A. Choice Of Names: Names should be chosen that relate to the scale and location of the project.
1. Objectives: Name should be pleasant sounding, appropriate, easy to read (so that the public, and children in particular, can handle the name in an emergency situation), and should add to pride of home or business ownership.
2. Categories: Large developments to use a single, significant category; small subdivisions should use the same category as the surrounding or adjacent area, which helps establish location identity.
3. Unacceptable Street Names: Numerical names (1st, 2nd); alphabetical letter (A, B, C, etc.); surnames of living persons (pioneer families with accompanying documentation excluded); frivolous, complicated, or undesirable names; unconventional spelling; compound names should be used sparingly and not on short streets.
4. Name Length: A complete road name shall consist of no more than sixteen (16) spaces, including road name, spaces between and the county signing approved abbreviation for road suffix.
5. Complete Name: A complete name shall consist of no more than four (4) words, including prefix and suffix. Examples:
a. North Toya Vista Road.
(1) Prefix (1 word), primary (2 words), suffix (1 word).
b. South Calle De Caballos.
(1) Prefix (1 word), primary (3 words). Primary includes the suffix equivalent.
B. Prefixes: All street names shall begin with one directional prefix, either N., S., E., or W., which shall be assigned with permanent addresses. Additional unnecessary prefixes and suffixes shall be avoided. Combinations of directions are not acceptable. Example: Northwest Sierra Circle.
C. Suffixes: Boulevard, Drive, Road and Parkway for arterial highways used with the discretion of the rural addressing office. Also acceptable are Lane, Avenue, Street, Loop, Circle, Court, Path, Trail and any other designation consistent with the intent of this section reviewed and approved by rural addressing staff.
D. Name Duplication: Similar sounding names are considered to be duplication regardless of spelling. No duplication of names is permitted within the projected service area of the 9-1-1 emergency response system. Preferably, the avoidance of duplication should be countywide due to the possibility of future urbanization.
E. Continuity:
1. A continuous street, or one proposed to be continuous, should bear the same name throughout, even though it changes directions. If it is interrupted by a channel, freeway, railroad, etc., and eventual connection is not probable, the segments may bear different names.
2. No separate name is to be used for a cul-de-sac that provides street frontage for less than three (3) lots or units. The name shall be the same as that of the intersecting street. Where there is a series of long and short cul-de-sacs, all should have separate names.
F. Existing Streets Naming And Renaming:
1. Rural addressing personnel shall determine the need to name an existing street, right of way or private access determined upon criteria set forth in this section. Proposed naming may also be initiated by citizen petitions in accordance with this subsection F. Citizen petitions must have signatures of at least fifty percent (50%) of the residents and/or property owners who reside and/or own property adjacent the street subject to the proposed naming.
2. Rural addressing personnel shall determine the need to rename an existing street, right of way, or private access, based upon criteria set forth in this section. Proposed renaming may also be initiated by citizen petition in accordance with this subsection F. Citizen petitions must have signatures of at least fifty percent (50%) of the residents and/or property owners who reside and/or own property adjacent the street subject to the proposed renaming.
3. For proposed changes to an existing street, right of way or private access which has been identified as meeting the criteria for necessary naming or renaming, rural addressing personnel shall proceed with one of the two (2) methods set forth in subsection F4 of this section for public notification. The method shall be determined by a standard of numbers to notify, economics and time constraints.
4. Rural addressing personnel shall notify the public of a proposed road naming or name change by one of the following methods:
a. Rural addressing personnel shall originate a public notice for publication in three (3) consecutive issues of the local newspaper showing the old name, the proposed name change, a sketch of the road in question, a description of the policy to oppose this change, the data for filing objections as well as the data scheduled for the renaming to go before the town council for action. The public will be given two (2) weeks from the last publish date to file objection petitions as set forth in subsection F5 of this section.
b. Rural addressing personnel shall originate a letter describing the naming or name change and a sketch of the road in question to be sent directly to all property owners of record along the road proposed to be named or renamed. This letter shall state the reason for naming or renaming the road, the policy for filing objections to the change as well as the date to respond to the name change and the date the matter is scheduled to go before the town council for action. The property owners will be given a minimum of three (3) weeks from the date the letters are sent to file objection petitions as set forth in subsection F5 of this section.
5. To file objections to name changes initiated by the rural addressing staff, petition, or town council, residents and/or property owners must submit an alternate petition or objection in writing to the engineering services department in accordance with the time periods stated in subsection F4 of this section. Petitions must have signatures of at least fifty one percent (51%) of the residents and/or property owners who reside and/or own property adjacent the street subject to the proposed naming or renaming. Petitioners must have agreed to a name to be used as an alternative to that proposed by the rural addressing office or the town council. To submit an objection in writing to a proposed name change, the resident and/or property owner should include the name of the road to be changed and their reason for objecting to it.
6. If proposed name changes are not objected to or if alternative names presented by residents and/or landowners are approved, changes may be adopted by the Gila County and/or town council at their next regularly scheduled meeting.
7. After the granting of a name change, any subsequent proposed name change shall not be considered for a period of five (5) years.
8. All renaming of streets not required by this chapter will be done at the expense of the person or group submitting the request of name change. The fees will be set in accordance to the rural addressing fee schedule approved by the town council and the fee must be receipted in the engineering services office prior to proceeding with the request. A petition will need to be completed, following the steps as stated in subsection F1 of this section. The petition will be presented to the town council for approval.
G. Guidelines For Renaming Existing Streets: The following guidelines shall be followed for renaming existing streets which have names that are duplicated within Gila County. They are not listed in order of preference or importance.
1. Does one street have any historical reason for having the name it has?
2. Which street has the least number of houses on it and thus would require the least number of address changes?
3. Which street has had its name for the longest period of time?
4. Is the name appropriate according to the other street names in the neighborhood?
5. Which street name is used for the longest distance or the most traveled section?
H. Street Names And Numbering In New Subdivisions: Street names and numbering shall be determined in accordance with the street naming and numbering policy adopted by resolution of the town council. Along with the preliminary plat map, the subdivider shall submit a street naming proposal to the department of engineering services for use by the rural addressing office. Said proposal shall include copies of: 1) a map of the overall tract illustrating street layout, the name proposed for each street, and 2) an alphabetical list of the proposed street names, together with an alternate name for each name proposed. The rural addressing office shall review the proposed street names for duplication of names, appropriateness of names, and for overall compliance with the street naming policy. Approved street names shall be included in the final plat map which is submitted to the town council for approval and for recordation. (Ord. O 09-08, 10-6-2009)