The subdivision of land, including the arrangement, character, extent, width, grade and location of all highways, streets, alleys, crosswalks, easements, sites for parks, playgrounds and schools, or other land to be dedicated for public use, shall conform to the Official Comprehensive Plan and Official Zoning Map, as adopted in Chapter 1222 of these Codified Ordinances.
(a) Streets.
(1) All streets shall be considered in their relation to existing and planned streets, to topographical conditions, to public convenience and safety, and to the proposed uses of the land to be served by such streets.
(2) Where such is not shown on the Official Zoning Map, the arrangement of streets in a subdivision shall either:
A. Provide for the continuation or appropriate projection of existing principal streets in surrounding areas; or
B. Conform to a plat for the area or neighborhood approved or adopted by the Planning Commission to meet a particular situation where topographical or other conditions make continuance of or conformance to existing streets impracticable.
(3) Minor streets shall be so laid out that their use by through traffic will be discouraged.
(4) Where a subdivision abuts or contains an existing or proposed highway or primary thoroughfare, as shown on the Official Zoning Map, the Planning Commission may require marginal access streets; reverse frontage with screen planting contained in a non-access reservation, at least ten feet wide, along the rear property line; deep lots with rear service alleys; or such other treatment as may be necessary for adequate protection of residential properties and to afford separation of through and local traffic.
(5) Where a subdivision borders on or contains a railroad or highway, the Planning Commission may require a street approximately parallel to and on each side of such railroad or highway, at a distance suitable for the appropriate use of the intervening land, for park purposes in residential districts, or for commercial or industrial purposes in appropriate districts. Such distances shall also be determined with the regard for the requirements of approach grades and future grade separations:
(6) Reserve strips controlling access to public utilities, alleys or streets shall be prohibited.
(7) All street intersections and confluences shall encourage safe traffic flow.
(8) Street jogs with centerline offsets of less than 125 feet shall be avoided.
(9) Tangents shall be introduced between reverse curves on all streets (see Table of Minimum Standards).
(10) When connecting street lines deflect from each other at one point by more than ten degrees, they shall be connected by a curve with a radius adequate to insure clear sight distances (see Table of Minimum Standards).
(11) Streets shall be laid out so as to intersect as nearly as possible at right angles and no street shall intersect any other street at less than sixty degrees.
(12) Property lines at street intersections shall be rounded with a radius as specified in the Table of Minimum Standards. The Planning Commission may permit comparable cut-offs or chords in place of rounded lines.
(13) Street right-of-way widths shall be specified in the Table of Minimum Standards.
(14) Half-streets shall be prohibited, except where essential to the reasonable development of the subdivision in conformity with the other requirements of this chapter and where the Planning Commission finds it will be practicable to require the destination of the other half when the adjoining property is subdivided. Wherever a half-street is adjacent to a tract to be subdivided, the other half of the street shall be platted within such tract.
(15) Dead-end streets (cul-de-sacs), designed to be so permanently, shall not be longer than 500 feet from the intersection of the origin through the center of the circle to the end of the right of way, and shall be provided at the closed end with a paved turn-around having an outside pavement diameter of at least 100 feet and a street property line diameter of at least 120 feet.
(16) No street names shall be used which will duplicate or be confused with the names of existing streets. Existing street names shall be projected wherever possible. Street names shall be subject to the approval of the Planning Commission.
(17) Street gradients and vertical curves shall be as specified in the Table of Minimum Standards.
(18) Street grades shall provide proper relation between the street and the first floor elevation of the houses or buildings to permit convenient and economical access to and drainage of the lots.
(b) Alleys.
(1) Alleys shall be provided in commercial, business and industrial districts, except that the Planning Commission may waive this requirement where other definite and assured provision is made for service access, such as off-street loading, unloading and parking, consistent with and adequate for the uses proposed.
(2) Alleys in residential areas shall not be permitted, except where deemed necessary and on the recommendation of the Planning Commission.
(3) The width of an alley, where permitted or required, shall be twenty feet in residential areas and thirty feet in commercial, business and industrial districts.
(4) Alley intersections and sharp changes in alley alignment shall be avoided, but, where necessary, corners may be cut off sufficiently to permit safe vehicular movement.
(5) Dead-end alleys shall be avoided where possible, but if unavoidable, they shall be provided with adequate facilities at the dead-end, as determined by the Planning Commission.
(c) Easements.
