Section 4000. Required Improvements

Subdivision Regulations Table of Contents
Section 1000 | Section 2000 | Section 3000 | Section 4000 | Section 5000

4100.  General

4110.  Design Guidelines. All subdivisions shall be designed, and improvements made by the developer, consistent with the requirements of Section 4000, Required Improvements, and shall be designed to do the following:

4111.  Reduce, to the extent possible:

1.  the volume of cut and fill;
2. area over which existing vegetation will be disturbed,particularly in those areas within 200 feet of a water body, having a slope of more than 15%, or overlying easily eroded soils;
3. number of mature trees removed;
4. extent of waterways altered or relocated;
5.  visual prominence of man‑made structures or uses not necessary for safety or orientation;
6. erosion and siltation;
7. flood damage;
8. number of driveways exiting onto existing streets;
9. disturbance of important wildlife habitats outstanding botanical features, and scenic or historic environs.

4112.  Increase, to the extent possible:

1. visual prominence of the landscape;
2. legal and physical protection of views from public ways;
3. street layout facilitating south orientation of houses;
4. use of curvilinear street patterns.

4113.  The location of proposed streets, parks and open spaces shall be designed so as to minimize the number of probable house sites located within five hundred (500) feet of any property valued under the provisions of G.L. c. 61A. Where reasonable designs could substantially reduce the proximity of house sites to agricultural land but are not employed, an explanation for failure to do so shall be provided to the Board by the applicant.

4120. Conformance with Zoning By‑Law. All lots shown on the plan shall conform with the requirements for area, dimensions, frontage, buildable area, and all other requirements of the Zoning By‑Law.

4130.  Access to Subdivisions. A way providing access to any subdivision must be within the Town limits, without requiring municipal service vehicles (including, but not limited to, fire vehicles, police vehicles, plows, school buses, emergency vehicles, and maintenance vehicles) to exit the Town in order to enter the subdivision. Any other access to a subdivision through another town requires certification by that town that the way in question is in accordance with the subdivision rules and regulations of the Planning Board of that town, that any bond posted for construction in that town is adequate, and that the way provides adequate access for police, fire, and emergency vehicles as well as the expected traffic generated by the subdivision. The Planning Board may require, as a condition of approval, written agreements indicating, if applicable, the services to be provided to the subdivision by the adjacent town.

4140.  Open Spaces.

4141.  Before approval of a plan, the Board may require the plan to show a park or parks suitably located for playground or recreation purposes or for providing light and air. The park or parks shall be of reasonable size, but generally not less than five (5%) percent of the area of the land to be subdivided, after considering the location and quality of the land to be set aside. The minimum area acceptable for later public acquisition shall be three (3) acres. The Board may by appropriate endorsement on the plan require that no building be erected on such park or parks without the approval of the Board for a period of three (3) years.

4142.  Land designated for park or playground use shall not include wetlands, ledge, or other land unsuitable for recreation purposes.

4143.  Any open space, park, or playground shall provide at least fifty (50) feet of continuous frontage on a street. Pedestrian ways may be required by the Board to provide access from nearby streets on which the open space, park, or playground has no frontage. Such parks or playgrounds may be required to have maintenance provided by covenants and agreements acceptable to the Board, until public acquisition is completed, but in no case longer than three (3) years.

4150.  Wetlands Protection. 

The Board may condition its approval of a Definitive Plan upon the issuance of an order of conditions by the Conservation Commission of the Town, pursuant to the Wetlands Protection Act, G.L. c. 131, s. 40.

4160.  General Construction Standards.

4161.  All streets, street drains, catch basins, and appurtenances thereto shall be installed without expense to the Town.

4162.  All right of way lines, drain lines, and underground municipal services shall be laid out as to line and grade by a Registered Professional Engineer or a Registered Land Surveyor.

4163.  All construction details, materials, methods, and specifications shall conform to the current requirements of the "Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Standard Specifications for Highways and Bridges, Boston, Massachusetts" as supplemented.

