(1) Purpose. The purpose of this section is to support the creation of a highly connected transportation system within the city in order to:
(A) Provide choices for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians;
(B) Increase the effectiveness of municipal service delivery;
(C) Promote walking and bicycling as an alternative mode of transportation;
(D) Connect neighborhoods to each other and to local destinations;
(E) Reduce vehicle miles of travel and travel time;
(F) Reduce emergency response time; and
(G) Mitigate traffic impacts of new development.
(2) Applicability. The standards of this section shall apply to all development in the city.
(3) Traffic impact study required. To promote efficient access management, the Planning Director may request a traffic impact study be conducted by the developer for any project he or she feels warrants the study at the time of submission of the preliminary plan, general plan or site plan. The Planning Director may base his or her decision on one or more of the following:
(A) The proposed development generates 100 or more added new peak hour trips to and/or from the site during the adjacent roadway’s peak hours or during the development’s peak hour, and the proposed development generates more than 1,000 trips daily;
(B) The development is within 500 feet of a high-accident (five or more per year) intersection or section of roadway;
(C) One or more of the proposed access drives to the development is within 500 feet of a public roadway intersection or within 250 feet of a drive that is a high traffic volume generator as determined by the City Engineer;
(D) The traffic generated by the proposed development will increase the ADT by 25% or more on roadways in adjacent neighborhoods, as determined by the City Engineer;
(E) Traffic volumes of 10,000 ADT or higher exist on roadways adjacent to the proposed development; or
(F) The City Engineer determines that other conditions exist in the vicinity of the proposed development that may be negatively impacted by the development.
(4) General provisions.
(A) General circulation.
1.) Site limitations and site layout. Uses, buildings, parking areas, drives and other site features shall be designed to be suitable for the site location and conditions, and shall not create on-site or off-site traffic impacts which exceed those normally expected to be caused by uses in the district.
2.) Public street access. Curb cuts and drives providing access between a site and a public or private street shall be designed to:
a.) Minimize unnecessary impacts on the street, including, but not limited to, poor visibility, steep grades, slowing or obstruction of traffic, causing unusual, confusing or sudden traffic movements, or unnecessary points of conflict with vehicles on the street and with vehicles in nearby access drives;
b.) Minimize negative impacts on pedestrians by providing good visibility between pedestrians and vehicles, and by providing safe pedestrian walking and standing areas;
c.) Create points of access appropriate for the configuration of the property and the proposed use, but in no greater number than necessary to provide reasonable access to the site;
d.) Provide sufficient distance between the street and potential points of vehicular or pedestrian conflict within the site (including, but not limited to, cars backing into travel lanes, driveway or parking aisle intersections, pedestrian crossings, or loading areas) to prevent obstruction of drives and traffic backups in the street;
e.) Provide a landscaped median where a curb cut is designed to accommodate more than three lanes of traffic; provided that priority shall be given to proper alignment and sight lines coordinated with other drives in the area. The width of any such median shall not be calculated into the total width of the driveway; and
f.) Reconstruct or eliminate existing nonconforming access, such as oversized curb cuts or parking lots which cause obstruction of street traffic, to comply with the provisions of this Code.
3.) Cross access with abutting sites. Where physically feasible and appropriate for reducing points of conflict in the street, property owners requesting approval for more than one access drive on a public street frontage shall, as directed by the PZC or the Planning Department, make a written request for joint access drives to the owners of the abutting properties having frontage on the same street. The applicant shall provide to the city a copy of the request and any response. Such provision shall not apply to single-family and two-family dwellings.
(B) Guardrails. A guardrail shall be installed as required by the City Engineer. The guardrail shall be in accordance with state standards. The subdivider shall submit details to the City Engineer for approval.
(C) Drives and driveway culverts. For drives and driveways along a city highway, where a road opening permit is required from the Department of Public Service, a bond may be required and the City Engineer’s specifications must be complied with.
