RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE SUBDIVISION OF LAND TOWN OF PRINCETON, MASSACHUSETTS

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1 RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE SUBDIVISION OF LAND TOWN OF PRINCETON, MASSACHUSETTS (Adopted under the Subdivision Control Law Section 81-K to 81-GG inclusive, Chapter 41, G.L.) PURPOSE These subdivision regulations are adopted for the purpose of protecting the safety, convenience and welfare of the inhabitants of the Town of Princeton by "regulating the laying out and construction of ways in subdivisions providing access to the several lots therein, but which have not become public ways, and ensuring sanitary conditions in subdivisions and in proper cases parks and open areas. The powers of the Planning Board and of the Board of Appeals under the subdivision control law shall be exercised with due regard for the provision of adequate access to all of the lots in a subdivision by ways that will be safe and convenient for travel; for lessening congestion in such ways and in the adjacent public ways; for reducing danger to life and limb in the operation of motor vehicles; for securing safety in the case of fire, flood, panic and other emergencies; for insuring compliance with the applicable zoning...bylaw; for securing adequate provision for water, sewerage, drainage, underground utility services, fire, police and other similar municipal equipment, and street lighting and other requirements where necessary in a subdivision and for coordinating the ways in a subdivision with each other and with the public ways in the Town and with the ways in neighboring subdivisions. It is the intent of the subdivision control law (under which these regulations are adopted) that any subdivision plan filed with the Planning Board shall receive the approval of such board if said plan conforms to the recommendation of the Board of Health and to the reasonable rules and regulations of the Planning Board pertaining to subdivisions of land; provided, however, that such board may, when appropriate, waive, as provided or in Section 81-R, such portions of the rules and regulations as is deemed advisable". (Section 81-M of Chapter 41, G.L.) 1 Revised: December 27, 2006

2 SECTION I. - Authority Under the authority vested in the Planning Board of the Town of Princeton by Section 81-Q of Chapter 41 of the General Laws, said Board hereby adopts these rules and regulations governing the subdivision of land in the Town of Princeton. These regulations shall be effective when approved by the Board and filed with Register of Deeds and the Recorder of Land Court, and when effective shall supersede and replace any and all subdivision regulations theretofore in effect in the Town. 2 Revised: December 27, 2006

3 SECTION II. - General A. Definitions APPLICANT. A Person (as hereinafter defined) who applies for approval of a plan of a Subdivision or a Person who applies under Section II B or III A - C. "Applicant" shall include an Owner, or his agent or representative, or his assigns. BUILDING INSPECTOR. The Building Inspector for the Town of Princeton shall mean the Board of Selectmen acting as Building Inspector, or its designee. BOARD. The Planning Board of the Town of Princeton. CERTIFIED BY. "Certified by (or endorsed by) The Planning Board" as applied to a plan or other instrument required or authorized by the Subdivision Control Law to be recorded, shall mean bearing a certification or endorsement signed by a majority of the members of The Board, or by its chairman or clerk or any other person authorized by it to certify or endorse its approval or other action and named in a written statement to the Register of Deeds and recorder of the Land Court, signed by a majority of the Board. DEFINITIVE PLAN. The plan of a Subdivision as submitted with appropriate application to the Board for approval by the Planning Board and such plan when approved and recorded; all as distinguished from a Preliminary Plan. DEVELOPER. A person who develops a Subdivision under a plan of a Subdivision approved under Section III of these Rules and Regulations. GENERAL LAWS. (abbreviated G.L.) The General Laws of Massachusetts. In case of a rearrangement of the General Laws, any citation of particular sections of the General Laws shall be applicable to the corresponding sections in the new codification. LOT. An area of land in one (1) -ownership, with definite boundaries and used, or available for use, as the site of one (1) or more buildings. MUNICIPAL SERVICES. Sewers, water drains, water pipes, gas pipes, electrical lines, telephone lines, fire alarm system, cablevision or similar systems, and their respective appurtenances. OWNER. As applied to real estate, the person holding the fee simple title to a parcel, tract or lot of land. PERSON. An individual, or two or more individuals or a group or association of individuals, a trust, a partnership or a corporation having common or undivided interest in a tract of land. 3 Revised: December 27, 2006

