All major subdivisions shall conform to the following design requirements:
(a) No lot shall include land in more than a single tax rate area.
(b) Every lot shall contain the minimum lot area specified in the Zoning Ordinance for the zone in which the lot is located at the time the final map is submitted to the Board of Supervisors (Board) for approval, but if the Zoning Ordinance does not establish a minimum lot area for a zone, every lot shall contain a lot area of at least 6,000 square feet.
(c) Every lot shall front on a dedicated road, a road offered for dedication or a private road easement, whichever is required by section 81.402 or the conditions of approval of the tentative map.
(d) A lot shall have at least 50 feet of frontage, exclusive of side yard setbacks required in the zone in which the lot is located, measured at the right-of-way line, but shall also have at least 60 feet of frontage measured at the right-of-way line.
(e) A lot that fronts on a cul-de-sac, whose side lines are approximately radial to the center of the cul-de-sac or a lot that fronts at the intersection of two dead end roads, shall have at least 33 feet of frontage measured at the right-of-way line.
(f) A panhandle-shaped lot shall have a minimum frontage of 24 feet on a dedicated road or private easement road, except where the panhandle portion of two panhandle-shaped lots are adjacent to one another, in which case each shall have a minimum frontage of 20 feet on a dedicated road or private easement road. Panhandles may not serve as access to any lot except the lot of which the panhandle is a part. The panhandle portion of a lot shall not be longer than two-thirds of the distance from the road on which the panhandle fronts to the rear lot line.
(g) A through lot shall not be allowed unless the property owner relinquishes vehicular access rights to one of the abutting roads. To relinquish access rights to a private road, the property owner shall dedicate a one foot access restriction easement to the County that runs the entire width of the lot fronting the private road easement. For a relinquishment of access rights to a public road, the property owner shall provide a "relinquishment of access rights" on the final map.
(h) The side lines of each lot shall be at approximately right angles or radial to the road upon which the lot fronts with a maximum deviation of up to 10 degrees for a minimum distance of 1/3 of the lot depth.
(i) A lot shall be designed so the lot is at least 90 feet deep and the average lot depth, excluding any areas encumbered by any open space, drainage, flood control or right-of-way easement, shall not be greater than three times the average lot width.
(j) Whenever practicable, a major subdivision of property approved for residential use shall be designed so that the front of any lot in the subdivision shall not be facing a railroad right-of-way, a utility transmission line, an open flood control channel or a road shown on the Mobility Element of the County General Plan.
(k) Whenever practicable, the side and rear lot lines of a lot shall be located along the top of a man-made slope rather than at the toe or at an intermediate location on a slope.
(l) Bicycle routes shown on the County General Plan shall be included in the subdivision if the routes are reasonably related to the traffic caused by the subdivision. Whenever rights-of-way for roads are required to be dedicated in subdivisions containing 200 or more lots, the subdivider shall include bicycle routes, when necessary and feasible for the use and safety of the residents.
(m) A subdivider shall demonstrate that each lot within the subdivision has unobstructed access to sunlight to an area of not less than 100 square feet, falling in a horizontal plane 10 feet above the grade of the buildable area of the lot. The condition of unobstructed solar access shall be considered to be achieved when a specific area of not less than 100 square feet has an unobstructed sky view of the sun between azimuths of the sun at 45 degrees to the east and 45 degrees to the west of true south, when measured on the winter solstice.
(n) The design of the subdivision shall reflect non-motorized vehicle trails required by section 81.402(v).
(o) If the Board approves a specific plan or the Board or the Planning Commission approves a major use permit for a planned development pursuant to Zoning Ordinance sections 6600 et seq., that provides subdivision design requirements contrary to the requirements in subsections (b), (d), (e), (h) or (i) above, the provisions of the approved specific plan or major use permit shall govern.
(p) A subdivision shall be designed so that no lot shall be bisected by a road.
(q) A subdivision shall be designed so that a street or road easement providing access to a parcel located on a subdivision boundary, shall not terminate in a cul-de-sac when it is feasible for the street or road easement to serve as a through street connecting the subdivision to a street or road easement in an existing or proposed, adjacent subdivision. If there is no street or road easement on the adjacent property, the street or road easement shall be designed to allow a connection to an adjacent property, in case the adjacent property is developed in the future. If there is an irrevocable offer of dedication or rejected offer of dedication for a street on the adjacent property, the subdivision shall be designed so that a street that serves a lot located on a subdivision boundary shall be able to connect to a street on an adjacent property if the County accepts the irrevocable offer of dedication or rejected offer of dedication. As used in this subsection, "feasible" means that construction of a through street is not limited by any of the following:
(1) Topographical or other physical constraints.
