(A) Street Classification. In all new subdivisions, streets that are dedicated to public use shall be classified as provided in herein. The classification shall be based upon the projected volume of traffic to be carried by the street, stated in terms of the number of trips per day. The number of dwelling units to be served by the street may be used as a useful indicator of the number of trips but is not conclusive. Whenever a subdivision street continues an existing street that formerly terminated outside the subdivision or it is expected that a subdivision street will be continued beyond the subdivision at some future time, the classification of the street will be based upon the street in its entirety, both within and outside of the subdivision. The classification of streets shall be as follows.
(1) Minor. A street whose sole function is to provide access to abutting properties. It serves or is designed to serve not more than nine dwelling units and is expected to or does handle up to 75 trips per day.
(2) Local. A street whose sole function is to provide access to abutting properties. It serves or is designed to serve at least ten but not more than 25 dwelling units and is expected to or does handle between 75 and 200 trips per day.
(3) Cul-de-sac. A street that terminates in a vehicular turn-around.
(4) Subcollector. A street whose sole principal function is to provide access to abutting properties but is also designed to be used or is used to connect minor and local streets with collector or arterial streets. Including residences indirectly served through connecting streets, it serves or is designed to serve at least 26 but not more than 100 dwelling units and is expected to or does handle between 200 and 800 trips per day.
(5) Collector. A street whose principal function is to carry traffic between minor, local, and subcollector streets and arterial streets but that may also provide direct access to abutting properties. It serves or is designed to serve, directly or indirectly, more than 100 dwelling units and is designed to be used or is used to carry more than 800 trips per day.
(6) Arterial. A major street in the town’s street system that serves as an avenue for the circulation of traffic into, out, or around the town and carries high volumes of traffic.
(7) Marginal access street. A street that is parallel to and adjacent to an arterial street and that is designed to provide access to abutting properties so that these properties are somewhat sheltered from the effects of the through traffic on the arterial street and so that the flow of traffic on the arterial street is not impeded by direct driveway access from a large number of abutting properties.
(B) Access to public streets in general. Every lot shall have either direct or indirect access to a public street. A lot has direct access to a public street if a sufficient portion of a boundary of the lot abuts the public street right-of-way so that an access way meeting the criteria set forth herein can be established. A lot has indirect access if it connects to a public street by means of one or more private roads that are of sufficient size to meet the criteria set forth herein.
(1) Standard for access. The access provided must be adequate to afford a reasonable means of ingress and egress for emergency vehicles as well as for all those likely to need or desire access to the property in its intended use.
(2) Access to arterial streets. Whenever a major subdivision that involves the creation of one or more new streets borders on or contains an existing or proposed arterial street, no direct driveway access may be provided from the lots within this subdivision onto this street.
(C) Entrances to streets. All driveway entrances and other openings onto streets within the town’s planning jurisdiction shall be constructed so that (a) vehicles can enter and exit from the lot in question without posing any substantial danger to themselves, pedestrians, or vehicles traveling in abutting streets, and (b) interference with the free and convenient flow of traffic in abutting or surrounding streets is minimized.
(D) Coordination with surrounding streets. The street system of a subdivision or planned development shall be coordinated with existing, proposed and anticipated streets outside the development or outside the portion of a single tract that is being divided into lots (hereinafter, “surrounding streets”) as provided in this section.
(1) Collector streets shall intersect with surrounding collector or arterial streets at safe and convenient locations.
(2) Subcollector, local, and minor residential streets shall connect with surrounding streets where necessary to permit the convenient movement of traffic between residential neighborhoods or to facilitate access to neighborhoods by emergency service vehicles or for other sufficient reasons, but connections shall not be permitted where the effect would be to encourage the use of such streets by substantial through-traffic.
(3) Whenever connections to anticipated or proposed surrounding streets are required by this section, the street right-of-way shall be extended and the street developed to the property line of the subdivided property (or to the edge of the remaining undeveloped portion of a single tract) at the point where the connection to the anticipated or proposed street is expected. In addition, the permit issuing authority may require temporary turn-arounds to be constructed at the end of such streets pending their extension when such turnarounds appear necessary to facilitate the flow of traffic or accommodate emergency vehicles. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section, no temporary dead-end street in excess of 1,000 feet may be created unless no other practicable alternative is available.