4 PLANNING BOARD. "Planning Board" shall mean the officially constituted Planning Board of the Town of Princeton. PRELIMINARY PLAN. A plan of a proposed Subdivision or a re-subdivision of land prepared in accord with Section III to facilitate proper preparation of a Definitive Plan. RECORDED. "Recorded"; shall mean recorded in the Worcester County, Worcester District Registry of Deeds except that as affecting registered land, it shall mean filed with the Assistant Recorder of the Worcester County, Worcester District Land Court or the Recorder of the Land Court in Boston. REGISTRY OF DEEDS. Registry of Deeds shall mean the Worcester County Worcester District Registry of-deeds, and, when appropriate, shall include the Worcester County Worcester District Land Court or the Land Court in Boston. ROADWAY. That portion of a way which is designed and constructed for vehicular travel. STREET, MAJOR. (1) A street which, in the opinion of the Board is being used or will be used as a traveled way within the Town of Princeton and which will carry a heavy volume of traffic, generally over fifteen hundred (1500) vehicles per day. (1) For purposes of determining street type the Planning Board shall calculate ten (10) trips per day for a single family dwelling or each unit in a duplex residence and six (6) trips per day for each townhouse or unit in an apartment or multi-family structure. STREET, MINOR. (1) A street which, in the opinion of the Board is being used, or will be used primarily to provide access to abutting lots and which will not be used for through traffic. STREET, SECONDARY. (1) A street intercepting one (1) or more Minor Streets and which, in the opinion of the Board, is used or will be used to carry a substantial volume of traffic, generally, over four hundred (400) vehicles per day from such Minor Street(s) to a Major Street or community facility, and normally including a principal entrance to a large Subdivision or group of Subdivisions, and any principal circulation street within such Subdivisions. SUBDIVISION. "Subdivision" shall mean the division of a tract of land into two (2) or more lots and shall include a re-subdivision and, when appropriate to the context, shall relate to the process of subdivision or the land or territory subdivided; provided, however, that the division of a tract of land into two (2) or more lots shall not be deemed to constitute a subdivision within the meaning of the Subdivision Control Law, if at the time when it is made, every lot within the tract so divided has a frontage on (a) a public way, or a way which the Town Clerk of the Town of Princeton certifies is maintained and used as public way, or (b) a way shown on a plan theretofore approved and endorsed in accordance with the Subdivision Control Law, or (c) a way in existence when the Subdivision Control Law became effective in the Town, having in the opinion of the 4 Revised: December 27, 2006

5 Planning Board, sufficient width, a suitable grades and adequate construction to provide for the needs of vehicular traffic in relation to the proposed use of the land abutting thereon or severed thereby, and for the installation of municipal services to serve such land and the buildings erected or to be erected thereon. Such frontage shall be of at lest such distance as is then required by the zoning bylaw for the erection of a building on such lot. Conveyances or other instruments adding to, taking away from, or changing the size and shape of, lots in such a manner as not to leave any lot so affected without the frontage above set forth, or the division of a tract of land on which two (2) or more buildings were standing when the Subdivision Control Law went into effect in the Town into separate lots on each of which one (1) of such buildings remains standing, shall not constitute a subdivision. SUBDIVISION CONTROL. The power of regulating the Subdivision of land granted by the Subdivision Control Law, Chapter 41, Section 81K through 81 GG inclusive, as hereinafter amended. TOWN. Town of Princeton. (1) For purposes of determining street type the Planning Board shall calculate ten (10) trips per day for a single family dwelling or each unit in a duplex residence and six (6) trips per day for each townhouse or unit in an apartment or multi-family structure. B. Approved Plan Required No Person shall make a Subdivision of any land within the Town, or proceed with the improvement for sale of Lots in a Subdivision, or the construction of ways, or preparation therefore or the installation of Municipal Services therein, unless and until a Definitive Plan of such Subdivision has been submitted and approved by the Planning Board as hereinafter provided. C. Source of Information Required In those cases in which the land shown on the plan is abutted by land of an Owner not the Owner of the land as shown, the Board may require a statement from the Person who prepared the plan as to the source or sources of the information about the location of boundaries. A separate form for such statement will be furnished by the Board, see Form D - Designer's Certificate (Appendix D). D. More Than One Dwelling on a Lot Not more than one building designed or available for use for dwelling purposes shall be erected or placed or converted to use as such on any Lot in a Subdivision, or elsewhere in the Town, without the consent of the Planning Board. Such consent may be conditional upon the providing of adequate ways furnishing access to each such building in the same manner as otherwise required for Lots within a Subdivision. 5 Revised: December 27, 2006

6 E. Fee All expenses for advertising, engineering, legal, professional planning review, inspection of plans and construction, recording and filing of documents and all other expenses in connection with a Subdivision shall be borne by the Applicant; in no case shall the fee be less than one dollar ($1.00) per one thousand (1,000) square feet of land or fraction - thereof shown on a Definitive Plan. 6 Revised: December 27, 2006

7 SECTION III - Procedure for the Submission and Approval of Plans A. Plan Believed Not to Require Approval 1. Submission of Plan Any person who wishes to cause to be Recorded in the Registry of Deeds or to be filed with the Land Court a plan of land and who believes that his plan does not require approval under the Subdivision Control Law may at a posted meeting of the Planning Board submit his plan and Three (3) contact prints and three (3) copies of a properly executed Form A (see Appendix A) to the Planning Board accompanied by the necessary evidence to show that the plan does not require approval. Said Person shall file, by delivery or registered mail, postage prepaid, a notice with the Town Clerk stating the date of submission for such determination accompanied by a copy of said application and describing the land to which the plan relates sufficiently for identification. If the notice is given by delivery, the Town Clerk shall, if requested, give a written receipt therefore. Said plan shall be prepared and signed by a professional engineer and/or land surveyor registered in Massachusetts and shall be the dimensions of twenty-four inches by thirtysix inches (24 x 36 ) and shall contain the following information: a. Identification of the plan by name of Owner of Record and location of the land in question. b. Date, scale and north point. c. The statement "Approval Under Subdivision Control Law Not Required" and sufficient space for the date and the signatures of all five (5) members of the Board. d. Zoning classification and location of any Zoning District Boundaries that may lie within the locus of the plan. e. In the case of the creation of a new lot, the remaining land area, and frontage of the land in the ownership of the Applicant shall be shown. Land area shall be shown in square feet and acres. f. Wetlands and flood hazard areas shall be shown on the plan, if known. If not known, an approximation of their location shall be shown. g. Notice of any decisions by the Zoning Board of Appeals, including but not limited to variances and exceptions, regarding the land or any buildings thereon. 7 Revised: December 27, 2006

