[2003 Code, § 151.15; Ord. 1987-5, passed 9-8-1987]
(A) 
The quality of design of the urban area is dependent on the quality of design of the individual subdivisions that compose it. Good community design requires the coordination of the efforts of each subdivider and developer of land within the urban area.
(B) 
Therefore, the design of each subdivision shall be prepared in accordance with the principles established by the comprehensive plan for land use, circulation, community facilities, and public utility services, and in accordance with the following general principles.
(1) 
It is intended that the urban area shall be designed as a group of integrated residential neighborhoods and appropriate commercial and industrial and public facilities. Space for religious, recreational, educational and shopping facilities to serve the residents of the neighborhood should be provided and designed as an integral part of each neighborhood.
(2) 
The size of lots and blocks and other areas for residential, commercial, industrial and public uses should be designed to provide adequate light, air, open space, landscaping and off-street parking and loading facilities.
(3) 
The arrangements of lots and blocks and the street system should be designed to make the most advantageous use of topography and natural physical features. Tree masses and large individual trees should be preserved. The system of sidewalks and roadways and the lot layout should be designed to take advantage of the visual qualities of the area.
(4) 
Circulation within the urban area shall be provided in accordance with the following design criteria.
(a) 
Minor streets should be designed to provide access to each parcel of land within the residential neighborhood and within industrial areas, and in manner that will discourage use by through traffic. They should be planned so that future urban expansion will not require the conversion of minor streets to arterial routes.
(b) 
Collector streets should be designed to provide a direct route from other minor streets to the major street and expressway system.
(c) 
Ingress and egress to residential properties should be provided only on minor streets.
(d) 
Pedestrian ways should be separated from roadways used by vehicular traffic. Sidewalks should be designed to provide all residential building sites with direct access to all neighborhood facilities, including the elementary school, parks and playgrounds, churches and shopping centers.
(5) 
Minimum standards for development are contained in the Zoning Ordinance, the Building Code and in these regulations. However, the Comprehensive Plan expresses policies designed to achieve optimum quality of development in the urban area. If only the minimum standards are followed, as expressed by the various ordinances regulating land development, a standardization of development will occur. This will produce a monotonous urban setting. Subdivision design should be of a quality to carry out the purpose and spirit of the policies expressed in the general plan and in these regulations rather than be limited to the minimum standards required.
[2003 Code, § 151.16; Ord. 1987-5, passed 9-8-1987]
(A) 
Streets. The arrangement, character, extent, width, grade and location of all streets should conform to all of the elements of the Comprehensive Plan and shall be designed in accordance with the following provisions.
(1) 
Major streets shall be planned to conform with the Major Street and Comprehensive Plan.
(2) 
Whenever a subdivision abuts or contains an existing or proposed major street, the Board of Aldermen may recommend to require service streets, reverse frontage with screen planting contained in a non-access reservation along the rear property line, deep lots or such other treatment as may be necessary for adequate protection of residential properties and to afford separation of through and local traffic.
(3) 
Minor streets shall be laid out so that their use by through traffic will be discouraged.
(4) 
Where a subdivision borders on or contains a railroad right-of-way or limited access highway right-of-way, the Planning Commission may recommend to require a street approximately parallel to and on each side of such right-of-way at a distance suitable for the appropriate use of the intervening land. Such distance also shall be determined with due regard for the requirements of approach grades and future grade separation structures.
(5) 
Reserve strips controlling access to streets shall be prohibited, except where their control is placed in the city under conditions approved by the Board of Aldermen.
(6) 
Where the plat to be submitted includes only part of the tract owned or intended for development by the subdivider, alternative plan of a proposed future street system for the unsubdivided portion shall be prepared and submitted by the subdivider.
(7) 
When a tract is subdivided into larger than normal building lots or parcels, such lots or parcels shall be so arranged as to permit the logical location and opening of future streets and appropriate resubdivision, with provision for adequate utility easements and connections for such resubdivision.
(8) 
Street, jogs with centerline off-sets of less than 135 feet should be avoided.
(9) 
Street right-of-way widths shall be in accordance with the following:
Major Streets
Primary with median
120 feet
Primary without median
100 feet
Secondary
80 feet
Minor Streets
Collector
60 feet
Minor
50 feet
Cul-de-sac
50 feet
(10) 
The grades of all streets shall not exceed the following, except where unusual topographic conditions justify, in the opinion of the Planning Commission, a modification of these standards:
Major Streets
Primary
5%
Secondary
6%
Minor Streets
7%
No street grade shall be less than 0.5%
(11) 
The horizontal and vertical alignment for all streets shall not be less than the following, except in cases of unusual topographic conditions:
(a) 
Horizontal alignment - centerline radius.
Major Streets
Primary street
500 feet minimum
Secondary street
300 feet minimum
Minor Streets
100 feet minimum
There shall be a tangent between all reverse curves having an adequate length in relation to the radii of the curves to provide for a smooth flow of traffic
(b) 
All changes in street grades shall be made with vertical curves that provide minimum sight distances of not less than the following, except in cases of unusual topographic conditions:
Major Streets
Primary with median
500 feet minimum
Primary without median
800 feet minimum
Secondary
300 feet minimum
Minor streets
200 feet minimum
Slight distances for vertical alignment shall be determined by measuring from a point three feet above the roadway surface along a line of sight to a point four inches above the roadway surface
(12) 
The paved width of all streets should be adequate to serve the existing and future estimated traffic load for the facility. Lane widths for all streets shall be as follows.
[Amended 2-10-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-001]
(a) 
All major streets should have a minimum of 28 feet of paved flat width;
(b) 
All collector streets should have a minimum of 28 feet of paved flat width;
(c) 
All minor streets should have minimum of 28 feet of paved flat width.
