La Verne Municipal Code Art. I Design Standards

Any street or highway or other such thoroughfare shall conform as design and improvements to the general plan or any precise plan thereof, and to the standards and specifications of the city. Such standards and specification shall include fully landscaped medians as required along arterial and internal streets; peripheral landscape and streetscape on both sides of any street bordering a project; and decorative stanchions, bus benches, paving enhancement, and amenities consistent with the goals and policies of the community design element of the general plan.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

Nonaccess strips controlling access to streets or other public rights-of-way from adjoining property, or which will not prove taxable for special improvements, will not be approved unless such strips are necessary for the protection of the public welfare or of substantial property rights or both, and in no case unless the control and disposal of such strips is placed definitely within the jurisdiction of the city under conditions prescribed by the council.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

Part-width streets shall not be accepted except to give drainage outlet to what otherwise would be dead-end streets, or where, in the opinion of the approval body, extraordinary conditions make a strict conformance with this section impracticable.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

Where necessary to give access to or permit a satisfactory future subdivision of adjoining land, streets shall extend to the boundary line of the property. Where the dead-end street exceeds a length of two hundred feet (60.95 meters), provisions shall be made for the turning around of motor vehicles, which provision may be either or both the construction of a driveway approach in a lot adjacent to the end of such dead-end street, or a paved area on property abutting the end.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

Cul-de-sac streets shall not exceed six hundred feet in length, measured from the center line of the intersecting street to the end of the turnaround.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

Where lots in a subdivision front on any major or secondary highway, the council may require the dedication and improvement of a frontage road for access to the lots.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

When a subdivision does not abut upon a dedicated street, an access street to a dedicated street shall be provided by the subdivider. The access street shall be considered to be part of the subdivision and shall meet all requirements of the chapter for streets therein.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

The design and improvement of any private street shall be subject to all the requirements prescribed by this chapter for public streets.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

Whenever it is proposed to subdivide property abutting an approach to an existing grade separation, the subdivision shall be so arranged that any lot abutting such approach shall be suitable access elsewhere, and that the street layout adequately provides for and conforms to such approach.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

Where lots back up to a street or highway and where it is intended that there shall be no access from lots to the street or highway, a masonry wall not less than five feet (1.524 meters) nor more than six feet (1.8288 meters) in height shall be erected at the property line as a physical separation between the lots and the street or highway. In the case of peripheral walls, these walls shall be accompanied by architectural treatment, variation in plane and texture, and landscaped setbacks to the satisfaction of the community development director or designee. A minimum thirty-foot deep landscaped greenbelt (measured perpendicular to the right-of-way line) shall be provided along all principal street frontages in addition to the minimum parkway and sidewalk requirements of this code. The sidewalk and parkway may, with approval of the city engineer and subject to reciprocal access easements, be designed to meander across this landscaped zone, but in no case may be reduced below the minimum setback (plus sidewalk and parkway) as provided in this code.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

A. All facilities and wires for the supply and distribution of electrical energy, telephone, telegraph and cable television service to be constructed in the city on all undeveloped property which is subdivided in accordance with the Subdivision Map Act of the state for residential purposes shall be placed underground unless special permission to construct the facility above the ground is granted as provided in this article. For the purposes of this section, appurtenances and associated equipment such as, but not limited to, surface-mounted transformers, pedestal-mounted terminal boxes and meter cabinets, and concealed ducts in an underground system may be placed above ground. Any person subdividing land shall make necessary arrangements with the utility companies involved to provide for the underground installation of these facilities.

B. This section shall not apply to wires of continuous lead passing through an underground utility service area provided that the continuous lead is not used to serve the underground areas through which it passes.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

Where the enforcement of the provisions of this article would result in undue hardship, property owners may make application for exception from the provisions of this article in the following manner:

A. Written application shall be filed with the community development director.

B. Such application shall include all information necessary to properly apprise the community development director of the circumstances which require such an exception.

C. Within thirty days after the filing of such application, the community development director shall consider the application and shall make his or her recommendation to the city council.

D. Within thirty days after the receipt of the recommendation of the community development director, the city council shall consider the recommendation and may grant or deny the application.

E. The filing fee for this application for exception shall be established and set by the city council from time to time by resolution. The fee shall be paid to the city at the time of filing. No application shall be considered filed until the established fees have been paid.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

An alley may be required by the city council at the rear or side of lots where the property is to be used for multiple residential, commercial or industrial use, with adequate ingress and egress provided for vehicular traffic.

Notes:

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

Whenever it is proposed to subdivide property abutting a major or secondary highway, the circumstances of such property or of adjoining property render it inadvisable or impracticable to provide access to the lots along such highway by means of a frontage road, an alley shall be provided at the rear of the lots.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

All intersecting alleys shall have corner cutoffs of not less than fifteen feet (4.572 meters) on each alley.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

Alleys shall be a minimum of twenty feet (6.096 meters) in width and improved in accordance with the standards and specifications of the city.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

Easements shall conform to standards of location and width as set forth by the city, except easements intended for use by a public utility company, which easements shall conform to standards of locations and widths as prescribed by the public utility company for whose use the easement is intended.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

Sewer lines and underground public utilities shall not be on back or side lot easements unless specifically approved by the city.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

Easements for storm drains and flood control shall be provided within the subdivision when deemed necessary by the city.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

The size and dimensions of lots shall conform to the zoning provisions applicable in the area of the proposed subdivision.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

No lot shall be divided by a city or county boundary line. Each such boundary line shall be made a lot line.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

The side lines of all lots shall be approximately at right angles to the street which the lot faces or shall be radial or approximately radial if the street is curved.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

The provisions of Sections 16.28.200 through 16.28.220 shall not apply to any lot which is offered for public dedication.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

A. Length. Notwithstanding the cul-de-sac length provisions of Title 18 of this code, blocks shall not exceed one thousand three hundred twenty feet (402.336 meters) in length between street center lines except where topographical conditions or previous surrounding layout requires longer blocks.

B. Width. The width of each block shall be sufficient for an ultimate layout of two tiers of lots therein of a size required by zoning regulations, unless the surrounding layout, lines of ownership, or topographical conditions justify or make necessary a variation from this requirement.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)

The decisionmaking body, upon request of the community development director or designee, may require that the subdivider dedicate and improve integral walkways to city standards to provide more convenient access to a school, park, trail system or other public area. Such walkways shall be continuous landscaped belts no less than forty-five feet wide, and providing for grade separated crossings where required to pass across arterials as designated by the La Verne general plan. Equestrian or pedestrian trails may also be required. The design of these facilities shall be reviewed and approved by the development review committee.

(Ord. 858 § 3, 1994)