4164.  Areas within the subdivision used previously for the extraction of gravel or borrow shall be re-graded, loamed, and in sod before final release of the performance guarantee is authorized by the Planning Board.  All construction debris, refuse, and other solid waste shall be removed from the site, and all surplus construction material, before final release of the performance guarantee is authorized by the Planning Board.

4200. Streets

4210.  Location

4211.  All streets in the subdivision shall be designed so that, in the opinion of the Board, they will provide safe vehicular travel and natural drainage with no drainage pockets, and that they are adjusted to the topography and provide the minimum number of intersections with existing and collector streets. Streets shall be continuous and in alignment with existing streets as far as is practicable. Due  regard shall also be given by the applicant to the attractiveness of the street layout so as to promote the maximum livability and amenities in the subdivision.

4212. Provision shall be made by the applicant, satisfactory to the Board, for the proper projection of streets, or for access to adjoining property, if any, which has not yet been subdivided. In the alternative, the Board may limit or prohibit the projection of streets to adjoining property where such action is in the public interest.

4213.Subdivisions containing ten (10) or more lots shall have at least two (2) noncontiguous street connections with a street or streets either existing or shown on an approved subdivision plan for which a performance guarantee has been filed.

4214.Streets will ordinarily be required adjacent to parks, playgrounds, and schools, to provide proper access and policing of such areas.

4220.  Alignment

4221.  Streets shall be laid out so as to intersect as nearly as possible at right angles. No street shall intersect any other street at an angle less than sixty (60) degrees.

4222. Intersections shall be separated by not less than six hundred (600) feet on collector streets, and (400) feet elsewhere.

4223.Centerline offsets for intersecting streets shall not be less than one hundred fifty (150) feet.

4224.  All intersections and approaches to intersections shall be cleared of any obstructions to the motorist's view and so maintained.

4225.  No street jogs with centerline offsets of less than one hundred twenty‑five (125) feet shall be allowed. The minimum centerline radii of curved streets shall conform to the following:

• Collector streets: 300 feet
• Minor streets: 150 feet
•  Lanes: 150 feet

4226. Sight distances of at least two hundred (200) feet in each direction shall be provided at intersections, except that three hundred (300) feet shall be provided at intersections with state-numbered highways or collector streets or other streets having a speed limit of 40 MPH or greater. At such intersections, the Planning Board may require intersection designs with longer turning radii and safe acceleration and deceleration features, including increased street width, increased curb radii, and use of traffic islands for channelization.

4227.  All reverse curves on collector streets shall be separated by a tangent at least one hundred (100) feet in length.

4228.  Property lines at street intersections shall be rounded or cut back to provide for a curb radius of not less than twenty‑five (25) feet, except that a curb radius of not less than fifteen (15) feet may be allowed at intersections of lanes with minor streets.

4230.  Widths. 

The minimum width of streets shall conform to the following:

• Collector streets: Fifty (50) feet right of way, Twenty-Eight (28) feet pavement
• Minor streets: Fifty (50) feet right of way, Twenty‑Six (26) feet pavement
• Lanes: Fifty (50) feet right of way, Twenty-Four (24) feet of pavement

4240.  Grades.

4241.Centerline grade for any street shall not be less than seventy‑five hundredths (.75) of one percent.

4242.  Maximum centerline grades on continuous grades of 400 feet or less shall conform to the following:

• Collector streets: seven (7) percent
• Minor streets: ten (10) percent
• Lanes: ten (10) percent

     On grades longer than 400 feet, reduce by 2% for each category.

4243.  On any street where the grade exceeds 6% on the approach to an intersection, a staging area with a slope of not more than 4% shall be provided for a distance of at least forty (40) feet from the nearest edge of the travelled intersecting way.

4244.  Proposed centerline grade shall not be more than ten (10) percent above or below existing centerline grade unless the Board specifically waives this provision due to unusual topographic circumstances.