8 h. Names of abutters from latest available Assessors' records, unless the Applicant shall have more recent knowledge of such abutters. i. At least three (3) property line monuments shall be shown on the plan. Distance to the nearest road or to other permanent monument shall be shown. j. Location of all existing buildings, including setback and side and rear yard dimensions and location of any existing wells, water supplies or sanitary systems. k. Locus drawing showing location of site relative to a larger section of town. l. Any lot created that does not meet current zoning minimum requirements or is not intended as a building lot shall be labeled Not a Building Lot. m. All easements and rights-of-way on the lot shall be defined and clearly marked. n. Include the following statement: Planning Board endorsement should not be construed as either an endorsement or an approval of zoning requirements. 2. Endorsement of Plan Not Requiring Approval If the Planning Board determines that the plan does not require approval, it shall forthwith, without a public hearing, endorse the plan as not requiring approval under the Subdivision Control Law. One member of the Board may be authorized to endorse such plans in the name of the Board. 3. Determination That Plan Requires Approval If the Planning Board determines that the plan does require approval under the Subdivision Control Law, it shall, within twenty one (21) days of the submission of plan, so inform the Applicant in writing and return the plan. The Planning Board shall also notify the Town Clerk in writing of its action. 4. Failure of Board to Act If the Planning Board fails to act upon a plan submitted under this section or notify the Town Clerk and the Person submitting the plan of its action within twenty one (21) days after its submission, it shall be deemed to have determined that approval under the Subdivision Control Law is not required, and it shall forthwith make such endorsement on said plan, and on its failure to do so forthwith, the Town Clerk shall issue a certificate to the same effect. B. Preliminary Plan 8 Revised: December 27, 2006

9 1. General The submission of a Preliminary Plan will enable the Applicant, the Planning Board, Board of Health, the Highway Department, the Police Department, the Fire Department and other Town agencies and Owners of property abutting the Subdivision to discuss and clarify the details of such Subdivision before a Definitive Plan is prepared. It is strongly recommended that a Preliminary Plan be filed in each case. If one is filed, applicant shall file with the Planning Board at a posted meeting seven (7) copies of plan and three (3) copies of a properly executed Form B - Application for Approval of Preliminary Plan - (Appendix B). Applicant shall also file, by delivery or registered mail, postage prepaid, a notice with the Town Clerk stating the date of submission or approval of the Preliminary Plan accompanied by a copy of said application. If the notice is given by delivery, the Town Clerk shall, if requested, give a written receipt therefore. The Planning Board shall distribute copies of the plan as indicated on Form M Control Form (Appendix M). Strict compliance with the requirements of these rules and regulations may be waived when, in the judgment of the Planning Board, such action is in the public interest and not inconsistent with the Subdivision Control Law. 2. Purpose and Intent The purpose of the Preliminary Plan is to assist the Planning Board, other Town agencies, and the Applicant of a proposed subdivision in the laying out and construction of ways to provide adequate access to all of the lots in the subdivision by ways that will be safe and convenient for travel; lessen congestion in such ways and in the adjacent public ways; reduce danger to life and limb in the operation of motor vehicles; secure safety in the case of fire, flood, panic and other emergencies; insure compliance with the applicable zoning by-laws; secure adequate provision for water, sewerage, drainage, underground utility services, fire, police, and other similar municipal equipment, and street lighting and other requirements where necessary in the subdivision; and for coordinating the ways in the subdivision with each other and with the public ways in the town and in neighboring subdivisions. The purpose of the Four-Step Design Process and the Design Standards are to achieve the above and the following: a. Greater creativity in the design of residential developments; b. The preservation of open space, agricultural land, forestry land, wildlife habitat, other natural resources including aquifers, water-bodies and wetlands, and historical and archeological resources in a manner that is consistent with Princeton s rural character; c. Less visual sprawl and a more aesthetic form of development that conforms to existing topography and natural features; 9 Revised: December 27, 2006

