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• Ch. 61 - Lot and Site Development Approval Procedures
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• Ch. 63 - Lot Development Standards
• Ch. 64 - Site Design Policies
• Ch. 65 - Nonconformities
• Informational Supplement
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CHAPTER 64 - SITE DESIGN POLICIES

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64.140 ACCESS MANAGEMENT STANDARDS:

The standards provided in Sections 64.141 through 64.147 will be used to determine the adequacy of lot layouts so that safe and adequate access to each lot is provided. The purpose of regulating the amount and nature of vehicular access points is to balance the need for providing access to individual private properties with the need to preserve an adequate level of capacity on the streets providing access.  Vehicular access restrictions may be required to be shown on subdivision plats.

64.141

Driveway Permit Required: A driveway permit is required prior to the construction of any new or modified access point. Where a traffic study is required for any proposed development, no driveway permit will be issued until the traffic study process has been completed.  Said permits are issued by the applicable road authority. A new driveway permit will be required when any non-residential change in use results in:  

1. an increase of greater than 50 peak hour directional trips;
2. a 10 percent increase in average daily trips; or
3. over 20 additional daily vehicle trips made by vehicles exceeding 30,000 pounds in gross vehicle weight.

64.142

Property Boundary Evaluation: Changes in property boundaries or ownership, do not create the right to obtain additional access that is inconsistent with the standards of this section and adopted plans for access management. For the purposes of evaluating driveway permit requests, the boundary of a site is considered to be:     

1. All contiguous parcels under common or related ownership;
2. All parcels included as part of a single development plan; or,
3. In the case where a proposed use is the first development on a property involving erection of building, the site and any adjacent lots which were created after the date of this provision was adopted as part of the ordinance.

64.143

Access Spacing Standards: Desired spacing between adjacent access locations or a proposed access location and an adjacent street intersection is shown in the table below. Where the indicated spacing is met, there is a presumptive understanding that access will be permitted subject to satisfying the design objectives of Section 64.144.               

   Table 64.143  Access Spacing Standards

Road Classification(1)(2)	Minimum Separation Between Driveways(4)	Minimum Separation Between Driveways and Intersecting Streets(5)
Local and Major Local Residential Streets (Projected traffic <3,000 adt)	8 ft.	35 ft.
Other Local, Major Local Collector and One-way Frontage Streets (Projected traffic 3,000 adt and <6000 adt)	60 ft.	75 ft.
Collector and Frontage Roads (Projected traffic 6000 adt)	125 ft.	150 ft.
Arterial (Projected traffic <15,000 adt)	400 ft.	480 ft.
Expressway and Arterial (Projected traffic >15,000 adt)(3)	1,000 ft.	1,200

Notes for Table 64.143  

1. Roadway types refer to anticipated cross section based on and are defined by Thoroughfare Plan.
2. All traffic volumes refer to the functional classification and street design volumes.
3. May require installation of turn lanes.
4. Access separation between driveways shall be measured from edge to edge.
5. Access separation between a driveway and intersecting street shall be measured from the centerline of the driveway and the nearest point of curvature of the intersecting street.
   1. One Way Driveways:  The minimum separation between driveways may be reduced through the use of one-way driveways where such arrangement can be demonstrated to provide a higher level of safety or improved traffic operations.
   2. Interchange Management Areas:  Spacing of access within ¼ mile of ramp junctions along the minor crossroad of any interchange area will be addressed on a case-by-case basis to ensure that any resulting access locations protect the safety and operational efficiency of the interchange area and do not compromise the functioning of the ramp operations.

