(A) General requirements.
(1) Classification. All streets shall be classified by the city as either a primary arterial, major collector, minor collector, or local street. In classifying streets, the city will refer to the policies established in the comprehensive plan including consideration for projected traffic demands in 20 years of development.
(2) Frontage and access to improved streets. No subdivision shall be approved unless the area to be subdivided has frontage on and access from an existing improved street, state, county, or township highway.
(3) Arrangement and topography.
(a) All streets shall be properly integrated with the existing and proposed system of thoroughfares and dedicated rights-of-way as established in the comprehensive plan and/or on an official map.
(b) All major streets shall be properly related to special traffic generators such as industries, business districts, schools, and other large trip generating sites.
(c) Streets shall be logically related to the topography so as to produce usable lots and reasonable grades. All streets shall be arranged so as to obtain as many building sites as possible at, or above, the grades of the streets. Grades of streets shall conform as closely as possible to the original topography. A combination of steep grades and curves shall be avoided.
(d) Local streets shall be laid out to conform as much as possible to the topography to discourage use by through traffic, to permit efficient drainage and utility systems, and to require the minimum number of streets necessary to provide convenient and safe access to property.
(e) Proposed streets shall be extended to the boundary lines of the tract to be subdivided, unless prevented by topography or other physical conditions, or unless the 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 parcels.
(f) In business and industrial developments, streets shall be planned in connection with the grouping of buildings, location of rail facilities, and the provision of alleys, truck loading and maneuvering areas, and walks and parking areas so as to minimize conflict of movement between the various types of traffic, including pedestrian.
(g) Reserve strips and partial streets. The creation of reserve strips shall not be permitted adjacent to a proposed street in a manner as to deny access from adjacent property to the street. Half or partial roads will not be permitted, except where essential to reasonable subdivision of a tract in conformance with the other requirements and standards of these regulations and where, in addition, satisfactory assurance for dedication of the remaining part of the road can be secured.
(4) Access spacing guidelines. Access of streets proposed in a subdivision shall comply with the access spacing guidelines established in § 153.040(B). Where a subdivision borders on or contains an existing or proposed primary arterial or major collector street, the city may require that access to streets be limited by one of the following means:
(a) The subdivision of lots so as to back onto the major streets and front onto a parallel local street; no access shall be provided to individual lots from the major streets, and screening shall be provided in a strip of land along the rear property line of the lots;
(b) A series of cul-de-sacs, U-shaped streets, or short loops entered from and designed generally at right angles to a parallel street, with the rear lines of their terminal lots backing onto the major street provided that the traffic movement patterns are approved by the city engineer; or
(c) A marginal access or service road (separated from the major street by a planning or grass strip and having access at suitable points).
(5) Railroads and limited access highways. 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 25 feet 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 on the plat: “This strip is reserved for screening. The placement of habitable structures on this land is prohibited.”
(b) In districts zoned for business, commercial, or industrial uses the nearest street extending parallel or approximately parallel to the railroad right-of-way shall, wherever practicable, be at a sufficient distance from the railroad right-of-way to ensure suitable depth for commercial or industrial sites.
(c) When streets parallel to the railroad right-of-way intersect a street that crosses the railroad right-of-way at grade, they shall, to the extent practicable, be at a distance of at least 150 feet from the railroad right-of-way. The distance shall be determined with due consideration of the minimum distance required for future separation of grades by means of appropriate approach gradients.
(6) Construction of streets and dead-end streets.
(a) Construction of streets. The arrangement of streets shall provide for the continuation of streets between adjacent properties when the continuation is necessary for convenient movement of traffic, effective fire protection, for efficient provision of utilities, and where the continuation is in accordance with the comprehensive plan. Dead-end roads shall be prohibited, except as stubs to permit future road extension into adjoining tracts, or when designed as cul-de-sac roads.
(b) Temporary dead end streets. If the adjacent property is undeveloped and the street must temporarily be a dead-end street, the right-of-way shall be extended to the property line. A temporary turnabout shall be provided on all temporary dead-end streets, with the notation on the subdivision plat that land outside the normal street right-of-way shall revert to abutters whenever the street is continued. The city may limit the length of temporary dead-end streets in accordance with the design standards of these regulations.
(c) Permanent dead end streets (cul-de-sacs). Cul-de-sac streets shall not exceed 300 feet in length in the core area and 800 feet in the rural area as defined in the comprehensive plan. Where a street does not extend beyond the boundary of the subdivision and its continuation is not required by the city for access to adjoining property, its terminus shall normally not be nearer to the boundary than 50 feet. However, the city 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 in accordance with city’s construction standards and specifications. 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 these regulations.
(7) Bridges. Bridges of primary benefit to the applicant, as determined by the city, shall be constructed at the full expense of the applicant without reimbursement from the city. The sharing expense for the construction of bridges not of primary benefit to the applicant as determined by the city, will be fixed by special agreement between the City Council and the applicant. The cost of bridges that do not solely benefit the developer shall be charged to the developer pro rata based on the percentage obtained by dividing the service area of the bridge into the area of the land being developed by the subdivider.
(8) Street names. The preliminary plat shall indicate names for proposed streets. The city shall approve the name for all streets upon recommendation of the zoning administrator at the time of preliminary plat approval. The zoning administrator shall consult the local postmaster and the county addressing coordinator prior to rendering its recommendation to the Planning Commission. Names shall be sufficiently different in sound and spelling from other road names in the municipality so as not to cause confusion. A street that is or is planned as a continuation of an existing road shall bear the same name.