10 d. Minimize the total amount of disturbance on the site; e. The construction and maintenance of housing, streets, utilities, and public services in a more economical and efficient manner. 3. Pre-Application Conference The applicant is very strongly encouraged to request a pre-application review at a regular business meeting of the Planning Board before any site clearing or land disturbance has been started. If one is requested, the Planning Board is encouraged to invite the Conservation Commission, Board of Health, and Open Space Committee. The purpose of a pre-application review is to minimize the applicant's costs of engineering and other technical experts, and to commence negotiations with the Planning Board at the earliest possible stage in the development. At the pre-application review, the applicant may outline the proposed subdivision of land, seek preliminary feedback from the Planning Board and/or its technical experts, and set a timetable for submittal of a formal application. 4. Design Process and Standards The Preliminary Plan is a concept drawing of a proposed subdivision of land that should address the general features of the land, give approximate configurations of the lots, open space, and roadways. The concept drawing should incorporate the following Four-Step Design Process and the Design Standards when determining a proposed design for the development. Applicants of proposed subdivisions of six (6) lots or greater are required to demonstrate to the Planning Board that the following Design Process was performed by a certified Landscape Architect, or by a multi-disciplinary team of which one member is a certified Landscape Architect, and considered in determining the layout of proposed streets, house lots, and open space as shown on the proposed plan. Applicants of proposed subdivisions of five (5) lots or less, the following Design Process is intended as a guideline to be considered in determining the layout of proposed streets, house lots, and open space as shown on the proposed plan. Although intended as a guideline, adequate justification should be provided to the Planning Board if varying from the guideline. a. Design Process. The applicant should consider the following Design Process in determining the layout of proposed streets, house lots, and open space as shown on the site plan. 1. Step One: Identifying Conservation Areas. Identify preservation land by two steps. First, Primary Conservation Areas (such as wetlands, streams, and floodplains regulated by state or federal law) and Secondary Conservation Areas (including unprotected elements of the natural landscape such as steep 10 Revised: December 27, 2006

11 slopes, mature woodlands, prime farmland, meadows, wildlife habitats and cultural features such as historic and archeological sites, stonewalls, and scenic views) should be identified and delineated. Second, the Potentially Developable Area will be identified and delineated. To the maximum extent feasible, the Potentially Developable Area should consist of land outside identified Primary and Secondary Conservation Areas. 2. Step Two: Locating House Sites. Locate the approximate sites of individual houses within the Potentially Developable Area and include the delineation of private yards and shared amenities, so as to reflect an integrated community, conceptually consistency with a cluster-type of development pattern, to the maximum extent feasible within zoning regulation. 3. Step Three: Aligning the Streets and Trails. Align streets in order to access the house lots. If any new trails are created, they should be laid out to create internal and external connections to existing and/or potential future streets, sidewalks, and trails. 4. Step Four: Lot Lines. Draw in the lot lines. b. Design Standards. The following Generic and Site Specific Design Standards apply to all subdivisions of land and should govern the development and design process: 1. Generic Design Standards (1) The landscape should be preserved in it natural state, insofar as practicable, by minimizing tree and soil removal. Any grade changes should replicate the topography of the site as much as possible. The orientation of individual building sites should be such as to maintain maximum natural topography and cover. Topography, tree cover, and natural drainage ways should be treated as fixed determinants of road and lot configuration rather than as malleable elements that can be changed to follow a preferred development scheme. (2) Streets should be designed and located in such a manner as to maintain and preserve natural topography, significant landmarks, and trees; to minimize cut and fill; and to preserve and enhance views and vistas on or off the subject parcel. (3) The development should be related harmoniously to the terrain and the use, scale, and architecture of existing buildings in the vicinity that have functional or visual relationship to the proposed buildings. Proposed buildings should be related to their surroundings. 11 Revised: December 27, 2006

12 5. Contents (4) Open space (landscaped or natural) should be retained, to the greatest extent possible, to add to the scenic beauty of the area for the benefit of residents and persons passing the site or overlooking it from nearby properties. (5) The removal or disruption of historic, traditional or significant landscape features, uses, structures, or architectural elements should be minimized insofar as practicable, whether these exist on the site or on adjacent properties. 2. Site Specific Design Standards (1) Buffer Areas. A buffer area sufficient to obscure view should be provided at the following locations: (a) along existing public ways; (b) bordering certain resource areas on or adjacent to the tract such as agricultural or recreational fields; and (c) along the perimeter of the property where it abuts occupied properties and the dwellings are visible. Driveways necessary for access and egress to and from the tract may cross such buffer areas. Vegetation in this buffer area should not be disturbed, destroyed or removed, except as necessary for normal maintenance of structures and landscapes approved as part of the project. (2) Drainage. Soft (non-structural) storm water management techniques (such as swales) and other drainage techniques that reduce impervious surface and enable natural infiltration should be used where appropriate. (3) Common/Shared Driveways. Common or shared driveways are encouraged to minimize street cuts. (4) On-site Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation. Proposed walkways and bicycle paths should be provided to link residences, recreation facilities (including parkland and open space) and adjacent land uses where appropriate. (5) Disturbed Areas. Disturbed areas should be returned to a natural-looking vegetative state as much as possible. A disturbed area is any land not left in its natural vegetated state. (6) Screening and Landscaping. All disturbed areas and structural surface storm water management facilities should be addressed by a conceptual landscape plan. The landscape plan should minimize the visual impact of the disturbed area or facility. 12 Revised: December 27, 2006

