A. General Provisions:
1. No subdivision shall be approved unless the area to be subdivided shall have frontage on, and access from, an existing street, unless such street is:
a. An existing state or county roadway; or
b. A street shown upon a plat approved by the planning commission and recorded in the county clerk's office. Such street or highway must be suitably improved as required by the highway regulations and specifications, or be secured by a performance bond required under this title, with the width and right of way required by this chapter.
2. Wherever the area to be subdivided is to utilize existing road frontage, such road shall be suitably improved as provided herein.
3. The arrangement, character, extent, width, grade and location of all streets shall conform to all of the elements of the community plan and be designed in accordance with the provisions of this title and other applicable regulations.
4. Roads shall be related appropriately to the topography. Local roads shall be curved wherever possible to provide topographic compatibility. All streets shall be arranged so as to obtain as many as possible of the building sites at, or above, the grades of the streets. A combination of steep grades and curves shall be avoided.
5. All thoroughfares shall be properly related to special traffic generators (such as industries, business districts, schools, churches and shopping centers), to population densities, and to the pattern of existing and proposed land uses.
6. In business and industrial developments, the streets and other accessways shall be planned in connection with the grouping of buildings, the location of rail facilities, the provision of alleys, truck loading and maneuvering areas, walks and parking areas, so as to minimize conflict of movement between the various types of traffic (including pedestrian).
7. Proposed streets shall be extended to the boundary lines of the tract to be subdivided (unless prevented by topography or other physical conditions), unless, in the opinion of the planning commission, such extension is not necessary or desirable for the coordination of the layout of the subdivision with the existing layout or the most advantageous future development of adjacent tracks.
8. Where the plat to be submitted includes only part of the tract owned or intended for development by the subdivider, a tentative plan of the proposed future street system for the unsubdivided portion shall be prepared and submitted by the subdivider.
9. No street name shall be used which will duplicate or be confused with the names of existing streets. Street names shall be subject to the approval of the planning commission and the city council.
10. Major streets in the subdivision shall be planned to conform with the major street plan adopted by the city, and provision shall be made for the extension of major and secondary thoroughfares. Except for courts, places or cul-de-sacs, streets normally shall provide for a reasonable linkage with streets already dedicated in adjoining or adjacent subdivisions, provide for future connections to adjoining unsubdivided tracts, be a reasonable projection of streets in the nearest subdivided tracts, or conform to a neighborhood plan approved or adopted by the planning commission.
11. Whenever a subdivision abuts or contains an existing or proposed major street, the planning commission may require service streets, reverse frontage with screen planting contained in a nonaccess reservation along the rear property line, deep lots or such other treatment as may be necessary for adequate protection of residential properties and to afford separation of through and local traffic.
12. Minor streets shall be laid out so that their use by through traffic will be discouraged.
13. Railroad rights of way and limited access highways, where so located as to affect the subdivision of adjoining lands, shall be treated as follows:
a. In residential districts, a buffer strip at least twenty five feet (25') in depth, in addition to the normal depth of the lot required in the district, shall be provided adjacent to the railroad right of way or limited access highway. This strip shall be part of the platted lots and shall be designated as follows on the plat: "This strip is reserved for screening. The placement of structures hereon is prohibited.".
b. In districts zoned for business, commercial or industrial uses, the nearest street extending parallel or approximately parallel to the railroad shall, wherever practicable, be at a sufficient distance therefrom to ensure suitable depth for commercial or industrial sites.
c. Streets parallel to the railroad when intersecting a street which crosses the railroad at grade shall, to the extent practicable, be at a distance of at least one hundred fifty feet (150') from the railroad right of way. Such distance shall be determined with due consideration of the minimum distance required for future separation of grades by means of appropriate approach gradients.
14. Reserve strips controlling access to minor streets by parties or persons other than public agencies shall be prohibited.
15. Half streets shall be prohibited, except where essential to the reasonable development of the subdivision in conformity with the other requirements of this title, and provided that the planning commission finds it will be practical to obtain the dedication of the other half of the street easement when the adjoining property is subdivided. Whenever a half street is adjacent to a tract to be subdivided, the other half of the street shall be platted within the tract which is being subdivided.
16. Whenever the major or minor street is located wholly within the proposed subdivision, the total width of the right of way shall be dedicated. Whenever the major or minor street is located adjacent to the outer edge of the subdivision, one-half (1/2) of the right of way shall be dedicated, if it is determined by the planning commission that it is equitable and feasible from an engineering and design standpoint for the other half of the right of way to be dedicated from adjacent property.
