Chapter 14.31
– Access and Circulation
Sections:
14.31.200 Vehicular Access and Circulation
14.31.300 Pedestrian Access and Circulation
14.31.100 Purpose
The purpose of this Chapter is to ensure that developments provide safe, efficient and attractive access and circulation for pedestrians and vehicles. Section 14.31.200 provides standards for vehicular access and circulation. Section 14.31.300 provides standards for pedestrian access and circulation. Standards for streets and other transportation system improvements are provided in Section 14.34.100. (Ord. 2959 §5(Exh. A (part)), 2007. Formerly 3.1.100)
14.31.200 Vehicular Access and Circulation
A. Intent and Purpose. The intent of this Section is to manage access to land uses and on-site circulation, and to preserve the transportation system in terms of safety, capacity, and function. This Section applies to all public streets within the City of Cottage Grove, and to all properties that abut these roadways. This Section implements the access management policies of the Cottage Grove Transportation System Plan.
B. Applicability. This Chapter applies to all public streets within the City and to all properties that abut these streets. The standards apply when lots are created, consolidated, or modified through a land division, partition, lot line adjustment, lot consolidation, or street vacation; and when properties are subject to Land Use Review or Site Design Review.
C. Access Permit Required. Access (e.g., a new curb cut or driveway approach) to a public street requires an Access Permit. An access permit may be in the form of a letter to the applicant, or it may be attached to a land use decision notice as a condition of approval. In either case, approval of an access permit shall follow the procedures and requirements of the applicable road authority (i.e. Cottage Grove, Lane County or ODOT), Permits shall be processed as Type I applications, normally at time of Land Use Review. If the developer proposes exceptions to the standards of this chapter, the permit shall be processed as a Type II application.
D. State Access Permits. ODOT has responsibility and authority in managing access to State Highways. Projects with direct access onto a State Highway shall be required to obtain a State access permit. An approved State access permit must be submitted as part of all Type II and III land use permits. Conditions placed by the State upon these access permits shall be considered conditions of approval for all applicable development approvals.
E. Traffic Study Requirements. The City may require a traffic study prepared by a qualified professional to determine access, circulation, and other transportation requirements in conformance with Section 14.41.900, Traffic Impact Study.
F. Conditions of Approval. The City may require the closing or consolidation of existing curb cuts or other vehicle access points, recording of reciprocal access easements (i.e., for shared driveways), development of a frontage street, installation of traffic control devices, and/or other mitigation as a condition of granting an access permit, to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the street and highway system.
G. Corner and Intersection Separation; Backing onto Public Streets. New and modified accesses shall conform to the following standards:
1. Except as provided under subsection 4, below, the distance from a street intersection to a driveway or other street access shall meet the minimum spacing requirements for the street’s classification in the City’s Transportation System Plan. No driveway approach may be located closer to the corner than 30 feet on local streets, 50 feet on collector streets, and 75 feet on arterials;
2. When the above requirements cannot be met due to lack of frontage, the driveway may be located such that the driveway apron will begin at the farthest property line, but at no time shall new property access be permitted within 30 feet of an intersection. Where no other alternatives exist, the City may allow construction of an access connection at a point less than 30 feet from an intersection, provided the access is as far away from the intersection as possible (See Figure 14.31.200.G). In such cases, the City may impose turning restrictions (i.e., right in/out, right in only, or right out only);
Figure 14.31.200.G Driveway Location Alternative
3. Access to and from off-street parking areas shall not permit backing onto a public street, except for single-family and two-family dwellings;
4. The City may reduce required separation distance of access points where they prove impractical due to lot dimensions, existing development, other physical features, or conflicting code requirements, provided all of the following requirements are met:
a. Joint-use driveways and cross-access easements are provided in accordance with subsection 14.31.200.H;
b. The site plan incorporates a unified access and circulation system in accordance with this Section; and
c. The property owner(s) enter in a written agreement with the City, recorded with the deed, that pre-existing connections on the site will be closed and eliminated after construction of each side of the joint-use driveway.
