5.1 
a. 
The requirements of the Subdivision Ordinance as set forth below are designed and intended to ensure that, for all subdivisions of land within the scope of the Subdivision Ordinance, 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. 
Adequate Public Facilities Policy.
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 abuts adjoining undeveloped land and/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 property is platted.
c. 
The public improvements required by the City of Forney for the acceptance of the subdivision by the City shall include but are not limited to the following:
1. 
Water and wastewater facilities;
2. 
Drainage facilities;
3. 
Streets;
4. 
Street lights;
5. 
Street signs;
6. 
Sidewalks;
7. 
Traffic-control devices required as part of the project; and
8. 
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 construction plans and construction inspection. The construction of all of the improvements required in this Ordinance shall conform to the latest edition of the City’s EDS, as may be amended.
e. 
Changes or Amendments to the EDS and Other Construction/Design Documents.
The Engineering Design Standards (EDS) will from time to time require revisions and updates to allow for changing construction technology. When changes are required, the EDS (i.e., Appendix A on file in the office of the City Secretary) may be amended by separate ordinance. It is the developer’s responsibility to obtain a copy of, and be familiar with, the City’s latest EDS.
(Ordinance 1012 adopted 7/20/00)
5.2 
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 one-half inch (1/2") in diameter and eighteen inches (18") 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 (1/2") and eighteen inches (18") 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 corners shall be installed prior to the final inspection of the subdivision by the City. Lot corners shall be installed prior to issuance of a building permit. In addition, refer to Section 1.8 of the Engineering Design Standards regarding permanent monuments and required coordinate system.
(Ordinance 1163, sec. 1, adopted 12/20/05)
5.3 
a. 
Before final acceptance of streets, alleys, sewers and other utilities, street light locations and installations shall be coordinated by the developer with the power company and the City of Forney. It shall be the subdivider’s responsibility to install street lights (per the City of Forney’s standard street light, where applicable) with metal poles (or approved similar material) at street intersections and at a maximum distance of four hundred feet (400') apart, except where curb grades or terrain requires additional lighting and at the terminus of cul-de-sacs.
b. 
Street lighting shall be installed to provide an average of 0.4 footcandle per square foot on the roadway between curbs. The lowest intensity at any point shall not be less than 0.1 footcandle per square foot. Street lighting materials shall be approved by the City Manager (or designee). Any costs associated with upgrading street lighting fixtures shall be borne by the developer/property owner.
(Ordinance 1012 adopted 7/20/00; Ordinance 1104 adopted 3/2/04)
5.4 
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. Proposed street names shall be submitted for review along with (and as a part of) the preliminary plat application and shall become fixed at the time of approval of the preliminary plat. On the final plat, street names shall not be changed from those that were approved on the preliminary plat unless special circumstances have caused the major realignment of streets or a proposed street name(s) 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 City staff review and approval along with the final plat application. A fee may be established by the City for the changing of street names after approval of the preliminary plat.
b. 
Surnames of people or 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 preliminary 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 (e.g., Smith Street vs. Smythe Street; Oak Drive vs. Oak Place vs. Oak Court vs. Oak Circle), shall not be so similar as to cause confusion between names (e.g., Lakeside Drive vs. Lake Side Drive vs. Lake Siding Drive), and shall not sound like existing street names when spoken (e.g., Oak Drive vs. Doak 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 City Council.
e. 
The property owner shall provide payment for street name signs for the development. The cost of each street name sign installation shall include the cost of the sign assembly, pole and the time for installation. Payment by the property owner will be due prior to approval of the engineering plans by the City Engineer.
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.
(Ordinance 1012 adopted 7/20/00; Ordinance 1104 adopted 3/2/04)
5.5 
a. 
All on-site (i.e., internal) streets and alleys shall be constructed by the developer at the developer’s expense, unless otherwise allowed by this Ordinance. If the subdivision is adjacent to a planned/future or substandard arterial or collector street (as shown on the City’s Thoroughfare Plan) and derives access (either 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/left turn lanes needed to serve his subdivision) (see Section 5.9). 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/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 EDS.
c. 
The minimum street and alley curb and gutter standards for which the construction shall be made by the developer are shown in the EDS.
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 midblock 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 EDS, with ADA standards and/or with specifications for uniform traffic-control devices, as adopted by the Texas Department of Transportation and/or the Texas Department of Public Safety.
f. 
Approval is required prior to the installation of any driveway connecting to a public street. The City Manager (or his/her designee) shall approve all driveway cuts. The minimum distance (as measured from edge/curb to edge/curb of driveways, and not from the centerlines of the driveways) between driveway openings for multifamily and nonresidential developments shall be one hundred and fifty feet (150') on a collector street and two hundred feet (200') on an arterial roadway, unless otherwise approved by City Council. Driveways shall not be within the transition or stacking portion of a right turn lane and shall be no closer than one hundred feet (100') to an intersecting thoroughfare/arterial street (as measured from the intersecting street’s end of curb radius), and no closer than fifty feet (50') to an intersecting residential or collector street.
(Ordinance 1012 adopted 7/20/00; Ordinance 1104 adopted 3/2/04)
5.6 
a. 
