(A) Classification. All proposed primary subdivision plats submitted for Plan Commission approval pursuant to this chapter shall allocate adequate areas for streets in conformity with the Comprehensive Plan (and its component, the transportation plan), and shall designate and label all such streets thereon in accordance with the street classifications set forth below.
Street Classifications |
Collector street |
Local street |
Primary arterial street |
Private street |
Secondary arterial street |
(B) General requirements for street design. All streets, whether public or private, shall comply with the following general requirements for street design.
(1) Street names. Streets which are extensions or a continuation of, or obviously in alignment with, any existing streets, either constructed or appearing on any validly recorded primary plat or survey, or valid plat previously approved by the Plan Commission, shall bear the names of such existing streets. Names for all other streets shall be sufficiently different in sound and in spelling from other streets in the town or other nearby areas so as to avoid confusion.
(2) Alleys. Alleys may be proposed in such instances where the use of alleys was indicated on a development plan approved by the Plan Commission, or where the development represents an in-fill situation and the use of alleys would be compatible with the development pattern of the area surrounding the proposed subdivision.
(3) Access to areas abutting thoroughfares. If the proposed subdivision abuts upon or contains an existing or proposed primary arterial street, or secondary arterial street, the street plan shall provided vehicular access to each lot abutting such streets by one of the following means:
(a) A frontage street running generally parallel to the primary or secondary arterial street and whose right-of-way is separate from the right-of-way of such primary or secondary arterial street;
(b) A local or collector street running generally parallel to the primary or secondary arterial street with the rear of the lots backing up to a common area, with a minimum width of 20 feet, paralleling the primary or secondary arterial street and no access shall be provided to the primary or secondary arterial street; or
(c) A series of cul-de-sac streets, u-shaped streets or short loop streets entered from and design-ed generally at right angles to a local or collector street running generally parallel to the primary or secondary arterial street, with the rear lines of their terminal lots backing onto a common area, with a minimum width of 20 feet, paralleling the primary or secondary arterial street.
(4) Secondary means of access. Any major residential subdivision which contains 30 or more lots shall:
(a) Provide a secondary means of access to an improved perimeter public street; or
(b) Provide a divided collector street as the means of access to an improved perimeter public street.
(5) Dead end streets. Permanently dead-end streets (except for cul-de-sac streets provided in compliance with the provisions of this chapter) shall be prohibited. A temporary dead-end street may be permitted in any case in which a street is proposed to be and should logically be extended beyond the limits of the subdivision, but is not yet constructed beyond said subdivision limits. The right-of-way of a temporary dead-end street shall extend to the property line of the subdivision. An adequate easement for turnaround shall be provided for any such temporary dead-end street which extends 250 feet or more, with a temporary turnaround provided. A notation on the plat shall state that the land outside the normal street right-of-way shall revert to the abutting lots and property owners when the street is continued, constructed and, if a public street, accepted by the town.
(6) Frontage on improved streets.
(a) No subdivision shall be approved unless the area to be subdivided shall have frontage on and gain access from:
1. An existing town, county or state street; or
2. A street shown upon a plat approved by the Plan Commission and recorded in the office of the county’s Recorder.
(b) Such street must be improved as required by the rules, regulations or specifications of the responsible agency, or be secured by a performance bond as required by this chapter, with the width of the right-of-way and pavement to be in compliance with the transportation plan and this chapter.
(7) Grading and improvement plan. Streets shall be graded and improved to conform with the standard construction details and specifications set forth in the town’s construction standards and in Table 3.3-A: Minimum Design Standards for Streets. Such standard construction details and specifications shall be indicated on construction plans required prior to secondary plat approval and shall be approved as to design and specification by the town’s Engineer.
(8) Topography and arrangement.
(a) Streets shall be appropriately related to site topography. All streets shall, wherever practical, be arranged so as to maximize the number of lots located at, or above, the street grades. Street grades shall conform as closely as possible to the original topography. A combination of steep grades and sharp curves shall be avoided wherever practical.