(D) Bridges. Bridges, being, by definition, a structure of greater than a ten-foot span, shall be designed in accordance with the latest design regulations as practiced in the Bureau of Bridges and approved by the City Engineer. A copy of all bridge plans shall also be forwarded to the County Engineer for review and comment. Reference shall also be made to current standard bridge drawings. Design flood elevations shall be indicated on plan profile sheets and on structure site plans.
(5) Street design standards.
(A) Arrangement.
1.) The arrangement, character, extent, width and location of all streets shall conform to the Long Range Land Use Plan. Proposed streets and public access to adjacent unplatted lands shall be designed so that the entire area can be served with a coordinated public street system.
2.) The width of any right-of-way should be provided so that all underground utilities can be located outside of pavement areas.
3.) All underground utilities should be placed within a utility easement in accordance with § 157.130(9).
(B) Dedication. Unless otherwise approved as a private street, all street rights-of-way shall be dedicated to the public in fee simple.
(C) Private streets.
1.) Private streets shall comply with the design standards and bonding requirements of this chapter. All references in this section to the public right-of-way shall apply to private street lots.
2.) The private street access shall provide perpetual access for authorized emergency vehicles, public and private utility maintenance and service personnel, solid waste collection services, the U.S. Postal Services, and government employees in pursuit of their official duties.
3.) Gates on private streets shall only be permitted with approval from the PZC and the Fire Division.
4.) The city may, but is not obligated to, accept private streets for public access and maintenance. The procedure for requesting the city to accept private streets shall be as follows:
a.) A petition shall be submitted to City Council, signed by all property owners with access to the subject private street;
b.) All of the streets and roadways shall be in a condition that is acceptable to the city at the time the petition is submitted;
c.) All access control structures, signage and other structures not consistent with a public street shall be removed;
d.) If any maintenance or repair of the private streets is required in order for acceptance, the city may use any outstanding balance of funds established through a homeowner’s association or the city may assess each individual property owner on a fair and equitable basis as determined by the City Engineer; and
e.) Each lot owner shall execute an instrument of dedication for filing of record, the form of which shall be approved by the Law Director.
(D) Classification.
1.) Major arterial thoroughfares shall be planned for continuation of movement of traffic between points of heavy traffic generation and from one section of the community to another. Said thoroughfare shall contain as few intersections with minor streets as possible.
2.) Local streets shall provide direct and full access to each lot and shall be laid out so that their use by through traffic will be discouraged. The street system shall be so designed that all proposed streets shall be in general conformity to a plan for the most advantageous development of the entire neighborhood. The streets shall be extended to the boundaries of the tract to be recorded, unless prevented by topography or other physical conditions, or unless, in the opinion of the PZC, such extension is not necessary or desirable for the coordination of the layout of the subdivision with the development of adjacent tracts.
3.) Parallel streets may be required along an existing or proposed major arterial thoroughfare to provide access to lots along such major arterial thoroughfares.
(E) Street design. Streets shall be designed in accordance with the city’s typical street standards as available in the City Engineer’s office.
(F) Half streets. Half streets shall be prohibited, except where there is an existing half street adjacent to the subdivision, in which case the remaining half of the street shall be platted.
(G) Cul-de-sac and dead-end streets.
1.) Dead-end streets or cul-de-sacs will be approved only when necessitated by topography or other physical conditions or where they are appropriate for the type of development contemplated.
2.) A street designed to be a permanent cul-de-sac, which contains central water service and fire hydrants for its full length, may serve up to 25 lots; otherwise a permanent cul-de-sac shall not be longer than 1,000 feet. Permanent cul-de-sacs shall be provided at the closed end with a paved turn-around having an outside pavement radius of at least 37.5 feet and a street right-of-way line radius of at least 50 feet or such greater dimension agreed upon by the developer and the City Engineer.
