A. Purpose: To provide access to private and public property in a safe, efficient, and orderly manner that is compatible with the public transportation system and to ensure orderly designs and proper location of driveways that have a positive effect on traffic operations. In addition, this section provides means for enhancing transportation movement and safety within the city, including generally improved traffic capacity, maintaining uniform traffic speeds, and reducing accidents.
B. Access To Lots: Each lot of record that exists on the effective date hereof shall be entitled to access to a public street.
C. Curb Cut Permit: No person shall cut or remove curbing or construct a driveway on an approved public street without securing a permit from the city. All costs to construct or remove curbs and driveways shall be the responsibility of the applicant. Any roadway improvement that is designed to provide access to a lot shall also be the responsibility of the applicant. All curb cuts, new construction and curb replacements shall be constructed in accordance with the construction standards set forth in title 12 of this code.
D. Access To Public Streets, Single- And Two-Family Residences: Single- and two-family residences in all zoning districts shall be permitted curb cuts for driveway access as follows:
1. Maximum Number Of Curb Cuts:
a. One curb cut per street frontage; or
b. Two (2) curb cuts on the same street frontage for a circular drive on an interior lot; or
c. Three (3) curb cuts on a corner lot to accommodate a circular drive and a driveway to provide access to a garage or rear yard;
d. Two-family residences shall be permitted one curb cut per residence on the same street frontage, provided there is a minimum separation of three feet (3') between curb cuts for connected dwelling units.
2. Curb Cut Dimensions: Regardless of the width of the driveway, the maximum width of curb cuts for single- and two-family residential uses shall be as set forth in title 12 of this code.
E. Access To Arterial Streets, Single- To Four-Family Residences: In no case shall a residential structure with four (4) or less dwelling units be allowed access onto an expressway or major arterial street if access is available onto a minor arterial, collector, or local street. Residential structures, or complexes of five (5) or more dwelling units under the same ownership, shall be required to follow the general access provisions set forth in this chapter.
F. Variance To Access Provisions: An application for variance may be granted by the board of adjustment for access requirements of this chapter where:
1. The literal application does not permit proper access to serve the land;
2. The variance does not harm the public health, safety and welfare and does not adversely affect the intent of the chapter;
3. The problem of access relates to existing conditions of the lot and not to proposed plans;
4. The improvements would increase hazards associated with driveway/roadway conflicts.
G. Access Review: The planning commission shall review all applications for rezoning property to commercial districts for potential impact of nonresidential access driveways on surrounding residential areas.
1. The findings of the planning commission shall be reported to the city council prior to a public hearing on the application for rezoning. Such review shall be conducted in conformance with the following criteria:
a. The potential hazard to the health, safety and general welfare of the inhabitants of the surrounding residential area caused by allowing access into such areas;
b. The degree to which the carrying capacity of a collector or arterial street would be reduced and traffic hazards thereon increased in the event access onto adjacent residential streets is limited or denied;
c. Whether detrimental effects upon the surrounding residential areas are substantially outweighed by the detrimental effect upon carrying capacity and traffic safety or collector or arterial streets resulting from denial or limitation of access onto adjacent residential streets.
2. If the city council finds that limiting access from a commercially zoned tract onto a local residential street would protect the health, safety and general welfare of the residents in an area, then they may direct that no curb cuts be placed on that portion of the local residential street adjacent to the commercially zoned tract.
H. Corner Clearance And Separation Requirements For Driveways:
1. Driveways shall be separated from street intersections and other driveways by the distances defined in table VIII of this section. These distances shall be measured from the centerline of streets and the curb line of driveways, excluding radii.
2. These requirements shall be applied to strip developments having multiple ownership and to developments of all sizes under one ownership.
3. Where a property has less frontage than the minimum requirements contained in table VIII of this section, a driveway shall still be permitted for each street frontage, provided that it is located at a point of maximum separation from the nearest street (first priority) and nearest driveway (second priority).
TABLE VIII Minimum Separation Between Driveways And Street Intersections (See dimension "A" in figure 1 below) | ||
Location Of Driveway | ||
Intersecting Street | Arterial | Collector |
Arterial: (N.W. Expressway, MacArthur, Meridian, N.W. 63rd Street, N.W. 50th Street, N.W. 39th Street Expressway, N.W. 36th Street, Ann Arbor) | 200 | 150 |
Collector: (Grove, Hammond, Mueller, N.W. 58th Street, N.W. 42nd Street) | 100 | 60 |
Local: (All not classified as arterial or collector) | 100 | 60 |
I. Sight Distance: A minimum sight distance of four hundred feet (400') for vehicles egressing a driveway to an arterial street shall be required for each intersection. The sight distance shall be measured from a point on the driveway at least fifteen feet (15') from the edge of the major road pavement and measured from a height of eye of 3.75 feet on the driveway to a height of an object of 4.5 feet on the major road. One-way egress driveways shall conform to the sight distance requirements that are stated for two-way driveways. (Ord. 993 §1, 2003: Ord. 968 §1, 2002: Ord. 832 §1, 1997)