4245.  To the extent feasible, street grades shall be designed in relation to existing grades so as to approximately balance the volume of cut and fill made within the right of ways, except to offset peat, boulders, or other unusable material required to be removed.

4250.  Dead‑end Streets.

4251.  A dead‑end street, whether temporary or permanent, shall not have a centerline length in excess of 800 feet from the traveled edge of the intersecting street to the furthest traveled edge of the dead‑end street, unless the Board specifically waives this provision due to unusual topography or other conditions.

4252.  A dead‑end street shall not have a grade in excess of three (3) percent for the last one hundred (100) feet of its closed end.

4253.  Dead-end streets shall be provided at the closed end with a cul-de-sac having a minimum radius of fifty-seven(57) feet of black top and a maximum radius of sixty-eight (68) feet of a property line.

4254.  Temporary dead‑end streets shall also provide the turn‑around set forth in Section 4253, which may be located in part on easements over lots, so long as contractual assurance is provided that upon extension of the street in question, the turn‑around shall be removed and replaced with proper plantings and landscaping. Turnarounds shall permit maneuvering without backing.

4255.  Only lanes may be permitted to be dead-end streets.

4256.  Permanent dead-end water mains shall not be allowed. Easements shall be provided where necessary to allow for extension or looping of mains through subsequent development.

4260.  Construction of Roadways.

4261.  Each street shall be constructed on the centerline of the right of way; the centerline of the paved surface shall coincide with the centerline of the right of way. Pavement specifications shall be shown on detail plans submitted with the Definitive Plan.

4262.  The Planning Board may require slope easements where  retention cannot be adequately handled within the required  right of way.

4263.  The roadway shall be cleared of all obstructions of any kind for a distance equal to the sum of the specified width of the pavement, plus the required shoulder, sidewalk or swale on each side of the pavement. A greater width may be required at corners and on the inside of curves for visibility.

4264.  At least one (1) week prior to commencement of street construction, the Department of Public Works shall be notified by certified mail of the intended commencement. The Department of Public Works shall, upon receipt of such notification, appoint an agent and instruct said agent to make continuing inspections of the work to insure that the requirements listed below are adhered to. The inspecting agent shall furnish the sub-divider with a check list of steps to be completed. The sub-divider shall not proceed with any steps until all prior steps have been signed by the Inspector as satisfactorily completed. The completed check list is to be returned to the Planning Board. Failure to submit completed check list may be deemed sufficient cause for the Board to withhold final approval of the roadway construction.

4265. Forming the Sub-grade. All top soil, sub-soil, rocks, ledge and other unsuitable material shall be excavated to provide a gravel base depth of at least two (2) feet within the traveled way, twelve (12) inches for shoulders, and ten (10) inches for sidewalks. Unless a permit is granted by the Town for the removal of loam and top soil, said material will be stock-piled on the premises for final landscaping of roadway shoulders and adjacent house lots. The depth of excavation may be reduced by written authorization of the Department of Public Works if the existing base is certified by the plan engineer as clean gravel meeting state specifications for construction. A greater depth of excavation may be required in any area where the sub-grade material (clay, peat, etc.) will not support the roadway, or drainage conditions require more gravel to establish a firm foundation. Prior to placement of the gravel base course, the entire sub-grade surface shall be thoroughly compacted by means of a three (3) wheel roller weighing not less than ten (10) tons or equivalent pneumatic tired or vibratory compactors. After compacting, the surface shall show no deviation in excess of two (2) inches from the grades indicated on the drawings. No gravel base course shall be placed in any sub-grade area until said area has been inspected and approved by the Department of Public Works or its agent.

4266.  Placing and Compacting Base Course Materials. Base course gravel shall be placed in maximum lifts of eight (8) inches compacted depth. The final lift is to be a finer gradation with no stones larger than three (3) inches in diameter. The base course gravel shall be placed not less than two (2) months prior to surfacing. All drainage and utilities are to be installed prior to placing base course gravel. The base course gravel, once approved, is not to be disturbed by digging without written authorization of the Department of Public Works.

