407.03: DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS: — Porterville Zoning Code

A. Streets and Highways.

The street and highway design shall conform both in width and alignment with any general plan circulation element, precise street plans and other precise plans adopted by the City Council, and right-of-way for any such street or highway indicated on the General Plan or precise plans shall be dedicated to the city by the subdivider.
Streets and highways not otherwise designated on the Circulation Element of the General Plan shall not be less than those set forth in this section, except where it can be shown by the subdivider that the topography of the land is such as to justify narrower width. Increased widths may be required for bicycle lanes and, when determined necessary, by the City Council in the public interest. Approval or determination of street classification shall be made by the City Council.

a. Major arterial/major thoroughfare rights-of-way shall not be less than one hundred sixteen (116) feet in width.
b. Minor arterial/minor thoroughfare rights-of-way shall not be less than ninety-four (94) feet in width.
c. Collectors without on-street parking rights-of-way shall not be less than fifty-four (54) feet in width.
d. Collectors with median and without on-street parking rights-of-way shall not be less than sixty-five (65) feet in width.
e. Collectors with on-street parking rights-of-way shall not be less than sixty- eight (68) feet in width.
f. Local residential rights-of-way shall not be less than fifty-six (56) feet in width.
g. Local commercial street rights-of-way shall not be less than sixty (60) feet in width.
h. Cul-de-sac or other dead-end street (that will not provide future access) serving less than ten (10) homes shall not be less than forty-seven (47) feet in width.

Relationship to Existing Streets. The street system in the proposed subdivision shall relate functionally to the existing streets in the area adjoining the subdivision and be designed to maximize access points to existing local and collector streets.
Center Lines. The center lines of all streets, wherever practicable, shall be the continuations of the center lines of existing streets, or shall be offset at least one hundred fifty (150) feet.
Intersections. Each street intersection shall be as near to a right angle as is practicable, and no intersection of streets at angles less than sixty (60) degrees shall be approved, unless necessitated by topographical conditions as determined by the Engineering and Project Management Director.
Corner Cut-Offs. At street intersections, the block corners shall have a corner cut- off sufficient to accommodate a City Standard Street Intersection Return, inclusive of a wheelchair ramp.
Cul-de-Sac or Dead-End Streets. Cul-de-sac or dead-end street shall be no more than six hundred (600) feet in length and shall have a turnaround having a minimum radius of 47 feet, measured to the property line, and minimum of forty (40) feet to curb face unless the Engineering and Project Management Director determines that such turnaround is not necessary. a. Culs-de-sac streets in the residential zone districts may be permissible at a ratio of twenty (20) percent of lots to be served. When included in a land division, cul-de-sac streets shall be developed in such a manner as to provide bicycle and pedestrian pass-through to another street or cul-de-sac. A cul-de-sac may be approved subject to these requirements for unusual shaped parcels to maximize development potential. Dead end streets may be allowed to permit satisfactory future development of adjacent un- or under-developed property.

b. Culs-de-sac and dead end streets shall be avoided in all other districts. If culs-de-sac and dead end streets cannot be avoided, bicycle and pedestrian connections shall be provided from the cul-de-sac or dead end street to nearby public areas and city streets.

Curve Radius. The center line curve radius on all streets shall be designed in accordance with acceptable safe engineering practices. In no case shall the curve radius for an arterial be less than five hundred (500) feet. Center line curve radius on all other streets shall not be less than two hundred (200) feet.
Frontage Streets. When any lots front or side on any arterial, collector, expressway or freeway, the subdivider may be required to dedicate and improve a frontage street to provide ingress to and egress from such lots. Residential properties shall not take access to/from arterial or collector streets.
Private Roads and Alleys. Private roads and alleys shall not be permitted unless a Conditional Use Permit is approved by the City Council and, if approved, all private roads or alleys shall be constructed to city standards. Private roads and alleys shall also comply with Section 408.01(e) Warranty and Reserves.
Grades of Streets. Streets shall not be less than 0.2 percent and not greater than seven (7) percent, unless because of topographical conditions or other exceptional conditions the Engineering and Project Management Director determines that a grade less than 0.2 percent, or in excess of seven (7) percent, is necessary.
Fire Hydrants. The position of any street within twenty (20) feet of a fire hydrant shall not have a grade in excess of seven (7) percent to allow for the positioning of a fire suppression unit.
Access on Arterials. Arterial streets shall not be used to provide direct access to individual single-family residential lots. When the rear or side of any lot borders an arterial, the subdivider may be required to execute and deliver to the city an instrument prohibiting the right of vehicular ingress and egress from said arterial to said lot.
Access on Collectors. The use of a collector as primary direct access to individual single-family residential lots shall not be allowed. When the rear or side of any lot borders a collector, the subdivider may be required to execute and deliver to the city an instrument prohibiting the right of vehicular ingress and egress from said collector to said lot.

