DESIGN STANDARDS

Southaven Code of Ordinances tit. XII, ch. 3

in effect

Southaven Code of Ordinances § 12-71 Streets.

Sec. 12-71. - Streets. (a) The arrangement of streets in all new subdivisions shall make provisions for the continuation of the principal existing streets in the adjoining areas or their proper projection and for any streets or roads shown on the transportation plan for Southaven. (b) All proposed street names shall avoid duplication of other street names in Desoto County unless the proposed street is obviously intended as an extension of another existing or proposed street, in which case the streets shall bear the same name. (c) The arrangement of streets and lots shall give due regard to topography and other physical features of the property. (d) The right-of-way widths and location of urban arterial and collector streets shall conform to the right-of-way widths and locations of such streets designated on the transportation plan. However, the planning commission may consider any other proposed street an urban arterial or collector street and require comparable right-of-way widths. (e) The minimum widths of street and road rights-of-way, measured from lot line to lot line, shall be as shown on the transportation plan for Southaven, or, if not shown on such plan, shall not be less than the following: Street Type | Right-of-way (in feet) Urban arterial: (1) | 4 lanes with median, or turn lane, parking | 106 (2) | 4 lanes with median, or turn lane, no parking | 90 (3) | 4 lanes with no parking | 80 (4) | Rural section - 4 lanes, shoulders, ditches | 106 (5) | 6 lanes with turn lane (curb and gutter) | 106 Collector in commercial, indus trial and multiple-family residential areas | 68 Collector in one- and two-family residential areas | 60 Local | 50 Alley | 20 The minimum right-of-way width for local streets shall be fifty (50) feet, except that in cases where the topography or special conditions make lessright-of-way width more suitable, the planningcommission may waive the above requirement. (f) The angle of intersection between streets should not vary by more than ten (10) degrees from a right angle. (g) The minimum corner radii at street intersections shall be twenty (20) feet. (h) Street jogs resulting from failure to align streets on either side of an intersection are prohibited, with a minimum offset of one hundred fifty (150) feet between centerlines of parallel streets being required. (i) Cul-de-sac streets may be provided if proper access is given to all lots from a dedicated street or court. All cul-de-sac streets shall terminate in a dedicated right-of-way space having a minimum radius of fifty (50) feet, or other satisfactory arrangement for turning of vehicles. Cul-de-sac streets shall not exceed five hundred (500) feet in length. (j) Minimum street grades of 0.5 percent will be required for adequate drainage; maximum street grades will be seven (7) percent for all streets. Intersections will be a minimum feasible grade with sight distance of at least one hundred (100) feet in all directions. A minimum sight distance of two hundred (200) feet will be required in all curves. (k) Alleys shall not be provided in a residential block. In industrial, commercial subdivisions, paved alleys or driveway easements assuring permanent rear access may be required with a minimum width of twenty (20) feet. (l) To assure a continuous circulation system in an area when all the land is developed, the planning commission may require extension of a street within a subdivision to the adjoining property, which street would be continued at the time the adjoining property is developed. Temporary turnarounds with a forty-foot radius shall be provided at the termination of such streets unless waived by the planning commission. (m) Design standards for residential alleys/lanes: (1) A lane shall be a private street or easement and shall not be dedicated to the city. Such streets or easements may be dedicated to the property owners' association of the planned community or may be dedicated as common easements across the rear portion of lots. (2) Minimum paved width: twelve (12) feet. (3) Width of easement: twenty (20) feet. (4) Buildings or fences set back a minimum of three (3) feet. (5) No parking permitted on either side of the cartway of a lane. (6) Curbing shall not be required except at corners of intersections with other street types. At such corner locations, curbing shall be required for the entire corner radius and five (5) feet preceding same. Such curbing shall not extend more than six (6) inches above the finished pavement. (7) Lane or alley lighting shall be provided on all garages or on poles adjacent to parking areas. Lighting fixtures and poles shall be of consistent architectural style and shall complement the predominant architectural theme. (8) Design speed shall not exceed ten (10) miles per hour. (Ord. No. 29, art. V(A), 4-5-83; Ord. of 12-8-95(2), §§ VII, VIII)

Southaven Code of Ordinances § 12-72 Easements.

Sec. 12-72. - Easements. (a) Easements of at least five (5) feet in width shall be dedicated on each side of all rear lot lines and at least five (5) feet on each side lot line, and at least ten (10) feet on all lot lines adjoining a street, for poles, wires, conduits, storm and sanitary sewers, gas, water or other utilities. The developer shall confer with all utility companies serving the property. Easements of greater width than normally required may be required as necessary. No side, rear or front yard easements will be required where the city zoning ordinance indicates no yard requirements. (b) Whenever any stream or important surface drainage course is located in an area which is being subdivided, the subdivider shall provide an adequate easement along each side of the stream for the purpose of widening, deepening, sloping, improving or protecting the stream or drainage course. The adequacy of the easement shall be determined by the engineer. (Ord. No. 29, art. V(B), 4-5-83)

Southaven Code of Ordinances § 12-73 Blocks.

