A. Scope:
1. The performance and design standards of this section are general regulations.
B. Subdivision and Development Street Standards Manual:
1. A companion Subdivision and Development Street Standards Manual, hereinafter referred to as the "Manual" and incorporated herein by reference, includes specific street regulations of uniform application governing plats, development plans, and subdivisions of land within the County's area of jurisdiction and provides for the construction of roadway systems that can handle vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle traffic safely and efficiently.
2. Regulations in the manual are in the form of minimum performance and design standards, guidelines for superior street performance, and procedures for implementing the requirements in the manual that includes modification and interpretation processes administered by the county engineer.
3. The Manual may be subsequently amended by a resolution of the Pima County board of supervisors, after a recommendation from the county engineer. The manual shall not be published as a part of the Pima County Zoning Code, but shall be published as a separate booklet, copies of which shall be available for inspection and purchase at the planning division public counter.
C. Streets.
1. The arrangements, character, extent, width, grade, and location of all streets shall conform to the master plan, and with due consideration to their relation to existing and other planned streets, to topographical conditions, to surface drainage in and through the subdivision, to public convenience and safety, and appropriate relation to the proposed uses of the land to be served by such streets.
2. Where not shown in the master plan, arrangements and other features of streets shall:
a. Provide for appropriate continuation of existing major streets in surrounding areas where essential for circulation and access to community facilities;
b. Conform to a plan for a neighborhood approved or adopted by the planning and zoning commission to meet a particular situation where topographical or other conditions make continuance or conformance to such principal streets impracticable;
c. Be so arranged as to provide pedestrian and bicycle linkages that contribute to safe routes or other similar pedestrian and bicycle oriented design, insofar as practicable;
d. Provide sufficient right-of-way for local service or access streets along major streets and routes, or other treatment to protect residential properties by separation of through and local traffic;
e. Along a railroad right-of-way or limited access highway right-of-way, provide a parallel street at a distance suitable for the appropriate use of the intervening land, such as for park purposes in residential districts or for commercial or industrial purposes in appropriate locations; such distances also to be determined with due regard for the requirements of approach grades and future grade separations;
f. Provide street right-of-way widths in compliance with adopted Pima County standard street cross-sections and provisions in the manual.
g. Avoid half streets, except where essential to the reasonable development of the subdivision in conformity with these standards and where dedication of the other half will be practicable when the adjoining property is subdivided. Wherever a half street is found adjacent to a tract to be subdivided, the other half shall be platted within such tract;
h. Conform with other performance and design standards and guidelines for streets in the manual.
D. Access to Major Arterial and Collector Highways. Access to major arterial and collector highways shall be in conformance with the requirements in the manual.
1. All residential subdivisions and commercial or industrial development should provide separate, legal, all-weather, paved access directly to the nearest arterial or collector highway, where practical. When joint access is utilized, access should minimize impacts to residential development.
2. Commercial and industrial developments shall not be allowed access through any residentially zoned area on residential collector or local streets, unless approved by the subdivision development review committee and provided that one or more of the following criteria are met:
a. Legal access has been previously established;
b. Implementation of this subsection would prohibit access to the public highway system;
c. Implementation of this subsection would cause a traffic hazard by overloading local streets or their connections to the arterial or collector highway system; or
d. Implementation of this subsection would prohibit sufficient pedestrian and bicycle linkages that contribute to safe routes or other similar pedestrian and bicycle oriented design.
E. Alleys.
1. Existing alleys shown on an approved plat shall not be used as the primary access to lots.
F. Easements.
1. Utility easements and aerial easements shall be provided where necessary, as determined and justified by:
a. The utility companies;
b. The planning and development services department;
c. The department of wastewater management; and
d. Other affected public agencies.
2. Drainage easements or rights-of-way shall be provided conforming substantially with the lines of any watercourse, drainageway, channel, or stream and such further width or construction or both as will be adequate for the purpose, and parallel streets or parkways may be required in connection therewith, as determined by the department of transportation and flood control district.
3. Hiking, bicycling and equestrian trails easements or rights-of-way shall be reserved on the plat:
a. When such trails are designated on the "Pima Regional Trail System Master Plan Map" or successor,
b. To provide pedestrian and bicycle access into and out of the subdivision in order to promote and provide safe routes, or
c. As may be required by the director of the natural resources, parks and recreation department, who may approve an alternative to the trail on the Pima Regional Trail System Master Plan Map or successor, or waive the trail requirement entirely if the director finds that:
1) There exist unusual topographical or other exceptional conditions which require relocation or deletion of a trail; or
2) Sufficient trails already exist in the area to provide adequate public trail access.
4. No portion of a subdivision lot shall be designated as an easement to be used as a street.
G. Street and lot layouts shall be determined with due regard to:
1. Provision of sites suitable to the type of use contemplated;
2. Zoning requirements as to lot size and dimensions;
3. Need for convenient access, circulation, control and safety of street traffic;
4. Limitations and opportunities of topography;
5. Circulation within the tract and access to community facilities. Subdivision streets should be laid out to allow and encourage bicycle and pedestrian access to adjacent schools and should minimize distances travelled. Subdivision and street layout should not direct bicycles and pedestrians to use adjacent major streets when shorter distances may be attained via alternative routes such as local streets, bicycle lanes or paths within and through the subdivision. Where cul-de-sac or dead end streets are planned they should provide for bicycle and pedestrian access to community facilities within or through the interior of subdivisions. The preferred location for safe routes is within public right-of-way; and
6. Street Lengths in conformance with the requirements and provisions in the Manual.
(Ord. 2011-1 § 3 (part), 2011; Ord. 2009-98 § 2 (part), 2009; Ord. 2005-35 § 3 (part), 2005; Ord. 1996-76 § 1, 1996; Ord. 1995-39 § 1, 1995; Ord. 1994-147 § 7, 1994; Ord. 1994-82 (part), 1994; Ord. 1990-1 § 1 (part), 1990; Ord. 1985-82 (part), 1985)