Retaining Wall Requirements.
When property within or directly adjacent to a subdivision contains changes in elevation exceeding two and one-half feet (2.5') 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/or the EDS of the City of Forney and shall be approved by the City Manager (or his/her designee).
c. 
Retaining Wall Maintenance.
Retaining walls shall be maintained by the owner of the property where such retaining wall is located.
d. 
Retaining walls shall not be constructed parallel to and within any portion of a utility easement.
(Ordinance 1012 adopted 7/20/00; Ordinance 1104 adopted 3/2/04)
5.7 
a. 
Screening.
1. 
Where subdivisions are platted so that the rear or side yards of single-family or two-family residential lots are adjacent to an arterial thoroughfare (greater than sixty feet (60') in right-of-way width on the Thoroughfare Plan); a four (4) lane collector street; are separated from a thoroughfare by an alley; or back up to a collector or residential street, the developer shall provide at his sole expense, screening 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(s), including columns and decorative features. All forms of screening shall conform to the requirements of City ordinances and/or policies that govern sight distance for traffic safety.
2. 
Screening Alternatives.
Screening shall be provided in accordance with, and shall be constructed to, standards and criteria as set forth in the City’s EDS and/or other related City code(s)/policy(s). The following shall be accepted methods and materials for required screening and landscaping.
(a) 
Screening Height.
Screening height shall be a minimum of six feet (6') above the grade of abutting uses unless otherwise specified.
(b) 
Screening Width.
Required screening shall be contained within a minimum five feet (5') wide screening easement. Any required landscaping shall be in addition to the required screening easement above.
(c) 
Masonry Screen Walls.
(1) 
When walls are used for screening, both sides shall be composed of hard-fired brick and/or stone as defined in Section 42 of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance.
(2) 
Masonry screen walls shall have no greater than ten percent (10%) of their surface area composed of openings of non-masonry materials, such as ornamental or wrought iron, steel or anodized aluminum tubing, pickets or filigree panels. Wood products and chain-link fencing are prohibited as components of masonry walls. No opening, including spacing between non-masonry elements, shall allow a sphere six inches (6") or greater in diameter to pass through it.
(3) 
Masonry screen walls shall have a minimum five feet (5') landscape buffer strip on the nonresidential property side to allow for required landscaping in connection with all such screen walls.
(4) 
Landscaping adjacent to screen walls shall consist of a minimum of one (1) small tree at least eight feet (8') in height for each ten (10) linear feet, or one (1) large tree at least three inches (3") in caliper evenly distributed for thirty feet (30'), placed no closer than twenty-five feet (25') on center. See Section 50 of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for the Approved Plant List.
(5) 
Where a masonry screen wall faces a street right-of-way, a continuous reinforced concrete mow edge possessing a minimum width of twelve inches (12") shall be installed on the side adjacent to the street right-of-way. Mow edges shall have a minimum thickness of four inches (4") and shall be reinforced with a minimum two (2) steel reinforcing bars three-eighths inch (3/8") in diameter, running continuously through the mow edge.
(d) 
Ornamental Fences.
(1) 
Shall be either ornamental or wrought iron possessing a minimum continuous height of six feet (6').
(2) 
Shall consist of large evergreen shrubs/small trees as listed in the Approved Plant List which will grow to or exceed the minimum height specified in this section. A minimum five feet (5') landscape buffer shall be provided for the planting of such shrubs/trees.
(e) 
Earthen Berms.
(1) 
Shall have a maximum side slope of 3:1 and shall be entirely vegetated with turf or groundcover with a minimum height of six feet (6').
(2) 
Shall be entirely vegetated with lawn grass or groundcover with two (2) years of the date of planting.
(f) 
Allowed Combinations.
(1) 
A combination of evergreen shrubs from the Approved Plant List, at least thirty-six inches (36") in height and spaced triangularly no greater than forty-eight inches (48") on center, and earthen berms may be used to accomplish the required screening height. The berms shall have an average height of three feet (3').
(2) 
A combination of masonry walls with required landscaping and earthen berms may be used to accomplish the required screening height.
(g) 
Where masonry walls or ornamental fences are employed to screen residential subdivisions, the developer shall ensure the perpetual maintenance of such screening walls through one of the following methods:
(1) 
Where maintenance of common areas is required in addition to maintenance of required screening, the developer shall form a homeowners’ association responsible for maintenance of the screening. The homeowners’ association must be approved by the City Attorney and the City Manager. The homeowners’ association shall include in its bylaws a provision allowing the City to assess the homeowners’ association for maintenance in the event the homeowners’ association defaults in its maintenance obligations. A maintenance bond shall be provided by the developer issued to the homeowners’ association for a period of two (2) years. The maintenance bond shall be in the amount of fifty percent (50%) of the total cost of the initial construction of the screening. The establishment of the homeowners’ association and provision of the maintenance bond shall occur prior to acceptance of the subdivision by the City.
(2) 
Where no other common areas exist, the developer shall have the following maintenance options for masonry walls:
Option 1: Form a homeowners’ association to maintain the required screening in accordance with the provisions above.
