Division 7.
Development Standards.
25.166.21 Requirements.
Except where modified by the planning commission or city council, as provided by this ordinance, all subdivisions of land, shall be in conformity with the standards as set forth or referred to in this article.
25.166.22 Standard specifications.
All improvements shall be installed in accordance with specification and standards of design of the City of Fairfield standard specifications, August 1974, except as hereafter modified by resolution of the city council. Copies of said standard specifications are available to the public in the office of the city engineer and are hereby adopted and made a part hereof, the same as if fully set forth in this ordinance.
25.166.23 Public works extension costs.
Subdividers shall be required to furnish a faithful performance bond and additional bonds described in sec. 6.8 (sec. 25.166) of this article to secure the installation of, and/or pay for extending the prescribed utilities and public works improvements and facilities at the time a final subdivision map, parcel map, record of survey of a division of land, or building permit application is filed with and accepted by the city according to an estimate of the work approved by the city engineer.
25.166.24 Special conditions.
Whenever extraordinary conditions or circumstances are encountered in the development of property which are not provided for by the terms of this ordinance, the cost proration of the same, if any, shall be stipulated and included with other commitment in the subdivision or development agreement entered into between the city and the developer.
25.166.25 Prepaid costs - Off-set credits.
Whenever it can be shown that any land has previously borne or contributed to the cost of the required facilities set forth herein, a credit will be allowed by the city as an off-set to the charges made thereon. Lands which are or have been developed for urban use shall be considered developed for off-set credit purposes. Such parcels shall be given full credit in accordance with its use at the time of original development against the charge established pursuant hereto for the present proposed use.
25.166.26 Dedications. easements, and rights-of-wav.
The developer shall grant without cost to the city all required dedications, easements, and rights-of-way necessary to serve the proprety of the developer and for the installation of streets, utilities and public facilities.
25.166.27 Buildable lots.
All subdivisions shall result in the creation of lots which are developable and capable of being built upon and meet all requirements of the zoning ordinance. No subdivision shall create lots which are impractical of improvement due to steepness of terrain, location of watercourses, or other natural conditions.
25.166.28 Access to public streets.
All lots or parcels created by the subdivision of land shall have access to a public street. Private streets shall not normally be permitted. However, if it is determined that the most logical development of the land requires that lots be created which cannot feasibly be served by a public street, a private street may be approved. The subdivider shall submit a development plan showing the alignment, width, grade and material specifications of any proposed private street, the topography and means and access to each lot, and drainage of the subdivision. Construction of the private street as approved by the city engineer shall be completed prior to completion of construction and/or occupancy on the lots.
25.166.29 Streets and thorouqhfares.
The subdivision design shall conform to the pattern of thoroughfares designated in the general plan or specific plan, and to any future street rights-of-way designated by the planning commission and approved by the city council. Whenever a subdivision embraces or is adjacent to any thoroughfare so designated, any part of such thoroughfare included in the tract shall be platted by the subdivider in the location indicated.
25.166.30 Minimum street standards.
Where higher standards have not been established, all streets and thoroughfares shall be platted according to the following minimum standards except where it can be shown by the subdivider, to the satisfaction of the planning commission and city council, that the topography or the small number of lots served and the probable future traffic development are such as to unquestionably justify a narrower width. Increased widths may be required where streets are to serve commercial property or where probable traffic conditions warrant such.
Where the city street system calls for wider pavement (width in excess of one travel lane and one parking lane on each side of the street), except in the case of frontage roads, the city shall bear the cost of paving any extra width required. All streets shall be equipped with paving, curbing, sidewalks, name signs, lighting fixtures, shade trees and parkway improvements as required by this section, with exceptions as indicated therein.
|
Street |
Average Daily Traffic ADT |
Width of Right-of-Way |
Width of Pavement Between Curbs (1) |
Traffic Lanes |
Parking or Transit Lanes |
Width of Planting Strip |
Width of Median |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
No. |
Width |
No. |
Width |
||||||
|
Minor |
0-500 |
50’ |
36’ |
2 |
10’ |
2 |
8’ |
5’ |
--- |
|
Collector |
500-4,000 |
60’ |
40’ |
2 |
12’ |
2 |
8’ |
10’ |
--- |
|
|
4,000-7,500 |
70’ |
48’ |
2 |
14’ |
2 |
12’ (2) |
10’ |
--- |
|
(Rural) |
1,000-7,500 |
70’ |
40’ |
2 |
12’ |
2 |
8’ |
15’ |
--- |
|
Major Arterial |
7,500-16,000 |
100’ |
80’ |
4 |
12’ |
2 |
10’ (2) |
10’ |
10’ |
|
|
16,000-25,000 |
110’ |
90’ |
4 |
12’ |
2 |
10’ (2) |
10’ |
22’ |
|
(2-lane Rural) |
1, 000-7,500 |
80’ |
40’ |
2 |
12’ |
2 |
8’ |
20’ |
--- |
|
(4-Lane Rural) |
7,500-25,000 |
106’ |
64’ |
4 |
12’ |
2 |
8’ |
10’ |
22’ |
|
Frontage Road |
--- |
50’ |
34’ |
2 |
13’ |
1 |
8’ |
--- |
--- |
|
Alley |
--- |
20’ |
20’ |
2 |
10’ |
-- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
(1) Pavement width may vary, depending on design of development served.