4267.  Conditioning of Base Course Prior to Surfacing. The surface of the base course will be inspected and tested for tolerances by the Department of Public Works or its agent. Any deviations in excess of the required tolerances shall be corrected by the subdivider as directed. Any ruts or soft yielding areas in the base course shall be corrected by removing unsuitable material, adding suitable material, reshaping and recompacting as directed. The base course, immediately before surfacing, shall be fine graded to three and one-half (3.5) inches below final grade as shown on the profiles on the Definitive Plan, with the grades of the street further apart than fifty (50) feet. Grading shall be by means of a self-propelled road grader and such hand labor as may be required.

4268.  Application on Permanent Surface. A permanent type pavement of Class I Bituminous Concrete, Type I-1 shall be placed in strict accordance with the Mass. Dept. of Public Works Standard Specifications for Highways, Bridges, and Waterways, Section 460.0 through 460.62. Said pavement shall be laid in two (2) courses, consisting of two and one-half (2.5) inches compacted thickness of base mixture and one and one-half (1.5) inch compacted thickness of top mixture. The completed pavement shall have a uniform compacted thickness of four (4) inches. No permanent surface will be applied after November 1st unless authorized in writing by the Department of Public Works.

4269.  Drainage structure frames and utility boxes shall be set to the binder grade. The frames and boxes shall be raised to finish grade and set in a concrete collar just prior to final paving.

4270.  Shoulders.

4271.  Roadways shall have shoulders in conformance with the following widths:

• Collector streets: 5 feet
• Minor Streets: 5 feet
• Lanes: 5 feet

4272.  Shoulders shall be pitched at three-eighths (3/8) inch to the foot towards the curb or swale.

4273.  Shoulders shall have an eight (8) inch gravel foundation, four (4) inches of topsoil (after rolling), and be planted in accordance with Section 4530.

4300. Stormwater Management

4310.  General. Storm drains, culverts, swales, detention basins, and related facilities shall be designed to permit the unimpeded flow of all natural water courses, to ensure adequate drainage at all low points along streets, to control erosion, and to intercept stormwater runoff along streets at intervals reasonably related to the extent and grade of the area being drained. Where determined to be appropriate to the Board, stormwater may be carried on the surface of the ground and recharged (herein, "open system") rather than piped to surface water (herein, "closed system"). Peak storm discharge rate at the boundaries of the subdivision in a twenty‑five (25) year frequency storm shall be no higher following development than prior to development, unless authorized by the Board after consultation with the Conservation Commission, and determination that the receiving wetlands or water bodies may absorb the increase, or that the provision of detention capacity is sufficient. In a flood plain, adequate drainage systems shall be provided to reduce exposure to flood hazards.

4320.  Full Build Out. 

Storm water run-off calculations for proposed conditions should use general land use conditions that assume full build out within the existing zoning requirements. Less conservative values may be applied to determine peak storm discharge rate when coupled with enforceable land use restrictions.

4330. Location of Detention Basins. 

Detention basins shall not be located on a separate parcel. No detention basin shall be located within fifty (50) feet of any lot line. Detention ponds shall have deeded easements to the town. A bond shall be kept in the towns detention ponds escrow for upkeep in case of owners lack of maintenance.

4340.  Storm Drains.

4341.  Except where drainage swales are used, catch basins will be required on both sides of the roadway on continuous grades at intervals of not more than two-hundred and fifty (250) feet. Storm drains and culverts shall be no less than twelve (12) inches inside diameter and shall be of greater size if required by design considerations. All drains shall have a minimum of three (3) foot cover, except where reinforced concrete pipe is used and there the minimum cover shall be two (2) feet. Pipe approved by the Massachusetts Department of Highways (DOH) shall be installed in accordance with DOH requirements. The sub-divider shall specify the class of pipe to be used.