Option 2: The City shall maintain the required screening if a maintenance bond is provided by the developer issued to the City for a period of two (2) years. The maintenance bond shall be in the amount of fifty percent (50%) of the total cost of initial construction of the screening. The developer shall also pay twenty (20) percent of the total cost of initial construction to be placed in the City screening maintenance account. Both the bond and the assessment shall be paid prior to acceptance of the subdivision by the City.
(h) 
Where earthen berms are employed to screen residential subdivisions, the developer shall ensure the perpetual maintenance of such earthen berms by forming a homeowners’ association in accordance with the provisions of above.
(i) 
If residential development occurs in a nonresidential district where such development is permitted but is not expected to be the dominant land use, screening shall be provided by the residential developer, but not as a requirement of the adjoining nonresidential use. Such screening shall be installed in accordance with the provisions above.
3. 
Deleted and Reserved for Future Use.
4. 
The screening wall shall be installed prior to the final acceptance of the subdivision. 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 (6) months following acceptance of the subdivision.
5. 
All plants (e.g., trees, shrubs, ground cover) shall be living and in sound, healthy, vigorous and growing condition, and they shall be of a size, fullness and height that are customary for their container/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, steel and/or aluminum screening wall/fence plans and details must be designed and sealed by a registered professional engineer, and must be approved by the City Manager (or his/her designee).
7. 
Required wall heights, including spans between columns, shall be from at least six feet (6') and no more than eight feet (8'). Decorative columns, pilasters, stone caps, and other features may exceed the maximum eight-foot (8') height by up to eighteen inches (i.e., total maximum height of nine and one-half feet (9.5'), provided that such taller elements comprise no more than ten percent (10%) of the total wall length (in elevation view).
8. 
Screening fences/walls shall not be constructed parallel to and within any portion of a utility easement.
b. 
Entryway Features (Neighborhood Identification).
1. 
Subdivisions in excess of ten (10) 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/landscaping may be placed within the right-of-way), and shall observe all sight visibility requirements. Most of the feature/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 4.3).
2. 
Design Requirements.
The entryway feature shall include low maintenance, living landscaped materials as approved by the City. The design of the entryway feature shall also include an automatic underground irrigation system, and may also include subdivision identification (i.e., 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/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) 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 as provided by the City Manager (or designee). The design of the entry shall be reflected on the engineering plans submitted with the final plat, and shall be approved by the City in conjunction with approval of the construction plans.
4. 
The maintenance of the entryway shall be the responsibility of the developer for a period of at least two (2) years or until building permits have been issued for eighty percent (80%) 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(s) upon whose lot(s) the entryway feature is located, or by an approved homeowners’ association (see Section 4.3). 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 and/or minimize the amount of time and effort that maintenance of the entryway will require.
(Ordinance 1012 adopted 7/20/00; Ordinance 1104 adopted 3/2/04)
5.8 
a. 
The installation of all water and wastewater lines shall be in conformance with the EDS.
b. 
No final plat shall be approved for any subdivision within the City or its extraterritorial jurisdiction until the subdivider 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 EDS and shall be approved by the City Manager (or his/her designee).
c. 
Water system with mains of sufficient size and having a sufficient number of outlets to furnish adequate 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 an 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 structure when connections are made.
e. 
Fire hydrants shall be installed in residential areas every five hundred feet (500') of hose laying distance and in nonresidential areas every three hundred feet (300') of hose laying distance. The Fire Chief shall have the authority to approve the locations and placement of all fire hydrants (and fire lanes), and may at his discretion modify fire hydrant spacing based upon special design/distance circumstances.
(2003 Code, sec. 11.201; Ordinance adopting Code)
5.9 
a. 
When a proposed subdivision, whether residential or nonresidential, abuts on one or both sides of an existing substandard street (or on a planned/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 the existing on-site facility as that term is defined herein, including appurtenant sidewalks, screening/landscaping, storm sewers and other utilities as defined in Section 1.16, 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; see Section 3.1), at no cost to the City.
b. 
The developer’s share of a perimeter road shall be eighteen and one-half feet (18.5') of pavement (including curb), which is approximately equivalent to half of a collector street width (two 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/maintain an acceptable level of service on the roadway). If the subdivision is to be located on both sides of the roadway, eighteen and one-half feet (18.5') of pavement will 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 (right-of-way width and general location), EDS 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 eighteen and one-half foot (18.5') 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/improvement of the road will not harm or otherwise inconvenience neighboring property owners or the general public.
c. 
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 3.1. 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 (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 twenty feet).
(2003 Code, sec. 11.201; Ordinance adopting Code)
5.10 
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 and/or inadvertent stormwater retention (i.e., standing or pooling water) as established by the City, 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 the City of Forney’s drainage criteria in the EDS. In no case shall drainage areas be diverted artificially to adjacent properties or across roadways. Stormwater drainage from one residential lot onto another shall not be allowed unless such does not pose any harm or inconvenience to the downstream property owner(s) and unless specifically approved by the City Manager (or his/her designee).
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 build-up of sediment and/or trash from drainage improvements, with the exception of back-lot and side-lot drainage swales, at the eleventh 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.
(2003 Code, sec. 11.201; Ordinance adopting Code)