The design of all public streets and roads within the jurisdiction of this chapter shall be in accordance with the accepted policies of the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Division of Highway, as taken or modified from the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) manuals. The North Carolina Department of Transportation, Division of Highways’ Subdivision Road Minimum Construction Standards, July 1, 1985, or current standards, shall apply for any items not included in this chapter, or where stricter than this chapter.
(A) For all public streets, the minimum right-of-way widths shall be as follows:
(1) Right-of-way widths. Right-of-way widths shall not be less than the following and shall apply except in those cases where right-of-way requirements have been specifically set out in the thoroughfare plan:
Rural | Minimum Rural Right-of-Way (feet) |
Principal arterial Freeways Other | 350 200 |
Minor arterial | 100 |
Major collector | 100 |
Minor collector | 50 |
Local road | 45 |
Urban | Minimum Rural Right-of-Way (feet) |
Major thoroughfare Other than freeway and expressway | 90 |
Minor thoroughfare | 70 |
Local street | 45 |
Cul-de-sac | 45 |
(2) The subdivider will only be required to dedicate a maximum of 100 feet right-of way. In cases where over 100 feet of right-of-way is desired, the subdivider will be required only to reserve the amount in excess of 100 feet in width. In all cases in which right-of-way is sought for an access-controlled facility, the subdivider will only be required to make a reservation.
(3) Intersections.
(a) Streets shall be laid out to intersect as nearly as possible at right angles and no street at an angle less than 60 degrees.
(b) Property lines at intersections should be 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 the pavement to the property line along the intersection 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, for the vehicle on the side street.
(c) Offset intersections are to be avoided unless the Division of Highways grants exception. An intersection 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 centerline to centerline, or more if required by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
(4) Cul-de-sacs. All cul-de-sacs shall be a minimum diameter of 100 feet with a minimum of 50 feet. Cul-de-sacs should not exceed 2,000 feet in length unless necessitated by topography or property accessibility. Measurement shall be from the point where the centerline of the dead-end street intersects with the center of a through street to the center of the turn-around if the cul-de-sac. The distance from the edge of the pavement on the vehicular turn-around to the right-of-way line shall not be less than the distance from the end of the pavement to the right-of-way line on the street approaching the turn-around. Cul-de-sacs should not be used to avoid congestion with an existing street or to avoid the extension of an important street, unless the Planning Board grants exception.
(5) 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 geographical land circumstances.
(b) The drivable surface area of an alley shall be at least 20 feet wide.
(c) Dead-end alleys shall be avoided where possible, but unavoidable, shall be provided with adequate turnaround facilities at the dead end as may be approved by the Planning Board.
(d) Sharp changes in alignment and grade shall be avoided.
(e) All alleys shall be designed in accordance with NCDOT standards.
(B) Type I, Type II, and Type III roads. Standards for development of Type I, II, and III private road or easement, accessing newly created lots shall meet North Carolina Department of Transportation Minimum Construction Standards for maintained roads. Lots created by exceptions will be included when determining the standard of road construction needed for further subdivision of the acreage into new lots.
(1) Type I private road or easement serving no more than three lots, whether existing lots or new lots, or combination of the same, shall meet the following standards:
(a) Must comply with minimum North Carolina Department of Transportation Minimum Construction Standards for right-of-way standards for width and centerline radius.
(b) Shall be recorded with the lots and dedicated for use by lot owners.
(2) Type II private road serving more than three and less than ten lots shall meet the following standards:
(a) Shall be constructed to meet all the North Carolina Department of Transportation Minimum Construction Standards for subdivision road, including a minimum of four inches of compacted stone; however, said roads do not have to be paved, and have a minimum of 25 feet of drivable surface area.
(b) Shall be dedicated to a homeowner’s association prior to approval of the final plat:
1. The homeowners’ association shall be established before the lots are sold;
2. Membership in the association shall be mandatory for each lot buyer and all successive buyers;
3. The association shall be responsible for the maintenance of the upkeep of the private street or road.
(3) Type III private road serving ten or more lots and meeting the following standard:
(a) Shall be constructed and paved to North Carolina Department of Transportation minimum standards for subdivision roads.
(C) Other standards.
(1) Preliminary plat approval. All subdivisions with private roads that, as of the effective date of this chapter having Planning Board approval on the preliminary plat shall be built as approved, however, any additions to that subdivision shall follow these regulations.
(2) Change in type, private road or private easement. All roads as defined in § 158.069 shall meet the standard of construction, based on the number of lots, prior to further subdivision of property.
(3) Street names. Proposed streets, which are, obviously in alignment with existing street 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, etc. Street names shall be subject to the approval of the Planning Board.
(4) Street name signs. The subdivider shall be required to provide and erect street name signs to county standards at all intersections with the subdivision prior to recordation of final plat.
(5) 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 District Engineer of the Division of Highways, Henderson, North Carolina.
(6) Wheelchair ramps. In accordance with 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 after September 1, 1973, shall provide wheelchair ramps for the physically handicapped at intersections where both curb and gutter and sidewalks are provided and at other major points of pedestrian flow.
(7) Technical Review Committee (TRC). The Technical Review Committee shall be composed of representatives from the following departments:
(a) Planning Director/Zoning Administrator;
(b) Environmental Health Specialist;
(c) Public Works Director.
(Ord. passed 6-7-2021)