Blue Lake Municipal Code Ch. 16.16 Principles and Standards for Hillside Subdivisions and Planned Unit…

The purpose of this chapter can be achieved by the following principles:

A. Appearance and Character.

1. To enhance the identity of Blue Lake, subdividers shall be encouraged to preserve prominent landmarks, steep slopes, natural foliage, landmark trees, areas of special natural beauty and of historical significance.

2. Subdividers shall be encouraged to accomplish the maximum retention of natural topographic features, such as drainage swales, slopes, rock outcroppings, vistas, and natural plant formations. Successive terracing of building sites is discouraged.

3. The character of the street and land appearance may vary to provide special identity for various areas of the hills and their particular fauna, flora and landscape setting.

4. Street improvements, including fencing, sidewalks, pathways, electroliers, etc., shall be given special design consideration to enable the maximum value and uniqueness of character to be built into each development.

5. Native rock material should be used where feasible, for drainage, erosion and flood control. Where concrete is used, native rock should be used as facing material.

6. Development shall minimize water runoff and soil erosion problems caused by adjusting the terrain to meet development needs.

B. Land Use.

1. Development on subdivided land shall be encouraged to provide a variety of building and dwelling types ranging from residential estates to multifamily units, to provide maximum choice in living environment.

2. Groups of various housing types shall be encouraged, to enable steep hill slopes, wooded areas, and areas of special scenic beauty to be preserved as scenic easements.

3. Incentives in the form of density of dwellings and varied land use are to be used to encourage areas of special scenic, natural, and historical interest to be preserved through dedication to the City in fee or easement.

4. Residential density transfers may be permitted in order to provide for increased flexibility in land utilization, earth movement reduction, and scenic open space retention under a planned unit development approach.

C. Circulation.

1. The use of public and private lanes shall be encouraged to reduce the scarring of the natural landscape. The width of these lanes shall be allowed to be as narrow as public safety and traffic generation will permit. All parking for residential estates shall be required on site to enable the street section to be reduced where practical. Parking area clusters are also encouraged.

2. Loop and split, one-way street sections, and occasional steep street grades should be allowed to fit terrain and minimize grading and exposed slopes.

3. Equestrian and hiking trails should be considered throughout the area, to provide connections between park areas and scenic easements to help maximize the leisure opportunities. Trails may be accepted by the City in fee or easement.

4. Streets and lanes shall be laid out to follow the existing contours as much as is feasible.

5. Circulation shall, when feasible, be designed to allow for separation of vehicular, pedestrian and equestrian traffic.

6. Driveways and drives shall be designed to adequate horizontal and vertical curves that will provide the maximum of safety and convenience for vehicular and pedestrian use.

D. Utilities and Public Facilities.

1. Appurtenances such as transformers and switch boxes may be mounted above grade, providing adequate screening is furnished.

2. The natural drainage area shall be left as natural as possible and generally left unfenced to minimize marring the hill slopes with concrete-lined channels and chain link fences. The area should not be a parallel corridor, but variable in width according to natural features.

3. Prior to development, specific plans, including general land use, outline of circulation with scenic roadways and public facilities, may be required by the Planning Commission in order to establish a framework for evaluating development proposals so that school sites, parks, fire stations, public facilities, collector, and major street general locations shall be known.

4. Prior to development approval of any development proposal for the hills, the existing or proposed utility services shall be adequate for use and population densities proposed.

5. The design of storm drainage facilities shall ensure the acceptance and disposal of storm runoff without damage to the street or to adjacent properties. The use of special structures to accept design storm runoff shall be incorporated into the street design where appropriate.

6. All public streets shall be provided with a level of street lighting sufficient to protect the health, safety and welfare of those living within the hillside areas.

To ensure that proposed subdivisions shall reflect the best interests of the City of Blue Lake, all subdivisions under the provisions of this section shall conform to the standards of subdivision design of the Subdivision Map Act, and other standards adopted by the City of Blue Lake.

A. Grading Plan. A preliminary grading plan, endorsed by the registered civil engineer who prepared the preliminary soils report, shall be submitted as a part of all tentative maps considered for approval in hillside areas.

B. Erosion Control. All manufactured slopes, other than those constructed in rock, shall be planted or otherwise protected from the effects of storm runoff erosion and shall be benched or terraced to provide for adequate stability. Planting shall be designed to blend the slope with the surrounding terrain and development. Manufactured slopes in rock shall be provided with soil pockets to contain landscaping where appropriate.

C. Cut and Fill Slopes. Cut slopes shall be constructed to eliminate sharp angles of intersection with the existing terrain and shall be rounded and contoured as necessary to blend with existing topography to the maximum possible extent. The City will not accept the dedication and maintenance of cut or fill slopes except those within the required street right-of-way. Where a cut or fill slope occurs between two lots, the slope shall normally be made a part of either the uphill or the downhill lot.

