(a) 
The subdivider shall furnish, install and/or construct the water and sewerage systems and the street and drainage facilities necessary for the proper development of the subdivision. All such facilities shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the design provisions contained in this chapter, and other standards, specifications, and drawings as may be adopted by the city council.
(b) 
Where shown on the master plan, or considered necessary by the city council in order to protect the public health, safety or welfare, public facilities shall be sized in excess of that dictated by the design criteria to provide for future growth and expansion. The city council shall establish policies whereby the city will participate in the construction of such oversized facilities or reimburse the subdivider for the costs of such oversized facilities.
(c) 
Land proposed to be subdivided must be served adequately by essential public facilities and services, including water and wastewater facilities, roadway and pedestrian facilities, drainage facilities and park facilities. An application for a plat or development may be denied unless adequate public facilities necessary to support and serve the development exist or provision has been made for the facilities, whether the facilities are to be located within the property being platted or offsite.
(d) 
It is necessary and desirable to provide for dedication of rights-of-way and easements for public works improvements to support new development at the earliest stage of the development process.
(e) 
The city desires to assure both that impacts of new development are mitigated through contributions of rights-of-way, easements and construction of capital improvements, and that a new development be required to contribute not more than its proportionate share of such costs.
(f) 
Proposed public works improvements serving new development shall conform to and be properly related to the public facilities elements of the city=s adopted master plan, other adopted master plans for public facilities and services, and applicable capital improvements plans, and shall meet the service levels specified in such plans.
[Ord. No. 819-97, § 1(I), 6-10-1997; Ord. No. 1063-06, § 12, 8-22-2006]
(a) 
The standards established in this ordinance for dedication and construction of public works improvements and infrastructure are based upon engineering studies and historical usages and demands by different categories of development. These regulations identify certain minimum requirements and sizes for utilities, roadways, parks and other facilities that the city council has determined to be necessary in order to provide the minimum level of service necessary to protect or promote the public health, safety, and welfare and to assure the quality of life currently enjoyed by the citizens of Richland Hills. It is the intent of these regulations that no development occur until and unless these minimum levels of service are met. Therefore, each subdivision in the city shall be required to dedicate, construct and/or upgrade required facilities and infrastructure to a capacity that meets these minimum levels.
(b) 
For each category of public infrastructure, a minimum standard of infrastructure, and in some cases, service level, has been developed based upon historic studies and construction projects of the city and other cities. These minimum standards take into consideration the soil conditions and topographic configuration of the city, the use and impact analyses of the North Central Texas council of Governments in developing standard specifications for public works installation, and other historical use and performance experiences of the city that reflect the minimum level of facilities and services that must be built to meet the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Richland Hills.
(c) 
In order to maintain prescribed levels of public facilities and services for the health, safety and general welfare of its citizens, the city may require the dedication of easements and rights-of-way for or construction of on-site or off-site public works improvements for water, wastewater, road, drainage or park facilities to serve a proposed subdivision, or require the payment of fees in lieu thereof. If adequate levels of public facilities and services cannot be provided concurrent with the schedule of development proposed, the city may deny the subdivision until the public facilities and services can be provided, or require that the development be phased so that the availability and delivery of facilities and services coincides with the demands for the facilities created by the development.
(d) 
Whenever the city council determines that levels of service in excess of these minimum standards are necessary in order to promote the orderly development of the city, the owner shall qualify for reimbursement for any costs in excess of the minimum levels of service through city participation, to the extent funds are available by a pro rata reimbursement policy or other means adopted by the city.
(e) 
The city council may grant a waiver in accordance with section 74-4 where specific topographic or other conditions make a waiver from these standards necessary in order to achieve the best overall design.
(f) 
There is hereby adopted by reference and made a part of this chapter design standards and specifications which shall control the design, construction and installation of street paving, curbs and gutters, sidewalks, utilities and other public improvements required in this chapter. All references to city design standards and specifications shall mean and include those standards and specifications, together with all exhibits, charts, drawings and diagrams appertaining thereto, which have been approved by the officials having jurisdiction and placed on file in the offices of such officials. Provisions not stated in this chapter will be regulated by the North Central Texas Council of Government Standard Specifications for Public Works Construction.
