1248.04 CRITERIA FOR PLANNING; DIMENSIONS.
   (a)   Roads.
      (1)   The road layout shall be designed for the most advantageous development of the entire neighboring area. All proposed roads shall be in alignment with existing planned or platted roads with which they are to connect.
      (2)   The layout shall be such as to keep interference with main traffic flow to a minimum.
      (3)   Whenever the proposed subdivision contains or is adjacent to a railroad right of way or a limited access highway, provision shall be made for a road approximately parallel to and on each side of such right of way at a distance suitable for the appropriate use of the land between such road and railroad or limited access highway. Such distance shall be determined with due consideration of the minimum distance required for approaches to future or existing grade separations.
      (4)   Proposed roads shall be adjusted to the contour of the land so as to produce usable lots, streets of reasonable gradient and economy in the cost of improvements.
      (5)   Certain proposed roads shall be extended to the boundary line of the tract to be subdivided sufficiently to provide for normal circulation of traffic within the neighboring area. No reserved strips blocking extension of improvements of adjacent property will be permitted.
      (6)   Wherever there exists a dedicated or platted half-road adjacent to the tract to be subdivided and approved by the County Commissioners or the Planning and Zoning Commission, the other half shall be platted.
      (7)   Alleys may be required in all Business and Industrial Districts. Except where they are justified by extreme conditions, alleys will not be approved in Residential Districts.
      (8)   Residential roads shall be so laid out as to discourage their use as primary roads and to provide adequate protection from nearby traffic hazards.
   (b)   Blocks.
      (1)   Blocks may average 1,200 feet in length, but in no case exceed 1,500 feet. Cul-de-sacs or dead-end roads shall not exceed 600 feet in length.
      (2)   Block width shall normally be sufficient to provide for two rows of lots with utility lines in rear lot easements, where these are required.
      (3)   Irregularly shaped blocks, indented by cul-de-sacs or loop roads and containing interior parks or playgrounds, may be accepted when they are properly designed and located and covered by agreements on the maintenance of interior public spaces.
      (4)   Blocks shall be as large as is practicable for the most efficient use of the land, economy in construction and maintenance of the streets and utilities, and reduction of intersectional traffic hazards.
      (5)   In areas zoned for commercial or industrial uses, blocks shall be designed specifically for the kind of nonresidential occupancy intended, with adequate space set aside for off-street parking and delivery facilities.
   (c)   Crosswalks. A crosswalk not less than thirty feet in width shall be provided near the center and entirely across any block that is more than 1,200 feet long.
   (d)   Minimum Road and Alley Widths.
      (1)   Primary roads shall contain not less than 100 feet of right of way with a minimum roadway of fifty feet.
      (2)   Secondary roads shall contain not less than eighty feet of right of way with a minimum roadway of thirty-six feet.
      (3)   Minor roads shall contain fifty to sixty feet of right of way with a minimum roadway of thirty feet.
      (4)   Cul-de-sacs shall contain fifty feet of right of way with a minimum roadway of thirty feet. The terminal shall be a circular area with a minimum diameter of 100 feet. The turning circle shall be in the nature of an easement over the premises included in the turning circle, but beyond the boundaries of the road proper, and shall cease to exist and shall be extinguished when the dead-end road is legally extended by dedication or otherwise.
      (5)   Alleys shall contain thirty feet of right of way.
   (e)   Intersections.
      (1)   At road and alley intersections, property line corners shall be rounded by an arc, the radius of which shall be twenty feet. In Business Districts a chord may be substituted for such an arc.
      (2)   Street curb intersections shall be rounded by radii of at least thirty feet.
      (3)   The foregoing minimum radii shall be increased when the smallest angle of intersection is less than sixty degrees.
   (f)   Lots. The size, shape and orientation of lots shall be appropriate for the location of the proposed subdivision and for the type of development contemplated, and shall conform to any existing township zoning regulations and to the regulations of the County Board of Health.
      (1)   Where public sewer and water are available, lots for residential use shall be at least sixty feet wide at the building line and 150 feet in depth and shall contain 9,000 square feet in area.
      (2)   Where public sewer and water are not available, lots for residential use shall be at least 100 feet wide at the building line and 200 feet in depth and shall contain 20,000 square feet in area. The area may be reduced if the County Board of Health states in writing that soil and topographical conditions of the site are such that a private water supply and sewage disposal can be safely provided within the lot area.
      (3)   Every lot shall abut on a road, or on an officially approved cul-de-sac.
      (4)   Side lot lines shall be approximately at right angles to the centerline of the road. On curved roads the side lot lines shall be radial lines if practicable.
      (5)   Where the tract is subdivided into larger parcels than normal building lots, such parcels shall be arranged so as to allow for the logical resubdivision of such parcels and for the planned opening of future streets and extensions of existing streets.
      (6)   Corner lots shall have extra width sufficient for maintenance of building lines on both streets.
   (g)   Building Lines. Building lines shall be established in conformity with existing zoning regulations. They shall be designed with due regard for the size and shape of the lots, the width of the road, the topography and the character of the subdivision. They may be varied along a single block front or road for greater attractiveness, if the consent of the Planning and Zoning Commission is given.
   (h)   Open Spaces. Due consideration shall be given to the allocation of suitable areas for parks and playgrounds to be dedicated for public use or reserved for the common use of all property owners within the proposed subdivision by covenants in the deeds. In the interest of the public welfare, at least five percent of the area of every subdivision, exclusive of roads, should be set aside for recreational purposes. Where the tract contains less than forty acres, such reservation for open space shall be combined, wherever possible, with similar reservations in adjoining tracts.
   (i)   Names. The proposed name of the subdivision and proposed road names shall not duplicate or too closely resemble the name of any other subdivision or road in Portage County or in the cities and villages thereof.
   (j)   Construction of Improvements. The typical section, which is attached to original Ordinance 1958-27, for allotment roads, is hereby made a part of the specifications governing the construction of roads in an allotment falling within the jurisdiction of the Planning and Zoning Commission.
   The specifications of the State of Ohio, Department of Transportation, for construction and materials, in effect at the time of approval of the profile for the road, shall govern the building of the road.
      (1)   Grading. The road shall be graded the entire width of the right of way in accordance with the typical section attached to original Ordinance 1958-27.
      (2)   Pavement. Pavement shall consist of a base course of not less than eight inches of thickness and a wearing surface known as a double bituminous surface treatment. (See the typical section attached to original Ordinance 1958-27.)
      (3)   Width. The minimum width of the surface course shall be twenty-two feet.
      (4)   Base course. The minimum thickness of the base course is eight inches. (See the typical section attached to original Ordinance 1958-27 for approved materials.)
      (5)   Surface course. (See the typical section attached to original Ordinance 1958-27.)
      (6)   Storm drainage. Storm water drainage consisting of open ditches, culverts and bridges, if necessary, shall be provided.
      (7)   Grades. Grades shall be held to a minimum. In no case will a grade of more than eight percent be approved. All changes of grade shall be connected by vertical curves of appropriate lengths.
      (8)   Road numbers, names and signs. Road name signs shall be erected by the subdivider at all road intersections. These signs shall be constructed in accordance with the standards and designs of the County Engineer. Road numbers and names will be assigned by the County Engineer.
         (Ord. 1958-27. Passed 3-3-58.)