(b) All streets shall be properly integrated with the existing and proposed system of thoroughfares and dedicated rights-of-way as established in the transportation plan.
(c) Local streets shall be laid out to conform to as much as possible to the topography, to discourage use by through traffic, to permit efficient drainage and utility systems, and to require the minimum number of streets necessary to provide convenient, safe and efficient access to the subdivision.
(d) Proposed collector streets shall, where appropriate, be extended to the boundary lines of the subdivision unless such extension is prevented by topography or other physical conditions, or unless, in the opinion of the Plan Commission, such extension is not necessary or desirable for the purpose of coordinating with existing street layouts or providing for the most advantageous development of future tracts.
(e) Streets, access drives, driveways, interior access driveways and interior access drives shall be planned in connection with the groupings of buildings, and the provision of public or private alleys, truck loading areas and truck maneuvering areas, walkways, bikeways and parking areas so as to minimize conflict of movement between the various types of vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
(9) Street signs, pavement markings and traffic-control signs. The subdivider shall provide street signs at every street intersection within the subdivision. The subdivider shall also provide pavement markings and traffic-control signs at required locations. All street signs, pavement markings and traffic-control signs shall conform to the town’s construction standards and the state’s Manual on Uniform Traffic-Control Devices for Streets and Highways, as published by the state’s Department of Transportation.
(10) Street lights. The subdivider shall provide and install street lights within the subdivision to conform with the town’s construction standards for street lights. Street light plans shall be approved by the Town Council.
(11) Reserve strips. Except where specifically authorized by the Plan Commission for the purpose of minimizing traffic conflicts with primary or secondary arterial streets or railroads, the creation of reserve strips adjacent to the right-of-way which may be used to deny access to a street shall not be permitted.
(12) Arrangement of streets. In order to provide for the convenient movement of traffic, effective fire protection, efficient provision of utilities or where such connection is in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan, streets shall be arranged so as to provide for the continuation of collector streets and larger streets between adjacent subdivisions.
(13) Intersection guidelines.
(a) At street and alley intersections, property line corners shall be rounded by an arc, the minimum radius of which shall be 20 feet or by chords of such arcs.
(b) Local street intersections shall be rounded by a back-of-curb radii of at least 25 feet. A minimum back-of-curb radius of 40 feet shall be used at any intersection that includes a primary arterial, secondary arterial or collector street.
(c) Intersections of more than two streets at one point will not be allowed, unless specifically approved by the Plan Commission.
(d) Street jogs with centerline offsets of less than 150 feet shall not be permitted.
(e) 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 75 degrees. If the intersection of two streets is less than 90 degrees, the back-of-curb radius of the arc at the intersection of the property lines noted above shall be increased as deemed advisable by the town’s Engineer and approved by the Plan Commission.
(14) Cul-de-sac streets. The vehicle turnaround/terminus head or bulb of cul-de-sac streets, when approved by the Plan Commission, shall not be located nearer to a subdivision boundary than 50 feet. The 50-foot distance shall be measured from all points around the circumference of the terminus head or bulb or the cul-de-sac street as illustrated below. All cul-de-sac streets shall be provided with adequate rights-of-way and pavement width in accordance with the design specifications set forth in the town’s construction standards and Table 3.3-A: Minimum Design Standards for Streets. The Plan Commission may, however, require the provision of appropriate easements between the end of the cul-de-sac street and the subdivision boundary necessary to accommodate drainage facilities, pedestrian ways or utilities. In no event shall a cul-de-sac street measure more than 800 feet in length, measured from centerline of an intersecting street (excluding another cul-de-sac) to the center point of the radius of the vehicle turnaround.
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(15) New perimeter streets. Street systems in new subdivisions shall be laid out so as to eliminate or avoid new perimeter half-streets. Where an existing half-street is adjacent to a new subdivision, the other half of the street shall be improved and dedicated by the subdivider. The Plan Commission may authorize a new perimeter street around a proposed subdivision where the subdivider improves and dedicates the entire required right-of-way width within the boundary of said proposed subdivision.