3.) If a cul-de-sac is of a temporary nature and a future extension into adjacent land is anticipated, then said turning circle beyond the normal street width shall be in the nature of an easement. Such easements shall be automatically vacated to abutting property owners when said dead-end street is legally extended into adjacent land. If such dead-end street extends only the depth of the corner lot past a street intersection, no turn-around will be required. Subdividers shall be required to provide a two-foot reservation strip in the name of the city at the end of all dead-end streets. This strip will become public highway only upon extension of the dedicated street. The developer extending the street will be responsible for removing the temporary portions of the cul-de-sac, regrading, seeding and the like.
(H) Corner radii. Property lines at street intersections shall be rounded with a radius of not less than 25 feet or as required by the City Engineer.
(I) Vertical alignment. Simple parabolic vertical curves shall be used to effect a gradual change between tangent grades where the algebraic difference of grades in percent is greater than 0.50.
(J) Horizontal alignment. Angles in the alignment of street centerlines shall be connected by a curve with a radius of not less than 300 feet for local streets, 800 feet for collector and industrial streets, and 1,200 feet for major arterial thoroughfares. Between reverse curves, there shall be a tangent distance of 100 feet.
(K) Intersections.
1.) No more than four road legs will be permitted at any intersection, unless otherwise approved by the City Engineer.
2.) Road intersection shall be at 90 degrees where practical, but in no case less than 70 degrees.
3.) Each intersecting road shall have a tangent distance of at least 150 feet for local roads or a curve with a minimum 1,400 feet radius.
4.) Those roads intersecting each other from opposite sides shall be directly opposite where possible. Street jogs with centerline off-sets shall be prohibited, unless specifically approved by the PZC and the City Engineer.
5.) The minimum radius of right-of-way lines at intersection corners shall be 25 feet.
6.) The intersection of subdivision roads shall have a minimum horizontal sight distance of 400 feet.
7.) Back slopes shall be cut back to aid the sight distance as required by the City Engineer.
8.) There shall be a minimum separation of 300 feet between intersections.
(L) Boulevards and roadway islands. Boulevards and roadway islands shall be permitted only when approved by the City Engineer and City Council.
(M) Curbs and gutters. Concrete curbs and gutters shall conform to typical drawings as approved by the City Engineer. In addition, a ramp with a nonslip surface shall be built into the curb at each pedestrian crosswalk so that the sidewalk and street blend to a common level. Such ramps shall be constructed in accordance with state standards insofar as feasible.
(6) Sidewalks and pedestrian facilities. All site elements shall be located and designed in a manner which promotes safe and efficient movement of pedestrians to, from and within the site. Pedestrian facilities and site elements which affect pedestrian movement shall comply with the following guidelines.
(A) Where physically possible and appropriate to the nature of the abutting uses, on-site sidewalks shall be aligned to connect with similar sidewalks on abutting sites.
(B) City Council may require the construction and dedication of walkways and connecting sidewalks where it finds that such walkways are necessary for pedestrian circulation between a proposed subdivision and commercial uses, schools, parks and other public facilities. A minimum easement width dedication shall be 20 feet and said sidewalk or walkway shall be a minimum of five feet in width.
(C) Pedestrian facilities and parking lots and other areas which will be utilized by pedestrians, shall be designed to facilitate pedestrian use, with special attention given to use by persons with mobility limitations and by persons transporting children or packages between vehicles and buildings. Where main pedestrian routes are designed with steps or steep grades, alternative routes shall be provided to comply with handicapped accessibility standards.
(D) Signs, pavement markings and/or special surface materials shall be installed in any location on a site where necessary to promote pedestrian safety at crossings of vehicular drives. Pedestrian crossings of major drives shall be located and marked in a manner to encourage safe crossing.
(E) Bike storage racks and other bike-friendly facilities shall be required where a site abuts or is in proximity to a bike route.
(Prior Code, § 1229.02) (Ord. 2009-21, passed 10-27-2009)