H. Site Circulation. New developments shall be required to provide a circulation system that accommodates expected traffic on the site. Pedestrian connections on the site, including connections through large sites, and connections between sites (as applicable) and adjacent sidewalks, must conform to the provisions in Section 14.31.300.
I. Joint and Cross Access – Requirement. The number of driveway and private street intersections with public streets should be minimized by the use of shared driveways for adjoining lots where feasible. When necessary for traffic safety and access management purposes, or to access flag lots, the City may require joint access and/or shared driveways in the following situations as follows:
1. For shared parking areas;
2. For adjacent developments, where access onto an arterial is limited;
3. For multi-tenant developments, and multi-family developments on multiple lots or parcels. Such joint accesses and shared driveways shall incorporate all of the following:
a. A continuous service drive or cross-access corridor that provides for driveway separation consistent with the applicable transportation authority’s access management classification system and standards;
b. A design speed of 10 miles per hour and a maximum paved width of 24 feet, in addition to any parking alongside the driveway; additional driveway width or fire lanes may be approved when necessary to accommodate specific types of service vehicles, loading vehicles, or emergency service provider vehicles;
c. Driveway stubs to property lines (for future extension) and other design features to make it easy to see that the abutting properties may be required with future development to connect to the cross-access driveway;
d. Fire Department-approved turnaround for service drives or driveways over 150 feet long.
J. Joint and Cross Access – Reduction in Required Parking Allowed. When a shared driveway is provided or required as a condition of approval, the land uses adjacent to the shared driveway may have their minimum parking standards reduced in accordance with the shared parking provisions of Section 14.33.300.C.
K. Joint and Cross Access – Easement and Use and Maintenance Agreement. Pursuant to this Section, property owners shall:
1. Record an easement with the deed allowing cross-access to and from other properties served by the joint-use driveways and cross-access or service drive;
2. Record an agreement with the deed that remaining access rights along the roadway for the subject property shall be dedicated to the City and pre-existing driveways will be closed and eliminated after construction of the joint-use driveway;
3. Record a joint maintenance agreement with the deed defining maintenance responsibilities of property owners.
L. Access Connections and Driveway Design. All commercial and industrial driveway connections to a public right-of-way (access) and driveways shall conform to all of the following design standards:
Figure 14.31.200.L(1) Driveway Elements
1. Driveway Dimensions. Driveways shall meet the following standards:
a. Driveway Width. The width of the driveway (measured along the curbline) shall not exceed the following dimensions:
|
DRIVEWAY WIDTH |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Frontage |
One Driveway Approach |
Two Driveway Approaches |
|
(in feet) |
(min/max in feet) |
(min/max in feet) |
|
Under 30 |
12/16 |
Not Permitted |
|
30 to 60 |
12/20 |
Not Permitted |
|
60 to 80 |
12/30 |
12/22 |
|
Over 80, but not exceeding 100 |
12/30 |
12/30 |
b. Commercial Driveway Throat Lengths. Minimum commercial driveway throat lengths, measured from curb line to first on-site conflict point, are 35 feet (approximately 2 car lengths) on commercial collector and arterial streets. The City may require longer driveway throat lengths when deemed necessary.
2. Driveway Approaches. Driveway approaches shall be designed and located based on the following considerations:
a. Provide exiting vehicles with an unobstructed view of other vehicles and pedestrians
b. Prevent vehicles from backing into the flow of traffic on the public street or causing conflicts with on-site circulation;
c. Avoid construction of driveway accesses along acceleration or deceleration lanes or tapers due to the potential for vehicular conflicts;
d. Locate driveways to allow for safe maneuvering in and around loading areas. See also, Chapter 14.38, Loading;
e. Access corner tracts from the lesser (lowest classification) street; and
f. Consider characteristics of property, including location, size and orientation of structures on site, number of driveways needed to accommodate anticipated traffic, location and spacing of adjacent or opposite driveways.