(2) Transit Lane; on-street parking to be prohibited.
25.166.31 Frontaqe roads.
Frontage roads shall be dedicated and improved by the developer at his expense to the full width.
25.166.32 County roads and state highways.
The developer shall install street improvements on any abutting county roads and state highways in like manner, and on the same basis, as major city streets; provided, however, that in the case of non-access roads and highways, the developer shall provide curb, gutter and sidewalk where required by the city.
25.166.33 Street pattern.
The street pattern in all subdivisions shall be in general conformity with a plan for the most advantageous development of adjoining areas and the entire neighborhood or district. The following principles shall be observed.
(a) Where appropriate to the design, proposed streets shall be continuous and in alignment with existing, planned, or platted street with which they are to connect. The center lines of streets not in alignment shall be offset at least two hundred feet.
(b) Proposed streets shall be extended to the boundary lines of the land to be subdivided, unless, in the opinion of the commission, such extension is not necessary for the coordination of the layout of the subdivision with the existing layout or the most advantageous future development of adjacent tracts.
(c) Proposed streets shall intersect one another as nearly at right angles as topography and other limiting factors of good design permit.
(d) Excessively long, straight residential streets, conducive to high speed traffic, shall be prohibited.
(e) The use of cul-de-sac streets is encouraged in neighborhood areas. Generally, a cul-de-sac should not be longer than 400 feet. Loop streets should be used in place of cul-de-sacs in cases where a cul-de-sac street exceeds 400 feet in length.
(f) The intersection radius at property line for residential streets shall be 20 feet. Where a residential street intersects with a collector street, or a collector street intersects with a collector street, the property line radius shall be 30 feet. Where a collector street intersects an arterial street, the property line radius shall be 40 feet.
25.166.34 Street desiqn adjacent to thoroughfares.
Subdivision design adjacent to thoroughfares shall be as specified in the general plan or specific plan. The following principles and standards shall also be observed:
(a) Street design shall have the purpose of making adjacent lots, if for residential use, desirable for such use by cushioning the impact of heavy traffic, and of minimizing the interference with traffic on such thoroughfares.
(b) The number of intersecting streets along thoroughfares shall be held to a minimum. Wherever practicable, such intersections shall be spaced not less than six hundred feet apart.
(c) Frontage roads, if required, shall be separated from the thoroughfare by a strip of permanent landscaping, subject to approval by the city, of not less than five feet in width.
(d) Where frontage roads are not required, residential lots adjacent to the thoroughfare normally will be required to be served by a minor street paralleling the thoroughfare at a generous lot depth therefrom, or by a series of cul-de-sacs or loop streets extending toward the thoroughfares. In such cases, a wall or fence of a design approved by the city shall be required within the right-of-way at the rear or properties adjacent to the thoroughfare. A strip of permanent landscaping not less than five feet in width, subject to approval of the commission, may be required adjacent to the wall or fence, facing the thoroughfare.
(e) When the rear of any lot borders any thoroughfare, the subdivider shall be required to relinquish the right of ingress and egress from the thoroughfare to the lot.
25.166.35 Waiver of direct access to streets.
The city council, in the case of major subdivisions, or the director of planning and development, in the case of minor subdivisions, may impose a requirement that any dedication or offer of dedication of a street shall include a waiver of direct access rights to such street from any property shown on a final map as abutting thereon, and that if the dedication is accepted, such waiver shall become effective in accordance with the provisions of the waiver of direct access.
25.166.36 Sidewalks and pedestrian ways.
The following principles and standards shall apply to the design and installation of curbs, sidewalks and pedestrian ways:
(a) Sidewalks shall be required on both sides of the street in any subdivision or portion thereof.
(b) The requirement for sidewalks may be omitted, at the discretion of the planning commission, and city council, in a subdivision or section thereof in which all single family lots have an area of one-half acre or more.
(c) When required for access to schools, playgrounds, shopping centers, transportation facilities, other community facilities, or for unusually long blocks, the planning commission may require pedestrian ways not less than ten feet in width to such facility.
25.166.37 Bike trails.
Bike trails may be required by the city along certain streets within a subdivision. If a street is designated to accommodate a bike trail, additional right-of-way shall be provided.