4342.  Proper connections shall be made with any existing drains in adjacent streets or easements where they may exist and prove adequate to accommodate the drainage flow from the subdivision, and in the absence of such facilities, or the adequacy of the same, it shall be the responsibility of the developer to extend drains from the subdivision as required a manner determined by the Department of Public Works, or Planning Board.

4343.  Side drains during construction may be required by the Department of Public Works. Six (6) inch sub-drains, five (5) feet off the side line may be required in all cuts over three (3) feet.

4350.  Catch Basins. Catch basins shall be provided with grates installed and approved as to design by the Board. Manholes shall be provided at changes in direction, whenever there is a change in size of pipe, and so as to eliminate the draining of one basin into another basin. Catch basins and manholes shall be constructed with standard concrete blocks, with brick and mortar or, if required by depth of reinforced concrete, and shall have a two (2) foot deep sump.

4360.  Certificate of Occupancy. No certificate of occupancy shall be issued for any dwelling unit in a subdivision until the stormwater management system is fully operational.

4400. Municipal Services

4410.  Electricity and Telephone Service. Electricity and telephone service shall be provided to each lot. All electrical, telephone, and other utility wires shall be placed below ground in conduit, unless the Board determines that such placement is not feasible or is not in the best interests of the Town.

4420.  Fire Protection. 

Provision shall be made for fire protection in the subdivision. The applicant shall review plans for fire protection with the Chief of the Fire Department and reach an agreement as to the method of providing adequate fire protection. A subdivision plan shall be approved only upon presentation of evidence to the Board, subject to the approval of the Fire Chief, that adequate provisions for fire protection have been made. No certificate of occupancy shall be issued for any dwelling unit in a subdivision until all components of the fire protection system are fully operational.

4430.  Street Lighting. 

Street lighting shall be provided for those locations where the Planning Board, following consultation with the Selectmen and Municipal Light Board, recommends that the Town maintain lighting. Facilities shall be provided in accordance with the Municipal Light Department’s specifications. Street lights shall be remain lit until town approved. Escrow account may be required for payment of street lights.

4440.  Water. 

Evidence shall be submitted to satisfy the Board of Health that adequate and potable water supply is available for each lot in the subdivision installed under roadway from existing road.

4441.  Whenever feasible, the water supply shall be from a public water supply system. Any subdivision with a lot boundary within 1500’ of existing town water or sewer services must tie in and extend those services to each lot within the subdivision under the road. They shall be constructed to the towns Sewer and Water Departments specifications and shall conform to all inspections.

4442.  Where a connection to the public water system is not feasible, the Planning Board shall approve a subdivision only upon its determination that the following provision for fire protection shall be met:

1. A reliable year-round water supply readily accessible to the Fire Department shall be provided from natural or constructed bodies of water, such as ponds, streams or cisterns.
2. Design, construction and capacity of natural and constructed bodies of water shall be approved by the Fire Department and shall comply with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard 1231, "Water Supplies for Suburban and Rural Fire Fighting."
3. Cisterns shall have a minimum capacity of thirty thousand (30,000), gallons available for firefighting as provided for in NFPA 1231 (ISO requirement, Fire Chief’s Handbook, p. 601).
4. Cisterns shall be inspected by the Fire Department during construction.
5. A dry hydrant installed in conformance with NFPA 1231 is required. Height of the suction connection must be approved by the Fire Department.
6. Subdivisions in which all houses have residential Sprinklers installed in conformance with NFPA 13, 13D or 13R shall not require additional fire protection.

4443.  Where a connection to the public water system is not feasible, the Planning Board shall approve a subdivision only upon its determination that the well(s) on each lot is likely to be able to provide a sustained yield of five (5) gallons per minute with water quality meeting DEP's "Drinking Water Regulations of Massachusetts," as may be amended from time to time. One (1) test well may be required of the Applicant per ten (10) potential lots, or the Planning Board's determination may be based upon the written statement of a hydro-geologist following his analysis of well records on nearby premises, subsurface conditions, and potential sources of contamination.

