Irvine Municipal Code Ch. 3-32 Streetscapes and Public Right-of-Way Standards

A. Applicability. These regulations apply to all streetscapes, including public or private planning area edges and parkways. Conformance with these requirements will be determined in accordance with the procedures for Master Plans in Chapter 2-17 and any other required permits and reviews.

B. Streetscape requirements.

1. Required planning area edge. A planning area edge with an average width of 30 feet and a minimum width of 20 feet as measured from the right-of-way line shall be provided adjacent to the boundaries of a planning area, except within Planning Area 4 (Lower Peters Canyon) and Planning Areas 30 and 51 (Orange County Great Park). Averaging does not apply to special landscaped streets as specified in Section 3-15-9. The planning area edge shall be entirely landscaped; no parking areas or buildings are permitted in the planning area edge. Access drives, walks and signs are permitted subject to approval.

a. Planning Area 4. For setback requirements within Planning Area 4 (Lower Peters Canyon), see Section 9-4-7.C.1 and Exhibits 3a, 3b, and 8b.

b. Planning Areas 30 and 51. For setback requirements within Planning Areas 30 and 51, see the Orange County Great Park Streetscape Plan.

2. Required landscaping. All publicly owned areas shall be landscaped in accordance with the landscape design manual and any other policies.

C. Street maintenance (during construction). Prior to the commencement of any grading activity or the construction of new structures within the City, a surety bond may be required by the Director of Community Development to guarantee the sweeping and cleanup of streets affected by construction activities. The amount of the deposit shall be determined by the Director of Community Development. If it becomes necessary for the City to use any portion of this bond, the property owner/applicant shall restore the bond to the original amount within 10 days of receipt of written request from the City. The bond will be returned to the property owner/applicant at the time of exoneration of security.

D. Improvements within public right-of-way.

1. Landscaping improvements (including trees, shrubs, grass, etc.) may be permitted in the right-of-way subject to the approval by the City Engineer of a construction permit.

2. Improvements requiring encroachment permits. The following items may be located in the public right-of-way subject to the approval of an encroachment permit:

a. Utility lines, vaults, etc. This includes facilities and equipment owned by the following companies/agencies providing the following service: electric, gas, water, sewer, telephone, and cable television. Above ground utility equipment shall be screened to the extent feasible using any combination of shrubs, trees, decorative walls, or slopes.

b. Sidewalks, driveways, and walkways.

c. Bus shelters and benches.

(Code 1976, § V.E-322; Ord. No. 92-3, 4-14-92; Ord. No. 94-7, § 3, 6-14-94; Ord. No. 97-05, 5-13-97; Ord. No. 97-06, § 3, 5-13-97; Ord. No. 03-18, § 4, 6-10-03; Ord. No. 05-13, § 4, 7-12-05; Ord. No. 12-09, § 3(Exh. A), 5-22-12)