13 The Preliminary Plan should be drawn on paper with the dimensions of twenty-four inches by thirty-six inches (24 x 36 ) and using a scale of forty feet (40 ) to the inch. The plan shall be designated as Preliminary and, to form a clear basis for discussion of the details of the Subdivision and for preparation of the Definitive Plan, the plan should contain the following: a. The Subdivision name, if any, boundaries, north point, date, scale, legend and title Preliminary Plan. b. The name and address of the record Owner of the land and the Applicant and the name and address of the designer (certified Landscape Architect, if required), engineer or surveyor who made the plan, which shall appear in the lower right hand corner. c. The names of all abutters, as determined from the latest available with Assessors records. d. The existing and proposed lines of streets, ways, easements and any public or common areas within the Subdivision, in a general manner. e. Major features of the land such as existing walls, fences, monuments, buildings, wooded areas and meadows, outcroppings, ditches, natural waterways and wetlands, in a general manner. f. The proposed system of sewage disposal, water installation, drainage, and existing natural waterways, in a general manner. g. The approximate boundary lines of proposed lots, with approximate areas and dimensions. h. The names, approximate location and widths of adjacent streets, or streets approaching or within reasonable proximity of the Subdivision, as determined by the Planning Board. i. The topography of the land with a ten foot (10 ) contour interval based on the U.S.G.S. map. Water bodies and their elevations shall be shown, with the date of measurements. j. The proposed names of the proposed streets and a number on each lot on each proposed street. k. The profiles of existing grades and approximate proposed finished grades of the roadway, and drain and sewer utilities. l. Area of adjoining land and water of the Applicant not presently being subdivided. 13 Revised: December 27, 2006

14 m. The Zoning classification of land shown on the plan and the location of any Zoning District Boundaries that may lie within the locus of the plan. 6. Approval or Disapproval Within forty five (45) days after submission, the Board shall notify by certified mail Applicant and the Town Clerk either that the Preliminary Plan is approved, approved with modifications, or disapproved. The Board may give such Preliminary Plan approval, with or without modification after the Board's review with the Board of Health, Conservation Commission, Highway Department, Police Department and Fire Department. Such approval does not constitute approval of the Subdivision but facilitates the preparation of the Definitive Plan and the securing of final approval thereof. One (1) copy of the Preliminary Plan will be returned to the applicant. In the event of disapproval, the Planning Board shall state in detail reasons for its disapproval. C. Definitive Plan 1. General A Definitive Plan shall be filed at a posted meeting of the Planning Board, or by registered mail to the Planning Board in care of the Town Clerk. All items required paragraphs 1.a, 1.b and 3 of this section and the minimum filing fee (see Section II.E) shall be submitted for a Definitive Plan to be duly submitted in accord with the Laws. (See Form M - Control Form in the Appendix for distribution of plans by the Planning Board). Any person who submits a Definitive Plan to the Planning Board for approval shall file with the Planning Board the following: a. An original drawing of the Definitive Plan and nine (9) contact prints thereof; dark line on white background. The original drawing and one (1) print will be returned after approval or disapproval. b. Three (3) copies of a properly executed application Form C - Application for Approval of a Definitive Plan (see Appendix) including such proof as the Board may require that the Owner is the true record Owner of the premises and a covenant by the Applicant to complete the ways and install the public utilities in the Subdivision; Form D - Designer's Certificate (see Appendix); and two (2) copies of a Certified List of Abutters Form E (see Appendix). Approval of all plans shall be upon the condition that all ways shown thereon and Municipal Services required by the Board shall be completed and installed within the time so specified. The Board may decline to approve any plan unless the Applicant agrees to complete the ways shown thereon and install the public utilities aforesaid within two years of the date of approval. If the ways in any Subdivision are not completed and the Services aforesaid are not installed within the time so agreed to by the Applicant or 14 Revised: December 27, 2006

15 required by the Board, no such way shall thereafter be laid out, constructed, completed or opened for public use unless and until a new application is filed with and approved by the Board. Ways or portions thereof and public services not completed within two (2) years from the date of approval by the Board, shall thereafter be completed in accordance with the then in-force construction standards of the Planning Board. The Applicant shall also file, by delivery or registered mail, postage prepaid, a the Town Clerk stating the date of submission for such approval and enclosing a copy of the completed Form C - Application for Approval of Definitive Plan (Appendix C). If notice is given by delivery, the Town Clerk shall, if requested, give a written receipt therefore. 2. Design Standards In designing subdivisions, all developers are requested to utilize design principles that reflect and enhance the rural and natural character of Princeton. Low-impact development standards are strongly encouraged. Working with the natural contours of the land and maintaining natural landscape features should be a primary design consideration. The Board will be receptive to requests to waive or compromise many of the general design requirements where a lower-impact effective option is available and would enhance the aesthetic and scenic nature of the planned subdivision and the surrounding community. 3. Contents The Definitive Plan shall be prepared and signed by a professional engineer and/or surveyor registered in Massachusetts and shall be clearly and legibly drawn in black ink. The plan shall be at a scale of one inch (1 ) equals forty feet (40 ), or such other scale as the Planning Board may accept to show details clearly and adequately, and shall include plans and profiles of each individual street at a one inch (1 ) equals forty feet (40 ) horizontal and one inch (1 ) equals four feet (4 ) vertical. All elevations shall refer to U.S.G.S. Datum. Sheet sizes shall be twenty-four by thirty-six inches (24 x 36 ) including a three-quarter inch (3/4 ) border. All shall be accompanied by an index sheet at a scale of one inch (1 ) equals four hundred feet (400 ) showing the entire Subdivision and adjacent streets and dimensions of the lots and streets and lot numbers. The Definitive Plan shall contain the following information: a. A title, appearing in the lower right-hand corner of the plan, showing the name of the Subdivision, if any; the date; scale; the names and addresses of the Applicant, and the names of the designer, engineer, and surveyor who made the plan. b. North point, benchmarks, and boundaries of the Subdivision. c. Location and ownership of abutting property as determined from the last assessment list including all abutting land owned by the Applicant n 15 Revised: December 27, 2006