a. Exception: Access to collectors may be allowed for parcel maps on lands that cannot be divided further. The infill lots shall have a single or shared driveway that is designed and constructed in such a way that it prevents vehicles from backing onto the public rights of way.

B. Alleys:

A developer may propose, or the City Council may require, alleys, for any of the following reasons, (if alleys are required, they shall be constructed to city standards):

a. Unusual size, shape or topographical character of the property to be subdivided.
b. The relationship to existing or proposed commercial, industrial or high density residential development or adjacent railroad right-of-way.

c. 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.

d. 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.

Residential alleys shall have a minimum dedicated width of twenty (20) feet.
Alleys shall be provided where needed to serve existing or proposed commercial or industrial areas, and shall have a minimum dedicated width of thirty (30) feet, with adequate provisions for ingress and egress.
A twenty (20) foot corner diagonal right-of-way cutoff, measured along the property lines from the point of intersection, will be required where two (2) alleys intersect. An ADA compliant accessibility ramp shall be constructed pursuant to the city design standards.
Alleys shall be so laid out and aligned as to provide reasonable access for utilities and other services.
Dead-end alleys shall be prohibited.

C. Pedestrian Ways.

Pedestrian ways ten (10) feet or more in width may be required:

a. Through the middle of blocks that are more than six hundred (600) feet in length;
b. To connect culs-de-sac;
c. To provide access to playgrounds, parks, schools, shopping centers, or similar community facilities; and/or
d. To provide access to trails or bikeways shown in the General Plan.

The subdivider shall install paving, lighting, landscaping, and fences as approved by the City Council or Parcel Map Committee unless otherwise waived.

D. Bikeways. Bikeways shall be required in all locations shown in the General Plan or as approved by the City Council or Parcel Map Committee. Bikeway width, paving, landscaping, fencing, and signs shall be as approved by the City Council or Parcel Map Committee.

C. Trails. Trails shall be developed in all areas identified in the General Plan, and along all watercourses as shown in the General Plan Land Use Diagram. Where trails are incorporated in a project design, adequate line of sight and building orientation shall be provided to ensure that no more than thirty (30) percent of the length of the trail is not visible from the front yard setback of an adjacent parcel, with no segment of the trail greater than 180 feet not visible from the front yard setback of an adjacent parcel.

D. Street Names.

All street names shall be approved by the City Council. 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.
Names of through streets in a north-south alignment shall be followed by the designation “street,” and the names of through streets in an east-west alignment shall be followed by the designation “avenue.”
Cul-de-sac streets in a north-south alignment shall be followed by the designations of either “place,” “way” or “drive,” and cul-de-sac streets in an east-west alignment shall be followed by the designations of either “lane,” “circle” or “court.”

E. Blocks.

Block Length. Blocks shall not exceed six hundred (600) feet in length, unless existing adjacent property alignment, topographic, or traffic conditions justify a variation. Blocks longer than six hundred (600) feet in length shall provide midblock pedestrian crossings so that there is no more than six hundred (600) feet of continuous block without a pedestrian crossing. Blocks in the Hillside Zone Overlay are exempt from the block length limitations and requirement for mid- block crossings.
Block Width. The width of each block shall be sufficient for an ultimate layout of two (2) tiers of lots, therein of a size required by the provisions of this chapter, unless the conditions justify or make necessary a variation from this requirement, such as development adjacent to an arterial.

