All land to be subdivided shall be suited to the purpose for
which it is to be used, whether for residential, business or industrial
uses. All subdivisions shall conform to the following requirements
for land use, lot sizes, etc.
A.
Business or industrial blocks shall be of such size and shape as
may be suitable for their prospective use and shall provide sufficient
space for off-street parking and loading.
B.
The width of any block shall be sufficient to permit at least two
tiers of lots of appropriate depth, except where double-frontage lots
bordering an arterial street are used or where special terrain problems
exist.[1]
C.
Lots shall be laid out and graded to provide positive drainage away
from buildings and water wells.
E.
Every lot shall abut on a proposed public street, with the possible
exception of suitably designed residential courts or parking areas
having acceptable means of access.
F.
Side lot lines shall be substantially at right angles or radial to
street right-of-way lines.
G.
If remnants of land exist after subdividing, they shall be suitably
incorporated in existing or proposed lots or dedicated to public use
if acceptable for such public use.
I.
Easements for public utilities shall have a minimum width satisfactory
to all agencies providing such utility service. Whenever possible,
utility easements shall extend along rear property lines. (All utilities
shall be underground and below surface depth approved by the Planning
and Zoning Commission. All plats shall reflect that utility service
shall be underground.) Alleys must be utilized in lieu of such easements
in all lot lines separating residential from commercial zoning.
J.
Public spaces and open spaces will be required to be dedicated as
indicated in the Comprehensive Plan. The Commission will designate
what areas are to be so reserved and dedicated to such use. In no
case may such land dedication exceed 5% of the total area of the subdivision
except as noted elsewhere under this section.
A.
In reviewing subdivision plats, the Planning and Zoning Commission
shall consider the adequacy of existing or proposed community facilities
to serve the additional dwellings proposed by the subdivision.
B.
Subdividers, especially when designing for large tracts of land,
shall provide areas for community facilities normally considered desirable
for serving residential areas, such as parks, playgrounds, athletic
fields, schools, churches, libraries, shopping and local business
centers. The Commission shall determine the amounts and designate
which areas are entirely public and should be dedicated.
C.
Areas provided or reserved for such community facilities shall be
adequate to provide for building sites, play areas, landscaping and
off-street parking as may be necessary for the use(s) proposed. Subdividers
should confer with the Commission prior to preparation of final plats
in order to develop suitable plans for providing community facilities.
D.
Areas for community facilities may be provided through dedication
or sale to a private agency, including a property owners' association.
In all cases, suitable arrangements shall be made, fixing responsibility
for sponsoring and continued maintenance of community facilities.
E.
Subdivisions shall conform to the Comprehensive Plan with regard
to parks, recreation areas and facilities.
The arrangement, character, extent, width, grade and location
of all streets shall conform to the Comprehensive Plan where applicable.
Where not shown on the Comprehensive Plan, the arrangement and other
design standards of streets shall conform to the provisions found
herein.
A.
In general, all streets shall be continuous and in alignment with
existing streets and shall compose a convenient system to ensure circulation
of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, with the exception that local
streets shall be so laid out, including the use of loop streets and
culs-de-sac, that their use by through traffic will be discouraged.
B.
Streets shall be logically related to the topography so as to produce
usable lots and reasonable grades. However, grades will not go beyond
the limits listed below:
|
Maximum Grade
|
Minimum Grade
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Arterial
|
6%
|
0.25%
| |
|
Collector
|
7%
|
0.25%
| |
|
Local
|
10%
|
0.25%
|
C.
Where a subdivision abuts or contains an existing or proposed arterial
street, the Commission may require double-frontage lots in order to
protect residential areas from heavy traffic and also to provide separation
between local and through street traffic.[1]
E.
Dead-end streets shall be prohibited except as stubs to permit future
street extension into an adjoining tract and when designed as culs-de-sac.
Temporary turnarounds shall be required and shown by a dashed line
having a fifty-foot radius.
F.
Culs-de-sac shall not exceed 700 feet in length as measured from
the center line of the intersecting street to the center of its circular
turnaround and shall furnish access to not more than 15 dwelling units.
G.
The terminus of a cul-de-sac shall have a circular turnaround having
a minimum radius to the outside edge of the paving or curb of 40 feet
and a right-of-way having a minimum radius of 50 feet.
H.
Every subdivision shall have access to at least one public street
or way.
I.
Local streets shall be designed so as to discourage through traffic,
for which purpose loop streets and culs-de-sac may be used.
J.
Alleys are intended to provide secondary access to business and industrial
properties for deliveries and may be permitted in residential areas,
but in no case shall an alley provide the only means of access to
a lot.
K.
Crosswalks are intended to provide pedestrian circulation through
large blocks or in developments where it is desired to separate pedestrian
from vehicular traffic.
L.
Streets shall be laid out to intersect as nearly as possible at right
angles. No street shall intersect another at less than 75°.
M.
Intersections of more than two streets (four-way intersections) shall
be avoided. Where this proves impossible, such intersections shall
be designed with care for safety, and suitable curbs, barriers, signs,
and other devices may be required. Four-way intersections shall be
kept to a minimum in residential areas.