16 presently being subdivided. See Form E - Certified List of Abutters (see Appendix). d. Lines of existing and proposed streets, ways, Lots, Lot numbers or other designation of each Lot, easements, and public or common areas within the Subdivision. The proposed names of proposed streets shall be shown in pencil until they have been approved by the Planning Board. The names of new streets shall not duplicate nor ear phonetic resemblance to the names of existing streets within the Town. e. Major features of the land, such as existing waterways, swamps and water bodies, natural drainage courses, walls, fences, monuments, buildings, large trees (twenty-four inches (24") in a caliper measured dbh above the ground) wooded areas, out-croppings and ditches which exist on or near the site at the time of survey. f. Sufficient data to determine the location, direction and length of every street and way line, Lot line and boundary line, and to establish these lines on the ground. This shall include the lengths and bearings of all Subdivision Lot lines including Lot frontage on the streets, the boundary lines of all streets and easements, and the length, radii, tangents, and central angles of all curves in Lot lines and street lines. All angle points and intersections of tangents along the street lines, shall be shown. Areas of Lots and Lot numbers and frontage on public ways as described in Section 81-L of Chapter 41-G.L. under the definition of "Subdivision". g. Sufficient data to enable the Board to relate the proposed plan to any contiguous land owned by the applicant. Such data shall include the lines of proposed ways and lots, approximate grade and other information requested by the Board relating to contiguous land owned by the Applicant. h. Location of all permanent monuments properly identified as to construction type and as to whether existing or proposed. i. Location, names and present widths of streets or private ways bounding, approaching or within reasonable proximity of the Subdivision as determined by the Planning Board, showing both Roadway widths and rights-of-way widths, if possible. j. Indication of all easements, covenants or restrictions applying to the land and their purposes, including any decision on appeal or any variance or exceptions made by the Zoning Board of Appeals applicable to the Subdivision of the land or any buildings thereon. 16 Revised: December 27, 2006

17 k. If the property that comprises the Subdivision or any part of boundary thereof has been examined, approved, and confirmed by the Massachusetts Land Court, such information shall be noted on the plat with case numbers and other pertinent references to Land Court Procedure, and the same requirement shall apply to any adjoining parcels of land of the Applicant. l. Suitable space to record the action of the Planning Board and the signatures of the five (5) members of the Planning Board, and of the (3) members of the Board of Health. (Items m through t may be submitted on the same sheet as the Definitive Plan, or on sheets.) m. Existing profiles on the exterior lines drawn in fine black line, dotted for left and dashed for right side, and proposed profile on the finished center-line drawn in fine black solid line of proposed streets at a horizontal scale of one inch (1") equals forty feet (40') and vertical scale of one inch (1") equals four feet (4') or such other scale acceptable to the Planning Board. At least two (2) bench marks are to be shown on plans and profiles, and grade elevations at every fifty foot (50') station except in vertical curves which shall be at every twenty five (25') foot station. All existing and proposed intersections and sidewalks shall be shown with all proposed grade elevations calculated. Elevations are to be referred to as either mean sea level or zero equals mean low water as established by the Coast and Geodetic Survey. Gradient shall be shown by figures in percent. n. Existing and proposed topography at two feet (2') contour intervals and by symbol the highest known highwater mark from adjacent bodies of water or wetlands of the last five (5) years. There shall also be indicated by differentiating symbols the contour line four feet (4") above said highwater mark. o. Size and location of existing and proposed water supply mains and their appurtenances and/or sewage disposal systems, storm drains and their appurtenances, and easements pertinent thereto, and dimensions of gutters, including data on boring and percolation tests made, and method of carrying water to the nearest watercourse or easements fro drainage as needed, whether or not within the Subdivision. If surface water drains will discharge onto adjacent existing streets or onto adjacent properties not owned by the Applicant, he shall clearly indicate what course the discharge will take, and shall present to the Board evidence from the Owner of adjacent property that such discharge is satisfactory and permitted by public or private ownership of adjacent street or property. 17 Revised: December 27, 2006

