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• Ch. 65 - Nonconformities
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CHAPTER 64 - SITE DESIGN POLICIES

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64.120 STREET LAYOUT STANDARDS:

These sections establish general standards regarding the manner in which the public street system of a development is planned.

64.121

General Design: The design of the proposed street system shall be consistent with the standards of the Comprehensive Plan, and provision shall be made for the major streets identified on the Thoroughfare Plan, unless prior agreement with the City Council regarding alternative facilities has been made.

64.122

Street Design Features: The design of proposed streets should take into consideration:  

1. The location, width and grade of existing or planned streets;
2. Existing and finished topographical conditions;
3. The potential uses of the land to be served by the street; and
4. The manner the streets will be integrated in to the runoff control system.
5. The need for secondary access.

The street system shall provide a safe traffic circulation pattern, with intersections, grades, tangents, and curve design appropriate for the traffic to be serviced.  All intersections shall be designed to intersect one another as nearly to right angles as the topography permits.

64.123

Hazards: To the extent practical, streets shall be routed to avoid hazard areas such as floodways, cliffs or ravines.  A secondary means of access may be required when the sole means of access into a subdivision traverses a flood plain area. Such secondary access shall be elevated to remain passable during the 100-year storm.  Secondary access shall be required when the anticipated level of traffic exceeds 1,500 average daily trips.

64.124

Connectivity: Local streets shall be designed to discourage through traffic, minimize the length of streets,  provide safe access to residences with minimal need for steep driveways and  maintain connectivity between and through adjacent residential neighborhoods and to neighborhood commercial areas for autos, pedestrians, emergency vehicles, school buses, and other service vehicles.

64.125

Through Lots: Through lots shall be avoided, except where dictated by topographical conditions or where necessitated by a lot layout which restricts access to abutting collector, arterial, expressway or freeway streets.  Lots adjacent to arterial, expressway or freeway streets shall access frontage roads, parallel streets or service drives to eliminate the need for direct access.  Vehicular access restrictions shall be noted on final plat documents.

64.126

Access to Public Water Bodies: When a proposed development abuts a public body of water, the need for public access to such water body shall be reviewed and, where deemed necessary by the Council, public access of at least 66 feet in width shall be provided.  Access to private water bodies shall be provided for emergency services.

64.127

Street Hierarchy: Streets shall be designed to create a hierarchy of streets according to the standards in this section. However, the City Engineer may recommend design modifications where such modifications are consistent with an adopted access management plan or necessary by reason of natural features or existing development, and do not create safety hazards or increased maintenance costs.  

1. Limited local streets shall intersect with higher order streets and in such a manner as to discourage through traffic.
2. Local streets shall intersect with a higher order street to prevent local street traffic from exceeding 1,000 average daily trips.
3. Major local streets shall intersect with two streets of equal or higher classification.
4. Alleys shall intersect with major local, local or limited local streets.
5. Frontage roads shall be designed so that stacking areas of sufficient depth are provided at primary intersections.  When located along collectors, such primary intersections should be at least 300 feet apart, while on higher order streets the separation shall be as recommended by the City Engineer.
6. The Council may require a street to be of a collector level design where the  anticipated average daily trips will exceed 3,000 trips and serves to collect and distribute traffic to the major street system identified on the Thoroughfare Plan.
7. New access points along arterials or expressways in the Developing Districts may be established for the purpose of serving intersecting public streets or major private developments generating in excess of 1,500 average daily trips.  Access points generally should be at intervals of no less than 1,250 feet.  In an established district, arterial design reflects higher traffic volumes, more congestion and lower speeds.  Intervals between access points can be reduced as recommended by the governing road authority.  When access to an arterial or expressway is permitted, the adjoining property shall, where necessary, provide a public street in order to provide public access to adjoining lands.
8. Reserve strips and cul-de-sac streets that interfere with street connections needed to serve existing or planned development are prohibited.
9. Cul-de-sac, loop, circle and lane streets serving single family or duplex residential development shall be designed to serve development that is projected to generate no more than 300 average daily trips.
10. Secondary access will be required for any low density residential development that is projected to generate more than 500 average daily trips.  Where secondary access is not constructed as part of the initial phase of development, the secondary access shall be provided before the City authorizes any construction that would be projected to generate traffic in excess of 1,200 average daily trips.  The need for secondary access for non-residential development fronting on a collector or higher order street shall be determined based on a Traffic Impact Study.

64.128

Street Extensions:  Where necessary to give access or to permit the reasonable future subdivision of adjacent land, right-of-ways and improvements shall be extended to the boundary of the development.  Construction of a temporary turnaround shall be required where the dead end exceeds 150 feet in length.  The platting of partial width right-of-ways shall be prohibited except where the remainder of the necessary right-of-way has already been platted, dedicated or established by other means.

64.129

Alleys: Where it is the purpose to restrict private access to collectors, arterials or expressways or where the development of a residential subdivision utilizing rear access is planned, alleys may be considered for approval by the Council.  Blocks with alleys shall be platted with no access along the lot frontages paralleling the alley.




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