Chapter 17.12 GENERAL DESIGN AND IMPROVEMENT STANDARDS

A. Minimum Lot Area and Width. Minimum lot area and width for commercial, industrial and residential subdivisions shall be as stipulated for those respective types of subdivisions in the Zoning Ordinance or as referenced by Section 17.12.020. If an inconsistency occurs between standards stated here and the Zoning Ordinance, the Zoning Ordinance shall prevail.

B. Street Design. Street design shall be as set forth in this chapter for commercial, industrial and residential areas respectively.

C. Improvements. All improvements shall be as set out for the respective types of subdivisions in this chapter, Chapter 17.16 and Chapter 17.20 and standards adopted pursuant to this title.

D. Other Regulations. All other regulations set out in this title shall be complied with in the development of commercial, industrial and residential subdivisions respectively. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.01, 1989)

17.12.020 Lot standards.

A. In no case shall lot width be less than sixty feet on the building setback line, nor the depth less than that necessary to provide the minimum lot size required, nor shall the depth be less than eighty-five feet, nor greater than three times the width, exclusive of rights-of-way or easements necessary for road purposes; provided, that the planning commission may approve lots exceeding those minimums where lots are located on or adjacent to steep hillsides, rivers or creeks, or where property is to be used for business or industrial purposes.

B. Double frontage lots of less than two hundred feet in depth shall be avoided, except where essential to prove separation of residential development from traffic arteries, or where required by unusual or excessive topographic conditions. When double frontage lots are permitted or required, vehicular access rights shall be dedicated to the city along that street designated by the planning commission. The subdivider may be required to construct walls or fences and improve a planting strip adjacent thereto with approved landscaping.

C. Corner lots shall be increased in width to not less than seventy feet on the building setback line.

D. All residential lots shall have a minimum twenty-foot building setback on all street frontages, except on corner lots which shall maintain a fifteen-foot building setback on one of its two street frontages. A building setback line shall also be provided adjacent to streams or watercourses as required by Chapter 8.20.

E. Corridor lots (flag lots) may be permitted in hillside development or difficult topography and unusual land shape or when lots back up to traffic arteries with the approval of the planning commission if the lot area conforms to the requirements of the zoning district excluding any area necessary for corridor access and the corridor has a minimum width of twenty feet for one lot and forty feet combined width for two lots. The access corridor on lots less than 1.5 acres in area shall be paved with asphalt or equivalent to a width of twelve feet for its entire length on a single lot and to a combined width of sixteen feet on two lots. Corridors of excessive length shall not be permitted. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.02, 1989)

17.12.030 Block length.

Blocks shall not be longer than six hundred feet between intersecting street lines, except on arterial streets, where longer blocks may be required by the planning commission. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.03, 1989)

17.12.040 Walkways.

Improved walkways not less than ten feet in width and not over three hundred feet in length may be required through blocks more than nine hundred feet in length and through other blocks where necessary to provide access to schools, parks and scenic easements. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.04, 1989)

17.12.050 Sidewalks.

Sidewalks may be required along all streets where the average area of the lot is less than fifteen thousand square feet. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.05, 1989)

17.12.060 Easements.

Easements not less than fifteen feet wide shall be required within or across lots where necessary for underground utilities, cables, wires and trees. A reduction of the width may be allowed when a lesser width is justified in the opinion of the city engineer and the serving utility. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.06, 1989)

17.12.070 Planting strips required when.

When the rear of any lot borders upon a freeway, expressway, state highway or arterial or collector, the subdivider may be required to dedicate and improve a planting strip adjacent to such freeway, expressway, state highway or arterial. The cost of all required improvements shall be borne by the subdivider. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.07, 1989)

17.12.080 Watercourses and drainage.

Watercourses shall be shown as easements when required by the city engineer, and storm drains shall be placed in easements when public right-of-way is not available or adequate. All lots shall be so graded as to drain to an improved street or approved drainageway. In the event that storm drains are located at the rear lot line, there shall be provided a drainage solution subject to the satisfaction of the city engineer. Where sumps are approved to handle drainage as an interim solution, feasible easements shall be provided for necessary channels and sump areas. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.08, 1989)

