City of Weatherford, OK Article 10 Subdivision Regulations: General Provisions

§ 18-70 PURPOSE.

The subdivision of land is the first step in the process of urban development. The arrangement of land parcels in the community for residential, commercial and industrial uses and for streets, alleys, schools, parks and other public purposes will determine, to a large degree, the conditions of health, safety, economy and amenity that prevail in the urban area. The quality of these conditions is of public interest. These regulations and standards for the subdivision and improvement of land for urban use are to make provision for adequate light, air, open spaces, drainage, transportation, public utilities and other needs, and to insure the development and maintenance of a healthy, attractive and efficient community that provides for the conservation and protection of its human and natural resources.

These regulations are designed, intended and should be administered in a manner to:

1. Implement the General Plan.

2. Provide neighborhood conservation and prevent the development of slums and blight.

3. Harmoniously relate the development of the various tracts of land to the existing community and facilitate the future development of adjoining tracts.

4. Provide that the cost of improvements which primarily benefit the tract of land being developed be borne by the owners or developers of the tract and that the cost of improvements which primarily benefit the who community be borne by the whole community.

5. Provide the best possible design for the tract.

6. Reconcile any differences of interest.

7. Establish adequate and accurate records of land subdivision.

§ 18-71 AUTHORITY.

These subdivision regulations and minimum standards for land development are pursuant to the authority granted in Title 11, Sections 45-101 to 45-105, Oklahoma Statutes, 1991, as amended thereof.

§ 18-72 JURISDICTION; AREA OF APPLICATION.

These regulations shall apply to the incorporated area of the City of Weatherford, in so far as they have been adopted by the Planning Commission and approved by the City Commission.

§ 18-73 APPLICATION TO TYPES OF SUBDIVIDING.

These regulations and development standards shall apply to the following forms of land subdivision:

1. The division of land into two or more tracts, lots, sites, or parcels, any part of which, when subdivided shall contain less than 10 acres in area; or

2. The division of land, previously subdivided or platted, into tracts, lots, sites or parcels of less than 10 acres in area; or

3. The dedication, vacation or reservation of any public or private easement through any tract of land regardless of the area involved, including those for use by public and private utility companies; or

4. The dedication or vacation of any street or alley through any tract of land regardless of the area involved.

§ 18-74 DEFINITIONS.

For the purpose of these regulations, certain terms used herein are defined as follows:

1. ALLEY – Shall mean a minor right-of-way dedicated to public use, which gives a secondary means of vehicular access to the back side or properties otherwise abutting a street, and which may be used for public utility purposes.

2. BLOCK – Shall mean a parcel of land, intended to be used for urban purposes, which is entirely surrounded by public streets, highways, railroad right-of-way, public walks, parks or greenstrips, rural land or drainage channels, or a combination thereof.

3. BUILDING LINE OR SETBACK LINE – Shall mean a line or lines designating the area outside of which buildings may not be erected.

4. CITY – Shall mean the City of Weatherford, Oklahoma.

5. CITY COMMISSION – Shall mean the Weatherford City Commission.

6. EASEMENT – Shall mean a grant by the property owner to the public, a corporation or persons, of the use of a strip of land for specific purposes.

7. GENERAL PLAN – Shall mean the comprehensive development plan for the Weatherford area which has been officially adopted to provide long-range development policies for the area subject to urbanization in the foreseeable future and which includes, among other things, the plan for land use, land subdivision, circulation and community facilities.

8. LOT – Shall mean a subdivision of a block or other parcel intended as a unit for the transfer of ownership or for development.

9. LOT, CORNER – Shall mean a lot located at the intersection and abutting on two or more streets.

10. LOT, DOUBLE FRONTAGE – Shall mean a lot which runs through a block from street to street and which has two nonintersecting sides abutting on two or more streets.

11. LOT, REVERSE FRONTAGE – Shall mean a double frontage lot which is to be developed with the rear yard abutting a major street and with the primary means of ingress and egress provided on a minor street.

12. PLANNING COMMISSION – Shall mean the Weatherford Planning Commission.

13. PLAT, PRELIMINARY – Shall mean a map of a proposed land subdivisions showing the character and proposed layout of the tract in sufficient detail to indicate the suitability of the proposed subdivision of land.

14. PLAT, FINAL – Shall mean a map of a land subdivision prepared in a form suitable for filing of record with necessary affidavits, dedications and acceptances; and with complete bearings and dimensions of all lines defining lots and blocks, streets and alleys, public areas and other dimensions of land.

15. STREET – Shall mean any public or private right-of-way which affords the primary means of access to abutting property.

16. STREET, MAJOR – Shall mean an arterial street which is designated on the major street plan or expressway plan.

17. STREET, MINOR – Shall mean a street whose primary purpose is to provide access to adjacent properties and which is designed so that its use by arterial traffic will be discouraged.

18. STREET, COLLECTOR – Shall mean a minor street which collects traffic from other minor streets and serves as the most direct route to a major street or a community facility.

19. STREET, CUL-DE-SAC – Shall mean a minor street having one end open to vehicular traffic and having one closed end terminated by a turn around.

20. STREET, FRONTAGE OR SERVICE – Shall mean a minor street auxiliary to and located on the side of a major street for service to abutting properties and adjacent areas and for control of access.

21. SUBDIVIDER – Shall mean any person, firm, partnership, corporation or other entity, acting as a unit, subdividing or proposing to subdivide land as herein defined.

22. SUBDIVISIONS – Shall mean the division or re-division of land into two or more lots, tracts, sites or parcels for the purpose of transfer of ownership or for development or the dedication or vacation of a public or private right-of-way or easement.

§ 18-75 GENERAL PROCEDURE; PLAT APPROVAL.

For all cases of subdividing within the scope of these regulations, a plat of the land in question shall be drawn and submitted to the Planning Commission for approval or disapproval. All subdivisions located within the corporate limits of the City shall then be submitted to the City Commission for acceptance of public streets, alleys, and areas dedicated to public use.

§ 18-76 OFFICIAL RECORDING.

No plat or other land subdivision instrument shall be filed in the office of the County Clerk until it shall have been approved by the Planning Commission and by the City Commission as hereinafter set forth. All final plats shall be filed within two years of date of approval by the Planning Commission, and no lots shall be sold from any plat until approved by the Planning Commission and the City Commission. Failure to record the plat within two years of the date of Planning Commission or City Commission approval, whichever is the later, shall void all approvals thereto.

§ 18-77 AGENDA.

Each plat submitted for preliminary or final approval shall be placed on the agenda of the Planning Commission only after fulfilling the appropriate requirements of these regulations. However, a plat not meeting all of the requirements may be submitted providing the subdivider presents with the plat a written request for specific exceptions and enumerates in detail the reasons therefor.

§ 18-78 EXEMPTIONS, WATER RIGHTS, AND WATER WELL SITES.

1. Exemptions. Plats containing four lots or fewer may be exempted from the provisions of all or part of procedural provisions contained in these regulations upon written approval of the Planning Commission; but such exemption shall not change or diminish the requirements relating to design or to improvements or to other provisions of these regulations.

2. Water Rights. A written dedication of water rights to the City of Weatherford shall be given by all persons submitting a request for plat approval or when a building permit is issued to build in an area that is not platted.

3. Water Well Sites. Water well sites shall be dedicated in all plats when required by the City.