ARTICLE I - DECLARATION OF POLICY

By the authority of the resolution of the Town Board of the Town of Chester adopted on February 10,1988, pursuant to the provisions of Article 16 of the Town Law of the State of New York, the Planning Board of the Town of Chester is authorized and empowered to review and approve, conditionally approve or disapprove plats showing lots, blocks or sites, with or without streets or highways, to approve the development of entirely or partially undeveloped plats already filed in the Office of the County Clerk, and to approve preliminary plats, within the Town of Chester. It is declared to be the policy of these regulations to insure optimum overall conservation, protection, development and use of the unique scenic, aesthetic, wildlife, recreational, open space, historic, ecological and natural resources of the Town and the Adirondack Park, to satisfy the criteria for approval by the Adirondack Park Agency of a local land use program pursuant to Section 807(2) of the Adirondack Park Agency Act, and to generally further the health, safety and welfare of the community.

It is further declared to be the policy of these regulations to consider land Subdivision Plats as part of a plan for the orderly, efficient and economical development of the Town. This means, among other things, that land to be subdivided shall be of such character that it can be used safely for building purposes without danger to health, or peril from fire, flood or other menace; that proper provision shall be made for drainage, water supply, sewerage and other needed improvements; that all proposed lots shall be so laid out and of such size as to be in harmony with the development pattern of the neighboring properties; that the proposed streets shall compose a convenience and logical system conforming to the Official Map, if such exists and shall be properly related to the proposals set forth in the Master Plan, if such exists, and shall be of such width, grade and location as to accommodate prospective traffic, to facilitate fire protection and to provide access of fire fighting equipment to buildings; and that proper provision shall be made for parks, playgrounds and other recreational or open space areas. In order that land subdivisions may be made in accordance with these policies, these regulations which shall be known as, and which may be cited as, the 'Town of Chester Land Subdivision Regulations"  were approved by the Town Board on June 14, 2005.