Chapter 17.12
STREET AND LOT LAYOUT REQUIREMENTS
Sections:
17.12.010 Conformance with general plan and other ordinances.
17.12.020 Streets and highways.
17.12.040 Exclusions and exceptions.
17.12.050 Legal access rights.
17.12.070 Park and recreational facilities.
17.12.080 Reservations for public lands.
17.12.010 Conformance with general plan and other ordinances.
A division of land shall conform to the requirements of the adopted general plan or element thereof, the zoning ordinance, the master plan of streets and highways, the master plan of drainage, and all other master or specific plans or other applicable city plans or ordinances adopted by the city. (Ord. 233 Sec. 3.1, 1972)
17.12.020 Streets and highways.
(a) The widths, alignments, and geometric designs of streets and highways shall conform to the city standards and to the following requirements:
(1) All streets, as far as practicable, shall relate to the alignment of the existing adjacent streets or their proper projection and in general conformity with the master plan for the city;
(2) The proposed street plan shall give consideration to the future division of adjoining and undivided property;
(3) All streets shall be designed to serve the proposed use of the abutting land;
(4) On part-width boundary streets the required right-of-way shall not be less than forty feet;
(5) Additional right-of-way or easements shall be provided where necessary to accommodate roadway slopes and drainage facilities.
(b) Special street design:
(1) Access to private property other than that zoned for commercial or industrial arterial streets, and major streets shall be provided by one of the following:
(A) A frontage road or service road,
(B) A street separated by a tier of lots,
(C) Cul-de-sac streets entered from a street other than an arterial, major or secondary street;
(2) Design of streets shall make provisions for railroads, parkways, expressways, grade separations, flood control channels, prevailing geological conditions, local drainage facilities, hillside property and equestrian trails;
(3) A cul-de-sac street shall not exceed six hundred feet in length;
(4) A dead-end street shall not exceed six hundred feet in length;
(5) The planning commission may require greater street widths and improvements on streets serving multiple residential, commercial or industrial divisions of land;
(6) Each street intended to be extended into adjoining property shall be terminated by a one-foot parcel of land extending across the end of the street and, in the case of a part-width street, a one-foot parcel of land shall extend along the entire side of the street. The parcels shall be designated alphabetically as a lot, labeled as a future street and offered for dedication by appropriate certificate on the tract map and by separate instrument for a minor land division. The offer of dedication of the future street shall include a restriction against the use of same for access purposes until such time as it is accepted as a public street.
(c) Private streets may be used for only those streets serving property within the subdivision and which access by the public is controlled by the subdivision design and by either posting or gating. Private streets may be used with the approval and consent of the planning commission when the planning commission finds that:
(1) There is adequate provision for their construction and continued maintenance; and
(2) The welfare of the occupants of the development will be adequately served; and
(3) The public welfare will not be impaired.
(d) The grades of highways, streets and alleys shall be not less than four-tenths percent and not greater than fifteen percent. The desirable grades are between five-tenths percent and six percent. Grades of less than four-tenths percent and greater than fifteen percent may be approved only when conclusive evidence shows that a lesser or steeper grade respectively is impractical. The high cost of excavating and/or importing borrow fill material, making the development of a particular parcel of ground uneconomical shall not be considered as conclusive evidence nor valid justification for a departure from the established minimum or maximum grade.
(e) Street alignment:
(1) Curves in streets shall have as large a centerline radius as practical with a minimum length of curve of one hundred feet. The desirable minimum centerline radius for residential streets is five hundred feet. The minimum centerline radius for residential streets within comparatively level terrain shall be three hundred fifty feet and within steep hillside terrain shall be one hundred fifty feet;
(2) The minimum centerline radius for other types of streets shall be compatible with the street classification and anticipated usage.
(f) Intersections:
(1) All street intersections shall be as near right angles as possible with a minimum angle of seventy-five degrees;
(2) Street-to-street centerline offsets of less than two hundred fifty feet shall not be permitted, except in special design cases offsets of less than five feet may be used if approved by the city engineer;
(3) A minimum curb return radius of twenty-five feet shall be provided at intersecting streets designated as collector streets or a lesser standard.
