Lindsay Municipal Code § 17.28 Development Standards

Except where modified by the city council, each subdivision or parcel map subdivision and map thereof shall be in conformity with the standards set forth or referred to in this chapter.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.100), 1979)

All subdivisions shall result in the creation of lots which are developable and capable of being built upon. No subdivision shall create lots which are impractical of improvement due to size or shape, steepness of terrain, location of watercourses, problems of sewerage or driveway grades, or other natural physical conditions.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.200), 1979)

All lots or parcels created by the subdivision of land shall have access to a public street improved to standards required in this chapter. Private streets shall not normally be permitted. However, if the planning commission finds that the most logical development of the land requires that lots be created which are served by a private street or other means of access, and makes such findings in writing with the reasons therefor, then such access may be recommended by the planning commission. The subdivider shall submit a development plan showing the alignment, width, grade and material specifications of any proposed private street, the topography and means of access to each lot, drainage and sewerage of the lots served by the private street, and a plan satisfactory to the city council for ownership and maintenance of the street and the liability for taxes thereon. Construction of the private street or access shall be completed prior to occupancy of any buildings on lots served by a private street.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.300), 1979)

The size, shape and orientation of lots in the subdivision shall be appropriate to the location of the proposed subdivision and to the type of development contemplated. The following principles and standards shall be observed:

1. The minimum area and dimensions of all lots shall conform to the requirements of the zoning ordinance for the district in which the subdivision is located.
2. The sidelines of all lots, so far as possible, shall be at right angles to the street which the lot faces, or approximately radial to the center of curvature, if the street is curved. Side lines of lots shall be approximately radial to the center of curvature of a cul-de-sac on which the lot faces.
3. No residential lot shall have a width less than sixty feet at the building setback line, as set forth in the zoning ordinance.
4. Corner Lots for residential use shall be platted wider than interior lots in order to permit conformance with the required street side yard requirements of the zoning ordinance.
5. No lot shall have a depth of less than ninety-five feet.
6. No lot shall be divided by a city boundary line, nor any boundary between parcels registered under separate ownership. Each such boundary line shall be made a lot line.
7. A lot depth in excess of twice the width shall be avoided whenever possible.
8. No remnants of property shall be left in the subdivision which do not conform to lot requirements, or are not required for a private utility or public purpose.
9. Lot numbers shall begin with the number "1" and shall continue consecutively through the tract, with no omissions or duplications, and no block designations shall be used.
10. Lots having double frontage shall not be approved except where necessitated by topographic or other unusual conditions. The width of each block shall be sufficient for an ultimate layout of two tiers of lots therein of a size required by the provisions of this title unless the general layout in the vicinity, lines of ownership, topographical conditions, or locations of arterial streets or freeways justify or make necessary a variation from this requirement.
11. A flag lot shall only be permitted in hillside development where topographic conditions preclude direct lot frontage on the abutting street. In such case the access strip shall be not less than twenty feet in width and shall not exceed one lot in depth. In calculating the lot area of a flag lot, the square footage included in the access strip shall not be counted.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.400), 1979)

The subdivision design shall conform to the pattern of arterials designated in the general plan, and where applicable the environmental design plan, and to any future street plan lines designated by the planning commission and approved by the city council. Whenever a subdivision fronts on a designated arterial, it shall be included in the tract and shall be platted by the subdivider in the location indicated.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.500 (part)), 1979)

Where higher standards have net been established as specified in Section 17.28.050, all streets and arterials shall be platted according to the minimum set forth in Sections 17.28.070 through 17.28.130 except where it can be shown by the subdivider, to the satisfaction of the city council, that the topography or the small number of lots served and the probable future traffic development are such as to unquestionably justify a lesser standard. A planned community or planned unit development, if designed with a comprehensive circulation and parking system including separate pedestrianways, may also justify modification of standards. High standards may be required where streets are to serve commercial or industrial property or where probable traffic conditions warrant.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.500 (part)), 1979)

Right-of-way width shall be as follows:

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.500 (part)), 1979)

The street pattern in the subdivision shall be in general conformity with a plan for the most advantageous development of adjoining areas and the entire neighborhood or district. The following principles shall be observed:

