacent to a proposed thoroughfare corridor, the requirements of dedication and reservation discussed under Right-of-Way shall apply.
(a) Design speed. The design speeds for subdivision-type streets shall be:
Urban - minor thoroughfares: 45/35 desirable (35 minimum)
Urban - local streets: 25 desirable
(10) Grades. The minimum grade in no case shall be less than 0.5%. Grades for 100 feet each way from intersections should not exceed 5%.
(11) Minimum sight distances. In the interest of public safety, the minimum sight distance applicable shall be in every instance set by state standards.
(Ord. 98-19, passed 9-28-98) Penalty, see § 156.99