[Ord. No. 819-97, § 11(A), 6-10-1997; Ord. No. 1063-06, § 13, 8-22-2006]
Any land which, in its natural state, is subject to a 100-year flood or which cannot be properly drained shall not be subdivided, resubdivided or developed until receipt of evidence that the construction of specific improvements proposed by the subdivider can be expected to yield a usable building site. Thereafter the planning and zoning commission and city council may approve plats. However, construction upon such land shall be prohibited until the specific improvements have been planned and construction guaranteed.
[Ord. No. 819-97, § 11(G), 6-10-1997]
Providing adequate sites for recreation, parks, open space, school sites, and other community facilities is a public necessity in an urban area. The acquisition and improvement of these sites in step with private development of the area served by them is of mutual benefit to the subdivider and to the public. Therefore when advised during the preapplication conference that the parks and recreation open space master plan and/or comprehensive land use plan shows a need for such facilities either partially or totally within the proposed development area, the subdivider shall include in his preliminary plat design sites for such purposes.
[Ord. No. 819-97, § 11(H), 6-10-1997]
(a) 
All proposed unified residential developments, also referred to as planned unit developments, shall comply with the provisions relating thereto and contained within the comprehensive zoning ordinance. All streets not dedicated to the public shall be paved to street design standards adopted by the city and shall be maintained by means of a homeowner's association, or other means as approved by the city council.
(b) 
Any request to dedicate a private street as a public street shall be approved only if arrangements are made to bring the street into conformity with all city standards and regulations in effect at the time of dedication at the cost of affected property owners.
(c) 
All private streets that intersect with public streets shall be constructed with standard drive type approaches. In such cases where an unusual condition exists, the city engineer may approve standard intersection approaches if the approval is requested prior to the preparation of the plans. Private streets will be named and shown on the plat. Private streets shall be indicated as such on the plat. Street signs for such private streets shall be erected and maintained by the homeowner's association.
[Ord. No. 819-97, § 11(I), 6-10-1997]
(a) 
All lots to be platted shall be connected to a public water system which has capacity to provide water for domestic use and emergency purposes, including adequate fire protection. The city engineer shall be responsible for determining the approved means of water pressure and treatment. The city may require the phasing of development and/or improvements in order to maintain adequate water capacity.
(b) 
All lots to be platted shall be served by an approved means of wastewater collection and treatment. The city engineer shall be responsible for determining the approved means of wastewater collection and treatment. The city may require the phasing of development and/or improvements in order to maintain adequate wastewater capacity.
(c) 
Proposed roads shall provide a safe, convenient and functional system for vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian circulation and shall be properly related to the applicable thoroughfare plan and any amendments thereto, and shall be appropriate for the particular traffic characteristics of each proposed subdivision or development. New subdivisions shall be supported by a thoroughfare network having adequate capacity, and safe and efficient traffic circulation. Each development shall have adequate access to the thoroughfare network.
(d) 
Drainage improvements serving new development shall be designed to prevent overloading the capacity of the downstream drainage system. The city may require the phasing of development, the use of control methods such as retention or detention, the construction of off-site drainage improvements, or drainage impact fees in order to mitigate the impacts of the proposed subdivision.
[Ord. No. 1063-06, § 14, 8-22-2006]
(a) 
The city shall require an initial demonstration that a proposed subdivision shall be adequately served by public facilities and services at the time for approval of the first development application that portrays a specific plan of development, including but not limited to a petition for establishing a planned development zoning district, or other overlay zoning district; or a developer's agreement; or an application for a preliminary or final plat.
(b) 
The obligation to dedicate rights-of-way for or to construct one or more public works improvements to serve a new subdivision may be deferred until approval of a subsequent phase of the subdivision, at the sole discretion of the city engineer, upon written request of the property owner, or at the city's own initiative. As a condition of deferring the obligation, the city may require that the subdivider include provisions in the developer's agreement, specifying the time for dedication of rights-of-way for or construction of public works improvements serving the subdivision.
[Ord. No. 1063-06, § 15, 8-22-2006]