17. The finished elevation of proposed streets within the designated floodplain shall be no more than two feet (2') below the level of the 100-year flood.
18. The criteria established in the table below (Street Design Standards) shall be followed in the layout and design of all major and minor streets. (Ord. 1-10-85, 1-10-1985, eff. 2-10-1985)
STREET DESIGN STANDARDS
Design Elements | Major Streets | Minor Streets | ||
Primary Thoroughfare | Secondary Thoroughfare | Collector | Local | |
Design Elements | Major Streets | Minor Streets | ||
Primary Thoroughfare | Secondary Thoroughfare | Collector | Local | |
Design speed | 40 mph | 30 mph | 30 mph | 25 mph |
Grade: | ||||
Maximum | 5% | 7% | 10% | 10% |
Minimum | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
Stopping sight distance | 350' | 200' | 200' | 200' |
Number of traffic lanes | 4 (min.) | 4 | 2 | 2 |
Minimum paving thickness: | ||||
Asphalt section | Structurally designed | 5" | 5" | |
Concrete section | Structurally designed | 5" | 6" | |
Residential estates section | --- | --- | Bituminous surface | |
Minimum right of way width | 100' | 80' | 60' | 50' |
Minimum roadway width | 50' | 50' | 32' | 27' |
Shoulder or parking lane width | 10' | 10' | 6' | 6' |
Note: Minor commercial streets shall have a minimum paving thickness of 6 inches.
(Ord. 1-10-85, 1-10-1985, eff. 2-10-1985; amd. Ord. 06-11, 7-20-2006; Ord. 08-08, 5-13-2008)
B. Alignment:
1. The arrangement of streets shall provide for the continuation of principal streets between adjacent properties, when such continuation is necessary for convenient movement of traffic, effective fire protection, efficient provision of utilities, and where such continuation is in accordance with the community plan.
2. Street jogs with centerline offsets of less than one hundred fifty feet (150') shall be avoided.
3. A tangent of not less than one hundred feet (100') in length shall be introduced between reverse curves on major streets and collector streets.
C. Cul-De-Sacs And Dead End Streets:
1. The maximum length of a cul-de-sac shall normally be five hundred feet (500'), including a turnaround which shall be provided at the closed end, with an inside curb radius of at least forty feet (40') and right of way radius of not less than fifty feet (50').
2. In the case of temporarily dead ended streets which are incomplete but designed to provide future connection with adjoining unsubdivided areas, proper provisions shall be made for adequate storm drainage so that stormwater does not collect at the ends of these streets. If the adjacent property is undeveloped and the street must be a dead end street temporarily, the right of way and the improvements shall be extended to the property line. The planning commission may limit the length of temporary dead end streets in accordance with the design standards of this title.
3. Where a road does not extend to the boundary of the subdivision and its continuation is not required by the planning commission for access to adjoining property, its terminus shall normally not be nearer to such boundary than fifty feet (50'). However, the planning commission may require the reservation of an appropriate easement to accommodate drainage facilities, pedestrian traffic or utilities. A cul-de-sac turnaround shall be provided at the end of a permanent dead end street. For greater convenience to traffic and more effective police and fire protection, permanent dead end streets shall, in general, be limited in length, in accordance with the design standards of this title.
D. Intersections:
1. Streets shall be laid out to intersect at right angles and may be curved, if necessary, in order to make this possible. In no event shall a street intersect any other street at any angle of less than seventy five degrees (75°).
2. Street corners on local residential streets shall have a minimum radius of twenty feet (20') at the curb line or its equivalent.
3. Street corners on commercial and industrial streets shall have a minimum radius of twenty five feet (25') at the curb line or its equivalent.
4. Street intersections involving major streets shall have a minimum street corner radius of thirty feet (30') at the curb line or its equivalent.
5. A twenty five foot (25') area of clear vision at street intersections in subdivisions shall be provided. This area shall be kept clear of all structures and vegetation exceeding a height of three feet (3') above the established city street elevation. Where any street intersection will involve earth banks or existing vegetation inside any lot corner, that would create a traffic hazard by limiting visibility, the developer shall cut such ground and/or vegetation (including trees) in connection with the grading of the public right of way, to the extent deemed necessary to provide adequate and unobstructed vision.
6. Intersections shall be designed with a flat grade wherever practical. In hilly or rolling areas, at the approach to an intersection, a leveling area shall be provided having not greater than a two percent (2%) rate at a distance of sixty feet (60'), measured from the nearest right of way line of the intersecting street. (Ord. 1-10-85, 1-10-1985, eff. 2-10-1985)