(A) General.
(1) In determining whether an application for approval shall be granted, the Plan Commission shall determine if the plat conforms to the principles and standards required by this chapter, which are deemed minimal; and whenever applicable requirements of other town ordinances are higher or more restrictive, those requirements shall control any application for plat approval.
(2) In the subdividing of any land, due regard shall be shown for all natural features such as tree growth, watercourses, historic features, or similar amenities which, if preserved, will add attractiveness and value to the proposed development.
(3) Due consideration shall be given to the prevention of air and stream pollution, proper treatment and disposal of refuse and other waste, and the elimination of other blighting characteristics.
(4) The subdivision layout shall be of such character that it protects the health, safety, and general welfare of the town and its residents and visitors.
(5) In designing a street system, the applicant shall be guided by the following principles:
(a) Adequate vehicular and pedestrian access shall be provided to all parcels.
(b) Local residential street systems shall be designed to mitigate through-traffic movement. Street connections into and from adjacent areas may be required in order to promote connectivity with the overall thoroughfare system.
(c) Local street patterns shall provide reasonable direct access to the primary circulation system of collector and arterial roadways.
(d) Local circulation systems and land development patterns shall not significantly conflict with the effectiveness of bordering arterial routes.
(e) The street network shall pay consideration to the location of traffic generators within residential areas.
(f) Planning and construction of residential streets shall relate to their local function.
(g) Local streets shall be designed to discourage excessive speeds.
(h) Pedestrian-vehicular conflict points shall be minimized.
(i) Local streets shall be related to the topography.
(B) General street rights-of-way standards and requirements.
(1) Current AASHTO standards shall be followed as design standards unless otherwise specified in this chapter. These standards are minimum requirements.
(2) A minimum of two points of vehicular access onto a collector street or an arterial street shall be required. One or no points of access may be permitted or required by the Plan Commission if it is infeasible or impossible to provide at least two access points, provided that the reduction does not greatly adversely affect the safety and traffic circulation of the area.
(3) Half streets shall not be permitted.
(4) Rights-of-way and paving for proposed streets shall be extended to the boundary lines of the proposed subdivision so that a connection can be made to all adjacent properties unless such extension is not feasible because of topography or other physical conditions, or unless, in the Plan Commission’s opinion, such extension is not necessary or desirable for coordination with existing streets or the most advantageous development of adjacent tracts. If an adjoining development contains an existing stub street extending to the property line, the developer of a proposed new subdivision adjacent to that land must incorporate the stub street into the proposed subdivision. In any event, no subdivision shall be designed so as to create or perpetuate the land-locking of adjacent undeveloped land.
(5) A temporary dead-end street shall be permitted in any case where a street is proposed to be, and should logically be. extended, but is not yet constructed. An adequate easement for a turnaround shall be provided for any temporary dead-end street that extends 200 feet or more in length. Such easement shall be automatically vacated to abutting property owners when said dead-end street is legally extended. The temporary easement shall have a 65-foot radius, and the traveled surface used for vehicular turnaround shall be at least 50 feet in radius. If the temporary turnaround is to be in place for longer than two years, the surface material shall be that specified in the Design Standards and Specifications Manual.
(6) In subdivisions that adjoin or include existing streets that do not conform to the minimum right-of-way dimensions as established by this chapter or the Thoroughfare Plan, the applicant shall dedicate additional width along cither one or both sides of such streets so as to bring them up to standards. If adjoining or included existing streets do not conform to the minimum standards of the Design Standards and Specifications Manual, the applicant shall improve said streets to meet the standards.
(C) Geometric street standards.
(1) All dedicated rights-of-way shall conform to the following minimum dimensions:
Arterial streets | 130 feet (or per design) |
Major collector streets | 100 feet |
Minor collector streets | 70 feet |
Local streets | 50 feet |
Alley | |
One-way | 26 feet |
Two-way | 30 feet |
Cul-de-sac bulb | |
Commercial or industrial | 65-loot radius |
Residential | 65-foot radius |
Crosswalks | 10 feet |
(2) Street jogs, and entrances with traffic counts greater than 100 vehicles per day, with centerline offsets of less than 200 feet shall not be permitted.
