Chino Municipal Code Ch. 19.06 Subdivision Design Standards

All public improvements, construction and dedications required and described in this chapter shall conform to the standards and specifications of the city as specified in this chapter, in the latest edition of the "Standard Drawings and Specifications" on file in the office of the city engineer, in the applicable portions of the latest editions of the State of California, Department of Transportation "Standard Specifications" and in the latest edition of the American Public Works Association "Standard Specifications for Public Works Construction," copies of which are also on file in said office. Said printed standards and specifications are hereby adopted by this reference. The city engineer is hereby delegated the authority to approve improvement plans which are substantially equivalent to the adopted standards.

(Ord. 2010-07, § 1(exh. A), 2010.)

The minimum public improvements and dedications which shall be required or guaranteed under the provisions of this chapter are as follows:

A. The improvement of public and private streets to provide suitable access and circulation.

B. A sewerage system to provide adequate collection and disposal of wastes from each lot, parcel, building or structure within the area being developed.

C. A water supply system capable of providing adequate water supply and fire protection for each lot, parcel, building or structure within the area of development.

D. Storm drainage systems to provide both the area being developed and adjacent properties with suitable protection against inundation, erosion, sedimentation or damage.

E. A street lighting system.

F. Traffic control and warning signs, street name signs, pavement striping and markings, all in conformance with the requirements of state law and the standards of this chapter.

G. Installation of landscaping and irrigation facilities adjacent to or appurtenant to other public improvements.

H. Installation of underground utilities, including gas, telephone, electrical, cable television, water, drainage and sewer services.

I. Walls and fences, including but not limited to, six-foot-high concrete block walls along flood control channels, railways and at other appropriate locations along major thoroughfares or other locations as deemed necessary by the planning commission. sound attenuation walls of special design shall be provided along properties abutting freeway rights-of-way.

J. Dedication of easements necessary to accommodate all of the above improvements.

K. Any other such requirements as needed to insure conformity to or implementation of, the city general plan or any other adopted plan.

(Ord. 2010-07, § 1(exh. A), 2010.)

Parcel design shall conform to the zoning code, the general plan, any applicable specific plans and the following:

A. Dimensions. Minimum parcel dimensions shall be as specified in Title 20 of the Chino Municipal Code for lots in the applicable zoning district.

B. Frontage. Each parcel of land shall have the minimum lot frontage required by Title 20 of the Chino Municipal Code on a public street, or a private street that provides a direct or indirect connection to a public street.

C. Urban Lot Splits. Notwithstanding Subsections A and B, the dimensions and minimum lot frontage requirements for a parcel created through an urban lot split shall be governed by Section 19.04.110.

(Ord. 2010-07, § 1(exh. A), 2010; Ord. 2022-010, § 2, 7-19-2022.)

The location, width, and alignment of streets shall conform to the general plan and applicable specific plans, any applicable design guidelines adopted by the city council, and any standards established by the city engineer, except where alternative standards are approved by the city council. Streets shall be designed for the most advantageous development of the area in which the subdivision lies and for high connectivity with surrounding areas. Specific requirements shall be as follows:

A. Private streets. New private streets shall be created only if they meet all of the following requirements:

1. The planning commission determines that a private street system will not be a substantial detriment to adjoining properties, or to the properties served by the private street system, and will not disrupt or prevent the establishment of an orderly circulation system in the vicinity of the subdivision;

2. The proposed private streets may deviate from all applicable requirements for public streets, subject to approval by the city engineer and the Chino Valley Fire Independent District;

3. The proposed private street is located on the premises of a commercial, industrial or multifamily residential development; provided, however, that proposed private streets within a single-family residential zone as shown on a tentative subdivision map approved by the city before January 1, 2019 shall be allowed so long as any such private streets meet all applicable standards set forth in this chapter and those established by the city engineer, including but not limited to, all applicable accessibility standards.

