Chapter 12.53
DRIVEWAYS, ACCESS EASEMENT, PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES, WALKS AND TRAILS
Sections:
12.53.010 Driveways and access easement.
12.53.020 Pedestrian facilities (urban areas).
12.53.030 Walkways, bikeways and trails.
12.53.010 Driveways and access easement.
A. General.
1. Reserved.
2. Dimensions, slopes and details for all driveway and access easements connecting to a county road shall be as indicated on Figure 4-1. Driveways entering roads with curb and gutter shall meet the requirements contained within WSDOT Standard Plans as approved by the county engineer.
3. All new or revised driveways and accesses onto a county road (including temporary or construction accesses) require an approved access permit as per the procedures in DCC Chapter 12.24, Approaches to County Roads.
B. Conditions for Approval of New Driveways and Access Easements.
1. Driveways directly providing access onto arterials and collectors shall be denied if alternate access is available. Access onto arterials and collectors may be permitted where no other alternative is available and is approved by the county engineer.
2. Where property has frontage on more than one roadway, driveways and accesses shall be limited to the lowest volume roadway.
3. Driveways and access easements shall have a minimum separation from each other of one hundred feet in rural areas outside of subdivisions.
4. Circular driveways shall have a minimum separation of one hundred feet.
5. In urban areas, driveways and access easements shall be located along the lot line furthest from the intersection on corner lots.
6. Reserved.
7. Only one driveway per single residential or commercial unit will be permitted unless the applicant can demonstrate that additional driveways or accesses are needed due to the amount of traffic generated by the project, traffic distribution patterns, impacts to the county road system or public safety and there is sufficient space to accommodate the additional driveway or access. Joint usage driveways are encouraged.
8. All abandoned driveways shall be removed and as necessary: curb, gutter and sidewalk shall be restored by the applicant.
9. Maintenance of driveways and approaches (and associated culverts where required) onto a county road shall be the responsibility of the property owner.
C. Standards.
1. Common to All Driveways and Access Easements.
a. Clear View Triangle. In addition to providing sufficient sight distances as required in subsection (C)(1)(c) of this section, a clear view triangle as described in DCC Section 12.28.040 shall be maintained for vision safety purposes.
b. Alignment. All driveways and access easements shall intersect the main roadway at an angle between seventy-five and one hundred five degrees, with ninety degrees being preferable.
c. Sight Distance. Sufficient sight distances for vehicles to safely enter onto a public road or street as well as for other vehicles on the road or street to avoid accidents with entering or exiting vehicles is required for all driveways and access points. For all driveways and access easements, stopping sight distance in accordance with the AASHTO Green Book and the current WSDOT Design Manual:
Situations with sight distances less than those specified must be approved by the county engineer. In these cases, the applicant may also be required to obtain the services of a professional traffic engineer to assess the situation and provide written justification for lesser sight distances.
d. Drainage. Approaches shall be constructed in such a manner as to minimize the runoff from a driveway or other access easement onto the main road.
All approaches at points where there is an existing roadside ditch shall be constructed with a culvert pipe meeting the specifications of the county engineer.
e. Surfacing Within Right-of-Way. That portion of a driveway or access easement connecting to a paved public road that is within the right-of-way of the public road shall be surfaced with a minimum of two and one-half inches of compacted asphalt concrete pavement or equivalent surfacing material to the road.
f. Maintenance. Maintenance of all driveways and access easements including approaches to public roads shall be the responsibility of the owner(s).
2. Driveways and Joint Usage Driveways. Urban or rural driveways and joint usage driveways serving two or fewer lots have no minimum width or surfacing requirements beyond requirements of subsection (C)(1) of this section. The minimum width of an access easement serving two or fewer lots is twenty feet.