(3) All streets shall intersect at 90 degrees whenever possible for a minimum distance of 100 feet; however, in no instance shall they intersect at less than 80 degrees onto arterial or collector streets or less than 50 degrees onto local streets.
(4) To ensure adequate sight distances, when the street centcrlines deflect more than ten degrees, connections shall be made by horizontal curves. The minimum centerline radius for local and cul-de-sac residential streets shall be 100 feet, and 200 feet for all other residential streets.
(5) A tangent of at least 100 feet shall be introduced between reversed curves on local and collector streets.
(6) Cul-de-sac streets are discouraged in favor of loop streets or through streets. However, when used, the maximum length of a cul-de-sac street shall be 600 feet, measured along the centerline from the intersection at origin through the center of the circle to the end of the right-of-way. The origin is defined as the nearest street intersection, where the cross street does not lead to another cul-de-sac or dead-end street. Each cul-de-sac shall have a terminus of nearly circular shape or a suitable alternate design that provides an effective vehicular turnaround. For nonresidential subdivisions only, an administrative waiver may be granted by the Technical Review Committee and Plan Commission for a cul-de-sac length exceeding 600 feet.
(D) Block standards.
(1) Block length and width, or acreage between bounding streets, shall be such as to accommodate the size of lot required in the area by in the Zoning Ordinance and to provide for convenient access, circulation control, and safety of street users. Blocks that are unreasonably large or small shall not be approved.
(2) The maximum block length shall be 1,200 feet. In the design of blocks longer than 800 feet, or where deemed necessary for the safety of non-vehicular street users, the Plan Commission may specify the provision of pedestrian crosswalks near the center of the block, or wherever most useful to facilitate pedestrian circulation, such as to a school, park, recreation area, shopping center, or other significant location.
(3) Residential blocks shall be of sufficient depth to accommodate two tiers of lots of minimum depth, except where a single tier of lots are platted adjacent to a freeway, arterial street, floodplain, property line, preservation area, non-residential outlot. or other such similar feature.
(4) No specific rule concerning the shape of blocks is set forth, but blocks must fit easily into the overall plan of the subdivision and their design must evidence consideration of lot planning, traffic flow, and public areas.
(E) Lot standards.
(1) Subdivision lots shall be adequate for the type of development and land use proposed, and shall conform to the zoning ordinance requirements. No subdivision of land shall be permitted that creates a non-conforming lot as defined in the Zoning Ordinance.
(2) The lot size, width, depth, shape, grade, location, and orientation shall be in proper relation to street and block design and to existing and proposed topographical conditions.
(3) Every lot or parcel shall have sufficient frontage and access to a public street designated, designed, and improved in accordance with the terms of this chapter and the Zoning Ordinance.
(4) The minimum lot width, measured at the building setback line, and the minimum lot size, shall conform to the Zoning Ordinance, and shall apply to all buildable parcels included in subdivision plats. No buildings shall be permitted to be constructed on any parcels not meeting the minimum standards of the Zoning Ordinance.
(5) The minimum setbacks required for each lot shall be in conformance with the Zoning Ordinance.
(6) Corner lots shall be sufficiently Larger than interior lots to allow maintenance of setback lines along both streets.
(7) For purposes of calculating minimum lot area, street rights-of-way shall not be included.
(8) Side lines of lots shall be approximately at right angles or radial to street lines. Corner lots of sufficient size and lots where all side lot lines are parallel may be exceptions.
(9) Flag lots shall not be permitted.
(10) Double-frontage lots shall not be permitted except where the purpose is to buffer residential development from adverse influences or to minimize the number of intersections with arterial streets and highways. A no-access, planted buffer strip of no less than ten feet in width may be required by the Plan Commission along lot lines adjoining such adverse influence or arterial street.
(11) Lots abutting a watercourse, drainageway, channel, or stream shall have additional minimum width or depth as required to provide an adequate building site and afford the minimum usable area required for front, rear, and side yards. An casement shall be provided parallel to all legal drainage ways at a width of 75 feet from the top of bank, unless modified by the Drainage Board.
