(a) 
The requirements of this chapter as set forth below are designed and intended to ensure that, for all subdivisions of land within the scope of this chapter, all improvements as required herein are installed properly, and:
(1) 
The city can provide for the orderly and economical extension of public facilities and services;
(2) 
All purchasers of property within the subdivision shall have a usable, buildable parcel of land; and
(3) 
All required improvements are constructed in accordance with city standards.
(b) 
The land to be divided or developed must be served adequately by essential public facilities and services. No subdivision shall be approved unless and until adequate public facilities exist or provision has been made for water facilities, wastewater facilities, drainage facilities, electricity and street facilities which are necessary to serve the development proposed, whether or not such facilities are to be located within the property being platted or off-site. This policy may be defined further and supplemented by other ordinances adopted by the city. Wherever the subject property adjoins undeveloped land, or wherever required by the city to serve the public good, utilities shall be extended to adjacent property lines to allow connection of these utilities by adjacent property owners when such adjacent property is platted and/or developed.
(c) 
Public improvements that are required by the city for the acceptance of the subdivision by the city shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) 
Water and wastewater facilities;
(2) 
Stormwater drainage, collection and conveyance facilities;
(3) 
Water quality, erosion and sedimentation controls;
(4) 
Streets;
(5) 
Streetlights;
(6) 
Street signs;
(7) 
Alleys (generally not allowed in single-family residential subdivisions);
(8) 
Sidewalks, including barrier-free ramps at street intersections and other appropriate locations;
(9) 
Screening and/or retaining walls;
(10) 
Traffic-control devices required as part of the project; and
(11) 
Appurtenances to the above, and any other public facilities required as part of the proposed subdivision.
(d) 
All aspects of the design and implementation of public improvements shall comply with the city’s current design standards and any other applicable city codes and ordinances, including preparation and submittal of engineering plans and construction inspection. The construction of all of the improvements required in this chapter shall conform to the latest edition of the city’s TCSS, as may be amended, and to any other applicable city standards.
(e) 
Changes or amendments to the TCSS and other construction or design documents.
The technical construction standards and specifications (TCSS) will, from time to time, require revisions and updates to allow for changing construction technology. When changes are required, the TCSS may be amended by separate ordinance. It is the applicant’s responsibility to be aware of, and to conform with, all TCSS requirements (including amendments) that are in place as of the time a complete development application for a construction plat (including required engineering/construction plans) is received by the city.
(2006 Code, sec. 70-131; Ordinance 02-09-549, sec. 5.1, adopted 9/3/02)
(a) 
In all subdivisions and additions, monuments shall be established at the corner of each block in the subdivision consisting of an iron rod or pipe not less than three-quarters inch in diameter and 24 inches deep, and set flush with the top of the ground. Lot corner monuments shall be placed at all lot corners except corners which are also block corners, consisting of iron rods or pipes of a diameter of not less than one-half inch and 18 inches deep, and set flush with the top of the ground. In addition, curve point markers shall be established of the same specifications as lot corners. Each block corner monument shall include a cap with the surveyor’s name and registration number attached to it. All block and lot corners shall be installed prior to the final acceptance of the subdivision by the city and prior to filing the plat at the county. All survey work around the boundary area, as well as within the subdivision, shall have an error of closure of one in 7,500 or less.
(b) 
A subdivision shall have at least two concrete monuments set by the surveyor, if not already existing, for two corners of the subdivision, and such concrete monuments shall be located at opposite ends (or at widely separated corners) of the subdivision and clearly shown on the final plat prior to filing at the county. The final plat shall also show clear ties to existing concrete monuments in the vicinity of the subdivision. The design and installation of concrete monuments shall be in accordance with the city’s TCSS.
(2006 Code, sec. 70-132; Ordinance 02-09-549, sec. 5.2, adopted 9/3/02)
All street lighting shall be in keeping with the “semi-rural” atmosphere of the city, and shall be in conformance with the city’s TCSS, “dark sky” lighting ordinance (when and if enacted), and any other applicable city codes. Street lighting shall be of a design that casts light downward to the greatest extent possible, and shall minimize light overspill onto adjacent properties.