4444.  Subdivisions served by the town's water system shall meet the following specifications:

1. Hydrants shall be spaced no more than five hundred feet (500) apart.
2. Hydrant locations shall be approved by Fire Department.
3. Minimum fire flow requirements (gallons per minute required to control a fire) shall meet National Fire Protection Association standards and be approved by the Fire Department.

4500. Other Improvements

4510.  Sidewalks.

4511.  Required Locations. Sidewalks within street right‑of‑ways shall be provided as follows:

• Collector streets: Both sides
• Minor streets: One side
• Lanes: One side

4512.  Width and Alignment. Sidewalk pavement shall be five (5) feet wide on collector streets, and four (4) feet wide elsewhere. Except at intersections, sidewalks shall be separated from the travelled way by not less than the required shoulder width. Pavement width may vary to reflect or protect existing topography, trees, ledge, and other site features.

4513.  Other Walkways. Public off‑street walkways, bikeways, or bridle paths may be required by the Board to provide grounds, parks, shopping, transportation, open space, or community facilities, or to break up long blocks, or for any other reason that the Board may determine. No such walkway, bikeway, or bridle path shall be a part of any lot in the subdivision.

4514.  Construction.  Sidewalks shall have a foundation of eight (8) inches or more of compacted gravel. The surface shall be cement of 1 1/2 inches thickness, with a proper cross‑slope.

4520.  Grass Plots and Slopes. 

Embankments outside the shoulders and swales shall be evenly graded and pitched at a rate not steeper than two to one (2:1) in cut and three to one (3:1) in fill. The Board may require such banks and all other disturbed areas adjacent to the traveled way to be loamed and seeded to grass, or, after consideration of the surrounding vegetation and terrain, to be blended with such woods or natural surroundings as exist, with plantings chosen accordingly.

4530.  Plantings.

4531.  Unpaved areas within the right-of-way which have been stripped by the construction shall be graded to meet the adjoining property with a slope of not more than one (1) foot vertical to two (2) feet horizontal and loamed with at least four (4) inches of good quality topsoil. These areas shall be thickly seeded with perennial grasses or other planting materials approved by the Board.

4532.  If the developer finds it necessary to remove any of the Town's trees, or if the Planning Board so requires, the developer shall replace any and all such trees at his own expense.

4533.  Before removing any tree within the existing town right-of-way, the Tree Warden shall be consulted and shall mark all trees that are not to be removed.

4534.  Suitable existing trees within the right-of-way, if larger than four (4) inch caliper and located outside the shoulders, shall be preserved. Trees to be retained shall not have grade changed over their root areas more than twelve (12) inches.

4535.  Where suitable trees do not exist at intervals of less than forty (40) feet on each side of the street, they shall be provided by the developer.

4536.  Trees to be planted shall be well branched, nursery grown stock at least two and one-half (2.5) inch trunk diameter at four (4) feet above ground, and be free of injury, harmful insects, and diseases.  They shall be long-lived species adapted to the local environment and approved by the Planning Board.

4537.  New plantings shall be guaranteed by the developer for a period of one year from the date of planting.

4540.  Curbing and Berms. 

Bituminous concrete berms shall be installed on both sides of all roadways in conformity with the "typical roadway cross-section," appended hereto, except where waived by the Board where open drainage systems are being relied upon, and except at intersections with state-numbered highways or collector streets, where sloped granite curbing will be required.

4550.  Driveway Entrances. 

Driveway entrances shall be constructed so to prevent drainage onto public ways. Driveways at intersections and cul-de-sacs shall be spaced so as to facilitate snow removal.

4560.  Monuments.

4561.  Monuments shall be installed at all street intersections; at all points of change in direction of curvature of the streets.

4562.  Monuments must be granite or reinforced concrete, measure a minimum of four by four inches by four inches by four feet (4"x4"x4') and project four (4) inches above finish grade. Reference points are to be drilled in the top of each monument.