(2) Conditions that would result in a significant impact on the environment.
(3) Utility easements or other similar title constraints.
(4) Existing or planned adjacent uses that are incompatible with a road connection.
(r) In addition to the foregoing requirements, subdivisions located in SR-10 and Rural lands (RL-20 through RL-80) designations shall be designed as conservation subdivisions (subdivisions in all other land use designations may be designed as conservation subdivisions) using the following criteria:
(1) The development footprint shall be located in the areas of the land being subdivided so as to minimize impacts to environmental resources.
(2) Development shall be consolidated to the maximum extent permitted by County regulations and the applicable Community Plans.
(3) The development footprint shall be located and designed to maximize defensibility from wildland fires and to accommodate all necessary fuel modification on-site.
(4) Notwithstanding the requirements of the Slope Encroachment Regulations contained within Section 86.604(e) of the Resource Protection Ordinance, effective October 10, 1991, exceptions to the maximum permitted encroachment into steep slopes shall be allowed in order to avoid impacts to environmental resources that cannot be avoided by other means. The exceptions shall be limited to the minimum necessary to achieve the goals of the conservation subdivision program.
(5) Roads shall be designed to minimize impacts to environmental resources. Such design standards may include siting roads to reduce impacts from grading, consolidating development to reduce the length of roads and associated grading, using alternative permeable paving materials and methods, reduced paved road widths, and smaller curve radii, consistent with applicable public safety considerations.
(6) Areas avoided from development shall be protected with open space or conservation easements and shall follow the design standards set forth below:
i. The largest blocks of unfragmented and interconnected open space shall be conserved.
ii. Surface open space area to perimeter ratios shall be maximized by avoiding the creation of slivers or fingers of open space that extend in and around development.
iii. Open space shall be located in areas with the maximum amount of connectivity with off-site open space.
iv. Multiple habitat types, varying topography, agriculture, etc. shall be conserved to the maximum extent practicable.
v. Unique and/or sensitive resources shall be protected in the core of open space areas to the maximum extent practicable or suitable buffers shall be provided to protect these resources.
vi. Resources shall be avoided and placed in open space pursuant to the percentage indicated in Table 81.401.1. The avoided lands shall be protected with an easement dedicated to the County of San Diego or a conservancy approved by the Director. Land used for mitigation for project impacts may be used to satisfy the requirements of Table 81.401.1 below. The required open space shall be maintained as open space for as long as the lots created through this provision of the Ordinance remain, except in circumstances where a need to vacate is required for public health, safety or welfare.
Table 81.401.1
Designation | Minimum Percent Avoided Resources |
SR-10 | 75 |
RL-20 | 80 |
RL-40 | 85 |
RL-80 | 90 |
vii. As part of the processing of a conservation subdivision, the following uses may be allowed in the avoided area: passive recreation, trails for non-motorized uses, native landscaping, resource preservation, project mitigation and buffers, MSCP preservation/mitigation, agriculture, wells, water storage tanks, utilities, pump stations, water and sewer facilities, or infrastructure and access roads necessary for any of these uses. In addition to these uses, leach fields and brush clearing may be allowed in SR-10 and RL-20 designations only. All uses to be allowed in the avoided area shall be specified in the open space or conservation easement document and shall be evaluated as part of the conservation subdivision approval process.
(Amended by Ord. 5023 (N.S.), effective 1-5-78; amended by Ord. No. 5589 (N.S.), effective 9-20-79; amended by Ord. No. 5890 (N.S.), effective 10-30-80; amended by Ord. No. 6276 (N.S.), effective 5-27-82; amended by Ord. No. 6908 (N.S.), effective 2-8-85; amended by Ord. No. 8228 (N.S.), effective 5-7-93; amended by Ord. No. 8690 (N.S.), effective 7-5-96; amended by Ord. No. 9063 (N.S.), effective 8-13-99; amended by Ord. No. 9841 (N.S.), effective 4-20-07; amended by Ord. No. 10037 (N.S.), effective 3-26-10; amended by Ord. No. 10167 (N.S.), effective 10-14-11)