(B) Design standards.
(1) General. In order to provide for streets of suitable location, width, and improvement to accommodate prospective traffic and afford satisfactory access to police, firefighting, snow removal, sanitation, and road-maintenance equipment, and to coordinate streets so as to compose a convenient system and avoid undue hardships to adjoining properties, the following design standards for streets are hereby required.
(2) Rights-of-way widths. The minimum widths for each type of public street right-of-way shall be as follows.
Table 2 | |
Rights-of-Way Width Standards | |
Type of Street | Rights-of-Way Width |
Table 2 | |
Rights-of-Way Width Standards | |
Type of Street | Rights-of-Way Width |
Primary Arterial | 100 + feet |
Major Collector | 80 - 100 feet |
Minor Collector | 66 - 80 feet |
Local | 60 feet |
Cul-de-sacs | 60 feet |
(3) Additional rights-of-way. Additional right-of-way and roadway widths may be required to promote public safety and convenience when special conditions require it or to provide parking space in areas of intensive use. Right-of-way widths in excess of the standards designated in these regulations shall be required whenever, due to topography, additional width is necessary to provide adequate earth slopes. The slopes shall not be in excess of three to one.
(4) Grades. Centerline gradients shall not exceed the following.
Table 3 | |
Street Grades | |
Type of Street | Gradient (in percent) |
Table 3 | |
Street Grades | |
Type of Street | Gradient (in percent) |
Primary Arterial | five |
Major Collector | five |
Minor Collector | five |
Local | eight |
Cul-de-sacs | eight |
(5) Vertical curves. Different connecting street gradients shall be connected with vertical curves. Minimum length, in feet, of these curves shall be 20 times the algebraic difference in the percent of grade of the two adjacent slopes.
(6) Deflections. When connecting street lines deflect from each other at any one point by more than ten degrees, they shall be connected by a curve with a radius of not less than 100 feet.
(7) Cross section. The cross-slopes on all streets, including intersections, shall be 3% or less.
(8) Intersections.
(a) Streets shall be laid out so as to intersect as nearly as possible at right angles. A proposed intersection of two new streets at an angle of less than 60 degrees shall not be acceptable. An oblique street should be curved approaching an intersection and should be approximately at right angles for at least 100 feet therefrom.
(b) Not more than two streets shall intersect at any one point unless specifically approved by the city.
(c) Proposed new intersections along one side of an existing street shall, wherever practicable, coincide with any existing intersections on the opposite side of the street.
(d) Street jogs with centerline offsets of less than 150 feet shall not be permitted, except where the intersected street has separated dual drives without median breaks at either intersection.
(e) Where streets intersect major streets, their alignment shall be continuous.
(f) Intersection of major streets shall be at least 800 feet apart.
(g) Minimum curb radius at the intersection of two local streets shall be at least 20 feet; and minimum curb radius at an intersection involving a collector street shall be at least 25 feet. Alley intersections and abrupt changes in alignment within a block shall have the corners cut off in accordance with standard engineering practice to permit safe vehicular movement.
(h) 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 2% rate at a distance of 60 feet, measured from the nearest right-of-way line of the intersecting street.
(i) 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 the ground and/or vegetation (including trees) in connection with the grading of the public right-of-way to the extent deemed necessary to provide an adequate sight distance.
(9) Grading and improvements. Streets shall be graded and improved and conform to the city construction standards and specifications and shall be approved as to design and specifications by the city engineer, in accordance with the construction plans required to be submitted prior to final plat approval.
(10) Curb and gutter. Curb and gutter shall be included as a part of the required street surface improvement and shall be designed for installation along both sides of all streets in the core area. Curb and gutter may be required for streets in the rural area as determined by the city engineer.
(11) Street surfacing and improvements. After sewer and water utilities have been installed by the developer, the developer shall construct curbs and gutters and shall surface to the widths prescribed in these regulations. Types of pavement shall be as determined by the city engineer. Adequate provision shall be made for culverts, drains, and bridges. All street pavement, shoulders, drainage improvements and structures, curbs, turnarounds, and sidewalks shall conform to all construction standards and specifications adopted by the city and shall be incorporated into the construction plans required to be submitted by the developer for plat approval.
(C) Street dedications and reservations.
(1) New perimeter streets. Street systems in new subdivisions shall be laid out so as to eliminate or avoid new perimeter half-streets. Where an existing half-street is adjacent to a new subdivision, the other half of the street shall be improved and dedicated by the subdivider. The city may authorize a new perimeter street where the subdivider improves and dedicates the entire required street right-of-way width within its own subdivision boundaries.
(2) Widening and realignment of existing nonconforming street. Where a subdivision borders an existing nonconforming street or when the comprehensive plan, or official map, or zoning setback regulations indicate plans for realignment or widening a road that would require use of some of the land in the subdivision, the applicant shall be required to improve and dedicate at its expense those areas for widening or realignment of those roads. Frontage roads and streets as described above shall be improved and dedicated by the applicant at its own expense to the full width as required by these subdivision regulations when the applicant’s development activities contribute to the need for the road expansion. Land reserved for any street purposes may not be counted in satisfying yard or area requirements of the zoning regulations whether the land is to be dedicated to the municipality in fee simple or an easement is granted to the city.
(Ord. passed 1-23-2001) Penalty, see § 153.999