Sec. 12-73. - Blocks. All new blocks created by any major subdivision of land shall take into consideration the following: (1) All blocks shall be sufficiently wide to allow two (2) tiers of lots of appropriate depth under the applicable zoning regulations, unless another length or width is approved by the planning commission because of special topographical or traffic considerations. (2) No block shall be less than two hundred fifty (250) feet nor more than fifteen hundred (1500) feet in length except as the planning commission considers necessary to secure efficient use of land or desired features of street patterns. (3) Midblock walkways, or crosswalks, not less than ten (10) feet wide may be required where deemed essential to improve pedestrian circulation, or access to schools, shopping centers, parks, playgrounds or other community facilities. (Ord. No. 29, art. V(C), 4-5-83)

Southaven Code of Ordinances § 12-74 Lots.

Sec. 12-74. - Lots. (a) The lot arrangement and design shall be such that all lots will provide satisfactory and desirable building sites, properly related to topography and to the character of surrounding development. (b) The minimum lot area and lot width, measured at the building lines, shall conform to the requirements of the zoning ordinance for the applicable zoning district. (c) No lot shall have a depth in excess of four (4) times its width; however, this requirement may be waived by the planning commission if the subdivider can demonstrate this requirement is not appropriate for the type of development and use contemplated. (d) All side lot lines shall be at right angles to straight street lines and radial to curved street lines except where a variation of this rule will provide a better street and lot layout as approved by the planning commission. (e) Corner lots shall have a width sufficient to permit the establishment of front building lines on both the adjoining streets without reducing the buildable width below that of the average sized lot in the subdivision. (f) Reverse frontage lots shall be prohibited except where essential as determined by the planning commission to provide separation of residential development from traffic arteries or to overcome specific disadvantages of topography. In such cases, additional depth including a planting screen reservation of a minimum of ten (10) feet in width, and across which there shall be no right of access, shall be provided along the line of lots abutting such uses. A statement dissolving the right of access of lots to the urban arterial street shall be included on the final plat. (g) Property line radii at street intersections shall not be less than twenty (20) feet. (Ord. No. 29, art. V(D), 4-5-83)

Southaven Code of Ordinances § 12-75 Public sites, facilities and open spaces.

