Chapter 18.07 SUBDIVISION IMPROVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS

Plans for improvements shall be prepared, signed, dated and stamped by a professional civil engineer registered in the state of Washington and shall be in accordance with city standards and specifications. No construction permit or approval shall be issued and no construction activity shall commence relating to subdivision improvements until the plans required by this chapter have been approved and signed by the city engineer. (Ord. 1676 § 60, 2008).

18.07.020 Types of improvements.

The following minimum improvements are required for any subdivision within the city:

A. Street and alley grading and surfacing, including curbs, gutters and sidewalks, in accordance with Chapter 12.20 FMC;

B. Sanitary sewers;

C. Water mains and hydrants;

D. Low impact development BMPs and on-site stormwater management BMPs;

E. Concrete survey monuments and brass plugs;

F. Street lighting;

G. Street trees and landscaping. (Ord. 1954 § 32, 2016; Ord. 1685 § 1(Exh. A), 2009; Ord. 1676 § 61, 2008).

18.07.030 Compliance with city standards.

All improvements shall be in accordance with applicable city standards and all conditions of preliminary plat approval. (Ord. 1676 § 62, 2008).

18.07.040 Qualifications of contractors.

The applicant shall file with the director a list of all contractors and subcontractors who are to participate in the construction of all improvements that are required by this title. Such contractors and subcontractors shall be subject to the licensing requirements of the city and shall be subject to disqualification by reason of faulty performance of past construction work done for the city. (Ord. 1676 § 63, 2008).

18.07.050 Inspection required.

All improvements shall be subject to inspection by authorized representatives of the city, both during the course of construction and after construction is completed. The representatives shall have the authority to determine whether materials of construction, methods of construction and workmanship comply with working drawings, specifications, and city standards. The applicant shall provide for reasonable tests and proof of quality of materials as requested by any city representative. Any city representative may require that work be suspended for just cause including adverse weather conditions, poor workmanship, the use of substandard materials or methods of construction, and failure to adhere to specifications, drawings, and city standards. Approval by the inspector or absence of inspections shall not relieve the applicant of full responsibility for adherence to all specifications, working drawings, conditions of preliminary approval, and city standards. Approval by the inspector shall not be deemed final acceptance of the improvements by the city. (Ord. 1676 § 64, 2008).

18.07.055 Protection of site features and soils.

The applicant shall identify zones where existing vegetation will be protected and where soils with good infiltration capacity and suitable for infiltration as described in the stormwater management manual will be set aside for infiltrating on-site stormwater management facilities. (Ord. 1954 § 33, 2016).

18.07.060 Street layout.

The proposed street layout shall conform to the general design criteria set forth below:

A. All streets shall be arranged in proper relation to topography and other site characteristics in a manner which results in usable lots, safe streets and acceptable gradients without unnecessary destruction of drainage courses, trees and other natural site features;

B. The arrangement of streets in new developments should be such that said streets extend to the boundary lines of the tract to make provision for future extension to adjacent tracts, except when determined to be impractical by the public works director or designee due to critical areas, site constraints, or existing street alignments;

C. The street layout shall reflect the use of local streets to provide access to abutting properties, and the use of collector streets to channel traffic through the development to abutting collectors and arterials. The layout should discourage the use of local streets by through traffic;

D. When lot(s) within a residential development are proposed adjacent to an arterial street, primary access to said lots shall be provided from a local street or collector street and a “no access” easement established along the lot boundary bordering the arterial;

E. All street intersections shall be perpendicular, unless a modified intersection is approved by the city’s public works director or designee;

F. New streets shall not be connected or traffic from a proposed development discharged to a substandard roadway without minimum improvement to said roadway as determined to be needed by the city public works director or designee;

G. Cul-de-sacs are not permitted. (Ord. 1685 § 1(Exh. A), 2009; Ord. 1676 § 65, 2008).

18.07.070 Alleys.

Except in planned residential developments, alleys shall not be approved as primary access in residential districts or subdivisions. Paved rear alleys not less than 20 feet wide shall be required in all commercial, business, and industrial subdivisions except where special conditions make alleys impracticable. In such cases, adequate off-street loading space, suitably surfaced, shall be provided in accordance with FMC Title 19. Alleys shall be paved with a permeable pavement surfacing. The public works director shall have the authority to waive some or all of these requirements. (Ord. 1685 § 1(Exh. A), 2009; Ord. 1676 § 66, 2008).

18.07.080 Grades.

Street grades shall conform in general to the terrain and shall not be less than two percent nor more than 12 percent. Street grades shall be such as to provide natural surface drainage of stormwater. (Ord. 1676 § 67, 2008).