F. Lots.

Lot Width. Each residential lot or parcel shall have frontage width of not less than that required by this Ordinance except as approved by the City Council as provided for in Section 400.05, Authority to Vary Regulations.
Lot Depth. Lot depths shall not exceed two and one-half (2.5) times the proposed lot width except where existing topography makes such dimensions infeasible.
Lot Area. The area of all lots shall comply with the requirements of this Ordinance relative to each particular zoning district.
Lot Frontage. Lots shall have a single frontage on a street; double frontage lots or lots without street frontage will not be permitted except where, in the opinion of the Parcel Map Committee or City Council, topographic or unusual physical conditions justify a deviation from this rule.
Flag Lot. Residential flag lots may be permitted with a Parcel Map, if it meets the standard requirements for lot width and lot depth. In measuring lot depth for a flag lot, the un-developable access strip shall not count toward lot depth, nor shall it be considered in calculating the depth to width ratio described in subsection (2) Lot Depth, above.
Side Lines. The side lines of lots shall, wherever practicable, be required to run at right angles or radially to the street upon which the lot faces.
Lot Numbering. Lot numbers shall begin with the numeral “1", and shall continue consecutively through all of the units of the tract with no omissions or duplications, and no block numbers shall be used.
Division of Lots. No lot shall be divided by a county, city, school, or any other taxing district boundary lines.
Suitability of Lots. All lots shall be suitable for the purpose for which they are intended to be used. Land subject to flooding or deemed by the Parcel Map Committee or City Council to be non-buildable shall be indicted on the final map.
Land Remnants. All remnants of below-minimum size left over after the subdivision of a larger tract must be added to adjacent lots rather than allowed to remain as unusable parcels.

G. Access Limitation Strips.

A one (1) foot access limitation 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.
Access limitation strips shall be designated on the final map of the subdivisions and shall be specifically referred to in dedication and acceptance certificates.

H. Landscaping and Lighting Maintenance Districts. Each subdivision shall be subject to the creation of a Landscaping and Lighting Maintenance District in compliance with the Landscaping and Lighting Act of 1972 (Streets and Highways Code §22500 et seq.) to address the extension of improvements such as but not limited to lighting, common landscape areas, including pocket parks, perimeter walls, drainage systems beneficial to specific subdivision, drainage reservoirs, and open space areas, and the maintenance of such facilities through appropriate mechanisms as approved by the City Attorney. If a Landscaping and Lighting Maintenance District, Benefit Assessment District, or similar district is required, the following standards apply:

Prior to the approval of improvement plans for a development, the applicant shall submit the following information for the establishment of a landscaping and lighting maintenance district, the extension of the subject improvements into the assessment area, and the maintenance of the improvements once constructed:

a. A petition on a form provided by the city requesting to have the subdivision placed in a district at the time the final map is approved by the city.

b. Completed and approved landscaping and lighting improvement plans, and legal description.

The district shall be established, or the annexation into an existing district concluded, and improvements completed and accepted concurrently with the other improvements in the subdivision.
Exclusive of assessments for a district, the applicant shall pay all service fees and maintain all new district improvements in a safe and healthy manner for the greater of a ninety (90) day plant establishment period following acceptance of the subdivision improvements, or until assessment begins for the district.

I. Waiver of Right to Protest District Formation. Prior to final map approval, each subdivider shall record a document waiving their right to protest a new assessment or an assessment increase equal to or less than a CPI adjustment for a citywide Landscaping and Lighting Maintenance District or other maintenance district when at least fifty percent plus one (50% +

of the city is already in such district under the provisions of Government Code Section 53753.

J. Grading and Erosion Control. Every map approved pursuant to this Series shall be conditioned on compliance with the requirements for grading and erosion control, including the prevention of sedimentation or damage to off-site property, set forth in of the California Building Code of the most recently adopted edition. Steep terrain and other topographical features may limit the abilities of a subdivider to perform mass grading operations. At the discretion of the Engineering and Project

Management Director, individual grading plans for each individual lot may be submitted with the building permit in lieu of a mass grading plan normally submitted with the improvement plans.

