(a) Number of Non-residential Driveways. Access must be provided for each site; where feasible, access must be provided via a shared access driveway. One additional driveway may be allowed for properties with a continuous frontage of over 500-feet and one additional driveway for each additional 250-feet of frontage. Uses requiring more than one driveway, detailed elsewhere in this Zoning Code, are subject to those specific standards instead. The Planning Commission may determine additional driveways are justified due to the amount of traffic generated by the use without compromising traffic operations along the street, based upon a traffic impact study submitted by the applicant.
(b) Driveway Spacing. Where possible, the minimum spacing between two non-residential driveways on the same side of the road is based upon posted speed limits along the parcel frontage. The minimum spacings indicated below are measured from centerline to centerline.
Posted Speed Limit (MPH) | Minimum Spacing Between Driveways |
25 MPH | 130 feet |
30 MPH | 185 feet |
35 MPH | 245 feet |
40 MPH | 300 feet |
45 MPH | 350 feet |
50+ MPH | 455+ feet |
(c) Intersection Setback. Where feasible, the minimum spacing between a proposed non-residential driveway and an intersection must be setback fifty-feet from the right-of-way.
(d) Modification of Standards. During the site plan review, the Planning Commission has the authority to modify the standards of this section upon consideration of the following:
(1) The standards would prevent reasonable access to the site.
(2) Access via a shared driveway or service/frontage road is not possible due to the presence of existing buildings or topographic conditions.
(3) Roadway improvements (such as the addition of a traffic signal, center turn lane, or bypass lane) will be made to improve overall traffic operations prior to project completion, or occupancy of the building.
(4) The use involves the redesign of an existing development or a new use which will generate less traffic than the previous use.
(5) The proposed location and design are supported by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) or Wayne County as an acceptable design under the existing site conditions. The Planning Commission may also request the applicant provide a traffic impact study to support the requested access design.
(6) Where there is a change in use or expansion at a site that does not comply with standards of this Zoning Code, the Planning Commission may determine the amount of upgrade needed in consideration of the existing and expected traffic pattern and the capability to meet the standards of this Zoning Code to the extent practical.
(e) Traffic Impact Studies. The City may require a traffic impact study (TIS) for all development proposals that it reviews. The TIS must be submitted by the applicant to determine the potential future traffic conditions on adjacent roadways once a proposed development is finished. The TIS must include a prediction of the peak-hour operational conditions at site driveways and road intersections affected by the development. The results of the TIS may be used in the final design of access points and internal circulation and may identify necessary off-site road improvements. At a minimum, the TIS shall meet standards as published by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) and MDOT in the handbook titled Evaluating Traffic Impact Studies and found acceptable by the City prior to being used.
(Ord. 2023-01. Passed 2-7-23.)