18.07.090 Cul-de-sacs.

Cul-de-sacs are not permitted. (Ord. 1685 § 1(Exh. A), 2009; Ord. 1676 § 68, 2008).

18.07.100 Curvature of streets.

Curvature of streets shall be as follows:

A. Principal arterial, 600-foot radius;

B. Minor arterial, 200-foot radius;

C. Collector street, 200-foot radius;

D. Access street, 100-foot radius. (Ord. 1676 § 69, 2008).

18.07.110 Curb radii.

A. Residential. Curb radii shall not be less than 20 feet. Where an angle of intersection less than 70 degrees is permitted, curb radii shall be increased as necessary to ensure its safe usage.

B. Commercial. Curb radii shall not be less than 50 feet.

C. Industrial. Curb radii shall not be less than 70 feet. (Ord. 1676 § 70, 2008).

18.07.120 Lengths of residential blocks.

The lengths, widths, and shapes of blocks shall be such as are appropriate for the locality and the type of development contemplated. Blocks in residential subdivisions shall not exceed 1,200 feet in length nor be less than 400 feet in length; blocks longer than 800 feet in length shall have pedestrian crosswalks not less than 10 feet wide within 100 feet of the midpoint of the block. In such blocks, the city may also require the reservation of an easement not less than 10 feet wide through the block to accommodate utilities, drainage facilities, or pedestrian traffic. Blocks shall have sufficient width to provide for two tiers of lots of appropriate depths. Exceptions to this prescribed block width shall be permitted in blocks adjacent to collectors, railroads, or waterways. (Ord. 1676 § 71, 2008).

18.07.130 Blocks for industrial or commercial use.

Blocks intended for industrial, business park, or commercial use shall be designed specifically for such purpose, with adequate space set aside for off-street parking and loading and shall meet the minimum requirements for parking as established by this code. (Ord. 1676 § 72, 2008).

18.07.140 Blocks on arterial streets.

Where feasible, blocks adjacent to principal arterial and minor arterial streets shall be so arranged that the long dimension of the block be parallel to the arterial street and that lots do not front on or have access to the arterial street. Where this arrangement is not feasible, additional neighborhood access streets shall be required. Wherever practicable, blocks along arterial streets and collector streets shall not be less than 1,000 feet in length. (Ord. 1676 § 73, 2008).

18.07.150 Water facilities.

A. When a public water main is not available to the proposed subdivision, the applicant shall construct an extension of an approved public water main in accordance with the city water system plan and specifications and construction standards as established by the city engineer and fire marshal to provide a water supply system capable of meeting all city standards for domestic water use and fire protection.

B. The applicant shall install adequate water facilities, including fire hydrants, within the subdivision, subject to all standards and specifications of the city.

C. Fire hydrants shall be located no more than 500 feet apart and within 150 feet of all structures, and shall be approved by the city fire marshal. All underground utilities for fire hydrants, together with the hydrants themselves, and all other supply improvements shall be installed before any final paving of a street shown on the subdivision plat. (Ord. 1676 § 74, 2008).

18.07.155 Stormwater management.

The applicant shall apply low impact development principles and provide on-site stormwater management within the subdivision. The on-site stormwater management BMPs shall be designed and approved in accordance with the rules, regulations, and standards of the city. (Ord. 1954 § 34, 2016).

18.07.160 Sanitary sewer facilities.

All subdivisions shall be served by and connected to the city’s sanitary sewer collection system. All sanitary sewer system facilities shall be designed and approved in accordance with the rules, regulations, and standards of the city. (Ord. 1676 § 75, 2008).

18.07.170 Streetlights.

Street lighting shall be provided and installed by the applicant and shall conform to the design and construction standards of the city. (Ord. 1676 § 76, 2008).

18.07.180 Easements.

A. Adequate easements for water mains, sanitary sewers, stormwater management facilities, gas mains, telephone lines, power lines, or other utilities together with right of ingress and egress thereto and therefrom shall be provided on the plat. The city may require evidence of approval by the public utility company of the proposed easement location and width.

B. The city may require perpetual unobstructed easements at least 10 feet in width to provide pedestrian access from streets to schools, parks, playgrounds, or other nearby streets. Such easements shall be provided on the plat. (Ord. 1954 § 35, 2016; Ord. 1676 § 77, 2008).

18.07.190 Parks, playgrounds, and recreation areas.

A. All subdivisions shall meet concurrency and level of service standards for parks, playgrounds and recreation standards in accordance with the most recently adopted comprehensive parks, recreation and open space plan and the capital facilities element of the city’s comprehensive plan.

