§ 157.113 DEVELOPMENT ENGINEERING PLAN STREETS SYSTEM.
(a) Street design standards.
(1) Generally. All public street improvements and facilities, including pavement width, street grades, alignment and visibility, and intersections shall be designed in compliance with the Engineering Design Standards manual and are subject to the approval of the city engineer.
(2) Half streets. Whenever an existing half street is adjacent to a tract being subdivided, the other half of the street shall be platted within the subdivision. Completion of the required public improvements within said half street shall be in accordance with the provisions for new half street right-of-way dedications detailed below, prior to plat approval. New half street right-of-way dedications shall only be allowed at the discretion of the city engineer and if the city engineer determines the developer has made all reasonable attempts to coordinate right-of-way dedication and completion of the required public improvements with the adjoining landowner. In lieu of completion of the required public improvements prior to plat approval, the developer shall be required to meet one or more of the following:
A. Financially securitize all uncompleted public improvements, which are the responsibility of the developer seeking plat approval.
B. Provide other assurances as approved by the city engineer.
(b) Traffic calming. Improving traffic flow into and through subdivisions also needs to take into consideration traffic volumes and speeds. Traffic calming is the process by which vehicular speeds and volumes on local streets are reduced to acceptable levels. This is achieved through the installation of approved devices such as traffic circles, flares, and center islands. Traffic calming serves the purpose of reducing cut-through traffic, truck traffic, excessive speeding, noise, vibration, air pollution, and accidents in an attempt to provide a safer environment for motorists and pedestrians.
(1) Approved devices shall be spaced within the right-of-way along major collectors through residential subdivisions, based upon Engineering Design Standards.
(2) Traffic calming devices may be required by the city engineer, based upon the review of a traffic impact study.
(c) Right-of-way widths. The developer shall be required to dedicate street right-of-way widths according to the approved preliminary subdivision plan requirements:
(d) Cul-de-sacs. Cul-de-sacs will be allowed as required by the preliminary subdivision requirements.
(e) Access control. Access control standards shall follow the provisions within the access control section of the Engineering Design Standards.
(f) A traffic study or traffic report shall be provided when required by the city engineer and such study shall meet the standards in chapter 5 of the Engineering Design Standards. The traffic study or report, when required, helps the city to adequately assess the impact of a proposal on the existing and/or planned street system. If required, a preliminary plan shall not move forward to planning commission until the study or report is complete.
(g) Mutual access easements. When the traffic impact of one or more proposed property developments indicates that the public safety can be better served by the use of mutual access easements, the following requirements shall be observed:
(1) Any mutual access easement accepted by the city must provide for perpetual unobstructed access to the area it serves and prohibit the erection of any structure within or adjacent to the access area that would interfere with the use of the mutual access easement by the public or any governmental agency.
(2) Mutual access easements shall be indicated on the plat.
(3) Any plat presented for city approval that shows a mutual access easement as a means of access shall provide language in the owner’s certificate (see Appendix B) reserving the mutual access easement as a perpetual unobstructed access easement.
(4) Mutual access easement areas shall be paved by the developer and maintained in passable condition. Designs for mutual access easements must be approved by the city engineer.
(5) An easement area maintenance agreement among property owners who will depend on the mutual access easement for access shall be filed with the plat as required in § 157.116. It shall describe the legal responsibilities for the repair and maintenance of the easement area and the required signs. See division (g)(6) below.
(6) The developer may be required to place traffic control signs on mutual access easements or to pay the city to place traffic control signs for mutual access easements at the locations the city engineer deems necessary for the safety and convenience of the public. Traffic control signs shall be approved by the city engineer.
(h) Alleys.
(1) Alleys are permitted in commercial and industrial districts, except where provision is made for service access, such as off-street loading, unloading, and parking consistent with the requirement set forth in chapter 160 of this Code.
(2) Alleys are permitted in residential districts when design standards and conditions warrant an alternative means of access.
(i) Continuation of street names. Streets generally in alignment with existing streets shall bear the names of those streets. When, due to topography, offsets caused by rectangular surveys, or other physical features, streets become interrupted, quarter line and section line streets shall retain the same name on either side of the irregularities.
(j) Street naming criteria. No street names shall be used that will duplicate, be the same in spelling or alike in pronunciation with any other existing streets. All street names should be kept as short as possible to permit signs to be no longer than 36". All street names shall indicate directions either north, south, east, or west. Street name suffixes shall be applied as follows:
Avenue | A road generally running north and south
Boulevard | A minor street divided by a median
Circle | All cul-de-sacs
Court | A road with two openings which enters and exits on the same street
Drive | A road running northwest to southeast
Lane | A road running northeast to southwest
Parkway | Limited access roads such as major streets which are divided by a median
Place | All private streets/roads
Road | A road running both east and west or north and south for significant lengths; the names may only be assigned to major rights-of-way
Street | A road generally running east and west
Trail | A road which wanders in different directions
(k) Prohibition on certain street name suffixes. No development engineering plans shall be approved which use the names of square, ridge, pass, way, or terrace as a suffix for a street name.
(1992 Code, App. A, § 15A.08.040) (Ord. 81-08, passed 7-7-2008; Ord. 11-09, passed 1-12-2009; Ord. 8-13, passed 3-5-2013; Ord. 87-18, passed 10-2-2018)
