Hollister Municipal Code Ch. 16.20 Design Standards

Standards in this chapter, except where specifically applied to other subdivisions, shall apply to residential subdivisions. The city council is empowered to adopt by ordinance additional or specific standards applicable to residential and other subdivisions governed by this title.

(Prior code § 18-12)

A. Subdivision streets shall be located to conform to the official street plan for the city, where applicable.

B. The street system in a subdivision shall relate to existing streets in adjoining areas, where consistent with good planning of the new subdivision.

C. Half-width or partial-width streets shall be permitted only when a portion of a planned street lies outside the property of a developer, and, until additional development in the area occurs, the fractional street will serve only as access to land or lots within the development or subdivision. In such cases, pavement width shall be adequate for present use. Minimum right-of-way shall be 40 feet, with a one-foot nonaccess strip along the property line.

D. Direct access to dwellings from an arterial road of a width greater than 84 feet shall be permitted only in isolated instances when no other practical access is available. Driveways will then be constructed so that vehicles will not back into the arterial road, and required sight distance shall be the same as would be required for connection with a minor street. Normally, dwellings will be separated from an arterial street by a landscaped buffer strip and will be entered from a minor residential street or from a frontage road of adequate width, separated by a landscaped buffer strip from the arterial road. Fencing to approved design may be required along arterial and collector streets. Reserve strips, when required to control access over certain lot lines or street stubs, shall be dedicated to the city.

E. Right-of-way widths, pavement widths and sidewalks shall be as provided by specific standards adopted by Resolution No. 76-11* for the applicable class of subdivision involved.

F. Culs-de-sac (dead-end streets) shall terminate in a turnaround not less than 100 feet in diameter between lot lines; with the exception, that for culs-de-sac not exceeding 400 feet in length (property line to center of turn-around) such diameter between lot lines may be 80 feet. Length of such streets shall not exceed 600 feet from property line of connecting street to the center line of turnaround. In the development of properties of unusual shape, or when less than 16 dwellings are served by a cul-de-sac, this distance may be exceeded. In such cases, additional turnarounds may be required. For culs-de-sac serving six or fewer lots, the city engineer may authorize a specially designed turnaround suitable to the particular conditions. Where through roads terminate temporarily at a property line or at a division between increments of a development, suitable facilities for turning vehicles shall be provided.

G. Earth banks, trees and fences shall not be permitted to obscure adequate sight distance at intersections. Where this condition is unavoidable, stop signs shall be placed on one or all streets entering the intersection, as required by the city engineer and authorized by the city council.

H. Curved streets shall be used only at the discretion of the city in determining the best overall layout in the residential area. On major streets, curve radii shall be of such length as to permit appropriate vehicle speeds. On minor streets, especially among dwellings, curves may be used sparingly to slow down vehicle speeds. Street curvature shall be consistent and sharp curves shall not be used in unexpected or hazardous locations. The developer shall install such warning and safety signs as are required by the city engineer. Entrance of driveways on curves at points of poor visibility shall be avoided, and where excellent visibility does not exist driveways may be required to be of such design as to permit vehicles to turn around before entering a street from a residential lot.

I. The subdivider shall provide maximum off-street parking where economically feasible. Driveways, unless specifically exempted, shall be of such length and at such gradient as to permit cars to park on the lot and outside the carport or garage. Where available length of driveway or extreme gradient makes parking thereon infeasible, other off-street parking spaces may be required by the city engineer. In commercial and industrial subdivisions, all parking spaces, except outside parking, shall be so located as to permit vehicles to enter streets without backing.

J. Streets shall intersect at 90 degrees, or as near thereto as permitted by the terrain. Intersections of less than 70 degrees will be permitted only on minor streets and situations where better design would entail excessive excavation. Where two side streets intersect an arterial or collector street, they shall enter directly opposite one another. On minor streets, any offset of entering streets shall be not less than 250 feet measured center line to center line. There shall be at least 550 feet between streets entering an arterial or collector street from the same side. Intersections along an arterial or collector street shall be kept to the minimum, depending on the traffic volume and normal vehicular speed on the street. When required by nature and volume of traffic movements, left turn lanes, acceleration and deceleration lanes will be required on arterial or collector streets. T intersections shall be provided where practical.

K. Reserve strips, to control access to unsubdivided land bordering on a street to be improved or at the terminus of a stub street, shall be dedicated to city.