4. The subdivider shall establish provisions, approved by the director of community development and city attorney, for a homeowners' association or other organization to assume responsibility for the maintenance and ownership of private streets, alleys and their rights-of-way, including any trees and landscaping provided within street and alley rights-of-way; and

5. The planning commission may require that a proposed private street be subject to an offer of dedication pursuant to Government Code Section 66477.1.

B. Street configuration. Street configuration shall be as follows:

1. Width. The width of local streets shall be as narrow as possible while still providing capacity for the amount of anticipated traffic, allowing for needed parking, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and allowing sufficient emergency access. Subdividers shall reference the general plan transportation element and/or applicable specific plans and this subsection for information on the proper street classification.

2. Sidewalks. Concrete sidewalks shall be installed on both sides of all streets. Widths shall be in accordance with the Chino General Plan, applicable specific plan or as specified by the city engineer, but shall not be less than five feet wide adjacent to residential and industrial zoned property. Full-width sidewalks, generally, shall be provided on major highways or in commercial zones. Walkways between blocks or streets, or at such other locations as required by the conditions of development, shall be dedicated and improved for the convenience of pedestrian traffic and shall be not less than nine feet wide. Sidewalks shall be separated from the curb by a landscaped parkway where practical.

3. Centerlines. The centerlines of streets that extend existing or planned streets shall continue the centerlines of the existing streets as far as practical, either in the same direction or by adjustment curves.

4. Alleys. Alleys may be provided in any subdivision as a means to provide rear access to parking and reduce the visual impact of garages, and provided that the city will not be required to provide ongoing maintenance. Maintenance shall be provided pursuant to Subsection A. of this section.

5. Connectivity. Streets shall be configured in a grid or modified grid pattern that provides multiple connections to arterial streets.

6. Culs-de-sac. The use of cul-de-sac streets in residential subdivisions shall be minimized so as to meet the requirement for connectivity, above. Where they are used, they shall not exceed six hundred feet in length, measured along the street centerline from the centerline of the intersecting street to the radius point of the turnaround or bulb end of the cul-de-sac and shall not serve more than twenty-five parcels. Culs-de-sac shall be open at their end for pedestrian access whenever possible. The property line radius at the terminus of the cul-de-sac shall be designed so as to provide a uniform parkway width. The curb radius shall be a minimum of thirty-eight feet.

7. Connectivity. Street configuration shall provide maximum connectivity for pedestrians, bicycles and automobiles within subdivisions.

8. Block length. Block lengths shall be no more than six hundred feet in order to create a street pattern that allows for multiple routes through a neighborhood and greater opportunities for pedestrian activity.

9. Curved streets. The centerline radii of curves on streets or highways, except where physical conditions and other special circumstances make compliance impractical, as determined by the city engineer, shall be not less than:

a. One thousand feet on arterial highways.

b. Five hundred feet on collector streets.

c. Three hundred feet on all other streets.

10. Grades. Street grades, longitudinal to the centerline, shall be not less than 0.6 percent. Any grade deviation shall be approved by the city engineer.

11. Intersections. Street intersections shall be as near to right angles as practicable. Where new streets intersect existing "tee" intersections, the new centerline shall align as closely as possible with that of the opposite street.

12. Continuation of existing streets. Streets which are a continuation of streets on contiguous property shall be aligned so as to assure that their centerlines coincide. In cases where straight continuations are not practical, such centerlines shall be continued by curves of appropriate radii.

13. Curb return and property line radii. Street corners shall have a minimum curb radii of thirty-two feet and with the property line designed concentrically to provide a uniform parkway width. Each corner of a street intersection shall have a property line "corner cutoff" formed by a chord line drawn between the "BCR" and "ECR: Points of the corner radius, where such points intersect the intersecting streets' rights-of-way lines.

C. Street lighting. Street lights shall be provided and installed on all streets. The lighting system shall be designed and constructed to city standards.