A minimum curb return radius of thirty-five feet shall be provided when one or both of the intersecting streets is designated as a secondary highway or greater;
(4) The property line return radius shall be so set as to maintain a uniform parkway width or provide a uniform transition into the intersecting parkway. The property line radius shall be designed so as not to reduce the parkway width below the city standard;
(5) Frontage road connections providing access to a major or arterial highway shall incorporate a bulb or knuckle connection in conformance to city standards;
(6) Median openings or crossovers between opposing lanes of a divided highway or street shall be located only at approved intersections at intervals of not less than five hundred feet.
(g) Alleys:
(1) Alleys shall be required in the rear of all lots used or intended to be used for business, commercial, industrial use, unless adequate off-street parking areas and service loading and unloading areas to serve such properties are securely reserved for such use and are shown upon the map and approved by the city in the manner herein provided;
(2) Alleys shall be required in the rear of all lots fronting directly on a street designated as a major street or greater unless determined through site plan review procedure that the requirement for alleys does not exist;
(3) The minimum width for alleys shall be twenty-five feet;
(4) Where two alleys intersect, a triangular corner cut-off of not less than fifteen feet along each alley line shall be provided;
(5) Where a dead-end alley is designed, an adequate turning area shall be provided to accommodate a truck having a thirty-five foot turning radius. It shall be such that the truck is able to turn around with only one backing movement. This turn-a-round shall be eliminated only under the circumstances of a previously adopted specific plan of record providing for the alley extension.
(h) Pedestrian trails and pedestrian bridges shall be required when it is determined by the planning commission that they are necessary for access to schools, recreation or other public areas, or deemed necessary for the public safety and convenience:
(1) The land divider shall improve such pedestrian trails with block walls, concrete sidewalks, bridges, or as directed by the city engineer;
(2) Pedestrian trails including parkway shall be as dedicated as an easement to the city and shall not be less than eight feet in width. The easement shall be in such form as to be available for any pedestrian or utility installation use;
(3) Easements dedicated for pedestrian use shall not be used for drainage purposes.
(i) Pedestrian/equestrian trails shall be required when it is determined by the planning commission to be consistent with the pedestrian/equestrian element of the general plan:
(1) All pedestrian/equestrian trails shall relate to the alignment of the existing adjacent trails and their proper projection and in general conformity with the general plan;
(2) Where the pedestrian/equestrian trails are intended to be installed within the street parkway, the width and improvements shall conform to the city standards. The trail shall be maintained clear of all trees, utility poles, fire hydrant, meter boxes, mail boxes or other obstructions;
(3) Where pedestrian/equestrian trails are along lot lines, a twelve foot wide easement shall be provided. (Ord. 233 Sec. 3.2, 1972)
17.12.030 Lots.
(a) All lots created in a division of land shall conform to the minimum requirements of the zoning ordinance and the master plan as adopted by the city for the particular zoning, use and classification in which the development is being constructed.
(b) Lot size:
(1) All lots shall meet the area, frontage, width, depth and building setback requirements of the zone within which the lots are located; provided, however, that in its consideration of any land division, the planning commission or the council may determine that a greater than minimum lot size is necessary:
(A) For the proper protection of the public health, safety and general welfare,
(B) Be consistent with the general pattern established in the vicinity, or
(C) Maintain the value of property in the vicinity.
(2) When lots or parcels twice or more the required area or width are shown on a division of land, the planning commission may require such lots or parcels to be so established as to make practical a further division into allowable building sites, without injury to adjoining property;
(3) Lot sizes and arrangement shall be compatible with lots in the surrounding area.
(c) Lot side lines:
(1) Side lines of lots shall be at approximately right angles to the street lines, except where terrain or street design makes such lot lines impractical;
(2) Whenever practicable, side and rear lot lines shall be located along the top of slopes instead of at the toe or at intermediate locations.
(d) Lot frontage:
(1) All lots shall have frontage upon a public or private street which shall be open to and usable by vehicular traffic. The width of such streets shall be determined in accordance with city of Norco zoning ordinance;
(2) Double frontage lots shall be avoided, except where essential to provide separation of residential development from traffic arteries, or where required by unusual or excessive topographic conditions. When double frontage lots are permitted, access rights shall be dedicated to the city along the street designated by the planning commission.
(e) Wherever practicable, subdivisions of property abutting rights-of-way for freeways, expressways, railroads, transmission lines and flood control channels shall be so designed as to create lots which back up to the rights-of-way.
(f) No lot shall be divided by a city, county, school district or other taxing agency boundary line.
(g) Reserved.