17.12.090 Monuments—Location specifications.

Durable iron pipes, iron pins or iron tees not less substantial than one-half inch by thirty inches which conform to the standards adopted by the city and shown on the final subdivision or parcel map, shall be placed at the following locations:

A. Along boundary lines at intervals not to exceed five hundred feet, or at such lesser distances as may be made necessary by topography or culture, to assure accuracy in the reestablishment of any point or line without unreasonable difficulty;

B. At the beginning and ending of property line, curves of the points of intersection of tangents thereof, or other intermediate points required by the city engineer;

C. (Reserved.) (Ord. 435-89 § 3.09, 1989)

17.12.100 Monuments—Concrete construction.

Concrete monuments shall be as set forth in City Standards and Specifications, Standard Drawing No. 216. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.10, 1989)

17.12.110 Monuments—Permanent elevation benchmarks.

Permanent elevation benchmarks shall be of an approved type and location as required on the tentative map. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.11, 1989)

17.12.120 Replacement of monument or benchmark.

Any monument or benchmark required by this title, which is disturbed or destroyed before acceptance on all improvements, shall be replaced by the subdivider at his expense. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.12, 1989)

17.12.130 Lots abutting on improved streets.

A. All lots shall abut on a dedicated and improved street.

B. Lots with frontage on more than one street will not be permitted unless approved by the planning commission which may, as a condition to such approval, require the developer to release access rights on one street. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.12, 1989)

17.12.140 Street extensions.

Existing streets shall be extended as required by the planning commission. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.14, 1989)

17.12.150 Street stubs.

Street stubs shall be extended to adjacent unsubdivided property where, in the opinion of the planning commission, they are necessary. A satisfactory, temporary cul-de-sac and/or a standard barrier shall be installed at the termini of street stubs in order to prevent unauthorized access thereto and therefrom. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.15, 1989)

17.12.160 Street intersections.

Streets shall intersect at as near right angles as is practicable. Radius of curvature, where the property lines intersect, shall be a minimum of twenty feet except where streets intersect arterials where the minimum radius shall be thirty feet. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.16, 1989)

17.12.170 T and three-legged intersections.

T or three-legged intersections are preferable to four-legged (gridiron) intersections on local streets. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.17, 1989)

17.12.180 Distance between intersections.

Intersections shall not be located closer than three hundred fifty feet to any other intersections measured from centerline to centerline, unless approved by the city engineer. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.18, 1989)

17.12.190 Access rights.

Access rights, where required to control access over certain lot lines or reserve strips over the ends of street stubs, shall be deeded to the city. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.19, 1989)

17.12.200 Frontage roads, access roads and acceleration lanes.

Frontage roads, access roads or acceleration lanes may be required in industrial, commercial, and in residential areas where it is necessary to control access to arterial streets. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.20, 1989)

17.12.210 Lanes intersecting streets.

Where lanes intersect streets, a minimum twenty-foot radius of property curvature shall be required. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.21, 1989)

17.12.220 Cul-de-sac streets.

Cul-de-sac streets shall have the following limiting dimensions:

A. Fifty feet minimum radius to property;

B. Forty feet minimum radius to curbline;

C. Five hundred feet maximum length of a cul-de-sac to center of turnaround, except where a loop is provided in the water system;

D. Hammerheads may be allowed under unique circumstances by city engineer. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.22, 1989)

17.12.230 Street names.

Names for proposed new streets shall be approved by the Post Office upon the recommendation of the chief of police and fire chief and shall be shown on the final map. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.23, 1989)

17.12.240 Dedication of streets, rights-of-way and easements.

Streets, rights-of-way and easements in any standard subdivision or minor subdivision shall be offered for dedication by appropriate means. The city may, at its option, accept or reject any such offer or reserve the right to require future dedication. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.24, 1989)

17.12.250 Street design specifications.

A. Street design shall conform to the standards embodied in the circulation element of the general plan of the city.

1. Curve Radius. Minimum centerline radius on streets shall be:

a. Arterial streets, one thousand five hundred feet;

b. Collector streets, eight hundred feet;

c. Minor streets, two hundred feet;

d. Cul-de-sac streets, one hundred feet.

