§ 91.09 GENERAL DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.
   (A)   Uninhabitable land. Land subject to flooding and land deemed by the Planning Board to be uninhabitable for other reasons shall not be platted for residential occupancy, nor for any other uses as may increase danger to health, life, or property, or aggravate the flood hazard; but the land within a plan shall be set aside for uses as will not be endangered by periodic or occasional inundation, or will not produce unsatisfactory living conditions.
   (B)   Conformity to existing maps or plans. The location and width of all proposed streets shall be in conformity with official plans and maps of the city and with existing or amended plans of the Planning Board.
   (C)   Continuation of adjoining street system. The proposed street layout shall be coordinated with the street system of the surrounding area. Where possible, existing principal streets shall be extended.
   (D)   Access to adjacent properties. Where, in the opinion of the Planning Board, it is desirable to provide for street access to an adjoining property, proposed streets shall be extended by dedication to the boundary of the property and a temporary turnaround shall be provided.
   (E)   Private streets and reserve strips. There shall be no private streets or reserve strips platted in any subdivision.
   (F)   Large tracts or parcels. Where land is subdivided into larger parcels than ordinary building lots, the parcels shall be arranged so as to allow for the opening of future streets and logical further resubdivision.
   (G)   Lots. All lots shall front on a public street. Double-frontage lots shall be avoided.
   (H)   Alleys. Alleys or drives shall be provided to the rear of all lots used for other than residential purposes. All dead-end alleys shall be provided with a turnaround. When included in residential developments alleys shall be installed in public rights-of-way meeting the requirements of this chapter, except when done as part of a group development. Residential alleys shall connect on both ends to the larger street network whenever possible. Short dead-end alleys of less than an average block length shall only require turnaround when deemed necessary for life safety.
   (I)   Contour map. A contour map shall be provided if required by the Planning Board. The contour interval required will depend on topographic and drainage characteristics and shall be specified by the City Engineer.
   (J)   Street names. Proposed streets, which are obviously in alignment with others existing and named, shall bear the assigned name of the existing streets. In no case shall the name for proposed streets duplicate or be phonetically similar to existing street names, irrespective of the use of the suffix street, avenue, boulevard, drive, place, court, or the like.
   (K)   (1)   (a)   The city may require that a traffic impact study (TIS) be performed to determine the effect of a proposed development, zoning change, or special use approval on the adjacent transportation system.
         (b)   These guidelines and requirements have been developed to provide for a uniform and consistent approach in the preparation of TIS and to establish report requirements to facilitate the review process. These guidelines and requirements are intended to address several purposes.
         (c)   These include:
            1.    Establishing analysis methodologies and reporting formats;
            2.    Identifying traffic impacts caused by the proposed development;
            3.    Determining the site access and off-site infrastructure improvements necessary to accommodate the proposed development;
            4.    Providing the city with an opportunity to provide input on the number and location of site access points, internal site circulation, and truck and service vehicle access and circulation;
            5.    Providing public agencies and officials a comprehensive study that clearly and concisely evaluates and documents the traffic impacts of land-use decisions;
            6.    Facilitating the identification and negotiation of mitigation requirements and the funding and time of implementation required to accommodate the development or mitigate its impacts.
      (2)   (a)   The guidelines and report requirements that follow are based on similar information published by the Institute of Transportation Engineers and other sources. The guidelines depart from those sources by providing additional details concerning information needed and methodologies to be used to meet the requirements of the city.
         (b)   A traffic impact study may/shall be required in the following situations:
            1.   Where a potential development generates 100 or more trips during the roadway or development peak hour;
            2.   Where a potential development generates 500 daily trips;
            3.   Where expansion of an existing development creates additional trips totaling either of the two previous requirements;
            4.   Where a development proposal requires rezoning or a special use permit;
            5.   Where there are potential safety or capacity deficiencies, including:
               a.    High accident locations, confusing intersections, and intersections where a traffic signal or other changes in traffic control device may be warranted;
               b.    Locations where current or projected roadway or intersection levels of service will be significantly affected by the proposed development;
               c.    Where the adjacent roadway system lacks the capacity to accommodate increased traffic;
               d.    Where roadway improvements necessary to accommodate the development may not be feasible;
               e.    Where vertical and/or horizontal curves and other conditions may affect the development form being accommodated.
      (3)   (a)   The decision regarding the need for, and contents of, an impact study can be appealed in writing to the City Manager within ten days of the date of the decision. The City Manager shall reply to this appeal in writing within ten days of receipt of the appeal.
         (b)   Prior to initiating a TIS, a study scope meeting shall be held with the applicant, appropriate North Carolina Department of Transportation district engineering staff and city staff. At this meeting:
            1.   The TIS guidelines will be provided and an understanding established of the requirements to be met;
            2.   The study area limits will be established, based on the location, size, and potential impact of the proposed development;
            3.   Study area intersections to be analyzed will be identified;
            4.   Projects generating background traffic and the annual growth rate to be applied will be identified;
            5.   Trip generation procedures will be discussed, and the ITE Land Use code, other trip generation rates, and any trip generation reductions to be used in the study will be established;
            6.   Peak hours to be counted and analyzed will be established;
            7.   Any other project-specific requirements will be discussed and established.
      (4)   Revisions to the study will be provided by the applicant as required by the city. Revisions needed will be determined by the study's completeness, thoroughness, and compatibility with the proposed access and development plans.
(‘58 Code, § 14-8) (Am. Ord. 01-36, passed 8-6-02; Am. Ord. 01-39, passed 8-20-01; Am. Ord. 16-48, passed 11-21-16; Am. Ord. 21-02, passed 1-19-21; Am. Ord. 21-26, passed 7-12-21; Am. Ord. 22-01, passed 1-3-22) Penalty, see § 10.80