18 p. A map defining all drainage areas tributary to all systems shown on the plan and calculations prepared by a Registered Engineer to substantiate proposed drain pipe sizes. The rational formula shall be used, as described in Seelye's Design Data Book for Civil Engineers, Revised 3rd Edition, page q. Location and species of proposed street trees and location of trees to be retained with trunks over six inches (6") in diameter, measured dbh above the finished ground level, located outside of the street right-of-way line of existing or proposed streets not closer than five feet (5') or more than ten feet (10') from said right-of-way line. r. Cross sections typical of each street, roadway and sidewalk to be constructed. s. Location of proposed street lights and sidewalks. t. In tabular form as follows for each sheet of the Subdivision plan as submitted. 1. The total area which is being subdivided on each sheet. 2. The total number and area of Lots included on each sheet. 3. The total of areas dedicated for street purposes, drainage, sewer or utility easements on each sheet. 4. The total of areas reserved for parks, schools, and other public use on each sheet. 4. Conformance to Preliminary Plan If a Preliminary Plan was submitted and acted upon by the Planning Board, the Definitive Plan shall conform substantially to the approved Preliminary Plan. 5. Adequate Access from Public Way The Planning Board shall consider the adequacy of all public ways providing access to the proposed subdivision. Where the physical condition or width of a public way from which the subdivision has its access is considered by the Board to be inadequate to carry the traffic expected to be generated by such subdivision, the Board may require the Applicant to make physical improvements to and within such public way to the same standards required within the subdivision. All costs of any widening or construction shall be borne by the Applicant. 18 Revised: December 27, 2006

19 6. Review by Board of Health and Conservation Commission as to Suitability of Land. At the time of filing of the Definitive Plan, the Applicant shall also file with Health two (2) contact prints of the Definitive Plan, dark line on white background, together with such information in the nature of percolation tests and deep test the Board of Health may require and shall follow the procedures outlined on Schedule C, "Board of Health Review." The Board of Health shall report to the Planning Board in writing approval or disapproval of said plan. If the Board of Health disapproves it shall make specific findings as to which, if any, of the Lots shown on such plan be used for building sites without injury to the public health, and include such findings and the reasons therefore in such report, and, where possible, shall make recommendations for the adjustment thereof. Every Lot shall be provided with a sewerage system or sewer connection satisfactory to the Board of Health. Applicant shall also file with the Conservation Commission a statement in writing concerning the application of the Wetland Protection Act to the proposed project, including specific reference to any proposed activity which will affect any inland marsh, meadow or swamp. 7. Review by Other Town Officials The Secretary of the Planning Board will transmit copies of the Definitive Plan to Officials other than the Board of Health as follows: One (1) copy each to the Town Clerk, Town Counsel, the Board of Selectmen, the Highway Superintendent the Fire Department, the Police Department and the Conservation Commission. Before the Definitive Plan is approved, the Planning Board will request written statements from the above Officials with regard to the proposed improvements in the following respect: a. Town Counsel as to the form of easements, covenants and performance guarantees. b. The Board of Selectmen as to requirements for Building Permits under Section 81-Y of Chapter 41. c. The Highway Department as to the design of the street system, location of easements, monuments, drainage system and water system, if any. d. The Fire Department as to location of rural hydrants, water holes and alarm system, if any. e. The Police Department as to street safety. 19 Revised: December 27, 2006

20 f. The Conservation Commission as to matters involving the Wetlands Protection Act. 8. Soil Survey and Percolation Tests Where appropriate the Planning Board may require, at the expense of the Applicant, soil surveys, and/or test boring to establish the suitability of the land for the proposed storm drainage system and proposed street construction. Such soil surveys and tests must be filed with all plans for non-residential Subdivisions or multi-family residences. 9. Public Hearing Before taking any action to approve, modify and approve or disapprove a Definitive Plan, the Planning Board shall hold a hearing as provided by Section 81-T of Chapter 41 of the General Laws at which parties in interest shall have an opportunity to be heard, in person or by agent or attorney. Notice of the time and place of such hearing and of the subject matter, sufficient for identification, shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the Town once in each of two (2) successive weeks, the first publication to be not less than fourteen (14) days before the date of the hearing, and by mailing a copy of such advertisement to the Applicant and to all Owners of land abutting the land shown on the plan and shown on the most recent tax list. 10. Planning Board Procedure The procedure that the Planning Board will follow with regards to approval, disapproval or modification of the Definitive Plan submitted by the Applicant will be that as set forth in Chapter 41, Section 81-U of the General Laws, as amended. In summary, the Board, after receiving the final plan and profiles, will review the same to determine whether they are in compliance with its adopted Rules and Regulations and the Zoning Bylaw. Before final approval of the plan the Applicant shall comply with all Regulations and the Board may, as a condition of granting consent under Section 81-Y of Chapter 41 of the General Laws, impose reasonable conditions designed to promote the health, convenience, safety and general welfare of the community and to benefit the Town. In such event the Board shall enforce such conditions on the plan to which they relate, or set forth a separate instrument attached thereto, to which reference is made on such plan and which shall for the purpose of the Subdivision Control Law be deemed to be a part of the plan. Before final approval, all necessary permits under Chapter 131 of the General Laws and from the Massachusetts Department of Public Works shall be obtained. 11. Compliance with Zoning Before final approval of the plan the Applicant shall establish that the Lots in the Definitive Plan are in conformity with the Princeton Zoning Bylaw, and failure of the Lots so to comply will be adequate grounds for disapproval of the Definitive Plan. See Chapter 41, Section 81-Of the General Laws, and amendments thereto. 20 Revised: December 27, 2006