B. The city shall require that land be reserved for parks and playgrounds or other recreation purposes in locations designated on the city’s comprehensive plan or in the city’s comprehensive parks, recreation and open space plan where such reservations would be appropriate. Each reservation shall be of suitable size, dimension, topography, and general character and shall have adequate street and pedestrian access for the particular purpose envisioned. The area shall be shown and marked on the preliminary plat, “Reserved for Park and/or Recreation Purposes.” When recreation areas are required, the city shall determine the number of acres to be reserved from the standards set forth in the city’s comprehensive parks, recreation and open space plan and the comprehensive plan’s capital facilities element. The applicant shall dedicate all such reservation areas to the city or a homeowners’ association as a condition of final subdivision plat approval.

C. Co-locate stormwater management facilities using LID. (Ord. 1954 § 36, 2016; Ord. 1676 § 78, 2008).

18.07.200 Duplication of names.

The names of subdivisions and new street names shall not duplicate, or too closely approximate phonetically, the name of any other subdivision or street within or near the city. Street names shall be subject to the approval of the city council. (Ord. 1676 § 79, 2008).

18.07.210 Bonding.

A. Performance Bond. In lieu of the completion of the actual construction of any required improvements prior to the approval of a final plat, the director may accept a bond, approved as to form by the city attorney, with surety and conditions satisfactory to the city, or other method of security, providing for and securing to the city the actual construction and installation of such improvements within a period specified by the city and expressed in the bonds. The amount of the bond shall be not less than 150 percent of the final estimate of cost of the improvement as estimated by the city engineer. There shall be no reduction in the amount of that portion of the bond applying to a particular improvement unless that improvement is complete and accepted or approved by the city council.

B. Maintenance Bond. In addition, the city may require the posting of a maintenance bond securing to the city the successful operation and maintenance of improvements for up to two years after final approval. The amount of the maintenance bond shall be not less than 10 percent of the cost of the improvements. All bonded improvements shall be designed and certified by or under the supervision of a registered civil engineer prior to the acceptance of such improvements. If an improvement bond or other guarantee has been submitted under this section, such guarantee shall only be released upon acceptance by the city of a properly executed bill of sale for such improvements and submittal of adequate “as-built” drawings for which the guarantee was submitted for. (Ord. 1676 § 80, 2008).

18.07.220 Protection and repair of natural features and existing improvements.

The applicant, his contractors and suppliers shall be responsible to ensure that existing improvements and the property of the city are not damaged or rendered less useful or unsightly by the operations of the applicant, his contractors or suppliers. This provision is intended to include damage or nuisance with respect to natural features including but not limited to wetlands, critical aquifer recharge areas, fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas, frequently flooded areas, geologically hazardous areas, critical aquifer recharge areas, fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas, frequently flooded areas, geologically hazardous areas and seismic hazard areas; land, improvements or landscaping of the city; damage to existing streets, sidewalks, curbs and gutters by passage thereover of equipment or trucks or by excavation for any purpose; the spillage or tracking of earth, sand or rock onto existing streets, sidewalks, curbs and gutters; the washing by stormwater of earth or sand onto streets, sidewalks, curbs and gutters or into catch basins; and damage to water mains, sanitary sewers, culverts or storm sewers. In order to reduce or localize the possibility of damage to streets by heavy trucking, the utility superintendent shall instruct the applicant as to the streets to be used for access to the subdivision by equipment and trucks, and the applicant shall be responsible for the enforcement of this instruction as to his contractors and their supplies. The applicant shall make provisions to prevent washing of earth or sand onto sidewalks, streets, curbs and gutters and into on-site and off-site stormwater management facilities. When deemed advisable, the city council shall have the power to require, either prior to commencement of construction or after construction is in process, that the applicant post a surety bond to guarantee repair of damages or abatement of nuisances. Expenses incurred by the city in repairing damages, cleaning streets, catch basins and sewers shall be deducted from the surety bond. (Ord. 1954 § 37, 2016; Ord. 1676 § 81, 2008).

18.07.230 Additional requirements.

The standards and requirements established or referenced by this chapter are minimum requirements. These standards may be increased, and additional requirements may be imposed, for the purpose of preventing or abating public nuisances or mitigating identified adverse environmental impacts pursuant to the State Environmental Policy Act of 1971 (Chapter 43.21C RCW) as now established or hereafter modified. Such additional requirements may include but shall not be limited to off-site improvements to any public facility, the dedication and/or improvement of parks and open spaces, and monetary contributions to any city fund established to finance the provision of public services required by the subdivision. (Ord. 1676 § 82, 2008).