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<br />TABLE 7.8.5.D BASIC STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS <br />FOR PRIVATE ROADS <br /> CLASS A CLASS B <br />Max. Number of Lots 12 2 3 5 <br />Right-of-Way Width 50 ft. 50 ft. 50 ft. 50 ft. <br />Travel-Way Width 18 ft. No Standard 12 ft. 12 ft. <br />Road Maintenance <br />Agreement Required Yes Yes Yes Yes <br />Maintenance <br />Responsibility Property Owners Property <br />Owners Property Owners Property <br />Owners <br /> Notes: <br /> a. Class B private roads serve 1 to 5 lots or dwelling units; however, <br /> subdivisions with two lots or dwelling units may be served by a shared driveway. <br /> b. Class A private roads serve 6 to 12 lots or dwelling units. <br /> c. Both Class A and Class B private roads may be graveled. <br /> <br />2. Public (state maintained) roads are required by the County for all subdivisions having 13 <br />or more lots. For reference, NCDOT’s Minimum Construction Standards for Subdivision <br />Roads may be found at the following link: <br />http://orangecountync.gov/planning/documents/SubdivisionManualJanuary2010.pdf <br /> <br />The County’s two-tiered approach to regulating private roads was originally intended to allow an <br />affordable development option for small subdivisions of no more than 5 lots. However, <br />problems have been reported by the County’s Emergency Services Department and the <br />Volunteer Fire Departments regarding the 12-foot travel-way width permitted by the Class B <br />private road. The narrow width of the Class B road has presented public safety issues because <br />it does not provide adequate access for emergency services vehicles, and thus impacts <br />response times. <br /> <br />Additionally, North Carolina General Statutes exempt certain types of subdivisions from the <br />County’s subdivision review process: <br /> <br />1. The combination or recombination of portions of previously subdivided and recorded lots <br />if the total number of lots is not increased and the resultant lots are equal to or exceed <br />the standards of the County, including private road justification standards, as detailed <br />within the UDO. <br />2. The division of land into parcels greater than 10 acres if no street right-of-way dedication <br />is involved. <br />3. The public acquisition by purchase of strips of land for widening or opening streets. <br />4. The division of a tract in single ownership of the entire area of which is no greater than <br />two acres into not more than three lots, if no street right-of-way dedication is involved and <br />if the resultant lots are equal to or exceed the standards of the County as detailed within <br />the UDO. <br /> <br />These exempt subdivisions are still required to meet all applicable requirements for the granting <br />of zoning compliance permits and issuance of building permits. However, the UDO does not <br />have a requirement that all newly created lots have access to a complying road, including those <br />in statutorily exempt subdivisions (lots > 10 acres). Because of the exempt nature of these <br />subdivisions, County staff cannot guarantee viable access to created lots. Like the situation with <br />Class B private roads, the creation of land-locked properties (e.g., those with access easements <br />96