(2006 Code, sec. 70-133; Ordinance 02-09-549, sec. 5.3, adopted 9/3/02)
(a) 
Street names must be submitted to the city for review and approval in accordance with the city’s guidelines for the naming of streets. The city shall forward all proposed street names to others for review, including the U.S. Postal Service, NCTCOG, and any other applicable emergency service providers. Proposed street names shall be submitted for review along with (and as a part of) the construction plat application, and shall become fixed at the time of approval of the construction plat. On the final plat, street names shall not be changed from those that were approved on the construction plat unless special circumstances have caused the major realignment of streets or a proposed street name is discovered to have already been used elsewhere in the city (or some other similar eventuality). If additional street names are needed for the final plat, then they must be submitted for review and approval by the city, the U.S. Postal Service, and applicable emergency service providers, including 911 dispatch in Wylie, along with the final plat application. A fee may be established by the city for the changing of street names after approval of the construction plat.
(b) 
The names of corporations or businesses shall not be used as street names, unless approved by the city council. The city will maintain a list of existing street names (and “reserved” street names that have been approved on a construction plat), and will update the list as new streets are platted.
(c) 
New street names shall not duplicate existing street names either literally or in a subtle manner (for example, Smith Street vs. Smythe Street; Oak Drive vs. Oak Place vs. Oak Court vs. Oak Circle; Cascade Drive vs. Cascading Drive); shall not be so similar as to cause confusion between names (for example, Lakeside Drive vs. Lake Side Drive vs. Lake Siding Drive); and shall not sound like existing street names when spoken (for example, Oak Drive vs. Doak Drive vs. Cloak Drive; Lantern Way vs. Land Tern Way).
(d) 
New streets which extend existing streets shall bear the names of the existing streets. Streets crossing thoroughfares or other roadways shall bear the same name on both sides of the thoroughfare, wherever practical, unless otherwise approved by the city council.
(e) 
The property owner shall provide payment for street name signs for the development (two signs for four-way intersections, and one sign for three-way intersections). The cost of each street name sign installation shall include the cost of the sign assembly, pole and all costs associated with installation. Payment by the property owner will be due prior to acceptance of the subdivision by the city.
(f) 
Street name signs shall be installed in accordance with the city’s guidelines before issuance of a building permit for any structure on the streets approved within the subdivision.
(2006 Code, sec. 70-134; Ordinance 02-09-549, sec. 5.4, adopted 9/3/02)
(a) 
All on-site, such as internal, streets and alleys shall be constructed by the developer at the developer’s expense, unless otherwise allowed by this chapter. If the subdivision is adjacent to a planned or future or substandard arterial or collector street, as shown on the city’s thoroughfare plan, and derives access, whether direct or indirect, from said roadway, then the developer shall be required to design and construct a reasonable portion of the roadway as well as any required median openings and left-turn lanes needed to serve his subdivision (see section 28.05.009). The city council may, at its option, accept escrow funds in lieu of immediate roadway construction if the subdivision derives principal access from another improved roadway and if delaying construction or improvement of the road will not harm or otherwise inconvenience neighboring property owners or the general public.
(b) 
All streets and alleys shall be constructed using reinforced concrete, unless otherwise approved by the city council, and per the specifications in the city’s TCSS.
(c) 
The minimum street and alley paving standards for which the construction shall be made by the developer are shown in the TCSS.
(d) 
In addition to the above-mentioned minimum standards, barrier-free ramps for physically challenged persons shall be constructed at all street corners, driveway approaches, appropriate mid-block crosswalks, and in locations where accessible parking spaces are provided. All barrier-free ramps and other accessibility considerations shall comply with section 228 of the Highway Safety Act, as currently amended, and with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended.
(e) 
All signs and barricades shall be in conformity with the TCSS, with ADA standards, and with specifications for uniform traffic-control devices, as adopted by the city, by the county, by the state department of transportation, and by the state department of public safety, as applicable.
