(A) Generally. The length, width, and shape of blocks shall take into account the need for adequate building site size and street width and shall recognize the limitations of the topography.
(B) Size. No block shall be more than 1,200 feet in length between street corner lines unless it is adjacent to an arterial street or unless the topography or the location of adjoining streets justifies an exception. In blocks over 600 feet in length, there shall be a crosswalk not less than 20 feet in width near the middle of the block. A block shall have sufficient width to provide for 2 tiers of building sites unless topography or location of adjoining street justifies an exception. In blocks over 600 feet in length, and where appropriate at the end of cul-de-sacs, there shall be a dedicated public way of not less than 10 feet in width for pedestrian access through the block, or to provide access to school, parks, or other activity centers.
(1) All local and collector streets that stub into a development site shall be extended within the site to provide through circulation unless prevented by environmental or topographical constraints, existing development patterns, or compliance with other standards in this code. This exception applies when it is not possible to redesign or reconfigure the street pattern to provide required extensions. Land is considered topographically constrained if the slope is greater than 15% for a distance of 250 feet or more. In the case of environmental or topographical constraints, the mere presence of a constraint is not sufficient to show that a street connection is not possible. The applicant must show why the environmental or topographic constraint precludes some reasonable street connection.
(2) Street connectivity and formation of blocks. In order to promote efficient vehicular and pedestrian circulation throughout the city, subdivisions and site developments of more than 2 acres shall be served by a connecting network of public streets and/or accessways, in accordance with the following standards (minimum and maximum distances between 2 streets or a street and its nearest accessway):
(a) Residential zones. Minimum of 100 foot block length and maximum of 600 foot length; maximum 1,600 feet block perimeter;
(b) Main Street area. Minimum of 100 foot length and maximum of 400 foot length; maximum 1,200 foot perimeter;
(c) Commercial zones (C and DC). Minimum of 100 foot length and maximum of 600 foot length; maximum 1,600 foot perimeter;
(d) Not applicable to the Industrial Zone.
(3) Pedestrian/bicycle accessway standards. Where a street connection in conformance with the maximum block length standards in division (B) is impracticable, a pedestrian/bicycle accessway shall be provided at or near the middle of a block in lieu of the street connection. The city may also require developers to provide a pedestrian/bicycle accessway where a cul-de-sac or other street is planned and the accessway would connect the streets or provide a connection to other developments. Such access ways shall conform to all of the following standards:
(a) If the streets within the subdivision or neighborhood are lighted, all accessways in the subdivision shall be lighted. Accessway illumination shall provide at least 2 foot candles;
(b) A right-of-way or public access easement provided in accordance with division (a) that is less than 20 feet wide may be allowed on steep slopes where the decision body finds that stairs, ramps, or switch-back paths are required;
(c) All pedestrian/bicycle accessways shall conform to applicable ADA requirements;
(d) The city may require landscaping as part of the required accessway improvement to buffer pedestrians from adjacent vehicles, provided that landscaping or fencing adjacent to the accessway does not exceed 4 feet in height; and
(e) Which may be modified by the decision body without a variance when the modification affords greater convenience or comfort for, and does not compromise the safety of, pedestrians or bicyclists.
(4) Connections within development. Connections within developments shall be provided as required in divisions (a) through (c), below:
(a) Walkways shall connect all building entrances to one another to the extent practicable;
(b) Walkways shall connect all on-site parking areas, storage areas, recreational facilities and common areas, and shall connect off-site adjacent uses to the site to the extent practicable. Topographic or existing development constraints may be cause for not making certain walkway connections; and
(c) Large parking areas shall be broken up so that no contiguous parking area exceeds 3 acres. Parking areas may be broken up with plazas, large landscape areas with pedestrian access ways (i.e., at least 20 feet total width), streets, or driveways with street-like features, street-like features, for the purpose of this section, means a raised sidewalk of at least 4 feet in width, 6-inch curb, accessible curb ramps, street trees in planter strips or tree wells, and pedestrian-oriented lighting.
(C) Easements. Pedestrian and bicycle ways. When desirable for public convenience and access, a pedestrian or bicycle way easement may be required to connect to a cul-de-sac or to pass through an unusually long or oddly shaped block, or to otherwise provide appropriate circulation. To ensure safe, direct, and convenient pedestrian circulation, all developments shall provide a continuous pedestrian system. The pedestrian system shall be based on the standards below:
(1) Continuous walkway system. The pedestrian walkway system shall extend throughout the development site and connect to all future phases of development, and to existing or planned off-site adjacent trails, public parks, and open space areas to the greatest extent practicable. The developer may also be required to connect or stub walkway(s) to adjacent streets and to private property with a previously reserved public access easement for this purpose.
(2) Safe, direct, and convenient walkways within developments shall provide safe, reasonably direct, and convenient connections between primary building entrances and all adjacent streets, based on the following definitions:
(a) REASONABLY DIRECT. A route that does not deviate unnecessarily from a straight line or a route that does not involve a significant amount of out-of- direction travel for likely users.
(b) SAFE AND CONVENIENT. Routes that are reasonably free from hazards and provide a reasonably direct route of travel between destinations.
(c) PRIMARY ENTRANCE for commercial, industrial, mixed use, public, and institutional buildings is the main public entrance to the building. In the case where no public entrance exists, street connections shall be provided to the main employee entrance.
(d) PRIMARY ENTRANCE for residential buildings is the front door (i.e., facing the street). For multi-family buildings in which each unit does not have its own exterior entrance, the "primary entrance" may be a lobby, courtyard, or breezeway which serves as a common entrance for more than one dwelling.
(3) Connections within development. Connections within developments shall be provided as required in divisions (a) through (c), below:
(a) Walkways shall connect all building entrances to one another to the extent practicable.
(b) Walkways shall connect all on-site parking areas, storage areas, recreational facilities, and common areas, and shall connect off-site adjacent uses to the site to the extent practicable. Topographic or existing development constraints may be cause for not making certain walkway connections.
(c) Large parking areas shall be broken up so that no contiguous parking area exceeds 3 aces. Parking areas may be broken up with plazas, large landscape areas with pedestrian access ways (i.e., at least 20 feet total width), streets or driveways with street-like features, street-like features for the purpose of this section, means a raised sidewalk of at least 4 feet in width, 6-inch curb, accessible curb ramps, street trees in planter strips or tree wells, and pedestrian-oriented lighting.
(Ord. 2021-08-02, passed 10-12-2021) Penalty, see § 152.999