4563.  Iron rods shall be installed at each lot corner along the street and as necessary to locate any easements to be deeded to the town.

4564.  Four major corners of each lot shall be marked with iron rods. Iron rods shall be three-quarter (3/4) inch iron rod set to a depth of not less than four (4) feet below finished grade and to project not more than six (6) inches above finished grade.

4565.  Placement and accurate location of all monuments shall be certified by a Registered Land Surveyor, and indicated on the as built plan.

4570.  Signs.

4571. Street Signs. As soon as a street is paved, street signs conforming to those placed by the Town shall be erected at each end of the through way and intersections. The word "Private" shall be lettered on a separate sign placed under the street sign. This separate sign shall be removed when the street is accepted by the Town, and replaced by a sign that says, "Not a Through Way" if it is a cul-de-sac

 4572.  Advertising Signs

1. No advertising signs shall be erected that may prevent the clear view of motorists at intersections.
2. All signs shall conform to the Zoning By-Law of the Town.

4600. Maintenance and Clean-Up

4610.  General. The entire area of the subdivision must be cleaned up so as to leave a neat and orderly appearance free from debris and other objectionable materials, leaving no unfilled holes, and leaving no other artificially created hazards. A bond may be required to secure performance of this regulation.

4620.  Right of Way. The entire area within the right-of-way shall be properly maintained by the developer until accepted by the Town. Immediately prior to such acceptance, all catch basins shall be cleaned.  Snow removal and sanding of the streets shall be the responsibility of the developer until such acceptance. An escrow account or maintenance bond may be required to secure performance of this regulation.

4700.  Easements

4710.  Fire Ponds and Utilities. Easements for fire ponds and utilities across lots or centered on rear or side lines shall be provided, and shall be at least twenty (20) feet wide.

4720.  Storm Water Easement. Where a subdivision is traversed by a water course, drainage way, stream, or channel, the Board may require that a storm water easement or drainage right‑of‑way be provided of adequate width to provide for free flow of water in its natural course, for construction, or for other necessary purposes.

4800. Flood Plain

In a flood plain, all public utilities and facilities such as gas, electrical, and water systems shall be located and constructed to minimize or eliminate flood damage.

4900. Private Driveways

4910.  Topping. All driveways extending from the completed road surface to the lot lines must have a topping of at least three (3) inches of bituminous concrete. All driveway slopes must end at the street right-of-way, then continue forward to the completed road surface in the same grade as the sidewalk strip and/or shoulder in order to allow proper drainage of surface water.

4920.  Curb Cuts. Curb cuts for driveways shall be at least ten (10) feet wide and shall have a three (3) foot radius flare at the pavement, except in Non-Residential Subdivisions where they shall be at least twenty-four (24) feet wide and have a thirty (30) foot radius or meet the requirements of Section XI of "The Massachusetts Amendments to the Manual on Uniform Traffic control Devices and the Standard Municipal Traffic Code," dated January, 1987.

4900A. Non-Residential Subdivisions

4910A.  General.  Any street servicing land in a nonresidential zoning district as defined by the Zoning By-Law shall be designed as a collector street.

4920A.  Requirements. The requirements herein shall be modified as follows: roadway construction shall provide for twenty-four (24) inch gravel foundation, base course of four (4) inch Asphalt Institute Type IV mix, and one (1) inch Class I-1 bituminous concrete finish course, except that this requirement may be reduced where an alternative system is demonstrated to be adequate for anticipated traffic, using the methods specified by the Asphalt Institute Manual Series NO. 1 (MS-1) "Thickness Design."

4930A.  Storm Drainage. Storm drainage shall be designed on the basis of at least eighty percent (80%) impervious coverage on all lots, and lawns rather than natural vegetation in buffers and other remaining areas, unless there are land use restrictions enforceable by the Town, assuring some lower level of impervious coverage and natural vegetation.