(h) Blocks:
(1) Blocks shall not be less than two hundred fifty feet in length;
(2) Blocks shall not be over two thousand seven hundred feet in length, except along major highways, or where topographical conditions or previous highway or street layouts require a different length;
(3) The installation of pedestrian/equestrian trails shall be required in blocks over one thousand two hundred feet in length or in order to conform with the master plan of trails. The installation of pedestrian/equestrian trails may also be required whenever deemed by the planning commission or city council to be necessary for public safety and convenience. (Ord. 584 Sec. 1(Exh. I Sec. 1(1)), 1988; Ord. 249 Sec. 1, 1973; Ord. 233 Sec. 3.3, 1972)
17.12.040 Exclusions and exceptions.
(a) Exclusions. No portion of any property shown on the latest equalized county assessment roll as a unit or contiguous units shall be excluded from within the boundaries of a land division or division of land for the purpose of avoiding dedication or improvement of any nature. Any portion of the property shown on the latest equalized county assessment roll as a unit or as contiguous units but not included within the boundaries of a land division shall be of such size or shape as to conform to the provisions of this title, the zoning ordinance, the general plan of the city, or any adopted specific plan.
(b) Exceptions. In instances where preexisting conditions may be found to unreasonably restrict the subdivision of land, the city council, in conjunction with the hearing of any tentative land division map, may waive any requirement of Section 17.12.020 of this chapter pursuant to the following provisions:
(1) Application. Application for any such waiver shall be filed in accordance with procedures and requirements of Chapter 18.44 for variances, inclusive of application fees therefor; provided, however, that the planning commission shall act in its advisory capacity and the city council shall take final action on any such waiver.
(2) Findings. The granting of any such waiver shall be subject to findings that:
(A) Vehicular access to all lots within the land division is provided in accordance with the intent and purpose of the provisions of Section 17.12.060.
(B) Strict application of the requirement would result in an unreasonable and unnecessary hardship inconsistent with the purposes of this chapter.
(C) Waiver of the requirement(s) would not be materially detrimental to the public health, safety and general welfare, nor to property and improvements thereon in the immediate vicinity.
(D) Waiver of the requirement would not be inconsistent with any provisions of the Subdivision Map Act, the general or specific plans of the city, any provisions of Title 18 of this code or with sound engineering practices and/or requirements of the Uniform Fire Code.
(3) Conditions for Approval. In granting of any such waiver, the city council may impose such conditions as it may deem reasonable and necessary to protect the public health, safety and general welfare. (Ord. 584 Sec. 1(Exh. I Sec. 1(2)), 1988)
17.12.050 Legal access rights.
No final map of a division of land, which creates any parcels under forty acres, shall be recorded, unless legal access rights are provided from the division of land to a city, county, state, or federally maintained road. (Ord. 233 Sec. 3.5, 1972)
17.12.060 Access to lots.
(a) Any land division shall provide vehicular access to all homes within a land division for purposes of police and fire protection. The layout of the tract shall be such that blocks of 20 or more homes shall have access by two or more streets. Tract street layout showing only one street for vehicular ingress or egress to a large group of homes shall be cause for disapproval.
Exception: The City Council may approve such a layout on a final map if there is on record at the time of approval of the final map a specific plan providing for a future street extension that will permit a second street for ingress or egress to the tract.
(b) Access for Lots not Fronting on a Public Street. All newly created lots shall have the minimum frontage on a public right-of-way as required by the zone the property is located in. Private streets, easements for ingress and egress to newly-crated lots and newly-created “flag” lots are not allowed. (Ord. 819, 2004; Ord. 584 Sec. 1(Exh. I Sec. 1(3)), 1988: Ord. 233 Sec. 3.6, 1972)
17.12.070 Park and recreational facilities.
(Repealed by Ord. 782, 2001; Ord. 368 Sec. 1, 1976; Ord. 233 Sec. 3.7, 1972)
17.12.080 Reservations for public lands.
The city shall reserve the right to set aside portions of a proposed land division for public schools and other public buildings sites other than park and recreational facilities that will be required for the use of the population which is intended to occupy the land division under the plan of proposed property uses therein and for the general public. The land divider shall be reimbursed for the net area of the parcel on a basis of raw land value plus the proportional cost of the improvements by the appropriate agency requiring such reservation of land. (Ord. 233 Sec. 3.8, 1972)