K. Protection of Natural Features and Trees.

Natural Features. Significant rock outcroppings and other unusual land forms shall be shown and identified on the tentative map and on improvement and landscape plans. Such features shall be preserved as required by the Parcel Map Committee or City Council.
Trees.

a. All existing trees six (6) inches in diameter or over shall be shown on the tentative map with a notation as to the size, species and dripline. Trees that are part of an agricultural crop may be shown as the outer extent of the planting with a notation as to the species and average tree size and dripline.

b. Existing trees six (6) inches or over in diameter may be required to be preserved. In cases where tree preservation is required, all grading and necessary tree trimming shall be conducted in accordance with an arborist’s recommendations for tree preservation.

c. Trees within a proposed public right-of-way shall be removed only for good cause to protect the public safety or to allow the installation of adequate public facilities as may be approved by the City Engineer and the Zoning Administrator.

L. Storm Water Management Plan. Every map approved pursuant to this Series shall be conditioned to comply with the requirements of the City’s Storm Water Management Plan, which includes measures that control construction site run-off and post-construction run-off.

M. Watercourses.

In accordance with Sections 66478.1 through 66478.10 inclusive of the Subdivision Map Act, if the land division will front upon a public waterway, river, or stream, as defined in Section 66478.4(c), access routes and easements along the bank shall be provided as follows:

a. The land division shall provide, or have available, reasonable public access by fee or easement from a public highway to that portion of the bank of such river or stream bordering or lying within the proposed land division, as determined by the Parcel Map Committee or City Council in accordance with Section 66478.5 of the California Government Code;

b. The land division shall provide for a dedication of a public easement along a portion of the bank of such river or stream bordering or lying within the proposed land division, as determined by the City Council in accordance with Section 66478.5 of the California Government Code; and

c. The Parcel Map Committee or City Council shall determine the governmental entity to which such access route or easement shall be dedicated, and all dedications shall be in accordance with Section 66478.6 of the California Government Code.

In accordance with Section 66478.12 of the California Government Code, if the land division will front upon any lake or reservoir that is owned in part or entirely by any public agency, including but not limited to the United States, State of California, or the City of Porterville, the land division shall be provided with or have available reasonable access by fee or easement from public highways to the water of the lake or reservoir upon which the land division borders either within the land division or a reasonable distance from the land division, as determined by the City Council or the Parcel Map Committee, as appropriate, in accordance with said statute. The Parcel Map Committee or City Council shall determine the governmental entity to which such dedication shall be made.
If a land division is traversed by a river, stream, or creek, the subdivider shall leave such river, stream, or creek in its natural condition whenever practical. Sufficient right-of-way shall be dedicated to the city or other public entity and improved for flood control purposes as necessary to accommodate flows of water that would be generated by a flood of one hundred (100) year frequency. In the event that a land division is to front upon a river, stream, or creek, the provisions of this

paragraph shall apply to that portion of the bank thereof bordering or lying within the proposed land division. The Parcel Map Committee or City Council shall determine the governmental entity to which such dedication shall be made.

The City Council may disapprove a tentative map because of flood hazard and inundation, and/or require protective improvements to be constructed as a condition precedent to approval of the map.

N. Drainage Reservoirs.

Temporary drainage reservoirs will only be allowed in areas where it has been determined by the Engineering and Project Management Director that it is not practical to implement the intent of the latest adopted version of the Storm Drain Master Plan. Landscape and irrigation systems shall be installed as approved by the Director of Parks and Leisure Services. Maintenance of these facilities shall be part of the maintenance district created for the benefit of the subdivision.
Temporary drainage reservoirs may be approved until such time as Storm Drain Master facilities are available for connection and shall be granted to the city as an easement.
Drainage Reservoirs designated in the Storm Drain Master Plan shall be considered permanent facilities and title of the land shall be held by the city in fee. Property acquisitions shall be in the form of a dedication or purchased in accordance with the City’s Storm Drain Master Plan and City’s Property and Right-of-Way Acquisitions Policy and Procedures Manual. Landscaping and irrigation systems shall be installed as approved by the Director of Parks and Leisure Services. (Ord. 1870, 6-2-2020)