D. Parking. The following parking standards shall apply in hillside areas as set forth in this section, and as may be required by Title 17, Zoning, and other applicable Blue Lake parking ordinances. Handicap parking facilities will be required for multifamily housing developments and commercial projects in accordance with the Blue Lake Municipal Code and other laws.

E. Streets.

1. Split Streets. Split streets may be provided by the subdivider according to the following schedule.

a. One lane in each direction, the split section width of pavement shall be 16 feet; or

b. Two lanes in each direction, the split section width of pavement shall be 30 feet.

2. Cul-de-Sacs. Cul-de-sacs may serve no more than 20 dwelling units. A suitable turn-around shall be provided at the end of stub streets, the right-of-way should be not less than 50 feet. In cases of steep topographical terrain, deviation may be authorized by the Director of Public Works with the approval of the City Engineer.

3. Street Intersections. Streets in hillside areas may intersect at a minimum angle of 60 degrees, provided they meet the requirements of the City Engineer.

4. Street Grades. Grades of streets shall be permitted to exceed 12% to the maximum of 15% for short distances not to exceed 300 feet.

5. Horizontal and Vertical Curves. The design of all streets shall incorporate horizontal and vertical curves adequate to provide a maximum in vehicular and pedestrian safety. The minimum horizontal curve radius on residential streets shall be 100 feet and the minimum length of vertical curve shall be 100 feet where practical. Collector streets and thoroughfares shall be designed to incorporate vertical and horizontal curves greater than the said minimum for residential streets, in order to provide for adequate sight distance.

6. Driveways and Drives. Driveways and drives shall be designed to a grade and alignment that will provide the maximum of safety and convenience for vehicular and pedestrian use and in a manner which will not interfere with drainage or public use of the sidewalk and/or street area. Grades shall not exceed 15%.

7. Walkways. Walkways of five feet maximum width shall be provided along or in the proximity of all public streets, and along private streets as determined by the City Engineer, to be necessary. Walkways shall be constructed of materials suitable for use in the particular area and shall be located as necessary to provide a maximum of pedestrian safety and a maximum use of the character of the hill area. Materials utilized for walkways constructed shall not result in an abnormal maintenance expense to the taxpayers. Walkways shall include provisions for handicap access.

8. Street Lighting. All hillside public streets shall be provided with a level of street lighting designed to protect the health, safety and welfare of those living within the hillside areas. Street lights shall be mounted on standard electroliers and shall be served by underground wiring.

9. Street Geometries. The following minimum dimensions are to be utilized in the design of hillside streets:

a. All streets shall have suitable pavement edging such as curbs and gutters.

b. The width of the graded section shall extend three feet beyond the curb face or edge of sidewalk on the fill side and two feet on the cut side of the street.

c. Sidewalks of not less than five feet in width may be required on one side of minor streets and on both sides of a collector street. Sidewalks may be adjacent to the curb face on minor streets and may be set back five feet from the curb on collector streets.

d. Parking lanes, eight feet in width, shall be provided on at least one side of all public streets except where existing topography renders development adjacent to the street impractical; or where an adequate number of off-street parking spaces are provided on each lot adjacent to the street. Roads without parking lanes shall be provided with emergency parking stalls adequate to contain at least two vehicles. Emergency parking areas shall be provided for every 500 feet of roadway without parking lanes and shall be spaced at a distance not to exceed 600 feet.

e. The following travel lane widths shall be required in all hillside areas:

i. The side of a travel lane not adjacent to another travel lane or parking lane shall be increased by two feet.

ii. Minor Streets. Minor hillside streets shall have a minimum travel lane of 10 feet.

iii. Collector Streets. Collector hillside streets shall have a minimum travel lane of 12 feet.

f. Where required by the City Engineer or Planning Commission, the subdivider's engineer shall furnish traffic studies, prepared by an experienced registered civil engineer, for specified streets.

F. Storm Drainage. The design of storm drainage facilities shall ensure the acceptance and disposal of storm runoff without damage to the street or to adjacent properties. The use of special structures to accept design storm runoff shall be incorporated into the street design where appropriate.

G. Curbs. Vertical curbs of concrete, of a height which provides sufficient gutter hydraulics, but in no case less than six inches in height, shall be constructed on both sides of all public streets. Curbs which serve to carry storm runoff shall be constructed with an integral concrete gutter. Exceptions to this requirement may be permitted where the City Engineer finds that adequate drainage and traffic control are provided and normal maintenance would not be impaired.

H. Modifications to Standards Herein. The Planning Commission may approve modifications of the design standards provided such modifications are in substantial conformance with the objectives stated in this section.