25.166.38 Hillside and large lot subdivisions.
In the case where existing land or portion thereof has an average slope of not less than eight percent, the planning commission in the exercise of its discretion, may modify the foregoing requirements of this section in a manner that will result in the best possible utilization of the land to be subdivided while giving consideration to the intent of this article. The following principles and standards shall be observed.
(a) The basis for requirements for street and roadway widths and design shall be the topography of the land and the density of development in terms of the proposed number of dwellings to be served by the street or roadway.
(b) Street grades for minor residential streets may be increased above the maximum allowable grade on approval by the city engineer.
(c) The dedicated width of any two-way street may be reduced to 40 feet, with a minimum pavement width of 26 feet.
25.166.39 Fencing.
The subdivider or developer shall be required to furnish and install all fences along lot lines of houses within any development abutting an existing or future (a) major city street, expressway, parkway, thoroughfare and/or railroad right-of-way; (b) commercial areas and/or subdivision entranceway; (c) proposed or existing ditch and/or natural channel, and (d) hazard creating a public nuisance. Said fence shall be constructed according to standards established by the city’s architectural approval committee.
25.166.40 Trees.
The subdivider or developer shall deposit with the city, a fee established by resolution of the city council to provide for the planting of street trees. One tree shall be provided for each interior lot under seventy-five (75) feet in width and three (3) trees shall be provided for each corner lot. For lots which have a frontage larger than seventy-five (75) feet, one tree shall be provided for each seventy-five (75) feet of street frontage or portion thereof. The total number of trees required shall be determined by the park division of the department of public works. The trees will be planted by the city at the time it is determined by the city park superintendent to be best for planting.
25.166.41 Utilities.
(a) All electrical power and communication lines, wires, and conduits or similar or associated electrical materials or devices shall be placed underground pursuant to the regulations contained in ordinance 68-6 and any amendment thereto.
(b) Public utility and drainage easements shall be placed as required by the utility company and city engineer along the front, sides and rear of all lots where necessary.
Under normal circumstances, utility facilities which are to be placed underground shall be located within the street right-of-way, provided that upon the mutual agreement of the city engineer, subdivider and utilities concerned, such facilities may be located in easements within the front yard or along the side lot line or rear lot line.
25.166.42 Block standards.
Blocks shall not normally exceed 800 feet in length between street lines, except in hillside development and/or where subdivisions containing parcels of one-half acre or larger justify or require a variation from this requirement.
25.166.43 Lot standards.
The size, shape and orientation of lots shall be appropriate to the location of the proposed subdivision and to the type of development contemplated. The following principles and standards shall be observed.
(a) The minimum area and dimensions of all lots shall conform to the requirements of the zoning ordinance for the district in which the subdivision is located.
(b) In all rectangular lots, and so far as possible in all other lots, the side line shall be at right angles to the street on which the lot faces, or radial, if the street is located on a curve.
(c) Every lot shall abut on a street unless otherwise permitted.
(d) Panhandle lots, or “stovepipe” lots may be permitted where it is desired to subdivide a parcel of land which, because of its configuration, shape, or location, does not permit the creation of lots with the minimum frontage as prescribed by this chapter, or other city regulations, there may be created a panhandle lot. Such lot or lots shall consist of a strip of land or panhandle which meets the driveway standards as required by the zoning ordinance. Such panhandle shall not be longer than 250 feet. At the point where the panhandle terminates, the min mum dimensions of the lot shall otherwise conform to city regulations.
(e) No lot shall have a depth of less than one hundred feet. Where the rear of a lot is adjacent to a playground, shopping center, industrial tract, or other similar nonresidential use, or to the right-of-way of a freeway, railroad or thoroughfare, the depth shall be increased to a minimum of one hundred and twenty feet (120’).
(f) No remnants of property shall be left in the subdivision which do not conform to lot requirements, or are not required for a private or public utility purpose.
25.166.44 Neighborhood park and recreation facilities.
Repealed. Ord. No. 95-14, § 4.
25.166.45 Elementary school sites.
As a condition of approval of a final map, a subdivider who develops or completes the development of one or more subdivisions within the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District or Travis Unified School District shall dedicate to the school district such lands as the city council shall deem to be necessary for the purpose of constructing thereon schools necessary to assure the residents of the subdivision adequate elementary school service.
Elementary school sites shall be located in accord with the following criteria:
(a) The principles and standards expressed in the general plan or specific plan.
(b) Elementary school sites shall be central to the population to be served and shall not be located as a major thoroughfare.