(E) Street width and drainage requirements in subdivisions and planned developments. Street rights-of-way are designed and developed to serve several functions: (1) to carry motor vehicle traffic, and in some cases, allow on-street parking; (2) to provide a safe and convenient passageway for pedestrian traffic; and (3) to serve as an important link in the town’s drainage system. All streets shall be constructed with curb and gutter and shall conform to the other requirements of this section. Any style of curb and gutter design, if designed as approved by the North Carolina Department of Transportation for use on residential streets, may be used, subject to the prior approval of the Land Use Administrator. Street pavement width shall be measured from the outer edge of each curb.
Type Street | Minimum Right-of-Way | Minimum Pavement Width |
Minor | 30' | 18' |
Local | 40' | 22' |
Subcollector | 50' | 34' |
Collector | 50' | 34' |
(F) General layout of streets.
(1) Subcollector, local, and minor residential streets shall be curved whenever practicable to the extent necessary to avoid conformity of lot appearance.
(2) To the extent practicable, driveway access to collector streets shall be minimized to facilitate the free flow of traffic and avoid traffic hazards.
(3) All permanent dead-end streets shall be developed as cul-de-sacs in accordance with the standards set forth in division (F)(4). Except where no other practicable alternative is available, such streets may not extend more than 550 feet (measured to the center of the turn-around).
(4) The right-of-way of a cul-de-sac shall have a radius of 30 feet. The radius of the paved portion of the turn-around (measured to the outer edge of the pavement) shall be 30 feet. The entire cul-de-sac shall be paved. No parking shall be permitted on the cul-de-sac.
(5) Half streets (i.e., streets of less than the full required right-of-way and pavement width) shall not be permitted except where such streets, when combined with a similar street (developed previously or simultaneously) on property adjacent to the subdivision, creates or comprises a street that meets the right-of-way and pavement requirements of this chapter.
(6) Streets shall be laid out so that residential blocks do not exceed 1,000 feet, unless no other practicable alternative is available.
(G) Street intersections.
(1) Streets shall intersect as nearly as possible at right angles, and no two streets may intersect at less than 60 degrees. No more than two streets shall intersect at any one point, unless the public works director certifies to the permit issuing authority that such an intersection can be constructed with no extraordinary danger to public safety.
(2) Whenever possible, proposed intersections along one side of a street shall coincide with existing or proposed intersections on the opposite side of such street. In any event, where a center line offset (jog) occurs at an intersection, the distance between centerlines of the intersecting streets shall be not less than 150 feet.
(3) No two streets may intersect with any other street on the same side at a distance of less than 400 feet measured from centerline to centerline of the intersecting street. When the intersected street is an arterial, the distance between intersecting streets shall be at least 1,000 feet.
(H) Construction standards and specifications. Except as modified herein, streets shall be designed to comply with the design and construction standards of the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
(I) Road and sidewalk requirements in unsubdivided developments. Within unsubdivided developments, all private roads and access ways shall be designed and constructed to facilitate the safe and convenient movement of motor vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Width of roads, use of curb and gutter, and paving specifications shall be determined by the provisions of this chapter dealing with parking and drainage. To the extent not otherwise covered in the foregoing subchapters, and to the extent that the requirements set forth in this subchapter for subdivision streets may be relevant to the roads in unsubdivided developments, the requirements of this subchapter may be applied to satisfy the standard set forth in the first sentence of this subsection.
(1) Whenever a road in an unsubdivided development connects two or more subcollector, collector, or arterial streets in such a manner that any substantial volume of through traffic is likely to make use of this road, such road shall be constructed in accordance with the standards applicable to subdivision streets and shall be dedicated. In other cases when roads in unsubdivided developments within the town are constructed in accordance with the specifications for subdivision streets, the town may accept an offer of dedication of such streets.
