Union Beach City Zoning Code
§ 13-8.29
Street Design.
a.
Street Extensions. The arrangement of streets within a development shall provide for the extension and/or realignment of existing streets except that local and local collector streets should only be extended when such extension is necessary and the planning board concurs that such extension will promote safety and conform to the street standards contained elsewhere in this chapter.
b.
Street Widening. Where developments abut existing roadways, sufficient right-of-way shall be reserved to provide the right-of-way width proposed for the functional classification of the street in question.
c.
Design of Local Streets. Local streets shall be designed in accordance with the schedule of street design standards and the following requirements:
1.
Local streets shall be arranged so that there exists a minimum possibility of their use by traffic which does not have its origin or destination at the lots to which the local streets provide access.
2.
Cul-de-sacs (dead end streets) should have a centerline length, from the intersecting street centerline to the center point of the turnaround of the cul-de-sac of not less than 100 feet nor longer than 1,200 feet, and should not provide access to more than 25 lots. They shall provide an end turnaround with a pavement radius of not less than 40 feet and a property line radius of not less than 50 feet, which shall have its center point at or to the left of the centerline of the street, when viewed toward the closed end. In the event it is contemplated that a dead end street shall be extended in the future, a temporary turnaround, meeting the aforementioned design criteria, shall be required.
3.
Loop streets should provide access to not more than 45 lots, except that where access is provided by a combination of a short loop street and cul-de-sacs, the maximum shall be 60 lots, provided that the length of the loop street alone will not exceed 3,000 feet. Loop streets shall have both of their termini located on the same street.
4.
P-loops, which are loop streets with a single access point, should have an entrance not exceeding 700 feet in distance from the loop intersection. There should also be provided an emergency vehicular and pedestrian right-of-way of 15 feet minimum width from the loop and providing access to a street which is not a part of the P-loop. The loop of a P-loop should have a street length not exceeding 3,000 feet. P-loops should provide access to no more than 60 lots and the entrance street should be designed in accordance with the design standards for collector streets.
5.
Artificial modifications in street rights-of-way for the purpose of increasing lot frontage shall be prohibited. Such prohibited modification shall include, but not be limited to, widening the right-of-way of a continuous street through the use of semicircular projections.
6.
Reduced Paving Width: When a cul-de-sac or loop street provides access to 25 or fewer lots, the planning board may consider the use of reduced paving width where, by reason of topography, physical features or other conditions the reduced paving width would substantially reduce disruption of the development's environment. In no case shall the paving width of a two-way cul-de-sac or loop street be reduced to less than 26 feet. The planning board may consider the use of one-way loop streets with a minimum paving width of 22 feet. Such one-way streets with reduced paving width are subject to the review and approval of the Traffic Bureau of the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Such review and approval must be obtained by the developer before approval of a final plat will be granted.
d.
Classification of Streets. In any development it shall be the duty of the planning board to approve classification of proposed streets according to their use. In making its decisions, the planning board shall refer to the master plan and shall consider conditions within the development and the surrounding areas and shall use as a guide the following street classifications and criteria.
1.
Local Street: A local street is a street serving only single-family residences and where feasible should be either a cul-de-sac or a loop street meeting the requirements set forth. A street which serves traffic having origins and destinations other than within the lots which abut the street shall not be considered a local street. The traffic normally expected on a local street shall be 400 vehicles per day.
2.
Collector Streets: A collector street is generally a street gathering traffic from local streets and feeding it into a system of arterial highways. Even if laid out as a local street, a street should be considered a collector street if it provides access or could provide access to more than 150 lots, or would be utilized by traffic other than residential in nature. Collector streets should generally be expected to carry traffic volumes of approximately 3,000 vehicles per day. The design speed of collector streets, for alignment and sight distance purposes, should be 40 miles per hour.
3.
Arterial Highways: Arterials are any federal, state or county highway or municipal street or road intended to carry traffic between other arterials and from the borough to destinations outside the borough. Arterial highways should have a design speed of 50 miles per hour and should be designed to carry traffic exceeding 10,000 vehicles per day.
4.