1. Where appropriate to the design and terrain, proposed streets shall be continuous and in alignment with existing, planned or platted streets with which they are to connect.
2. Proposed streets shall be extended to the boundary lines of the land to be subdivided, unless prevented by topography or other physical conditions, or unless, in the opinion of the planning commission, the extension is not necessary for the coordination of the subdivision with the existing layout or the most advantageous future development of adjacent tracts.
3. Where necessary to give access to or permit a satisfactory subdivision of adjoining land, streets shall extend to the boundary of the property and the resulting dead-end streets may be approved with a temporary turnaround. In all other cases, a turnaround having a minimum pavement radius of forty-four feet measured to the face of the curb, shall be required.
4. Proposed streets shall intersect on another as nearly at right angles as topography and other limiting factors of good design permit. T intersections rather than cross intersections shall be used wherever possible.
5. Excessively long straight local residential streets, conducive to high-speed traffic, shall be prohibited.
6. Cul-de-sacs or dead-end streets should not be more than six hundred feet in length whenever possible.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.500 (part)), 1979)

1. All street names shall be approved by the planning commission. Duplication of existing names shall not be allowed unless the streets are approximately in alignment with existing streets and not so far removed as to be confusing.
2. Names of through streets in a north-south alignment shall be followed by the designation "Avenues" and the names of through streets in an east-west alignment shall be followed by the designation "Street."
3. Cul-de-sac streets in a north-south alignment shall be followed by the designations of either "Lane," "Circle" or "Court" and cul-de-sac streets in an east-west alignment shall be followed by the designations of either "Place," "Way" or "Drive."

(Ord. 391, 1984; Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.500 (part)), 1979)

1. Alleys shall be optional in residential subdivisions. The planning commission for any one of the following reasons may require alleys (if alleys are required, they shall be constructed to city standards):
2. Unusual size, shape or topographical character of the property to be subdivided;
3. The relationship to existing or proposed commercial, industrial or high density residential development or adjacent railroad right-of-way;
4. The special nature of the design or density of a residential subdivision where dwellings are grouped in such a manner as to require access from other than the street frontage;
5. The need to maintain continuity of existing alleys where the property to be subdivided is located immediately between existing residential blocks where alleys are provided.
6. Residential alleys shall have a minimum dedicated width of twenty feet.
7. Alleys shall be provided where needed to serve existing or proposed commercial or industrial areas and shall have a minimum dedicated width of thirty feet with adequate provisions for ingress and egress.
8. A twenty-foot corner diagonal cutoff measured along the property lines from the point of intersection will be required where two alleys intersect.
9. Alleys shall be so laid out and aligned as to provide reasonable access for utilities and other services.
10. Dead-end alleys shall be prohibited.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.500 (part)), 1979)

Subdivision design adjacent to arterials shall be as specified in the general plan, or the environmental design plan, and as determined by the planning commission. The following principles and standards shall be observed:

1. Street design shall have the purpose of making adjacent lots, if for residential use, desirable for such use by cushioning the impact of heavy traffic and of minimizing the interference with traffic on the arterials.
2. The number of intersecting streets along arterials shall be held to a minimum.
3. Frontage roads, if required, shall conform to the standards and shall be separated from the arterial or freeway by a strip of permanent landscaping, not less than ten feet in width, subject to approval by the planning director. Frontage roads shall enter arterials by means of intersections designed with turning and stacking capacity adequate for the traffic volume as estimated by the city engineer.
4. Where frontage roads are not required, residential lots adjacent to an arterial shall be served by a local residential street paralleling the arterial at a generous lot depth therefrom, or by a series of cul-de-sacs or loop streets extending towards the arterial from a collector street five hundred feet therefrom. In such cases, a wall or fence with masonry pillars of a design approved by the planning director shall be required at the rear of properties adjacent to the arterial. A strip of permanent landscaping within the arterial right-of-way not less than six feet in width, subject to approval of the planning director shall be required adjacent to the wall or fence, facing the arterial.
5. When the rear of any lot borders an arterial, the subdivider may be required to execute and deliver to the city an instrument, deemed sufficient by the city attorney, prohibiting the right of ingress and egress from the arterial to the lot.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.500 (part)), 1979)

Grades, curves and sight distances shall be subject to approval by the city engineer, to insure proper drainage and safety for vehicles and pedestrians. The following principles and minimum standards shall be observed:

1. Grades of streets shall not be less than two-tenths percent and not greater than seven percent, unless because of topographical conditions or other exceptional conditions, the city engineer determines that a grade less than two-tenths percent or in excess of seven percent is necessary.
2. Whenever any street intersects an arterial street or state highway, the property lines at the intersection shall be rounded with a curve having a radius of not less than thirty feet. On all other street intersections, the property line at each block corner shall be rounded with a curve having a radius of not less than twenty feet. In either case, a greater curve radius may be required if streets intersect at other than right angles.
3. The centerline curve radius on all streets and highways shall conform to accepted engineering standards of design.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.500 (part)), 1979)