3. Access Easements. Property accesses serving four or more lots and more than one hundred fifty feet in length as measured from the connecting road near side right-of-way line to the farthest exterior wall of an occupied unit are access easements. Unless an alternate approved emergency vehicle access is provided, access easements shall also serve as an emergency vehicle access. Access easements are privately owned and maintained by the property owners being served and are not the responsibility of the county. Access easements shall have the following requirements:
a. The minimum width of the tract or access easement serving four or more lots shall be thirty feet.
b. The base and surfacing shall provide a minimum traveled way of twelve feet with turnouts one every three hundred to five hundred feet, depending on line of sight, for fifty feet in length of twenty feet in width and be designed and constructed as an all-weather road. A hammerhead or cul-de-sac needs to be provided for turnaround. The minimum base and surfacing shall be six inches of compacted gravel base, crushed surfacing base course or crushed surfacing top course. A twenty-foot-wide clear zone will be provided full length for access easement.
c. Suitable drainage in the form of ditches and cross culverts shall be provided along the full length of the access easement. Any bridges or drainage structures shall meet the requirements of DCC Chapter 12.54.
d. Access easements serving three or more lots shall be via private road meeting the standards of the county fire marshal, including Chapter 5 and Appendix D of the International Fire Code published by the International Code Council (ICC) as the same now exists or may hereafter be amended. (Ord. TLS 14-08-31B Exh. B (part); Ord. TLS 13-11-40B Exh. B (part): Ord. TLS 09-11-49E (Exh. B) (part): Ord. TLS 04-02-30B Exh. A (part))
12.53.020 Pedestrian facilities (urban areas).
Sidewalks are required on both sides of urban streets. See DCC Section 12.52.040(R) for details and exceptions. (Ord. TLS 13-11-40B Exh. B (part): Ord. TLS 09-11-49E (Exh. B) (part): Ord. TLS 04-02-30B Exh. A (part))
12.53.030 Walkways, bikeways and trails.
A. Walkways, bikeways and trails shall be required as identified in the applicable comprehensive plan or separate nonmotorized transportation plan.
B. Nonmotorized transportation includes travel by bicyclists, pedestrians, and equestrians. The most current edition of the WSDOT Design Manual must be followed for design of bicycle paths, trails and other nonmotorized transportation.
C. All new access pathways to the Apple Capital Loop Trail associated with commercial, multifamily residential, and mixed use development and new land divisions must be designed and built in accordance with plans prepared by the engineer of record for the project proponent. The plans must be prepared to the standards of the most current edition of the WSDOT Design Manual with a minimum paved pathway width of eight feet, showing the connection location of the new pathway to the Apple Capital Loop Trail, location of existing pathways and addressing stopping sight distance. The plans must be approved by the county engineer prior to construction. As-built construction documents must be submitted by the engineer of record upon completion and prior to public use. A nonaccess agreement for frontages not approved for trail connection may be required to be recorded. (Ord. TLS 16-07-36B Exh. B: Ord. TLS 13-11-40B Exh. B (part): Ord. TLS 09-11-49E (Exh. B) (part): Ord. TLS 04‑02‑30B Exh. A (part))
12.53.040 School access.
Sidewalks for school access shall be provided in accordance with the safe walking plans as developed by individual schools and school districts. In addition, walking paths or sidewalks will be required in new plats to facilitate access to schools. (Ord. TLS 13-11-40B Exh. B (part): Ord. TLS 09-11-49E (Exh. B) (part): Ord. TLS 04-02-30B Exh. A (part))
12.53.050 Alleys.
Where provided, every alley at the rear of a lot shall have a minimum width of twenty feet. Structural and surfacing requirements shall be the same as the adjoining streets. No dead-end alley or alley with sharp changes in direction shall be permitted. (Ord. TLS 13-11-40B Exh. B (part): Ord. TLS 09-11-49E (Exh. B) (part): Ord. TLS 04-02-30B Exh. A (part))
Figure 4-1
(Ord. TLS 13-11-40B (part): Ord. TLS 09-11-49E (Exh. B) (part))
Figure 4-2
(Ord. TLS 13-11-40B (part): Ord. TLS 09-11-49E (Exh. B) (part))
Figure 4-3
(Ord. TLS 13-11-40B (part): Ord. TLS 09-11-49E (Exh. B) (part))