(f) 
Approval is required prior to the installation of any driveway connecting to a public street. The city engineer shall approve all driveway cuts. The minimum distance, as measured from the edge or curb to the edge or curb of driveways, and not from the centerlines of the driveways, between driveway openings for multifamily and nonresidential developments shall be as set forth in the city’s TCSS manual, unless otherwise approved by the city council. Driveways shall not be within the transition or stacking portion of a right-turn lane, and shall be no closer than 100 feet to an intersecting thoroughfare or arterial street, as measured from the intersecting street’s end of curb radius, and no closer than 50 feet to an intersecting residential or collector street. Residential driveways shall not be allowed on a major roadway (over 60 feet in right-of-way width, or type “C” or above on the city’s thoroughfare plan).
(2006 Code, sec. 70-135; Ordinance 02-09-549, sec. 5.5, adopted 9/3/02)
(a) 
Retaining wall requirements.
In general, the use of retaining walls shall be minimized, wherever possible, through minimal and balanced cut and fill on property. When property within or directly adjacent to a subdivision contains changes in elevation exceeding 2-1/2 feet and the slope exceeds one unit vertical in two units horizontal, a retaining wall shall be required at the locations specified herein prior to the acceptance of the subdivision:
(1) 
Location A.
The grade change roughly follows a side or rear lot line.
(2) 
Location B.
The grade change is adjacent to a proposed building site boundary.
(3) 
Location C.
The grade change is adjacent to a watercourse or drainage easement.
(b) 
Retaining wall design and construction.
All retaining wall design and construction shall be in compliance with the provisions of the building code and the TCSS of the city, and shall be approved by the city engineer.
(c) 
Retaining wall maintenance.
Retaining walls shall be maintained by the owner of the property where such retaining wall is located.
(d) 
Regulations.
Retaining walls shall not be constructed within any portion of a utility or drainage easement, unless approved by the city engineer.
(2006 Code, sec. 70-136; Ordinance 02-09-549, sec. 5.6, adopted 9/3/02)
(a) 
Screening.
(1) 
Where subdivisions are platted so that the rear and/or side yards of single-family or two-family residential lots are adjacent to an arterial thoroughfare (greater than 60 feet) in right-of-way width on the thoroughfare plan; a four-lane collector street; are separated from a thoroughfare by an alley; or back up to a collector or residential street (which is not allowed unless specifically approved by the city council), the developer shall provide, at his sole expense, a minimum six-foot-tall masonry screening wall (also see subsection (7) below), or some other alternative form of screening, if approved by the city council, according to the following alternatives and standards. All screening shall be adjacent to the right-of-way or property line and fully located on the private lot, including columns and decorative features. All forms of screening shall conform to the requirements of city ordinances and policies that govern sight distance for traffic safety. Any required screening device that is wholly or partially destroyed or damaged shall be replaced or repaired with the same materials and shall be finished such that its appearance is restored to how it was before being destroyed or damaged.
(2) 
Screening shall be provided in accordance with, and shall be constructed to, standards and criteria as set forth in the city’s TCSS and other related city codes and policies. An alternative form of screening, in lieu of the six-foot to eight-foot tall masonry wall, may be approved by the city council on a landscaping/screening wall plan submitted with the construction plat application. Such possible alternatives may include, but may not be limited to, the following:
(A) 
Living/landscaped screen with decorative metal (e.g., wrought iron) fence sections with masonry columns;
(B) 
A combination of berms and living/landscaped screening, either with or without a decorative metal or “WoodCrete” type of fence with masonry columns;
(C) 
A combination of berms, decorative masonry retaining walls (no taller than six feet in height where facing or visible to a public street) and living/landscaped screening, either with or without a decorative metal or “WoodCrete” type of fence with masonry columns; or
(D) 
Some other creative screening alternative may be approved if it meets the spirit and intent of this section, if it is demonstrated to be long-lasting and generally maintenance-free, and if the city council finds it to be in the public interest to approve the alternative screening device.