2. Grades.

a. Maximum permitted, fifteen percent;

b. Minimum permitted, 0.5 percent.

B. Where topography makes fifteen percent impractical, subject to receiving the city engineer’s recommendation, the planning commission may allow up to twenty percent grade, where satisfactory evidence is given, showing that a lesser grade is not possible. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.25, 1989)

17.12.260 Improvements required.

Improvements to be installed by each subdivider shall include the following:

A. Curb, gutter, sidewalk and walkways;

B. Water lines, gas lines, electric lines, cable television structures and other utility services to serve each lot and shall be stubbed to clear public improvements prior to paving;

C. Fire hydrants of a type and size approved by the fire chief; fire flow shall be as approved by the fire chief;

D. Sanitary sewers and separate laterals to serve each lot and shall be stubbed to property line prior to paving. Sewer mains shall be of sufficient size to accommodate potential future development within the upstream basin;

E. Storm sewers, drains and channel improvements when necessary for general use of the development; storm drains shall be of sufficient size to accommodate potential future development within the upstream basin;

F. Silt basins or other forms of erosion control as required by the city engineer in accordance with current, accepted engineering practices;

G. Paved streets;

H. Street lights; the spacing of standard street lights and underground wiring of all street lighting systems shall be approved by the city engineer,

I. Street trees; not less than one tree per lot, average spacing fifty feet on center, and of a type to be approved by the city;

J. Street name signs at locations approved by the city engineer;

K. Street-end barricades, walls or fencing where required;

L. Traffic signals, signs, controls and markings where streets intersect and at other locations required by the city engineer;

M. When required by the fire chief, a fire alarm system and alarm boxes of a type and at locations approved by the fire chief;

N. Utility distribution lines including, but not limited to, electric, communications, street lighting and cable television shall be required to be placed underground. The subdivider is responsible for complying with the requirements of this section, and he shall make the necessary arrangements with the utility companies for the installation of such facilities. For the purposes of this section, appurtenances and associated equipment such as, but not limited to, surface-mounted transformers, pedestal-mounted terminal boxes and meter cabinets, and concealed ducts in an underground system may be placed above ground in commercial and industrial subdivisions only; said facilities may be allowed above ground for residential subdivision upon the approval by the city engineer. All surface-mounted installations shall be screened with landscaping as approved by the planning commission or placed beyond any setback required by the applicable zoning district regulations. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.26, 1989)

17.12.270 Airspace requirements for condominiums and similar projects.

The planning commission, upon the recommendation of the city engineer and the planning director shall regulate, consistent with the general plan, the city Zoning Ordinance, this title and the general policy of the city, the design and location of airspaces and buildings in condominium, stock cooperative and community-apartment projects in order to promote the public safety, health, comfort, convenience and general welfare, and to effectuate the general plan and the standards and provisions of the subdivision and zoning ordinances. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.28, 1989)

17.12.280 Landscaping and fencing requirements.

Where lots back onto public streets, landscaped areas from ten feet to twenty feet in width may be required by the planning commission. The planning commission may require, when deemed necessary, perimeter fencing; such fencing may be in conjunction with landscaping. Fencing and landscaping shall be of a type approved by the planning commission and shall be the continued responsibility of the landowner unless otherwise specified in writing by the city. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.29, 1989)

17.12.290 Variations from standards permitted when.

Variation of the standards required pursuant to this chapter and Chapters 17.16 and 17.20 may be permitted only in areas where a use permit is in effect for a planned unit development. The variations permitted shall be only those shown on that site plan which was approved as a part of the planned unit development. (Ord. 435-89 § 3.27, 1989)