Coalinga Municipal Code Art. 14 Naming and Renaming City Streets

(a) "City street" means a street, highway or other right-of-way or easement under City jurisdiction and owned and used or operated by the City, or offered for dedication for ownership, use and/or operation by the City.

(§ 1, Ord. 696, eff. July 17, 2004)

City streets shall be named or renamed according to the following procedure:

(a) The Council shall name and rename City streets as provided in this section, unless the Council deems that exigent circumstances justify dispensing with the requirements of this section by resolution passed by at least four (4) affirmative votes of the Council and containing a declaration of the facts constituting the exigent circumstances.

(b) The City Manager or his designee shall assign a proposed name for a City street after consultation with the Chief of Police, the Fire Chief and the Public Works Director. The following guidelines shall apply to name selection:

(1) Unusual spellings and difficult pronunciations shall be avoided where possible;

(2) A street name shall not duplicate or be similar in sound or spelling to another street name;

(3) Street names shall follow existing street alignments, including jogs of not more than one hundred twenty-five (125) feet on either side of the principal or existing street alignment, including extensions of alignments into new subdivisions. The street name shall not follow a ninety (90) degree or more turn unless the turn is a simple jog followed by a return to the original alignment;

(4) A cul-de-sac having a length, exclusive of the turn-around, of less than fifty (50) feet shall be given the same name as the main street;

(5) Each street name shall be consistent with the common theme for the zone or area in which the street is located. The City Manager or his designee shall establish, and may modify from time to time, a written policy for setting such zones or areas and common themes for street names in each such zone or area. The policy and any modifications shall be subject to Council approval. Themes for subdivisions or similar defined development areas will be recommended to the City Council at the time of a tentative map for a subdivision, or the first development entitlement for other defined development area, is accepted for processing by the City.

(c) The City Clerk shall set a public hearing before the City Council to consider the proposed name, and shall post notice of the date, time and place of the public hearing in at least three (3) places along the City street to be named or renamed at least ten (10) days before the date of the hearing.

(d) The Council shall conduct the hearing and consider the proposed name on the date and time specified in the notice, provided that the hearing may be continued from time to time by the Council. Any person may address the Council for the purpose of giving additional comments on the naming or renaming of the City street under consideration, including submittal of a name or names other than the proposed name. The Council may approve the name proposed by the City Manager or his designee, refer an alternate name back to the City Manager or his designee for consideration pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, or decide to not name or rename the City street.

(e) The decision of the Council to name or rename a City street shall be by resolution. The decision shall be final.

(f) Upon adoption of a resolution naming or renaming a City street:

(1) The City street shall be deemed named or renamed as stated in the resolution.

(2) The City Manager or his designee shall notify the Police Department, the Fire Department, the United States Postal Service, the Fresno County Assessor's Office and all other affected governmental agencies and City departments.

(3) The City Clerk shall promptly send a certified copy of the resolution to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.

(4) The Public Works Director shall procure and install new street signs on the named or renamed City street.

(§ 1, Ord. 696, eff. July 17, 2004)