(16) Widening and realignment, additional right-of-way widening of an existing street or a proposed future street.
(a) Where a subdivision boarders an existing street or when the transportation plan indicates plans for realignment, additional right-of-way widening of an existing street, or a proposed future street that would require use of some of the land in the subdivision, the subdivider shall be required to dedicate that portion of such existing street which is contained within the land subject to the secondary plat of the subdivision to the full width required by this chapter. The improvement of such street shall be as required by the design and construction standards for the town’s Plan Commission. Minor plats within the village residence or village business districts shall only be required to dedicate that additional or proposed right-of-way as indicated in the transportation plan as a collector street or higher classification.
(b) Land reserved for any street purposes shall not be counted in satisfying the minimum yard or lot area requirements of Ch. 194 of this code of ordinances.
(17) Dedication. All public streets shall be dedicated to the town on the secondary plat free and clear of all liens and encumbrances by use of the following language: “All streets shown on this plat, and not heretofore dedicated, are hereby dedicated to the Town of Zionsville, Indiana.”
(18) Required restrictive covenants. The following divisions (B)(18)(a) and (B)(18)(b) shall be required as provisions of restrictive covenants of all secondary plats to which they apply.
(a) No building, structure or improvement, including landscaping, shall be erected, placed, planted or maintained so as to interfere with a vision clearance area located between the heights of two and one-half feet and nine feet above the crown of a street, driveway or alley. A vision clearance area shall be established for all streets, whether public or private, in one of the following manners:
1. At the intersection of streets, vision clearance areas are formed at each corner by the street right-of-way lines and a line connecting points on the right-of-way lines located 25 feet away from the intersection of such street right-of-way lines. In the case of a round or corner-cut right-of-way, the measurement shall be taken from the intersection of the right-of-way lines extended; or
2. At the intersection of a street with a driveway or alley, vision clearance areas shall be formed by the intersection of the street right-of-way line and the driveway surface edge or the right-of-way of the alley and a line connecting points ten feet from the intersection of such street right-of-way line and the driveway surface edge or alley right-of-way.
(b) No driveway shall be located within 75 feet of the intersection of the two streets.
(C) Design standards for all public streets. In order to provide for streets which are of a suitable location, width, material and improvement to accommodate prospective traffic and afford satisfactory access to police, firefighting, snow removal, sanitation and road maintenance equipment, and to coordinate streets so as to compose a convenient system and avoid undue hardships to adjoining properties, all streets which are to be dedicated to, and accepted for maintenance by the town shall be designed and constructed in accordance with:
(1) Design standards for streets of the design and construction standards for the town;
(2) American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO): A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (commonly referred to as the “Green Book”);
(3) State’s Department of Transportation standard specifications; and
(4) State’s Manual on Uniform Traffic-Control Devices for Streets and Highways.
(D) Excess right-of-way. Right-of-way widths in excess of those recommended by the transportation plan and required by this chapter shall be required whenever, due to topography, additional width is necessary to provide for adequate and stable earthen side slopes. Such earthen side slopes shall not be in excess of one foot vertical for each three feet horizontal.
(E) Bridges. Bridges of primary benefit to the subdivider, as determined by the Plan Commission, shall be constructed at the full expense of the subdivider without reimbursement from the town. The sharing of expense for the construction of bridges not of primary benefit to the subdivider, as determined by the Plan Commission, will be fixed by special agreement between the town and the subdivider.
(F) Design standards for all private streets. Private streets (which are not intended to be dedicated to or accepted by the town for maintenance), which have been authorized for use by zoning commitment, variance grant or development plan approval, shall comply with the minimum pavement width standards set forth in § 194.108 of this code of ordinances and the minimum depth and materials standards set forth in the town’s construction standards.
(Ord. 2000-21, passed 11-6-2000)