D. Street names. All new streets, public or private, shall be named. The names shall be chosen by the city, or the subdivider or developer, subject to the review and approval of the city street naming committee. Street name signs shall be installed at intersections of all streets and highways, including private streets and at such other locations designated by the city engineer. All street name signs shall conform to city standards.

E. Median islands. Raised highway median islands shall be required in accordance with the provisions of the general plan transportation element and any applicable specific plans. They shall be designed and constructed in accordance with city standards and shall be landscaped and irrigated in conformance with the city general plan and city standards.

F. Alleys.

1. Alleys shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the latest edition of the city "Standard Drawings and Specifications" as approved by the city engineer.

2. Improved alleys, twenty feet wide, may be provided in residential and industrial districts, at the rear of all lots when required, except as otherwise provided by a specific plan.

3. All alley intersections and street and alley intersections shall have "corner cutoffs" formed by a line joining points on the intersecting rights-of-way lines which are distant ten feet from their respective points of intersection.

4. Alley intersections with streets shall be accomplished using city standard drive approaches and curb depressions, except where otherwise approved by the city engineer.

G. Ownership transfer or dedication. Existing private streets may be transferred or dedicated to the city only if sufficient funds are placed on deposit or repairs are made to ensure that the street meets the standards for streets set forth in this title, Title 12 of the Chino Municipal Code and any other applicable requirements.

(Ord. 2010-07, § 1(exh. A), 2010; Ord. 2019-002, § 2, 2019.)

Trees and landscaping shall be provided and preserved as follows:

A. Tree removal. No tree protected by Chapter 12.16 of the Chino Municipal Code shall be removed, unless it is replaced under the provisions of that chapter.

B. Trees in right-of-way. Parkway trees and irrigation systems shall be provided and planted along all streets and highways. The trees shall be installed in the manner and shall conform to the size and species specified in the city street trees master plan and by the city engineer, in compliance with the Chapter 12.16 of the Chino Municipal Code. In full-width sidewalks, tree wells shall be provided as required by city standards.

C. Street tree and landscaping plan. The subdivider shall provide a master street tree and landscaping plan as part of the subdivision improvement plans. The plant species, planting methods, and planting locations shall conform to the specifications in Section 20.19.040 of the Chino Municipal Code and are subject to the approval of the director of community development.

D. Responsibility. The responsibility for planting street trees and landscaping and financing their maintenance shall be as follows:

1. The subdivider shall complete all street tree and landscape planting as part of the subdivision improvements.

2. The subdivider shall submit security, subject to the approval of the city attorney, for a period of one year following the completion and acceptance of the work hereunder in the sum equal to ten percent of their actual construction cost and reasonable attorney fees, expert fees and court costs. The subdivider shall further agree to pay the city for all costs to maintain the trees and landscaping in a vigorous and thriving condition for a period of one year after completion and acceptance thereof by the city engineer and the city council. Maintenance costs shall be based on the amounts specified in the most recent publication of the "Annual Engineers Report for the Levy of Assessments for the Landscaping and Lighting Districts".

(Ord. 2010-07, § 1(exh. A), 2010.)

A. Passive heating and cooling. The subdivider shall provide for future passive or natural heating or cooling opportunities in the subdivision, to the extent that this can be accomplished within a reasonable period of time, given economic, environmental, social and technological constraints. Examples of passive or natural heating opportunities in subdivision design include:

1. Design of parcel size and configuration to permit orientation of a structure in an east-west alignment for southern exposure.

2. Design of parcel size and configuration to permit orientation of a structure to take advantage of shade or prevailing breezes.

B. Local considerations. In providing for future passive or natural heating or cooling opportunities in the design of a subdivision, consideration shall be given to local climate, site contours, configuration of the parcel to be divided and other design and improvement requirements. Provision of passive or natural heating or cooling opportunities shall not result in reducing allowable densities or the percentage of a parcel that may be occupied by a building or structure under applicable zoning regulations in effect at the time a tentative map or vesting tentative map is filed.

(Ord. 2010-07, § 1(exh. A), 2010.)