Figure 14.31.200.L(2) Example of Acceptable Driveway Approach construction
3. Driveway Construction. Driveway aprons (when required) shall be constructed of concrete and shall be installed between the street right-of-way and the private drive, as shown in Figure 14.31.200.L(2). Driveway aprons shall conform to ADA requirements for sidewalks and walkways, which generally require a continuous unobstructed route of travel that is not less than 4 feet in width, with a cross slope not exceeding 2%, and providing for landing areas and ramps at intersections. Driveways shall conform to Fire Code requirements for placement of driveways next to fire hydrants, as shown in Figure 14.31.200.L(3). See also Engineering Department standards for driveway construction.
Figure 14.31.200.L(3) Fire Hydrant & Driveway Spacing
4. Driveway Slopes. Driveways shall be sloped to ensure that vehicles can be parked on the driveway, rather than in the street. Examples of acceptable driveway slopes are shown in Figure 14.31.200.L(4). The maximum grade for a residential driveway shall be 15%. The maximum grade for a commercial/industrial driveway shall be 7%. The change in grade after the driveway approach should not exceed +/- 6 percent in 10 feet for all driveways. Commercial and industrial driveways that have a change in grade of 3% in 10 feet and 6 percent in 10 feet shall have a 10 foot vertical curve connecting tangents.
Figure 14.31.200.L(4) Example of Acceptable Driveway Slopes
M. Fire Access and Turnarounds. When required under the Uniform Fire Code, fire access lanes with turnarounds shall be provided. Except as waived in writing by the Fire Marshal, a fire equipment access drive shall be provided for any portion of an exterior wall of the first story of a building that is located more than 150 feet from an existing public street or approved fire equipment access drive. The drive shall contain unobstructed adequate aisle width of 20 feet with paved surface between 14-20 feet, an unobstructed vertical clearance of 13 feet 6 inches and approved turn-around area for emergency vehicles, as required by the current adopted Oregon Fire Code. The Fire Marshal may require that fire lanes be marked as “No Stopping/No Parking.” For requirements related to cul-de-sacs or dead-end streets, please refer to Section 14.34.100.N.
N. Vertical Clearances. Driveways, private streets, aisles, turn-around areas and ramps shall have a minimum vertical clearance of 13 feet 6 inches for their entire length and width.
Figure 14.31.200.N Vision Clearance Areas
O. Vision Clearance. No visual obstruction (e.g., sign, structure, solid fence, or shrub vegetation) between 2 1/2 feet and 8 feet in height shall be placed in “vision clearance areas” on streets, driveways, alleys, or mid-block lanes, as shown in Figure 14.31.200.N. The minimum vision clearance area may be modified by the City Engineer upon finding that more or less sight distance is required (i.e., due to traffic speeds, roadway alignment, etc.). This standard does not apply to light standards, utility poles, trees trunks and similar objects.
P. Construction. The following development and maintenance standards shall apply to all driveways, parking areas, turnarounds, alleys and private streets:
1. Surface Options. Driveways, parking areas, alleys, aisles, and turnarounds may be paved with asphalt, concrete, or comparable surfacing, or an approved durable non-paving or porous paving material, excluding gravel, may be used to reduce surface water runoff and protect water quality. Driveway and street materials shall be subject to review and approval by the City Engineer.
2. Surface Water Management. When non-porous paving is used, all driveways, parking areas, alleys, aisles, and turnarounds shall have on-site collection of surface waters to eliminate sheet flow of such waters onto public rights-of-way and abutting property. Surface water facilities shall be constructed in conformance with Chapter 14.35 and applicable engineering standards. Single-family and two-family dwellings shall be exempt from this standard.
3. Driveway Aprons. When driveway approaches or “aprons” are required to connect driveways to the public right-of-way, they shall be paved with concrete surfacing and conform to the City’s engineering design criteria and standard specifications. (See general illustrations in Section 14.31.200.L, above.) (Ord. 2959 §5(Exh. A (part)), 2007. Formerly 3.1.200)
14.31.300 Pedestrian Access and Circulation
A. Site Layout and Design. To ensure safe, direct, and convenient pedestrian circulation, all developments, except single-family and two-family detached housing (i.e., on individual lots), shall provide a continuous pedestrian system. The pedestrian system shall be based on the standards in subsections 1-3, below:
1. Continuous Walkway System. The pedestrian walkway system shall extend throughout the development site and connect to all future phases of development, and to existing or planned off-site adjacent trails, public parks, and open space areas to the greatest extent practicable. The developer may also be required to connect or stub walkway(s) to adjacent streets and to private property with a previously reserved public access easement for this purpose, in accordance with the provisions of Section 14.31.200, Vehicular Access and Circulation, and Section 14.34.100, Transportation Standards.