Any required screening device shall be, or shall achieve, at least six feet in height and at least 90 percent opacity within three years of initial installation/planting. Any landscaping used to achieve the purpose of required screening shall be equipped with an underground irrigation system with appropriate double check valve, automatic controller, and automatic moisture and freeze sensors. Trees used for overstory screening shall be on a separate bubbler irrigation system that can be programmed to provide deep-watering of trees at intervals that may differ from the rest of the irrigation system. The use of wood or other privacy fences immediately behind or abutting an alternative screening device that utilizes living screening elements (i.e., landscaping), berms, retaining walls and/or open (i.e., non-opaque) fence sections shall not be permitted due to the creation of a “no man’s land” and subsequent maintenance nuisance in the area between the two devices/fences, and due to the detrimental visual appearance of this type of arrangement. The use of any alternative form of screening in lieu of the masonry wall, particularly a device utilizing landscaping, shall require formation of a property/homeowners’ association in accordance with section 28.04.003.
(3) 
A wall/screening maintenance easement at least five feet in width shall be dedicated to the city or to a property owners’ association on the private lot side and adjacent to the entire length of the screening wall or device.
(4) 
The screening wall/device shall be installed prior to approval of the final plat and prior to final acceptance of the subdivision (or appropriate surety provided, per article 28.06 of this chapter). Landscape materials may be installed after the subdivision is accepted, upon approval of the city manager (or designee), but in no case later than six months following acceptance of the subdivision. Failure to properly install all components of a required screening wall or device within the allowed time frame, and without the appropriate developer’s agreement and surety, shall constitute a violation of this chapter and the developer may be subject to a penalty pursuant to section 28.08.001.
(5) 
All plants, such as trees, shrubs and ground covers, shall be living and in sound, healthy, vigorous and growing condition, and they shall be of a size, fullness and height that is customary for their container or ball size, as per the latest edition of the “American Standard for Nursery Stock,” by the American Association of Nurserymen, as may be amended.
(6) 
All masonry, wrought iron, steel or aluminum screening wall or fence plans and details must be designed and sealed by a licensed professional engineer, and must be approved by the city engineer. Masonry walls shall be in accordance with the city’s design standards, and the use of “ThinWall” type of construction (i.e., that does not conform with the TCSS) shall be prohibited due to problems with inferior strength and the higher cost of long-term maintenance. Decorative metal fencing shall be solid stock, not tubular, and shall have masonry columns at a minimum spacing of 40 feet on center unless otherwise approved by the city engineer and city council.
(7) 
The height of required screening devices, including spans between columns, shall be a minimum of six feet and shall be no more than eight feet tall. Decorative columns, pilasters, stone caps, sculptural elements, and other similar features may exceed the maximum eight-foot height by up to two feet for a total maximum height of ten feet for these features, provided that such taller elements comprise no more than ten percent of the total wall length in elevation view. Features that are taller than ten feet in height shall require city council approval on the landscaping/screening plans submitted with the construction plat.
(8) 
Screening fences, walls and devices shall not be constructed within any portion of a utility or drainage easement unless specifically authorized by the city and by any other applicable utility provider.
(b) 
Entryway features (neighborhood identification).
(1) 
Subdivisions in excess of ten platted lots may provide a low-maintenance landscaped entryway feature at access points from streets and thoroughfares into the subdivision. The entryway feature shall be placed on private property and within an easement identified for such use (limited portions of the feature or landscaping may be placed within the right-of-way, but only with city council approval on the landscaping/screening plans), and shall observe all sight visibility requirements. Most of the feature or landscaping shall be located on private property so that long-term maintenance responsibility will be borne by the property owner or an approved homeowners’ association (see section 28.04.003). Entryway features that are located mostly or entirely within city right-of-way shall only be allowed with city council approval. Prior to city council approval, the city may require the applicant to execute an agreement with the city that relieves the city of maintenance responsibility and that indemnifies and holds the city harmless for damage or injury incurred by or in conjunction with such features in the right-of-way.
(2) 
Design requirements.