(1) Easements across lots or centered on rear or side lot lines shall be provided for utilities where necessary and shall be at least ten feet wide.
(2) Easements shall be designed to provide continuity from block to block.
(3) Where a subdivision is traversed by a watercourse, drainageway, channel or stream, there shall be provided a storm water easement or drainage right of way conforming substantially with the line of such watercourse, which shall include such further width or construction, or both, as will be adequate for the purpose, as determined by the Planning Commission. Parallel streets or parkways may be required in connection therewith.
(d) Blocks.
(1) The lengths, widths and shapes of blocks shall be determined with due regard to:
A. Provision of adequate building sites suitable to the special needs of the type of use contemplated;
B. Zoning requirements as to lot sizes and dimensions within the corporate limits of the City of Freeport and the one and one-half mile area over which the City has jurisdiction;
C. Needs for convenient access, circulation, control and safety of street traffic;
D. Limitations and opportunities of topography.
(2) Block lengths shall not exceed 1,500 feet or be less than 600 feet.
(3) Pedestrian crosswalks not less than ten feet wide shall be required where deemed necessary by the Planning Commission to provide for pedestrian circulation or access to playgrounds, schools, shopping centers, transportation and other community facilities.
(4) Blocks or portions thereof intended for commercial or industrial use shall be designated as such, and the plat shall show adequate off-street areas to provide for parking, loading docks and other such facilities.
(e) Lots.
(1) The lot size, width, depth, shape and orientation shall be appropriate for the location of the subdivision and for the type of development and use contemplated.
(2) Lot dimensions and areas shall conform to the requirements of the Zoning Code. However, in no case shall a subdivision be approved with lots for residential purposes of less than 6,000 square feet and less than sixty feet wide.
A. Residential lots, where not served by public sanitary sewers and water supply, shall be not less than 100 feet wide at the building line nor less than 20,000 square feet in area. Where either community sanitary sewers and sewage treatment or water supply is provided, a lot shall be not less than eighty feet wide nor less than 15,000 square feet in area.
B. Lots abutting a watercourse, drainageway, channel or stream shall have a minimum width or depth as required to provide an adequate building site and to afford the minimum usable area required herein or required by the applicable City or County zoning ordinance for front, rear and side yards.
C. Depths and widths of lots or properties reserved or laid out for commercial, business or industrial purposes shall be adequate to provide for off-street service and parking facilities required in the applicable City or County zoning ordinance.
(3) On all corner lots there shall be maintained not less than the minimum building setback line on both streets.
(4) All lots shall abut on a publicly dedicated street.
(5) Double-frontage and reverse-frontage lots shall be avoided except where essential to provide separation of residential development from highways or primary thoroughfares or to overcome specific disadvantages of topography and orientation. A planting screen easement of at least ten feet, and across which there shall be no right of vehicular access, shall be provided along the rear lot lines of lots abutting such highways and primary thoroughfares.
(6) Side lot lines shall be substantially at right angles or radial to street lines.
(7) All remnants of lots below minimum size, left over after subdividing of a larger tract, shall be added to adjacent lots and not allowed to remain as unusable parcels.
(f) Building Setback Lines. Building setback lines in residential areas of new subdivisions shall conform to the front yard provisions of the applicable City or County zoning ordinance, except that in no case shall the building setback line be less than thirty feet from the front property line.
(g) Public Sites. Where a proposed park, playground, school or other public use shown in the Official Comprehensive Plan and Official Zoning Map, as adopted in Chapter 1222
, is located in whole or in part within a subdivision, the subdivider shall reserve, or may dedicate, adequate space for such purpose when the Planning Commission finds the requirements to be reasonably necessary to the public health and welfare.
(1) The dedication of public spaces, as provided above, shall not constitute an acceptance of the dedication by the City.
(2) Whenever a school site, park site or other public land is reserved in a final plat, the corporate authorities having jurisdiction of such use, be it the City, School Board, Park Board or other authority, shall acquire the land so reserved by purchase, or shall commence condemnation proceedings to acquire such land, within one year from the date of final approval of such plat by the City Council. In the event such corporate authority does not take such action within such period, the land so reserved may thereafter be used by the owners thereof in any such manner consistent with the provisions of the Official Zoning Map, the Official Zoning Map ordinance and these Codified Ordinances.
(1977 Code §67-108; Ord. 80-92. Passed 10-20-80; Ord. 97-66. Passed 11-3-97; Ord. 2020-12. Passed 3-2-20.)