2. Safe, Direct, and Convenient. Walkways within developments shall provide safe, reasonably direct, and convenient connections between primary building entrances and all adjacent streets, based on the following definitions:
a. Reasonably direct. A route that does not involve a significant amount of out-of-direction travel for likely users.
b. Safe and convenient. Routes that are reasonably free from hazards and provide a reasonably direct route of travel between destinations.
c. “Primary entrance” for commercial, industrial, mixed use, public, and institutional buildings is the main public entrance to the building. In the case where no public entrance exists, street connections shall be provided to the main employee entrance.
d. “Primary entrance” for residential buildings is the front door (i.e., facing the street). For multifamily buildings in which each unit does not have its own exterior entrance, the “primary entrance” may be a lobby, courtyard, or breezeway that serves as a common entrance for more than one dwelling.
3. Connections Within Development. Connections within developments shall be provided as required in subsections a-c, below:
a. Walkways shall connect all building entrances to one another to the extent practicable, as generally shown in Figure 14.31.300.A(1);
b. Walkways shall connect all on-site parking areas, storage areas, recreational facilities and common areas, and shall connect off-site adjacent uses to the site to the extent practicable. Topographic or existing development constraints may be cause for not making certain walkway connections, as generally shown in Figure 14.31.300.A(1); and
Figure 14.31.300.A(1) Pedestrian Pathway System (Typical)
c. Large parking areas shall be broken up so that no contiguous parking area exceeds 3 acres. Parking areas may be broken up with plazas, large landscape areas with pedestrian access ways (i.e., at least 20 feet total width), streets, or driveways with street-like features. Street-like features, for the purpose of this section, means a raised sidewalk of at least 4-feet in width, with 6-inch curb, accessible curb ramps, street trees in planter strips or tree wells, and pedestrian-oriented lighting. (See also standards in Section 14.23.150.)
B. Walkway Design and Construction. Walkways, including those provided with pedestrian access ways, shall conform to all of the standards in subsections (B)(1) through (5) of this section, as generally illustrated in Figure 14.31.300.B:
1. Vehicle/Walkway Separation. Except for crosswalks (subsection 2), where a walkway abuts a driveway or street, it shall be raised 6 inches and curbed along the edge of the driveway/street. Alternatively, the decision body may approve a walkway abutting a driveway at the same grade as the driveway if the walkway is protected from all vehicle maneuvering areas. An example of such protection is a row of decorative metal or concrete bollards designed for withstand a vehicle’s impact, with adequate minimum spacing between them to protect pedestrians.
2. Crosswalks. Where walkways cross a parking area, driveway, or street (“crosswalk”), they shall be clearly marked with striping or contrasting paving materials (e.g., light-color concrete inlay between asphalt), which may be part of a raised/hump crossing area.
3. Walkway Width and Surface. Walkway and accessway surfaces shall be concrete, asphalt, brick/masonry pavers, or other durable surface, as approved by the city engineer, at least five feet wide on private property. Multi-use paths (i.e., for bicycles and pedestrians) shall be concrete or asphalt, at least 10 feet wide. (See also Section 14.34.100, Transportation Standards, for public, multi-use pathway standard.)
4. Accessible routes. Walkways shall comply with applicable Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. The ends of all raised walkways, where the walkway intersects a driveway or street shall provide ramps that are ADA accessible, and walkways shall provide direct routes to primary building entrances.
5. Sidewalk construction and maintenance. Sidewalk construction and maintenance shall be the responsibility of the abutting property owner. (Ord. 3120 §13, 2020; Ord. 2959 §5(Exh. A (part)), 2007. Formerly 3.1.300)