Sec. 12-75. - Public sites, facilities and open spaces. (a) Parks and open spaces. (1) Dedication. All plans for residential subdivisions of land or residential land developments shall provide for the dedication of land for park and open space uses in the form of a clear fee simple dedication of land or payment of a fee as provided in this section. All dedications of land for park and open space purposes shall be consistent with any standards contained in the comprehensive plan. Such dedications shall be at locations deemed appropriate by the planning commission and approved by the governing authority. If a specific site has been designed on any applicable park or open space plan for future park purposes, any preliminary or final plan shall show the dedications of land in a location that corresponds to the plan designation. (2) General requirements. a. Applicants shall designate areas of residential subdivisions or residential land developments for parks, playgrounds, or other public open space and recreational uses in accordance with the requirements of this section. The applicant shall make an irrevocable offer of dedication of such park and open space land to the city. The governing board may authorize dedication of land to a homeowners association when such reservation is consistent with the municipal park and recreation plan. b. Park land and open space to be dedicated to the city must be recorded via a clear fee simple title prior to the recording of the final plan of subdivision. (3) Amount of land required. Required land for dedication shall be based on the proposed population density of the residential development according to the following formulae: a. For developments with a density of four and eight-tenths (4.8) dwelling units per acre (DUA) or less, ten (10) percent of the gross acreage. b. For developments with a density of greater than four and eight-tenths (4.8) DUA, but less than ten (10) DUA, twelve (12) percent of the gross acreage. c. For developments with a density of greater than ten (10) DUA, fifteen (15) percent of the gross acreage. (4) Floodplains and utility easements. a. Land intended for dedication within the one-hundred-year floodplain, as defined by the FEMA flood insurance rate maps, shall be credited at a rate of fifty (50) percent. b. Land within utility easements shall not be credited in meeting the recreational land dedication unless they meet subsections (a)(8)d. and (a)(8)h. (5) Payment in lieu of recreational land dedication. Notwithstanding anything contained in the above sections, the governing body, upon the recommendation of the planning commission, may allow the payment of a fee to the city in lieu of park land and open space provision. (6) Amount of fee. Fees shall be assessed according to the following formulae: a. For developments with a density of four and eight-tenths (4.8) dwelling units per acre (DUA) or less, three hundred fifty dollars ($350.00) per lot or dwelling unit. b. For developments with a density of greater than four and eight-tenths (4.8) DUA, but less than ten (10) DUA, four hundred twenty-five dollars ($425.00) per lot or dwelling unit. c. For developments with a density of greater than ten (10) DUA, five hundred twenty-five dollars ($525.00) per lot or dwelling unit. (7) Reduction of requirements. The requirements for land dedication and fees in lieu of dedication may be reduced by the governing authority in exchange for recreational amenities provided by the developer. (8) Design criteria. The land set aside for park and open space uses shall meet the following criteria: a. The park and open space land shall be reasonably located so as to serve all of the residents of the subdivision or land development. b. The park and open space land shall be accessible from a public street or shall adjoin and become a part of an already existing public park or open space area which is accessible from a public street. Where access to the park is by public road, the width of the frontage shall be a minimum length deemed necessary by the municipality for access, visibility of the site, and public safety. c. No more than twenty-five (25) percent of the park and open space land shall contain detention basins or other storm water management facilities. d. No more than fifty (50) percent of the park land shall be located within a floodplain. e. The park and open space land shall be compact and contiguous and shall meet the lot width ratio required of lots within a residential subdivision unless the land shall be used as a continuation of an existing trail or specific topographic features require a different configuration. An example of such topographic features would be the provision of public open space along a scenic creek. f. When the park and open space land required to be dedicated is less than four (4) acres in size, the park and open space land shall be located at a suitable place on the periphery of the subdivision or land development so a more usable tract will result when additional park and open space land is obtained when adjacent land is developed. g. At least fifty (50) percent of the finished grade of the site shall have a slope of three (3) percent or less. h. The park and open space land shall be accessible to utilities such as sewer, water, and power that are provided with the subdivision. (b) Where park, playground or areas for other public recreational uses should be provided in the subdivision in accordance with the comprehensive plan, the planning commission may require such area to be dedicated to the proper agency. Where a school should be provided in accordance with the comprehensive plan, the planning commission may require such area to be dedicated to the proper public agency or be reserved for acquisition by said agency within one (1) year. Such reservation shall continue in effect for a period of not more than one (1) year from the date of filing of the preliminary plat. This reservation period may be extended for a period not to exceed two (2) months upon submission of a letter to the planning commission by the appropriate governmental agency. This reservation may be discontinued upon written notice from the appropriate governmental agency stating that the property may be released for development. (c) All land to be reserved for dedication to the local government or acquisition for public use purposes shall have proper approval of the appropriate governmental agency and shall be shown on the plat "Reserved for Park and/or Recreation and/or Public Use Purposes." (d) Where a subdivision contains sewers, sewage treatment plants, water supply systems, park areas or other physical facilities necessary or desirable for the welfare of the area and of common use or benefit which the governing authority does not desire to or cannot maintain, provision shall be made for the proper and continuous maintenance and supervision of such facilities by the lot owners in the subdivision. (e) The planning commission may recommend that the governing authority accept a cash contribution in lieu of land dedication for parks and open spaces, this payment in lieu of land dedication will be no less than three hundred fifty dollars ($350.00) per dwelling unit created. (Ord. No. 29, art. V(E), 4-5-83; Ord. of 9-30-86(2), § 1; Ord. of 5-2-95)

Southaven Code of Ordinances § 12-76 General suitability.

Sec. 12-76. - General suitability. (a) The planning commission may reject a subdivision if it has been determined that the proposed subdivision is not in keeping with the general character of the development in the area, and that, in the best interest of the public, the site is not suitable for the proposed development purposes. (b) Where deed restrictions or covenants are proposed, they shall be included with the plat and made a part of such plat; provided, however, that such deed restrictions or covenants shall not contain reversionary clauses wherein any lot shall return to the subdivider because of a violation thereon of the terms of the restrictions or covenants. (c) Land which is shown as within the flood control district on the official zoning district map shall not be platted for residential or any other use which may result in danger to health, life or property or increased flood heights unless the subdivider submits to the planning commission that the area can be protected from inundation by fill, levee or other means, without undue interference either with the flow of any watercourse or with any necessary impounding basin, which evidence shall be verified by the city engineer. The elevation and extent of flooding in each drainage area shall be established by the city engineer and shall be indicated on both the preliminary and final plats. (Ord. No. 29, art. V(F), 4-5-83)

Southaven Code of Ordinances § 12-77 Subdivision and street names.

Sec. 12-77. - Subdivision and street names. The proposed name of the subdivision and street names shall not duplicate, or too closely approximate phonetically, the name of any other subdivision or streets in Desoto County. (Ord. No. 29, art. V(G), 4-5-83)

Source: City of Southaven, Mississippi, Code of Ordinances (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/ms/southaven/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CO_TITXIISURE_CH3DESTFetched: 11/1/2026