The entryway feature shall include low-maintenance, living landscaped materials as approved by the city council. The design of the entryway feature shall also include an automatic underground irrigation system that is equipped with moisture and freeze sensors, and may also include subdivision identification, such as signage located on the wall. All plants shall be living and in a sound, healthy, vigorous and growing condition, and they shall be of a size, fullness and height that is customary for their container or ball size, as per the latest edition of the “American Standard for Nursery Stock,” by the American Association of Nurserymen, as may be amended. Any walls or structures used in the entryway feature must conform to the city’s regulations pertaining to maximum height within the front yard of residential lots (see the zoning ordinance set out in chapter 30) wherever the adjacent lot sides onto the arterial street and the wall will be located within the front yard setback area.
(3) 
The design of the entryway shall be in accordance with design policies in the city’s TCSS. The design of the entry shall be reflected on the landscape, screening and irrigation plans submitted along with the engineering plans and the construction plat, and shall be approved by the city council.
(4) 
The maintenance of the entryway shall be the responsibility of the applicant for a period of at least two years or until building permits have been issued for 80 percent of the lots in the subdivision, whichever date is later. Following that period of time, maintenance responsibility shall be borne by the private property owner upon whose lot the entryway feature is located, or by an approved homeowners’ association (see section 28.04.003). If, at some point in time, the maintenance responsibility shifts to the city, the city shall have the right to upgrade, reduce or eliminate entirely, at its sole option, the landscaping and other amenities in order to simplify or minimize the amount of time, effort and cost that maintenance of the entryway will require.
(c) 
Landscaping.
All landscaping shall be in conformance with the city’s zoning ordinance as set out in chapter 30, as amended.
(d) 
Signage.
All signage shall be in conformance with the city’s sign ordinance as set out in chapter 26, as amended.
(2006 Code, sec. 70-137; Ordinance 02-09-549, sec. 5.7, adopted 9/3/02; Ordinance adopting 2015 Code)
(a) 
The installation of all water and wastewater lines shall be in conformance with section 28.03.009.
(b) 
No final plat shall be approved for any subdivision within the city or its extraterritorial jurisdiction until the applicant has made adequate provision for a water system and a sanitary sewer system of sufficient capacity to adequately provide service to all tracts and lots within the area to be subdivided. The design and construction of the water system and of the sanitary sewer system to serve the subdivision shall be in conformance with the city’s master plans for water and wastewater facilities and with the TCSS, and shall be approved by the city engineer (also see section 28.03.009).
(c) 
Water system with mains of sufficient size and having a sufficient number of outlets to furnish adequate and safe domestic water supply and to furnish fire protection to all lots shall be provided. Water lines shall extend to the property line in order to allow future connections into adjacent undeveloped property, and a box for the water meter(s) for each lot shall be installed either in the right-of-way or immediately adjacent to the right-of-way in a water meter easement.
(d) 
Services for utilities shall be made available to the property line of each lot in such a manner as will minimize the necessity for disturbing the street pavement and drainage structures when connections are made.
(e) 
Fire protection shall be provided in accordance with section 28.03.009, with the city’s TCSS manual, and with any other city policy or ordinance pertaining to fire protection or suppression. The fire chief shall have the authority to approve the locations and placement of all fire hydrants and fire lanes and he may, at his discretion, modify fire hydrant spacing or fire lane placement based upon special design or distance circumstances. All required fire lanes shall be shown as “fire lane easements” on the construction and final plats, along with the applicable fire lane language block. Vertical construction (i.e., any building construction above foundation/slab level) shall not commence until all required fire lanes are properly installed and accepted by the city, nor until all fire hydrants have been installed, inspected, tested and accepted by the city.