N.
Clear sight triangles at intersections shall be provided. A line
joining two points, each 25 feet from opposing curblines of an intersection,
shall be kept clear of all objects over three feet high or have a
clearance of at least eight feet beneath the object.[3]
O.
Streets shall have a grade not to exceed 4% for a distance within
25 feet of the nearest street right-of-way line of any intersecting
street.
P.
Streets entering opposite sides of another street shall be laid out
either directly opposite one another or else shall have a minimum
offset of 150 feet between their center lines.
R.
Whenever street lines are deflected in excess of 5°, connection
shall be by horizontal curves.
S.
All streets shall be named, and such names shall be placed on street
signs in a manner satisfactory to the Commission.
T.
The entire right-of-way in each street in a proposed subdivision
shall be cleared of all trees, stumps, brush and debris, and graded
to standards set forth in this chapter by the developer. The Commission
shall have the right to waive this requirement where exceptionally
fine tree specimens exist in the right-of-way.[5]
U.
Minimum curb or pavement-edge radii at street intersections shall
be 15 feet for intersections of a local street with another local
street or a local street with an arterial street or a local street
with an alley.
V.
Where the grade of the street is above or below the grade of the
adjacent land, walls or slopes shall be constructed in a manner satisfactory
to the City Council or its authorized representative and shall be
sufficient to support the street or the adjacent land, as the case
may be, and provide necessary lot access.
W.
Street shoulders shall be constructed with suitable materials from
roadway or structure excavation supplemented by additional suitable
material, as directed, from borrow excavation; the entire shoulder
area shall be uniformly and thoroughly compacted.
X.
Drainage gutters and facilities of sufficient size and depth shall
be constructed to efficiently remove all groundwater and surface water
flow to a sufficient depth within the right-of-way.
Y.
Embankments at the sides of streets and cross sections of drainage
ditches shall not exceed a maximum slope of three feet horizontal
to one foot vertical in a full section; special cases may require
more rigid standards.
Z.
Earth slopes or cuts having a steepness greater than 4:1 should be
part of the dedicated right-of-way whenever they abut said right-of-way
line.
A.
Suitable drainage structures, culverts, storm sewers, ditches and
related installations shall be provided to ensure adequate drainage
of all low points along the line of streets and to intercept stormwater
runoff along streets at intervals reasonably related to the extent
and grade of the area drained and meets the design standard by the
requirements of a storm of one-hundred-year frequency or as required
by the Municipal Engineer.[1]
B.
In the design of storm sewerage installations, special consideration
shall be given to the avoidance of problems which may arise from concentration
of stormwater over adjacent properties.
C.
Where a natural watercourse is retained as a drainage channel, an
appropriate right-of-way of not less than 12 feet shall be provided.
D.
Drainage ditches or channels within the street right-of-way shall
be installed with a consideration for traffic safety; no such ditch
or channel shall be installed at an elevation more than three feet
below the elevation of the adjacent street paving edge.
E.
Drainage ditches or channels shall have a minimum gradient of 0.25%.
A.
It shall be the responsibility of the subdivider to provide all necessary
easements for the installation of all public utilities (telephone,
electricity, cable TV, water and sewer) to every lot within a subdivision.
The subdivider shall install complete facilities for the distribution
of potable water, water for fire protection and a sanitary sewer system
in accordance with the Policies and Procedures for Utility Departments
of the City of Socorro.
B.
The following design and improvement requirements shall be complied
with:
(1)
Water and sewer main extensions and all service lines and related
appurtenances shall be installed by and at the expense of the subdivider
and shall become the property of the City upon inspection and acceptance
of the City as per Utility Department policies and procedures.
(2)
Every lot in a subdivision shall be capable of being served by electric
and telephone lines and cable TV, and easements acceptable to the
utilities shall be provided. Every attempt shall be made to install
these utilities underground. Signatures of authorized representatives
of these utility companies shall be made a part of the plat.
(3)
Where gas lines are proposed to be installed, easements acceptable
to the City Gas Department shall be provided. The signature of its
authorized representative shall be made part of the plat.
(4)
To the fullest extent possible, underground utility lines located
in streets shall not be installed beneath existing paved areas.
(5)
In the event a line must be installed under existing paving, the
contractor or owner shall pay all costs of street patching.
(6)
Where connection to public sanitary sewers is not possible, the subdivider
shall install a sewage disposal plant and sanitary sewers connecting
thereto in a manner satisfactory to the State Environment Department.
Such facilities shall be operated in conformance with the regulations
of the Environment Department.[1]
A.
Substantially permanent monuments of a type and construction approved
by the Commission shall be installed in the subdivision at points
of curve and tangency in street lines and at changes in alignment
of street lines as may be required. Wood shall not be considered permanent.
B.
Monuments consisting of steel pipes, bars, or rods measuring at least
1/2 inch in diameter and 1 1/2 feet long and approved by the
Commission shall be installed in subdivisions at intersections of
all lines forming angles in the boundaries of subdivisions and at
points where lot lines intersect curved property lines, either front
or rear as may be required to express all mathematical control on
the ground.
