(A) Purpose. The purpose of the plat is to allow the Planning and Zoning Commission, the City Engineer, and the City Council to evaluate the proposed subdivision for conformity with the applicable requirements of the city’s Comprehensive Plan, Chapter 156 of this code, good engineering practice, city standards, city design standards, and this chapter. Additionally, the Commission, Council, and staff will review the plat to evaluate construction plans for public improvements, to provide adequate security for construction of the same, and to authorize the City Engineer to release the property for grading and construction of public improvements.
(B) Applicability. A plat is required for all major subdivisions prior to the construction of public improvements.
(C) Application procedure and requirements. On forms approved by the city, the applicant shall file for approval of a plat. The plat shall be prepared by or under the supervision of a professional public surveyor and registered with the State of Texas and professional engineer licensed in the State of Texas (if applicable) in this state and shall bear his or her seal, signature, and date on each sheet. All documents, maps, drawings, tables, and other materials shall be submitted in both printed form and electronic form. The specific electronic format of submitted materials shall be dictated by the city as 1 or more of commonly accepted electronic formats for the materials (PDF or TIFF). The payment of all applicable fees shall be required at the time of submission. The fee covers the review of the plat and construction plans for 2 submittals. All subsequent reviews will be paid for by the developer. Payment shall be paid to the city prior to the review.
(1) General application requirement. Copies of the proposed plat shall be at a scale of 1 inch = 100 feet or larger and in a form substantially as follows:
(a) The boundary lines with accurate distances and bearings and the exact location and width of all existing or recorded streets intersecting the boundary of the tract. Exact total gross acreage to the nearest hundredth shall be shown. Documentation shall be provided showing that boundary line error does not exceed 1:10,000 for unadjusted boundary and 1:50,000 for plat boundary;
(b) True bearings and distances to the nearest established street lines and official monuments, which shall be accurately described on the plat. Municipal, ETJ, school district, and other jurisdictional boundaries shall be accurately tied to subdivision boundaries by distance and bearing;
(c) Accurate ties to the abstract and survey corners as required by prudent surveying practices;
(d) The exact layout, including:
1. Street names, which must be submitted to the City Administrator and United States Postal Service for approval in accordance with the city’s guidelines for the naming of streets. Names of corporations may not be used as street names;
2. The length of all arcs, radii, internal angles, points of curvature, length, and bearings of the tangents;
3. All easements for rights-of-way, utilities, drainage, emergency access, line-of-sight, and any limitations of the easements;
4. All lot numbers and lines with accurate dimensions in feet and hundredths of feet and bearings and angles to street lines, and net lot areas in acres;
5. The location of the center line of creeks or drainage ways shall be tied with accurate dimensions in feet and hundredths of feet with bearings and angles. No unplatted remainder will be allowed between property boundaries and center lines of creeks. The location of the 100-year event floodplain shall be shown along with FEMA Firm map references; and
6. The locations of permanent structures within the subdivision, including houses, barns, walls, tanks, wells, and the significant features.
(e) The accurate location, material, and size of all monuments approved by the City Engineer. Horizontal and vertical control data shall be established for a minimum of 2 corners of the subdivision or addition. One-inch iron rods with surveyors cap shall be set at all boundary corners, block corners, angle points, points of corners, and points of tangents. One-half-inch iron rods shall be set at all other lot corners. All these iron rods with surveyor caps shall have plastic red caps, identifying the surveyor;
(f) The accurate outline of all property which is offered for dedication for public use with the purpose indicated thereon, and of all property that may be reserved by deed covenant for the common use of the homeowners in the subdivision or addition;
(g) Building setback lines;
(h) Special restrictions, including, but not limited to, drainage and floodway, fire lanes, and screening;
(i) The proposed name of the subdivision or addition;
(j) The name and address of the property owner;
(k) North arrow, scale, and date of origination, and latest revision date;
(l) Certification by a professional land surveyor registered in the State of Texas to the effect that the plat represents a survey made by him or her and that all the monuments shown thereon actually exist, and that their location, size, and material description are correctly shown, and that the survey correctly shows the location of all rights-of-way, easements, and other matters of record affecting the property being platted;
(m) Boundary survey closure and area calculations;
(n) Additional documents necessary for dedication or conveyance of easements or rights-of-way, as required by the city. The city may, in some instances, require the conveyance of fee simple title for certain rights-of-way;
(o) Entry easements to allow city personnel to enter the property being platted for the purpose of examining the construction of the public improvements;
(p) The layout, names, and width of proposed streets, and easements;
(q) The location of proposed screening walls and other forms of screening shall be clearly indicated;
(r) Existing contours of the tract in intervals of 2 feet or less, referred to sea level datum, and final contours after construction (lot grading including) referred to in intervals of 1 foot or less, referred to sea level datum;
(s) Existing sewer lines, water lines, utility lines, culverts, or other underground structures within the tract and immediately adjacent thereto, with pipe sizes and locations included;
(t) Proposed sewer (if applicable), water lines and storm drainage lines with pipe sizes and locations and showing culverts, bridges, and other appurtenances or structures;
(u) Storm water retention or detention basins as required; and
(v) Erosion control for the overall development meeting TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) and the city SWPPP (Storm Water Pollution Prevention Program) requirements.