21 12. Certificate of Approval The action of the Planning Board in respect to such plan shall be by vote, copies of which shall be certified and filed with the Town Clerk and sent to the Applicant by registered mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested. If the Planning Board modifies or disapproves such plan, it shall state in its vote the reasons for its action and shall rescind such disapproval when the plan has been amended to conform to the rules, regulations and recommendations of the Planning Board and the Board of Health. Final approval, if granted, shall be subject to the construction specifications contained herein and shall be endorsed on the original drawings of the Definitive Plan by the signatures of a majority of the Planning Board after the Town Clerk has notified the Planning Board that no notice of appeal has been filed with his office. After the Definitive Plan has been approved and endorsed, the Planning Board shall return the original to the Applicant. The Planning Board may extend the sixty (60) day period permitted by statute between submission of a Definitive Plan and action thereon upon written request of the Applicant. Approval of the Definitive Plan does not constitute the laying out or acceptance by the Town of streets within a Subdivision. Within ten (10) days of the recording of the approved Definitive Plan and covenant, if any, at the Registry of Deeds, the Applicant shall notify the Board in writing presenting evidence of the recording of the plan and the covenant, nine (9) copies of the approved and recorded Definitive Plan and a Certificate of Title duly searched and executed by an attorney or title company stating that the title to the premises shown on said plan and appurtenances thereto is in the Applicant and specifying any encumbrances to which it is subject. Upon receipt of such notification the Planning Board shall file one (1) copy of the approved and recorded Definitive Plan each with the Board of Health, the Highway Superintendent, Town Clerk, Board of selectmen, Board of Assessors, Police Department, Fire Department and Conservation Commissions. 13. Performance Guarantee Before endorsement of the Board's approval of a Definitive Plan of the Subdivision, the Applicant shall agree to complete the required improvements specified in Section V for any Lots in a Subdivision, such construction and installation to be secured by one, or in part by one and in part by the other, of the following methods which may from time to time be varied by the Applicant and acknowledged by the Planning Board in writing. a. Approval with Bonds, Surety or Passbook The Applicant shall either file a performance bond, a deposit of money, negotiable securities or a bank passbook, in a amount determined by the Planning Board to be sufficient to cover the cost of all or any part of the improvements specified in Section V not covered by a covenant under "b" hereof. Such bond security or passbook, if filed or deposited, shall be 21 Revised: December 27, 2006

22 accompanied by an appropriate and properly executed agreement prepared in the manner of Form F, G and H or such other form as the Board may require, and approved as to form and manner of execution by the Town Counsel and as to sureties by the Town Treasurer and shall be contingent on the completion of such improvements within two (2) years of the date of the approval of the Definitive Plan. (See Appendix f, G. and H) b. Approval with Covenant The Applicant shall file a Form I, Approval with Covenant Contract, (Appendix I) or such other form of covenant as the Planning Board requires and approved as to form and manner of execution by the Town Counsel, properly executed and executed and duly recorded in the Registry of Deeds by the Owner of record, running with the land, whereby such ways and Municipal Services as specified in Section V, not covered by bond or deposit under "a" hereof, shall be provided to any Lot before such Lot may be built upon or conveyed, other than by mortgage deed. 14. Reduction of Bond Surety The penal sum of any such bond, or the amount of any deposit held under clause "1 0a" above, may, from time to time, be reduced by the Planning Board and the obligations of the parties thereto released by said Board in whole or in part. If release is by reason of covenant, a new plan of the portion to be subject to the covenant may be required by the Board. 15. Release of Performance Guarantee Upon the completion of improvements required under Section V, security for the performance of which was given by bond, deposit or covenant, or upon the performance of any covenant with respect to any Lot, the Developer may send by registered mail to the Clerk and the Planning Board a written statement that the said construction or installation in connection with which such bond, deposit or covenant has been completed in accordance with the requirements contained under Section V, such statement to contain the address of the Applicant. If the Planning Board determines that said construction or installation has been completed, it shall notify the Town Treasurer on a properly executed Release Form, Form ' (Appendix J). However, ten percent (10%) of the value of the bond shall be held by the Town for the maintenance of ways and Municipal Services for eighteen (18) months after completion of construction and installation or until the streets are accepted by the Town, which ever comes first, after which date the Town shall return the remainder of the bond to the Applicant. The Planning Board shall request from the Highway Department, approximately sixty (60) days before the expiration of the eighteen (18) months, an inspection of said street or way or portion thereof to determine whether or not defects have developed therein, and determine whether or not it should recommend to the Board of Selectmen the laying out 22 Revised: December 27, 2006