(A) Type of street required. All subdivision lots shall abut at least 35 feet on a public street, with the exception of lots which abut a cul-de-sac, in which case the required abutment shall be 20 feet. All public streets shall be dedicated to the Town of Murphy, the State of North Carolina, or the public as determined appropriate by the Subdivision Administrator. All public streets shall be built to the standards of this chapter and all other applicable standards of the Town of Murphy and the N.C. Department of Transportation. Public streets not dedicated to the town which are eligible for acceptance into the State Highway System shall be constructed to the standards necessary to be put on the State Highway System or the standards in this chapter, whichever is stricter, in regard to each particular item and shall be put on the system. Streets not dedicated to the town which are not eligible to be put on the State Highway System because there are too few lots or residences shall, nevertheless, be dedicated to the public and shall be in accordance with the standards in this chapter or the standards necessary to be put on the State Highway System, whichever is stricter in regard to each particular item, so as to be eligible to be put on the system at a later date. A written maintenance agreement with provisions for maintenance of the street until it is put on the state system shall be included with the final plat.
(B) Subdivision street disclosure statement. All streets shown on the final plat shall be designated in accordance with G.S. §136-102.6, and designation as public shall be conclusively presumed an offer of dedication to the public. Where streets are dedicated to the public but not accepted into a municipal or the state system, before lots are sold, a statement explaining the status of the street shall be included with the final plat.
(C) Half-streets. The dedication of half-streets of less than 40 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 shall be furnished by the subdivider. Where there exists a half-street in an adjoining subdivision, the remaining half shall be provided by the proposed subdivision. However, in circumstances where more than 40 feet of right-of-way is required, a partial width right-of-way, not less than 40 feet in width, may be dedicated when adjoining undeveloped property is owned or controlled by the subdivider; provided that the width of the partial dedication is such as to permit the installation of the facilities as may be necessary to serve abutting lots. When the adjoining property is subdivided, the remainder of the full required right-of-way shall be dedicated.
(D) Marginal access streets. Where 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.
(E) Access to adjacent properties. Where, in the opinion of the Subdivision Administrator, it is necessary to provide for street access to an adjoining property, proposed streets shall be extended by dedication to the boundary of the property and a temporary turn-around provided.
(F) Design standards.
(1) The design of streets and roads within the jurisdiction of this chapter shall, at a minimum, comply with the standards established in the most recent edition of N.C. Department of Transportation, Division of Highways' publication Subdivision Roads: Minimum Construction Standards (5-1-1983), and the standards established in this chapter. These minimum standards shall apply to all streets and roads, whether public or private, and whether the streets and roads are to be placed on the municipal or State Highway System.
(2) Subdivision improvements resulting in the construction of a thoroughfare plan route as designated on the most recent mutually adopted Thoroughfare Plan for the Town of Murphy (4-6-1979), shall be forwarded to the District Engineer of the Division of Highways for review, and may be subject to more stringent standards than for non-thoroughfare streets and roads.
(3) Where streets or roads are required to be constructed to the standards of the State of North Carolina, but are ineligible for inclusion on the state system, such as is the case for streets and roads which will become part of the Town of Murphy system, the Town of Murphy shall seek the assistance of the N.C. Department of Transportation in reviewing street or road plans. If the assistance is unavailable, the town shall perform the review and may engage the services of a consulting engineer for this purpose.
(G) Other requirements.
(1) Intersections.
(a) Streets shall be laid out so as to intersect as nearly as possible at right angles, and no street shall intersect any other street at an angle less than 60 degrees.
(b) Property lines at intersections should be set so that the distance from the edge of pavement, of the street turnout, to the property line will be at least as great as the distance from the edge of pavement to the property line along the intersecting streets. This property line can be established as a radius or as a sight triangle. Greater offsets from the edge of pavement to the property lines will be required, if necessary, to provide sight distance for the vehicle on the side street.
(c) Offset intersections are to be avoided unless exception is granted. Intersections which cannot be aligned should be separated by a minimum length of 200 feet between survey center lines.
(d) Intersections with arterials, collectors, and thoroughfares shall be at least 1,000 feet from center line to center line, or more if required by the N.C. Department of Transportation.
(2) Cul-de-sacs. Permanent dead-end streets should not exceed 500 feet in length unless necessitated by topography or property accessibility, and in no case shall be permitted to be over 900 feet. Measurement shall be from the point where the center line of the dead-end street intersects with the center of a through street to the center of the turnaround of the cul-de-sac. Where one cul-de-sac intersects with another cul-de-sac, the end of each cul-de-sac shall be no more than 500 to 900 feet from a through street, measured as stated above. The distance from the edge of pavement on the vehicular turn around to the right-of-way line shall not be less than the distance from the edge of pavement to right-of-way line on the street approaching the turn around. Cul-de-sacs should not be used to avoid connection with an existing street or to avoid the extension of an important street, unless exception is granted by the Subdivision Administrator.
(3) Alleys.
(a) Alleys shall be required to serve lots used for commercial and industrial purposes except that this requirement may be waived where other definite and assured provision is made for service access. Alleys shall not be provided in residential subdivisions unless necessitated by unusual circumstances.
(b) The width of an alley shall be at least 20 feet.
(c) Dead-end alleys shall be avoided where possible, but if unavoidable, shall be provided with adequate turn around facilities at the dead end as may be approved by the Subdivision Administrator.
(d) Sharp changes in alignment and grade shall be avoided.
(e) All alleys shall be designed in accordance with N.C. Department of Transportation standards.
(4) Through traffic discouraged on residential collector and local streets. Residential collector and local streets shall be laid out in such a way that their use by through traffic will be discouraged. Streets shall be designed or walkways dedicated to assure convenient access to parks, playgrounds, schools, or other places of public assembly.
(5) Sidewalks. Sidewalks may be required by the Subdivision Administrator on one or both sides of the street in areas likely to be subject to heavy pedestrian traffic such as near schools and shopping areas. The sidewalks shall be constructed to a minimum width of four feet, and shall consist of a minimum thickness of four inches of concrete, over four inches of gravel, over four inches of subgrade compacted at 95%. All sidewalks shall be placed in the right-of-way, unless the development is platted as a planned unit or group development. Sidewalks shall consist of a minimum of six inches of concrete at driveway crossings.
(6) Street names. Proposed streets which are obviously in alignment with existing 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 in the county irrespective of the use of a suffix such as street, road, drive, place, court, and the like. Street names shall be subject to the approval of the Subdivision Administrator.
(7) Street name signs. The subdivider shall be required to provide and erect street name signs to town standards at all intersections within the subdivision.
(8) Permits for connection to state roads. An approved permit is required for connection to any existing state system road. This permit is required prior to any construction on the street or road. The application is available at the office of the nearest District Engineer of the N.C. Division of Highways.
(9) Offsets to utility poles. Poles for overhead utilities should be located clear of roadway shoulders, preferably a minimum of at least 30 feet from the edge of pavement on major thoroughfares. On streets with curb and gutter, utility poles should be set back a minimum distance of six feet from the face of curb.
(10) Wheelchair ramps. In accordance with G.S. Ch. 136, Art. 2A, and G.S. §136-44.14, all street curbs in North Carolina being constructed or reconstructed for maintenance procedures, traffic operations, repairs, correction of utilities, or altered for any reason, shall provide wheelchair ramps for the physically handicapped at all intersections where both curb and gutter and sidewalks are provided and at other major points of pedestrian flow.
(Ord. passed 9-19-1985; Am. Ord. passed 10-7-2019; Am. Ord. passed 6-7-2021)
Penalty, see § 152.99