(a) Adjacent commercial or office properties and compatible major traffic generators (i.e. multi-tenant retail developments, office and industrial parks, multi-family residential uses, mixed-use developments, etc.) shall provide a cross access drive and pedestrian access way to allow circulation between sites (see Figure 4). This requirement shall also apply to a new building site that abuts an existing developed property unless the Planning Commission finds that this would be clearly impractical based upon a showing of unique topography or other site specific condition.
(1) Property owners shall record a cross access easement and a joint maintenance agreement with the Butler County Recorder's Office.
Figure 4: Illustration of common cross access easement and shared driveway design.
(b) Nonconforming Connection Permit. Property owners that provide for joint and cross access may be granted a nonconforming connection permit, where necessary, to provide reasonable access until such time as the joint use driveway and cross access drives may be provided with adjacent properties. All necessary easements and agreements shall be recorded with the deed to the property, including:
(1) An easement allowing cross access to and from the adjacent properties;
(2) An agreement to close and eliminate any pre-existing driveways provided for access in the interim after construction of the joint-use driveway; and
(3) A joint maintenance agreement defining maintenance responsibilities of property owners that share the joint use driveway and cross access system.
(c) Service drives providing cross access shall be designed and constructed with a minimum total width of 20 feet to accommodate a 2-way travel aisle and designed to accommodate automobiles, service vehicles and loading vehicles.
(d) Stub streets and other design features shall be encouraged to make it visually obvious that the abutting properties may be tied in to provide cross-access via a service drive.
(Ord. 01-2018. Passed 1-18-18.)