City of Northfield - Procedures | Guidelines for General Improvements

Guidelines for General Improvements

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§ 215-82: Guidelines for general improvements.

All improvements referred to in this section shall be subject to inspection and approval by the City Engineer, who shall be notified in writing by the subdivider at least 24 hours prior to the start of each phase of construction. No underground installation shall be covered until inspected and approved.

Before any subdivider, contractor or agent shall install any of the above required improvements, said subdivider, contractor or agent must be approved and accepted by the City Council for competency and previous experience, and shall be required to supply such information as shall be necessary for the City Council to make such determination.

No construction work shall commence without the City Engineer being notified in advance of such proposed construction, and such notice shall be given by the subdivider at least 24 hours before the commencement of said work.

Prior to the submission of the final plat to the Planning Board, the subdivider shall obtain from the City Engineer an estimate of all improvements or uncompleted portions thereof in accordance with the requirements and specifications in this section, together with an estimate of any damage to any existing accepted streets abutting the proposed subdivision which may be caused by reason of work performed in said subdivision.

(1)

As a condition to the final approval of the final plat by the City Council, the subdivider shall post a performance guarantee conditioned upon the completion of the required improvements and for repair of any damage caused by the subdivider to existing streets, for soil protection, and protection against removal of trees.

(2)

The performance guarantee shall consist of a performance bond in an amount consistent with the laws of the State of New Jersey issued by a bonding or surety company authorized to issue such performance bonds in New Jersey and to be approved as to form by the City Solicitor or by the deposit in escrow of cash or negotiable securities as approved by the City Council or other collateral or surety agreements as may be approved by the City Council.

[Amended 4-24-2012 by Ord. No. 3-2012; 10-9-2018 by Ord. No. 10-2018]

(3)

Such performance guarantee shall run for a period to be fixed by the City Council, but in no case for a term of more than three years.

(a)

However, with the consent of the subdivider and the surety, if there be one, the City Council may by resolution extend the term of such performance guarantee for such additional period as it shall deem reasonable under the circumstances.

(b)

The amount of the performance guarantee may be reduced by the resolution when portions of the required improvements have been installed and inspected as above set forth.

(4)

The subdivider shall also pay the City a fee amounting to 5% of said estimated cost, to cover the cost of construction observation, payable prior to the signing of the plat by the appropriate City officials or prior to issuance of a construction permit. The fee shall be deposited in an escrow account with the City. If actual construction observation fees are less than the escrow fund, the remainder shall be refunded. If the fees exceed the escrow fund, the applicant shall deposit an additional amount to cover the cost of the construction observation.

For municipal acceptance of public improvements, when the subdivider has constructed and installed the streets, drainage facilities, curbs, sidewalks, street signs, monuments and other improvements in accordance with City regulations, standards and specifications, and desires the City to accept the improvements, he shall, in writing, addressed to the City Council with copies thereof to the City Engineer, request the City Engineer to make a semi-final inspection of the improvements. Along with this request, the subdivider shall submit an "as built" plan showing all subsurface utilities such as french drains, combination drains, sanitary sewage disposal systems, both public and individual water lines and control valves, gas lines, telephone conduits, monuments, property iron markers and any other utility installed but not shown on the original engineering detail plan.

The issuance of a certificate of occupancy for any residence within a major subdivision shall be accompanied by a statement from the City Engineer that all public improvements affecting the residence in question have been installed.

Improvements shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the requirements herein.

(1)

Should improvements be required which are not provided for within the particular sections of this chapter, they shall be designed and constructed in accordance with sound and accepted engineering practices and recognized design standards.

(2)

The developer (or his designee) shall submit detailed design calculations and construction specifications in each such instance.

(3)

Prior to the completion of such specialized design, the particular standards to be utilized shall be submitted for review by the City Engineer.

(4)

All parking areas, passageways and driveways shall be constructed with either bituminous concrete flexible pavement structure or a portland cement concrete rigid pavement structure. Only one type of pavement shall be utilized throughout any site except for driveway apron areas.

(5)

The pavement structure design for each particular site utilizing either a flexible or rigid pavement type shall be the responsibility of the developer (or his/her engineer).

(a)

The pavement design shall be based upon traffic loading projections and field sampling and laboratory analysis of the subgrade soils to be encountered in roadway areas in the site and shall follow current design recommendations of the Asphalt Institute, Portland Cement Association or such other generally recognized standards as may be acceptable to the City Engineer.

(b)

As a minimum requirement, rigid portland cement paving shall be expansion joint type paving utilizing joints similar to Type A expansion joints, according to the Standard Construction Detail of the New Jersey Department of Transportation, shall be reinforced, constructed with Class B air-entrained concrete and shall have a minimum thickness of six inches.

(c)

For bituminous concrete pavements which shall be dedicated to the City, the following minimum design standards shall be applicable:

[1]

Four-inch gravel base consisting of compacted land aggregate, Mix I-5.

[2]

Four-inch stabilized base.

[3]

One-and-one-half-inch surface course consisting of FABC-1, Mix I-5.

(d)

For bituminous concrete paving areas to remain privately owned, the following minimum design standards shall be applicable:

[1]

Six-inch gravel base consisting of compacted road aggregate, Mix I-5.

[2]

Two-inch surface course consisting of FABC-1, Mix I-5.

(6)

Sidewalks with a minimum width of four feet and a minimum thickness of four inches shall be provided between parking areas and principal structures, along aisles and driveways, along all public rights-of-way, and wherever pedestrian traffic shall occur.

(a)

Sidewalks must be raised and curbed six inches above the parking areas, except where crossing streets or driveways, and wherever pedestrian traffic occur.

(b)

Sidewalks and parking areas must be arranged to prevent cars from overhanging or extending over sidewalk areas.

(c)

All sidewalk construction shall be in accordance with the applicable requirements of the standard specifications.

(d)

Sidewalk areas crossing driveways shall be six inches reinforced with welded wire fabric (6x6-10/10) or equivalent approved by the City Engineer.

(7)

The design and construction or approval of all sanitary sewer systems (or extensions of existing systems), either publicly or privately owned, shall be under the jurisdiction of the City and other agencies having jurisdiction over review. Prior to the approval of any site plans, the full approval of any public sewage disposal system must have been obtained from the City and other agencies having jurisdictional review.

(8)

No topsoil shall be removed from the site or used as spoil. All topsoil moved during the course of construction shall be redistributed on all regraded surfaces so as to provide an even cover and shall be stabilized by seeding or planting. All regraded areas shall be covered by a four-inch minimum thickness.

(9)

No tree of six-inch caliper or more, located on a lot between the borders of the lots and building setback line, shall be removed except for the installation of a driveway aisle or parking area unless such approval is in accordance with a plan approved by the Planning Board.

(10)

All planting, clearing, selective thinning, topsoiling, seeding and other landscape work shall conform with the applicable requirements of the standard specifications.

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City of Northfield, NJ

MapLink™ | Procedures | Guidelines for General Improvements