(12) A lowest exterior building grade shall be provided for each lot. The elevation shall be a minimum of two feet above the emergency flood outlet stage for each lot (this includes localized flooding outside of the federally-regulated 100 year flood zones).
(F) Commercial and industrial subdivisions.
(1) It is recognized that an applicant creating a commercial or industrial subdivision faces unique problems of lot design not normally encountered in residential subdivisions. For this reason, the initial emphasis of the Plan Commission shall be upon street layout and block arrangement.
(2) Generally, the procedural requirements shall be for the owner to follow the regular procedure outlined herein; however, the applicant need show only two lots along with the street and block layout. Then, from time to time, as prospective buyers or users express interest in lots sized to their required specifications, the owner shall submit an amendment to the approved, recorded subdivision plat for consideration. Regular procedural requirements of the Plan Commission following the receipt of a secondary subdivision plat shall then apply, except those streets that have been built by following an approved set of plans on the previously approved secondary plat shall not have to be rebuilt because of adoption of new specifications. This shall also apply to storm drainage facilities within said subdivision, unless runoff characteristics have been changed by newly proposed improvements or unauthorized existing improvements.
(3) Commercial projects shall be subject to minimum lot areas, setbacks, and other applicable regulations set forth in the Zoning Ordinance. Each distinct business use shall occupy a separate lot, exempting strip centers, malls, or buildings containing more than one business.
(G) Easements.
(1) Adequate areas of suitable size and location shall be allocated for drainage and/or utility easements. Such easements shall provide reasonable continuity from block to block and shall be of adequate width to provide for proper drainage and utility function, and to provide adequate access for maintenance. Generally, such easements shall be at least 20 feet in width along all rear lot lines, and, where necessary, at least 15 feet in width along side lot lines. All exterior boundaries of the subdivision shall be provided with an easement of at least 20 feet in width. The Plan Commission may require larger or smaller easements when necessary. All drainage and/or utility easements shall be available to serve properties outside of the plat without further consent.
(2) Where a subdivision is traversed by a watercourse, drainageway, channel, or stream, adequate areas for storm water or drainage easements shall be allocated for the purpose of widening, deepening, sloping, improving, or protecting said watercourses.
(3) Whenever practicable, the applicant shall design for the placement of utility lines underground, following the required standards and specifications established by each utility company. The location of each underground utility system shall be shown by appropriate easement lines on the proposed plat.
(4) Erection of structures with foundations shall be prohibited within all easements. Placement of temporary, portable structures shall be prohibited within drainage easements, as shall pavement above the contour elevation of approved drainage swales. Projection of portions of structures over easements shall be permitted as long as the entity controlling the easement provides written approval.
(H) Common areas.
(1) Common areas shall be provided in the amount required by the Zoning Ordinance in order to ensure the health, safety, and general welfare of the subdivision residents, adjacent property owners, and the town.
(a) In the absence of a standard in the Zoning Ordinance, the Plan Commission may require up to 25% of a residential subdivision’s gross area to be common area, open space, preservation area, and the like.
(b) In the absence of a standard in the Zoning Ordinance, the Plan Commission may require up to 20% of a non-residential subdivision's gross area to be common area, open space, preservation area, buffering, and the like.
(2) Common areas shall be laid out so as to facilitate access to and maintenance of the area by the property owners of the subdivision.
(I) Subdivision names, street names, and addressing.
(1) Subdivision names and street names shall be approved by the process in § 154.15.
(2) No street names may be used which will duplicate or be confused with names of existing streets in the Town of Trafalgar or in Johnson County. Streets which are logical extensions or continuations of, or alignments with, any existing streets, either constructed or appearing on any validly recorded plat, shall bear the names of such existing streets. The Plan Commission staff may implement more specific policy guidelines for naming streets.
(3) The Plan Commission staff shall assign address numbers for each lot in a subdivision after approval of the secondary plat.
(Ord. 2018-003, passed 4-19-2018) Penalty, see § 153.99