(2) In all unsubdivided multi-family residential developments, sidewalks shall be provided linking dwelling units with other dwelling units, the public street, and on-site activity centers such as parking areas, laundry facilities, and recreational areas and facilities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, sidewalks shall not be required where pedestrians have access to a road that serves not more than nine dwelling units.
(3) Whenever the permit issuing authority finds that a means of pedestrian access is necessary from an unsubdivided development to schools, parks, playgrounds, or other roads or facilities and that such access is not conveniently provided by sidewalks adjacent to the roads, the developer may be required to reserve an unobstructed easement of at least ten feet to provide such access.
(4) In unsubdivided nonresidential developments that abut a public street, sidewalks shall be constructed adjacent to such street if a sidewalk in that location is necessary to continue a pre-existing sidewalk. Whenever possible, such sidewalk shall be constructed within the public right-of-way.
(5) The sidewalks required by this section shall be five feet wide, or at the width currently required by the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 as amended, whichever is wider, and otherwise constructed according to the specifications of the town, except that the permit issuing authority may permit the installation of walkways constructed with other suitable materials when it concludes that (a) such walkways would serve the residents of the development as adequately as concrete sidewalks and (b) such walkways could be more environmentally desirable or more in keeping with the overall design of the development. Variances of the width requirement in this section shall be considered pursuant to applicable law, based on geographical obstacles or structural obstacles. In the event that the sidewalk is permitted to be constructed less than five feet width requirement, then a 60-inch passing space must be located at least every 200 feet. Bus transit stops, driveways and building entrances may be counted as passing spaces. The Land Use Administrator may approve an alternate plan that proposes different pedestrian amenities provided that the intent of this section is fulfilled.
(6) Attention to handicapped in street and sidewalk construction. Whenever curb and gutter construction is used on public streets, wheelchair ramps for the handicapped shall be provided at intersections and other major points of pedestrian flow. Wheelchair ramps and depressed curbs shall be constructed in accordance with published standards of the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Division of Highways. In unsubdivided developments, sidewalk construction for the handicapped shall conform to the requirements of the North Carolina State Building Code.
(7) Street names and house numbers.
(a) Street names shall be assigned by the developer subject to the approval of the permit issuing authority. Proposed streets that are obviously in alignment with existing streets shall be given the same name. Newly created streets shall be given names that neither duplicate nor are phonetically similar to existing streets within the town’s planning jurisdiction, regardless of the use of different suffixes (such as those set forth in herein). Street names shall include a suffix such as the following:
1. Circle: A short street that returns to itself.
2. Court or place: A cul-de-sac or dead-end street.
3. Loop: A street that begins at the intersection with one street and circles back to end at another intersection with the same street.
4. Street: All public streets not designated by another suffix.
(b) Building numbers shall be assigned by the town in coordination with the Macon County street-addressing program.
(J) Bridges. All bridges in subdivided and unsubdivided developments shall be constructed in accordance with the standards and specifications of the North Carolina Department of Transportation, except that bridges on roads not intended for public dedication in unsubdivided developments may be approved if designed by a licensed architect or engineer.
(K) Sidewalk requirements. All new development or redevelopment shall have sidewalks, with curb and gutter and necessary storm sewer, along each public street abutting the development in accordance with the standards of the town, including without limitation the standards for sidewalks contained in division (I) above.
(1) All costs associated with the sidewalk, curb and gutter, and storm sewer shall be borne by the developer.
(2) All sidewalk, curb and gutter, and storm sewer shall be dedicated to the town for perpetual maintenance. All such dedicated improvements shall be guaranteed for one year following the date of acceptance by the town. Any defects in material and/or workmanship during the one-year period shall be immediately corrected by the developer.
(3) Payment of fee in lieu of construction of sidewalks. When site characteristics and/or traffic patterns are such that the construction of sidewalks in accordance with this section would be a hardship and would not result in useful pedestrian walkways, the Town Administrator may allow the applicant to pay the cost of constructing such sidewalks into the Town Sidewalk Fund in lieu of requiring construction of the sidewalks.
(Ord. passed 10-1-07; Ord. passed 9-8-15; Am. Ord. 2018-004, passed 9-4-18; Am. Ord. passed - - )