64.144

Design Objectives: In reviewing an application for a driveway permit for any non-residential or multi-family use, the City Engineer shall determine whether all of the following objectives have been met:  

1. Adequate corner clearance from any adjacent street intersections has been provided to preserve the functional integrity of the intersection, and spacing from adjacent driveways is sufficient to safely minimize conflicts between traffic entering and exiting adjacent driveways;
2. Adequate stopping sight distance and intersection sight distance is provided;
3. Auxiliary lanes are provided as needed to a) minimize speed differentials with mainline highway traffic, b) prevent the encroachment of turning vehicles on mainline traffic, and c) prevent the queuing of inbound traffic from impacting mainline traffic;
4. Sufficient vehicular stacking distance between the curb line and the first point of conflict for traffic on the site is provided to prevent the spill back of traffic onto public streets. This distance shall be adequate to absorb the maximum peak period inbound traffic during the normal weekday;
5. Appropriate conflict reduction measures have been provided to safely manage inbound and outbound left turning traffic. Median design features and driveway channelization shall be used as appropriate to accomplish conflict reduction;
6. Access locations have been properly offset from driveways or street intersections located across the roadway in order to limit conflicts within the mainline or median of the street;
7. The design of the access satisfies standard geometric guidelines for turning radii, driveway slope, angle of entry, design speed and width. The drainage design of the access should not interfere with the drainage system in the public right of way;
8. The access provides for the safe crossing of pedestrians, bicyclists and the handicapped;
9. The installation of necessary traffic control devices for the safe and proper operation of the access meet the requirements of the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and, in the case of traffic signals, are located so as to allow for proper signal coordination and adequate left turn storage needs at the access and nearby intersections.

64.145

Conditions on Approval: Based upon receipt and approval of plans, specifications, reports and other supporting data, the City Engineer may approve a driveway permit pplication if he finds it consistent with the design objectives listed in Section 64.144, is not in conflict with the abutting roadway traffic and provides reasonable access to the property.  In approving such permit, the City Engineer may require:  

1. That unobstructed and unencumbered access, in accordance with the provisions of this ordinance, be provided from the approved access point to adjacent properties.  Where such a requirement is made a condition of approval, the property owner shall record an easement with the deed allowing cross access to and from other designated properties to be served by the joint use driveway or access.
2. That an access point that does not comply with one or more objectives of this section be designated as temporary access, and that when an alternative means of access is available that better meets the objectives of this section is available, the temporary access be eliminated, altered or limited to certain turning movement.
3. That the applicant be required to participate in the cost of design, installation, operation and maintenance of the access construction and any associated traffic operation equipment required for the functioning of the access point.

64.146

Substandard Access: Where access meeting the spacing guidelines of Section 64.143 or the design objectives of Section 64.144 cannot be provided, the City Engineer shall be guided by the following process in determining whether a substandard access location may be permitted.  

1. The City Engineer should first determine whether alternate access is available. Alternate access includes;
   1. access to another street  that meets the standards of the ordinance;
   2. access provided jointly with an adjacent property that will meet the standards of the ordinance
2. Where alternate access opportunities are determined not to exist, the City Engineer may grant a reduction in spacing standards.
3. If after considering alternatives under (1) and (2) above the City Engineer determines that no feasible alternatives exist, a substandard access permit may be granted only subject to the variance provisions of Section 60.410 and the following findings:
   1. Conditions or circumstances exist which limit the strict application of the ordinance, including the lack of a secondary access to another public street, the inability to use joint access, and the lack of engineering or construction solutions that can be applied to mitigate the condition;
   2. The proposed access will not result in undue delay or congestion or be detrimental to the safety of motoring public using the roadway; and
   3. That limiting access will create an exceptional and undue hardship on the applicant and that the permit issued will allow a reasonable use of the property.
4. The applicant agrees to mitigate the negative impacts of proposed substandard access.

64.147

Land Subdivisions and General Development Plans: Land subdivisions and general development plans shall be designed to facilitate compliance with the spacing guidelines and each of the following access design standards of this section at the time of development.  

1. Proposed subdivisions fronting on freeways or expressways shall be designed so as to have access available via a lower level street ;
2. Where feasible, subdivisions shall be designed so that access to a development is not solely dependent on a roadway or driveway that intersects with an expressway as designated on the Thoroughfare Plan;
3. Where lots in a proposed subdivision front on an arterial street as designated on the Thoroughfare Plan, options for designing access that meets the standards of this section include the potential use of cross access easements and the use of lower level streets to provide secondary access; and
4. Vehicular ingress and egress restrictions along the frontage of arterial or higher level streets may be imposed by requiring subdivision plats to dedicate to the proper road authority access control authority.
   
   
   
   
   
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