A.
Access into the site.
(1)
Vehicular access to and from the development must be safe and convenient.
(2)
Any driveway, entrance or proposed street must be designed so as
to provide the minimum sight distance according to the Harford County
Road Code, to the maximum extent practicable.
(3)
Points of ingress and egress must be located to avoid hazardous conflicts
with existing turning movements and traffic flows.
(4)
Where a lot has frontage on two or more streets, the primary access
to and egress from the lot must be provided from the street where
there is less potential for traffic congestion and for traffic and
pedestrian hazards. At the discretion of the Director of Public Works,
access from other streets may be allowed if it is deemed to be safe
and does not promote shortcutting through the site.
(5)
Where it is necessary to safeguard against hazards to traffic and
pedestrians and/or to avoid traffic congestion, the applicant must
be responsible for providing turning lanes, traffic directional islands,
and traffic controls within public streets as required by the Director
of Public Works.
(6)
Access drives must be designed and have sufficient capacity to avoid
queuing of entering vehicles on any public street.
(7)
The following criteria must be used to limit the number of driveways
on City-owned and -maintained streets serving a proposed project:
(a)
No use which generates less than 100 vehicle trips per day may
have more than one two-way driveway onto a roadway. Such driveways
must be no greater than 30 feet wide or as prescribed in the Road
Code.
(b)
No use which generates 100 or more vehicle trips per day may
have more than two points of entry from and two points of egress to
a single roadway.
B.
Access drive location and spacing. Access drives must meet the following
standards:
(1)
Private entrances/exits must be located at least 50 feet from the
closest unsignalized intersection and 150 feet from the closest signalized
intersection, as measured from the point of tangency for the corner
to the point of tangency for the access drive. This requirement may
be reduced if the configuration of the property being developed does
not allow conformance with this standard.
(2)
Private accessways in or out of a development must be separated by
a minimum of 75 feet where possible.
C.
Internal vehicular circulation.
(1)
The layout of the site must provide for the safe movement of passenger,
service, and emergency vehicles through the site.
(2)
Projects that will be served by delivery vehicles must provide a
clear route for such vehicles with appropriate geometric design to
allow turning and backing for a minimum of WB-40 vehicles (forty-foot
wheelbase).
(3)
Uses that receive regular deliveries must have loading and receiving
facilities that do not conflict with parking, drive aisles or streets.
(4)
Clear routes of access must be provided and maintained for emergency
responders to and around buildings and must be posted with appropriate
signage; such as signs designating fire lanes and no parking. The
Susquehanna Hose Company and Ambulance Corps will have the opportunity
to comment on all site plans.
(5)
The layout and design of parking areas must provide for safe and
convenient circulation of vehicles and pedestrians throughout the
lot. Clearly marked pedestrian pathways must be provided in parking
lots with more than 25 spaces.
(6)
All roadways and drive aisles must be designed with consideration
to the topographic and natural features of the site insofar as practical
by minimizing filling, grading, excavation, the construction of retaining
walls or other similar activities which result in unstable soil conditions
and soil erosion, by designing the development to the natural contour
of the land and avoiding substantial areas of excessive grade and
tree removal, and by retaining existing vegetation during construction.
(7)
The road network shall provide for vehicular, pedestrian, and cyclist
safety, and delivery and collection services.
D.
Parking layout and design. Off-street parking must conform to Chapter 122 in addition to the following standards:
(1)
Parking areas with more than two parking spaces are not to be permitted
where vehicles would back directly into a public street.
(2)
All parking spaces, access drives, and impervious surfaces must be
located at least five feet from any side or rear lot line. No parking
spaces or impervious surfaces shall be located within five feet of
a public road right-of-way. The Director of Planning may reduce this
requirement if unique site circumstances or characteristics warrant
the reduction.
(3)
In lots utilizing diagonal parking, the direction of proper traffic
flow must be indicated by signs, pavement markings or other permanent
indications and maintained as necessary.
(4)
Parking areas for nonresidential uses must be designed to permit
each motor vehicle to proceed to and from the parking space provided
for it without requiring the moving of any other motor vehicles. Double-stack
parking may be permitted for residential parking in conjunction with
residential uses if both spaces in the stack are assigned to the occupants
of the same dwelling unit.
(5)
Provisions must be made to restrict the overhang of parked vehicles
when it might restrict traffic flow on adjacent through roads, restrict
pedestrian or bicycle movement on adjacent walkways, or damage landscape
materials.
E.
Drive-through stacking. For uses that have drive-through lanes, the
stacking requirements listed below must be the minimum requirement.
The Director of Public Works may modify the requirements on a case-by-case
basis due to unique site conditions or circumstances.
F.
Pedestrian circulation. The site plan must provide for a safe system
of pedestrian ways within the development appropriate to the type
and scale of development. This system must connect the major building
entrances/exits with parking areas and with existing sidewalks, if
they exist or are planned in the vicinity of the project. The pedestrian
network must be located outside of the road right-of-way or in open
space or recreation areas. The system must be designed to link the
project with residential, recreational, and commercial facilities,
schools, bus stops, and existing sidewalks in the neighborhood or,
when appropriate, to connect with amenities such as parks or open
spaces on or adjacent to the site.