(2) Standards for approval. No plat shall be recommended for approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission or approved by the Council unless the above and following standards have been met:
(a) The construction plans have been reviewed and recommended for acceptance by the City Engineer;
(b) Provision for installation and dedication of public improvements has been made on-site and off-site;
(c) The plat conforms to applicable zoning and subdivision regulations; and
(d) The plat meets all other requirements of this chapter.
(3) Approval procedure. After review of the plat, the report and recommendation of the City Engineer on the construction plans, and any exhibits submitted at a public meeting, the applicant shall be advised of any required changes or additions. The Commission shall recommend the plat for approval by the City Council or denial of the plat. One copy of the proposed plat shall be returned to the owner with the date of such actions noted thereon. If the Commission denies the proposed plat, the applicant may request a hearing be held by City Council within 30 days.
(4) Effect of approval. Approval of a plat by the Council constitutes authorization for the City Engineer to release construction plans subject to his or her final approval and for the City Engineer to authorize the developer to commence grading of the site and construction of those public improvements as are required by the city. Approval of a plat also authorizes the property owner, upon fulfillment of all requirements and conditions of approval, to submit for approval an application for final plat approval. Upon release of the construction plans, the City Engineer may, upon request of the applicant, issue a certificate indicating the construction plans have been released and construction of the improvement is thereafter authorized. Additional certificates may be issued by the City Engineer authorizing the construction of private utilities on a phased schedule. The certificate shall read as follows:
“The Plat for (insert name of the subdivision or addition) as approved by the Council on (insert date of approval) is authorized for use with engineering plans for the construction of public improvements as approved by the City Engineer. A final plat will be considered for approval by the Council upon the completion of all public improvements.”
(5) Lapse of plat approval. The approval of a plat shall be effective for a period of 2 years from the date that the plat is approved by the Council, at the end of which time the applicant must have submitted and received approval for a final plat. If a final plat is not submitted and approved within 2 years, the plat approval shall be null and void, and the applicant shall be required to submit a new plat subject to the then existing zoning and subdivision regulations. See § 155.029 concerning extensions and reinstatement of approval.
(D) Phasing of development. The Commission may permit a plat for a major subdivision to be divided into 2 or more phases, as indicated on the plat, provided each phase satisfies the requirements of this chapter. In considering phasing of a plat, the Commission may approve certain conditions as it deems necessary to ensure the orderly development of the platted land. Those conditions may include but are not limited to temporary streets, temporary cul-de-sacs, and off-site utility extensions.
(E) Construction plan procedure and requirements.
(1) General application requirements. Construction plans shall be prepared by or under the supervision of a professional engineer or architect registered (if building is involved) licensed in the State of Texas as required by state law governing those professions. Plans submitted for review by the city shall be dated and bear the responsible engineer’s or architect’s name, professional license number, and the designation of “engineer,” “professional engineer,” “P.E.,” or “architect” and an appropriate stamp or statement near the engineer’s or architect’s identification, stating that the documents are for review and are not intended for construction. Final plans acceptable to the city shall bear the seal and signature of the engineer or architect and the date signed on all sheets of the plans and a statement that plans are for construction. Public works construction in streets, alleys, or easements which will be maintained by the city shall be designed by a professional engineer licensed in the State of Texas.
(2) Review procedure. Copies of the construction plans and the required number of copies of the plat shall be submitted to the City Engineer to be reviewed for recommendation. The plans shall contain all necessary information for construction of the project. All materials specified shall conform to the standard specifications and standard details of the city. Each sheet of the plans shall contain a title block including space for the notation of revisions. This space is to be completed with each revision to the plan sheet and shall clearly note the nature of the revision and the date the revision was made. The City Administrator will release the plans for construction, after the plans are recommended for approval by the City Engineer, and approval of the final plat by the Council and payment of all fees. Upon this release, each contractor shall maintain 1 set of plans stamped with the city approval on the project site at all times during construction. (Also see §§ 155.046 and 155.047.)
(3) Failure to commence construction. If construction has not commenced within 1 year after approval of the construction plans, resubmittal of plans may be required by the city for meeting current standards and engineering requirements.
(Ord. 487, passed 7-18-2000; Am. Ord. 737, passed 7-20-2016) Penalty, see § 155.999