(13) 
A cul-de-sac should not exceed 350 feet in length, measured from the entrance to the center of the turnaround, and if more than 150 feet in length shall be provided with a turnaroud having a radius of not less than 50 feet at the property line and not less than 40 feet at the curb line.
(14) 
Half streets should be prohibited, except where essential to the reasonable development of the subdivision in conformity with the other requirements of these regulations; and, provided that, the Board of Aldermen finds it will be practical to obtain the dedication of the other half of the street easement when the adjoining property is subdivided, the other half of the street shall be platted within such tract.
(15) 
The arrangement of streets should be such as to cause no hardship in the subdividing of adjacent properties. The Board of Aldermen may require the dedication of street rights-of-way to facilitate the development and street improvements of adjoining properties.
(16) 
No street names should be used which will duplicate or be confused with the names of existing streets. Street names shall be subject to the approval of the post master.
(B) 
Alleys.
(1) 
Alleys shall be provided in commercial and industrial districts; except that, the Board of Aldermen may waive this requirement where other definite and assured provision is made for service access, such as off-street loading, unloading and parking consistent with and adequate for the uses proposed.
(2) 
Alleys serving commercial and industrial areas shall not be less than 30 feet in width.
(3) 
Alleys are not required for residential areas, but, when provided, shall not be less than 16 feet in width.
(4) 
Alley intersections and sharp changes in alignment shall be avoided, but where necessary, corners shall be cut off sufficiently to permit safe vehicular movement.
(5) 
Deadend alleys shall be avoided where possible, but if unavoidable, shall be provided with adequate turnaround facilities at the deadend as determined by the Board of Aldermen.
(C) 
Easements.
(1) 
Where alleys are not provided, easements not less than ten feet wide shall be provided along each rear lot line, front lot lines and side lot lines where necessary for use by public and private utilities. The Board of Aldermen may require aerial easements and easements of greater width for the extension of main storm and sanitary sewers and other utilities where it is deemed necessary.
(2) 
Where a subdivision is traversed by a water course, drainage channel or stream, which drains 160 acres or more of land, there shall be provided a right-of-way for drainage and public parks and public utility purposes adequate to contain all of the runoff from a 50-year maximum flood. The right-of-way shall be calculated in accordance with and shall be adequate to provide for the drainage requirements of the ordinances and regulations relating thereto.
(D) 
Public areas and open spaces. Public parks, playground, school sites and other public areas and open spaces shall be provided in accordance with the requirements and standards set forth in § 151.041 of this chapter.
(E) 
Blocks.
(1) 
The lengths, widths and shapes of blocks shall be determined with due regard for the following:
(a) 
Provision of adequate building sites suitable to the special needs of the type of use contemplated;
(b) 
Zoning requirements as to lot sizes and dimensions;
(c) 
Needs for convenient access, circulation, control and safety of street traffic; and
(d) 
Limitations and opportunities of topography.
(2) 
Blocks for residential use shall not be longer than 1,800 feet measured along the centerline of the block. When a block exceeds 600 feet in length, the Board of Aldermen may require a dedicated easement not less than 15 feet in width and a paved crosswalk not less than four feet in width to provide pedestrian access across the block.
(3) 
Blocks used for residential purposes should be of sufficient width to allow for two tiers of lots of appropriate depth. Blocks intended for business and industrial use should be of a width suitable for the intended use, with due allowance for off-street parking and loading facilities.
(F) 
Lots. Lots shall conform to the requirements of the zoning district in which the subdivision shall be developed.
(1) 
Residential lots shall be not less than 70 feet in width at the front building line.
(2) 
Side lot lines should be approximately at right angles or radial to street lines.
(3) 
The depth of residential lots should not be less than 120 feet.
(4) 
The area of residential lots shall not be less than 8,400 square feet.
(5) 
In residential subdivisions where septic tank or individual sewage disposal devices are to be installed, the area of the lot shall not be less than 10,000 square feet and the width of the lot at the front building line shall not be less than 100 feet.
(6) 
Double frontage and reverse frontage lots should be avoided, except where they are needed to provide for the separation of residential development from traffic arteries or to overcome specific disadvantages of topography and orientation. A planting screen easement of at least ten feet shall be provided along the portion of the lots, abutting such a traffic artery or other use where screening is required. There shall be no right of access across a planting screen easement.
(7) 
Corner lots for residential use shall have adequate width to permit appropriate building lines from both streets.
(G) 
Building lines. Building lines shall be provided for all residential subdivisions as follows.
(1) 
A front building line shall be located 30 feet back of the street right-of-way line.
(2) 
A side yard building line on the side of a corner lot abutting the street shall be located not less than 30 feet back of the street right-of-way when such lot is back with another corner lot and not less than 25 feet back of the street right-of-way line in every other case.
(3) 
A side yard building line shall be provided of not less than ten feet on lots with a frontage of 70 to 79 feet and not less than ten feet on lots with a frontage of 80 feet and over.
(4) 
Restrictions requiring buildings to be located within the building lines shown on the plat shall be set forth on the plat or on a separate recorded instrument.
(H) 
Planned unit development. Whenever a subdivision is developed as a neighborhood unit, wherein adequate park or playground area is provided, through traffic is cared for adequately and the majority of the minor streets are of the cul-de-sac or loop type, the Board of Aldermen may vary the requirements of this subchapter in order to allow the subdivider more freedom in the arrangement of streets and lots, but at the same time protect the convenience, health, safety and welfare of the probable future residents of the subdivision as well as the character of the surrounding property and the general welfare of the entire community.
(I) 
Street lights. Each subdivision shall have adequate street lights, subject to the approval of the Board of Aldermen.