(c) Whenever possible, elementary school sites shall be located adjacent to a neighborhood park site. The requirement of dedication shall be imposed at the time of approval of the tentative map. If within thirty (30) days after the requirement of dedication is imposed by the city, the affected school district does not offer to enter into a binding commitment with the subdivider to accept the dedication, the requirement shall be automatically terminated. The required dedication may be made anytime before, concurrently with, or up to sixty (60) days after the filing of the final map on any portion of the subdivision.
The affected school district shall, if it accepts the dedication, repay to the subdivider or his successors the original cost to the subdivider of the dedicated land, plus a sum equal to the total of the following amounts:
(1) The total cost of any improvements to the dedicated land since acquisition by the subdivider.
(2) The taxes assessed against the dedicated land from the date of the school district’s offer to enter into the binding commitment to accept the dedication.
(3) Any other costs incurred by the subdivider in maintenance of such dedicated land, including interest costs incurred on any loan covering such land.
The provisions of this section shall not be applicable to a subdivider who has owned the land being subdivided for more than ten (10) years prior to the filing of the tentative map.
25.166.46 Bridges.
Bridges of primary benefit to a developer as determined by the city council shall be constructed at the full expense of the developer without reimbursement from the city. The sharing of expense between the city and developer for the construction of bridges which are not of primary benefit to developer shall be as set forth in chapter 25, article III of the Fairfield city code.
25.166.47 Drainaqe and sewer facilities.
The developer shall provide drainage and sewer facilities in accord with chapter 16 of the Fairfield city code.
25.166.48 Deferred construction.
Whenever it is deemed necessary by the city to defer the construction of any improvement required herein because of incompatible grades, future planning or for other reasons, the property developer shall pay his share of the costs of the future improvements to the city, or the developer may post a bond, insuring completion of said improvements upon demand of the city. The city shall refund any funds so paid if not used for their intended purpose, and refund shall be made when the city determines said funds shall not be so used.
25.166.49 Temporary improvements.
The developer shall be required to pay all costs for all temporary improvements and shall be required to maintain the same, except as may be provided by this ordinance. Prior to the construction of any temporary facility, the developer shall file with the city a suitable bond, which bond shall insure that the temporary facilities will be properly constructed, maintained and removed.
25.166.50 Municipal utilities.
(a) Water facilities shall be furnished and installed by the developer according to section XI of the standard specifications. The developer is required to pay for meter and box installation performed by the city. The city, at its option, may elect to install the service line and charge the developer a fee for the installation of the service line in accord with the fee schedule adopted by the city council for such work.
(b) Sewer facilities shall be furnished and installed by the developer according to the standard specifications.
(c) The developer shall show evidence to the city that arrangements have been made with Pacific Gas and Electric Company for electric and gas facilities, services and meters. All power facilities shall be installed underground unless otherwise permitted by ordinance 68-6 and any subsequent amendments.
(d) The developer shall show evidence to the city that arrangements have been made with the Pacific Telephone Company for telephone facilities and service. All telephone facilities shall be installed underground unless otherwise permitted by the city council.
(e) The developer shall show evidence to the city that arrangements have been made for cable television facilities and services with all cable television systems serving the development pursuant to a cable television franchise granted by the city. All cable television facilities shall be installed underground unless otherwise permitted by the city council. (Ord. No. 92-11, § 2.)
25.166.51 Residual parcel, improvement of.
The developer shall, concurrently with the development of any lands, construct all required public works facilities and pay all fees and charges set forth herein for any residual parcel created by the development of said lands.
25.166.52 Deferred charges.
Whenever any property or parcel of land, not under development, is directly benefited by the installation of any of the required facilities, utilities or public works improvements, the city may advance the costs of same and defer the collection of such charges until such time as said property is developed. Said charges shall be satisfied before any subdivision, record of survey of a division of land, building permit or service connection for such property is granted or accepted by the city.
Engineering diagrams showing property benefited will be furnished the building division and the finance department of the city, showing amounts of deferred charges.
25.166.53 Deferred credits.
If for any reason, the city is not in a position to advance the costs of the required rightof-way, facilities, utilities and/or public works improvements for intervening properties or parcels of land, the developer shall advance said costs for which the city will enter into a reimbursement agreement by the city of the charges prescribed. The reimbursement process is stated in Chapter 6B of this Code. (Ord. No. 94-20, § 4.)
25.166.54 Charges - Existing improvements.
Wherever existing facilities, utilities or other public works improvements have been installed without cost to a property, the developer of such property must pay to the city the charges as set forth by resolution of the city council.
25.166.55 Cost clearance certifications.
Before any building permit shall be issued, or service connection made, a certificate shall be obtained from the city showing that the liability said property has for all facilities and/or improvements has been satisfied.
25.166.56 Grading and erosion control.
Every subdivision approved pursuant to this article shall be conditioned on compliance with the requirements for grading and erosion control, including the prevention of sedimentation or damage to off-site property.