L. Alleys, frontage and access roads may be required to serve industrial, commercial, or multiple-family residential developments and shall be of appropriate size for the purpose and location.

M. Private roads or private streets serving more than four dwellings shall only be permitted in a subdivision where a permanent, legal entity has legal power and suitable organization to: (1) enter into an agreement with the city to maintain such private roads at no expense to the city, (2) assess all property owners within the development for street maintenance funds, and (3) assess all property within the development for funds to improve such streets to current city standards if at some future date such owners shall successfully petition the city to incorporate such streets into the public street system. They shall be improved to widths and standards as provided by specific standards adopted by ordinance for the class of subdivision involved.

N. Where slopes extend onto private property as the result of street grading during development, slope easements shall be provided on those lots affected, or a blanket slope easement may be included in the dedication certificate on the final map along all street frontage of lots.

(Prior code § 18-13)

Editor's note— Resolution 76-11 is on file in the office of the city clerk.

A. Cross streets, dividing residential areas into blocks, shall be at intervals appropriate to the terrain and intensity of development. Adequate circulation shall be provided within a subdivision by such cross streets. Optimum block width is normally between 500 and 1,000 feet.

B. Walkways through long blocks may be required, their location and number being determined by block length, convenient pedestrian traffic routes to schools, commercial and recreational facilities. Walkways shall not be less than ten feet wide and suitably improved for all-weather foot traffic. Lighting may be required.

(Prior code § 18-14)

A. Residential lots shall contain an adequate building site for a structure of reasonably expected size and type.

B. The depth of residential lots shall not exceed three times the average width. The planning commission may grant exceptions where the commission determines that the terrain or property boundaries make this advisable.

C. Lot sidelines shall normally intersect street right-of-way lines at approximately 90 degrees or radially. The planning commission may waive this requirement for large lots, where in its opinion good lot design and provision for driveways can better be achieved otherwise.

D. Panhandle or flag lots will not be permitted unless there is no other alternative.

E. Nonaccess strips shall be dedicated to the city around the curve return on corner lots and on such other lot frontages where it is, in the opinion of the city engineer, unsafe to locate driveways.

F. Double frontage lots, except where the second frontage is on a cross street, shall only be allowed where necessitated by special circumstances. When lots front on more than one street, nonaccess strips shall be dedicated to the city on such frontage as the city engineer directs.

G. On tangents and on curved right-of-way lines having a radius over 150 feet, any lot under 10,000 square feet in area shall have a frontage of not less than 50 feet, and any lot over 10,000 square feet in area shall have a frontage of not less than 60 feet. On curves with radii less than 150 feet, including the turnaround at the end of the culs-de-sac, the lot width at the building setback line shall be not less than 45 feet.

H. Interior lots shall not be permitted when, in the opinion of the planning commission, such design creates a substandard and unsightly dwelling area, hemmed in on all sides by present or potential fences and backyards. Such lots must be individually approved by the planning commission, such approval being based on the suitability of the building site, size of lot, view and other factors determining the desirability of good building sites. Interior lots shall not be approved if stormwater drainage cannot be disposed of on the lot, along driveways or on easements across adjoining lots, or if the runoff onto the interior lots from adjoining land will make it a poor building site.

I. Lots shall be designed to preserve the maximum of trees and other natural amenities. On larger lots the planning commission may require special setback lines to limit construction to the portion of the lot most suitable, to preserve trees, or to prevent unnecessary interference with views from other lots.

J. Except as covered by subsection I of this section, setbacks for front, rear and side yards of lots shall be prescribed in the zoning ordinance. Any special setback lines, not covered by such ordinance, shall be shown and dimensioned on the final map.

K. Each lot shall have a frontage on a public street of not less than 35 feet; provided, however:

1. A lot or building site may have a frontage of not less than 20 feet on a public street in cases where the lot or building site is classified as a flag lot; provided further, that the length of the corridor shall not exceed 300 feet.

2. A lot or building site that is part of a condominium or planned unit development may not be required to have frontage on a public street if the planning commission finds that the design provides a practical alternate method for obtaining pedestrian, utility and vehicular access to a public street for each such lot or building site.

(Prior code § 18-15)

A. All necessary easements for access, drainage and utilities shall be provided and shall be granted to the appropriate authority in the dedication certificate on the final map.

B. Existing easements at the time of recording shall be shown on the final map, together with adequate information on the holder of the easement and recording data on deed of conveyance thereof.

(Prior code § 18-16)