Classification Criteria: Street classifications will be approved by the planning board in accordance with the foregoing definitions, in accordance with the provisions of the master plan and official map if such be adopted, in accordance with the provisions of applicable county and state regulations or plans or, in the absence of specific information from the above, in accordance with its own best judgment concerning the use to which the various streets in any development will be put.
e.
Lots Abutting Collector Streets and Arterial Highways. In any subdivision abutting or being traversed by a collector street or arterial highway, one of the following conditions shall be required by the board:
1.
A marginal street meeting the classifications for a local street shall be provided along each collector, or arterial highway, and shall be separated from the collector or arterial highway by a landscaped strip at least 25 feet in width.
2.
The frontage of all lots abutting the collector or arterial highway shall be reversed so that the lots will front on an internal local street; a natural wooded or landscaped buffer strip at least 50 feet in width will be provided on the abutting lots along the right-of-way of the collector or arterial highway. The area of such buffer strip shall not be considered part of the required minimum lot size.
3.
All lots abutting collector streets may, in lieu of the above, be provided with suitable driveway turnarounds eliminating any necessity for vehicles to back into the collector street.
4.
Other means of providing a satisfactory buffer separating through and local traffic shall be provided as may be deemed proper by the planning board.
5.
Dwellings on corner lots shall have their driveway access on the roadway designed and intended to carry the lesser amount of traffic.
f.
Street Design Standards. Street design standards shall be appropriate to the expected use of the street, soil, topographical and other physical conditions and to the maintenance of the purposes of this chapter, but shall not be less than those set forth in the schedule of street design standards (Figure No. 9[1]).
[1]
Figure 9 is included as an attachment to this chapter.
g.
Street Intersections. Street intersections shall be designed according to the following standards:
1.
No more than two streets shall cross the same point. Street intersections shall be at right angles wherever possible, and intersections of less than 70° (measured at the centerline of streets) shall not be permitted.
2.
Streets should not enter the same side of local collector streets at intervals of less than 500 feet, or arterials at intervals of less than 1,200 feet. Streets which enter collectors or arterials from opposite sides shall be directly opposite to each other or must be separated by at least 300 feet between their centerlines measured along the centerline of an intersected collector; or 500 feet along the centerline of an arterial.
3.
Approaches of any collector or arterial street to any intersection of another collector or arterial street shall be tangent or have a centerline radius greater than 5,000 feet for at least 500 feet from the intersection.
4.
Where a collector or arterial street intersects with a collector or arterial street, the right-of-way of each collector shall be widened by 10 feet (five feet for each side) for a distance of 300 feet in all directions from the intersection of the centerlines and the right-of-way of each arterial shall be widened by 20 feet (10 feet each side) for 500 feet in all directions from the intersection of the centerlines.
5.
Approaches of any local street to any other street shall:
h.
Street Layout.
1.
Curved local streets are preferred to discourage speed and monotony. The maximum straight line distance should not exceed 1,000 feet.
2.
The planning board in all cases may require provisions for continuing circulation patterns onto adjacent properties and, for this purpose, may require the provision of stub streets abutting adjacent properties.
3.
Residential development areas containing more than 150 lots should have two access points from collector streets or arterial highways.
i.
Street Names. Street names and development names shall not duplicate, nearly duplicate or be phonetically similar to the names of any existing streets or development in the borough or contiguous areas of other communities. Any continuation of an existing street shall have the same street name.
j.
Limit of Improvements. The developer shall complete all improvements to the limits of the development, unless other provisions have been made and approved by the planning board. In those instances where completion of certain improvements would not be possible until the development of adjacent land takes place, alternate temporary improvements may be constructed subject to the approval of the planning board, and cash or a certified check representing the difference between the value of the temporary improvements and the required improvements may be accepted by the borough council to be credited toward the completion of such improvements at such time as the adjacent land develops.
k.
Streets Serving Other Than Single-Family Detached Homes. The right-of-way width and other standards for internal roads and alleys in multi-family, commercial and industrial developments shall be determined by the board on an individual basis and shall in all cases be of sufficient width and design to safely accommodate maximum traffic, parking and loading needs, and maximum access for fire-fighting equipment and shall generally conform to the requirements.
l.
Reserve Strips. There shall be no reserve strips or areas controlling access to streets except where control and disposal of the land comprising such strips or areas have been placed in the hands of the governing body under conditions approved by the planning board.