The following principles and standards shall apply to the design and installation of curbs, sidewalks and pedestrianways:

1. Vertical curbs and gutters as shown on the city's standard detail drawings shall be required in all subdivisions, except for the exceptions specified in this section.
2. Sidewalks shall be required on both sides of the street in any subdivision.
3. The planning commission may recommend that sidewalks be omitted in a subdivision or section thereof in which all lots have an area of one-half acre or more, or in a planned community or planned unit development having an internal pedestrian system; provided, that the planning commission finds that the public safety is not jeopardized by the omission.
4. When required for access to schools, playgrounds, shopping centers, transportation facilities, other community facilities, or for unusually long blocks, the subdivider shall construct pedestrianways not less than twenty feet in width, provided with fencing, landscaping and a pavement not less than ten feet in width.
5. Sidewalks shall normally be located within the street right-of-way as shown on the city's standard detail drawings.
6. For lots containing trees with a trunk diameter of four inches or greater, curb cuts for driveways shall be so located as to ensure the preservation of the trees.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.500 (part)), 1979)

In case any portion of a planned community or planned unit development of a subdivision having lots not less than one-half acre in area is situated on land having an average slope of ten percent or more, the planning commission may recommend modification of the foregoing requirements of this chapter in a manner that will result in the best possible utilization of the land to be subdivided giving consideration to the topography and natural cover of the land and the general character of the proposed subdivision. The following principles and standards shall be observed:

Street grades for other than arterial or collector streets may be increased to a maximum of twenty percent grade.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.600), 1979)

Landscaping by the subdivider shall be required in all subdivisions. Substantial trees shall be planted throughout the development in all front yard setbacks, at least one five-gallon tree provided on each lot. Specimen trees, approved by the planning director, of no less than ten-gallon container size, may be required at least every thirty feet along the setback adjacent to, but not within, the right-of-way of a designated arterial, secondary and collector street.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.700), 1979)

1. All utility distribution facilities shall be placed underground.
2. Utility easements shall be provided within the subdivision where required for public utility purposes. Modification of the easement width requirement may be granted only when approved by both the city engineer and the public utility or utilities concerned.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.800), 1979)

The subdivider shall dedicate a right-of-way for storm drainage conforming substantially with the lines of any natural watercourse or channel, stream or creek that traverses the subdivision, or at the option of the planning commission the subdivider shall provide by dedication further and sufficient easements or construction, or both, to dispose of the surface and storm water.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.900), 1979)

Blocks shall normally have sufficient width for an ultimate layout of two tiers of lots of the size required by the provisions of the zoning ordinance.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.1000), 1979)

Blocks shall not normally exceed nine hundred feet in length between street lines, or be less than four hundred thirty feet, except in hillside developments or where subdivisions containing parcels of one-half acre or larger justify or require a variation from this requirement.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.1100), 1979))

A one-foot reserve strip shall be provided at the dead-end of a stubbed street or at the edge of a partial width street and shall be offered for dedication to the city for future street purposes and show on the final map.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.1200), 1979)

The subdivider shall reserve sites, appropriate in area and location, for necessary and desirable residential facilities, such as schools, parks, playgrounds and shopping centers. Such sites shall be located in accordance with the principles and standards contained in this chapter or expressed in the general or environmental design plans. School sites shall be dedicated in accordance with the provisions of the Subdivision Map Act. Recreation sites shall be dedicated in accordance with the provisions of the Subdivision Map Act or in the alternative pay the fee required in this chapter.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.1300(part)), 1979)

The neighborhood facilities needed shall be determined on the basis of the estimated number of families in the area to be served by the facilities.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.1300 (part)), 1979)

The delineating of service areas determining the need for residential facilities at the district or community level shall be based on the general or environmental design plans, if applicable. The "planning neighborhood" will normally provide the basis for estimating the number of families to be served by facilities at the local level. A "planning neighborhood" shall insofar as possible exhibit the following characteristics:

1. It is bounded, rather than bisected, by major thoroughfares or other substantial land use or natural barriers to pedestrian traffic;
2. It is usually not over a mile in extent in any direction;
3. It contains a minimum of five hundred families.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.1300 (part), 1979)

The following principles and standards are intended to serve as a general guide in determining the residential facilities for which sites normally will be required:

1. An elementary school site of approximately ten acres will be required for each six hundred families or more or less, required to be served by the school. The school site shall be central to the population to be served and shall not face on an arterial.
2. Whenever possible, playground and neighborhood recreation areas shall be developed in conjunction with elementary school sites. A park site, if required, shall not normally be less than five acres in area, and the sites shall specifically include areas with natural advantages for park development.
3. Where natural waterways are included within the boundaries of a subdivision, such areas shall be reserved for public use, including recreation and the disposal of storm waters. These purposes may be accomplished through dedication and/or storm drainage and scenic easements.
4. A site of two to five acres including off-street parking and landscaping will normally be required for a local shopping center to serve a population of one thousand to two thousand families.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.1300(part)), 1979)

1. Pursuant to the Subdivision Map Act, as amended, the recreation element of the general plan and park and recreation facilities, standards and principles in the general or environmental design plans, a subdivider, as a condition of approval of a final subdivision map, shall dedicate land, pay a fee in lieu thereof, or both, at the option of the city council, for park or recreation purposes according to the following standards:
2. For subdivisions of one hundred lots or more the subdivider shall dedicate land or pay a fee, or both, in such ratio as the planning commission deems most desirable. Dedication of land shall be at the rate of not less than two acres of land per one hundred lots in the subdivision or ten percent of the total area in the subdivision, whichever is greater. The rate for payment shall be established from time to time by city council resolution.
3. For subdivisions containing between fifty and one hundred lots, the subdivider shall dedicate land, or pay a fee, or both, in such ratio as the planning commission deems most desirable. The rates for dedication and payment shall be established by city council resolutions.
4. For proposed condominium or multifamily developments, the number of dwelling units proposed shall be considered as the number of lots for the requirements specified in this section, or if no particular number of dwelling units is proposed, the requirements shall be based on the number of dwelling units per acre permitted in the zoning regulations which apply to the land to be subdivided.
5. All land to be dedicated for park or recreational purposes shall be found to be suitable by the planning commission and the park and recreation commission as to location, parcel size and topography for the park and recreation purposes for which it is indicated in the general plan or the environmental design plan. Such purposes may include active recreation facilities such as playgrounds, playfields, pedestrian or bicycle paths or areas of particular natural beauty, including hilltops and natural watercourses to be developed or left in their natural state.
6. Land to be dedicated may include all of a proposed park or recreational facility, or may include only part of a facility. Such partial dedication may be added to by public land purchase or by dedication of additional land on adjoining property not owned by the subdivider.
7. At the time of approval of the final subdivision map, the city shall specify when development of the park or recreational facility shall begin and be completed.
8. The provisions of this section shall not normally apply to industrial subdivisions; however, the planning commission may recommend as a condition of approval, the dedication by an industrial subdivider of that portion of a stream bed or drainage channel falling within an industrial subdivision when such portion forms part of an open space network designated in the general plan or an environmental design plan.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.1400), 1979)

The street and lot layout of a nonresidential subdivision shall be appropriate to the land use for which the subdivision is proposed, and shall conform to the proposed land use and standards established in the general plan, the environmental design plans and the zoning ordinance.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.1500 (part)), 1979)

Nonresidential subdivisions shall include industrial tracts, and may include commercial tracts.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.1500 (part)), 1979)

In addition to the principles and standards in this title which are appropriate to the planning of all subdivisions, the subdivider shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the planning commission that the street, parcel and block pattern proposed is specifically adapted to the uses anticipated and takes into account other uses in the vicinity. The following principles and standards shall be observed:

1. Proposed industrial parcels shall be suitable in area and dimensions to the types of industrial development anticipated;
2. Street rights-of-way and pavement shall be adequate to accommodate the type and volume of traffic anticipated to be generated thereon;
3. Special requirements may be imposed by the city with respect to street, curb, gutter, walk design, building design, construction and landscaping;
4. Special requirements may be imposed by the city with respect to the installation of public utilities including water, sewer and storm water drainage;
5. Every effort shall be made to protect adjacent residential areas from potential nuisance from the proposed nonresidential subdivisions, including the provision of extra depth in parcels backing up on existing or potential residential development and provisions for a permanently landscaped buffer strip when necessary;
6. Streets carrying nonresidential traffic, especially truck traffic, shall not normally be extended to the boundaries of adjacent existing or potential residential areas, or connected to streets intended for predominantly residential traffic;
7. Subdivisions for proposed commercial development shall take into account and specifically designate all areas proposed for vehicular circulation and parking, for pedestrian circulation, and for buffer strips and other landscaping.

(Ord. 341 § 1 (19.7.1500 (part)), 1979)