(2006 Code, sec. 70-138; Ordinance 02-09-549, sec. 5.8, adopted 9/3/02)
(a) 
When a proposed subdivision, whether residential or nonresidential, abuts on one or both sides of an existing substandard street, or on a planned or future road as shown on the thoroughfare plan, being substandard according to the then-existing current thoroughfare plan, the developer shall be required to improve his or her reasonable share of the existing on-site facility as that term is defined herein, including appurtenant sidewalks, barrier-free ramps, storm drainage structures, screening and landscaping, median openings and/or left-turn lanes (if a divided thoroughfare), water quality or erosion controls, and other utilities as defined in section 28.01.013, to bring the same to city standards, or to replace it with a standard city street as determined by the traffic impact analysis, if required, at no cost to the city.
(b) 
The developer’s share of improvements to a substandard perimeter road shall be 18.5 feet of pavement (including curb, if any), which is approximately equivalent to half of a collector street width (i.e., two through traffic lanes), along the entire front footage of the subdivision, unless the traffic impact analysis, if required, indicates that some other pavement width is needed to achieve and maintain an acceptable level of service on the roadway. If the subdivision is to be located on both sides of the roadway, 18.5 feet of pavement shall be constructed by the developer on each side of the road along the entire front footage of the subdivision on each respective side of the road, unless the traffic impact analysis determines otherwise. Design and construction of the roadway shall be in accordance with the city’s thoroughfare plan (with respect to right-of-way width and general location), the TCSS manual, and with any other applicable city codes and ordinances. Depending upon the specific roadway in question, and upon the traffic impact analysis results, any oversizing above the 18.5-foot width shall be borne by the city, the county, the state or by some other entity. The city council may, at its option, accept escrow funds in lieu of immediate roadway construction if the subdivision derives principal access from another improved roadway and if delaying construction and improvement of the road will not harm or otherwise inconvenience neighboring property owners or the general public.
(c) 
The developer’s share for major bridges and similar region-serving drainage structures and for railroad crossings (including the appurtenant roadway paving, sidewalks/pedestrian pathways, abutments, safety railings and cross-arms, median areas, and the like) shall be in accordance with the city’s or the City of Plano’s policies for the construction of such facilities, whichever is the most stringent.
(d) 
Streets which dead-end at power lines or similar rights-of-way or easements, and which are intended for future extension across these rights-of-way or easements, shall be constructed in the right-of-way or easement for half the distance across the right-of-way or easement, and shall be further restricted as set forth in section 28.03.001. As with any other dead-end street, a note shall be placed on the final plat clearly labeling the dead-end streets that will, at some point, be extended across the power line easement (or right-of-way), and signage shall be placed at the end of the constructed street stub, such as on the barricade, also stating that the street will be extended in the future. Signage size and lettering shall be large enough to be legible by a person with normal vision at a distance of 20 feet.
(2006 Code, sec. 70-139; Ordinance 02-09-549, sec. 5.9, adopted 9/3/02)
(a) 
An adequate storm sewer system consisting of inlets, pipes and other underground structures with approved outlets shall be constructed where runoff of stormwater and the prevention of erosion cannot be accomplished satisfactorily by surface drainage facilities. Areas subject to flood conditions or inadvertent stormwater retention, such as standing or pooling water, as established by the city engineer, will not be considered for development until adequate drainage has been provided.
(b) 
The criteria for use in designing storm sewers, culverts, bridges, drainage channels, and drainage facilities shall conform to section 28.03.010. In no case shall drainage areas be diverted artificially to adjacent properties or across roadways. Stormwater drainage from one lot onto another shall not be allowed unless such does not pose any harm or inconvenience to the downstream property owner, unless specifically approved by the city engineer, and unless the necessary off-site drainage easement is procured on the affected property.
(c) 
The developer shall ensure that all drainage improvements within public easements or rights-of-way are functioning properly prior to the expiration of the maintenance bond. The developer shall be responsible for removing any significant buildup of sediment or debris from drainage improvements, with the exception of back-lot and side-lot drainage swales, at the 11th month of the second year for the required two-year maintenance bond for the applicable facilities. The city shall inspect the improvements to determine any maintenance or correction of deficiencies at the conclusion of this period.
(2006 Code, sec. 70-140; Ordinance 02-09-549, sec. 5.10, adopted 9/3/02)