Chapter 16.28
DESIGN CRITERIA
Sections:
16.28.045 Drainage facilities.
16.28.050 Pedestrian facilities.
16.28.070 Parks, trails and recreational areas.
16.28.010 Generally.
Any streets, roads, alleys, easements, blocks, lots or public sites, open spaces and environmental impact mitigation measures within any proposed subdivision or short subdivision shall be designed in accordance with the following criteria. Streets, roads, alleys and easements within subdivisions shall be designed in accordance with design standards set forth in Okanogan County Road and Street Standards and Guidelines for Developments, prepared by the Okanogan County department of public works, as adopted by the board of county commissioners. Streets, roads, alleys, and easements within short subdivisions shall be designed in accordance with design standards set forth by the administrator, as adopted by the board of county commissioners. Unless delegated otherwise by specific provisions of this section or other county ordinance, authority for action under provisions of this section rests with the administrator for short subdivisions and with the board of commissioners for subdivisions. (Ord. 95-7 § 1, 1995).
16.28.020 Roads and streets.
Consideration shall be given to the following criteria, in the design of roads and streets:
A. The arrangement, character, extent, width, grade and location of all roads and streets shall conform to the general comprehensive plan and shall be considered in their relation to existing and planned roads and streets, to topographical conditions, to public convenience and safety, and in their appropriate relation to the proposed uses of the land to be served by such streets;
B. Where such is not shown in the comprehensive plan, the arrangement of roads and streets shall, when applicable, either:
1. Provide for the continuation or appropriate projection of existing principal streets in surrounding areas, or
2. Conform to a plan for the neighborhood approved or adopted by the board of county commissioners to meet a particular situation where topographical or other conditions make continuance or conformance to existing streets impracticable.
C. Minor roads and streets shall be so planned as to discourage their use by nonlocal traffic;
D. Where a short subdivision or subdivision abuts or contains an existing or proposed arterial road or street, the county may require frontage (with screen planting) and a nonaccess reservation along designated property lines, or such other treatment as may be necessary for adequate protection of residential properties and to afford separation of through and local traffic;
E. Where a short subdivision or subdivision borders on or contains a railroad right-of-way or limited access highway right-of-way, and there exists a reasonable possibility of a future overpass or intersection, the county may require a reservation for potential future right-of-way. Such reservations for potential future right-of-way shall be laid out with due regard for the requirements of approach grades and future grade separations;
F. Reserve strips controlling access to streets shall be prohibited except where their control is definitely placed with the county;
G. Road or street jogs with short centerline off-sets (generally those less than 125 feet) shall be avoided;
H. A tangent shall be introduced between reverse curves on major, secondary and collector roads of a length appropriate to the geometrics, design, speed and other engineering criteria meeting design standards and approved by the county engineer;
I. When the centerlines of connecting major, secondary, and collector roads are misaligned by more than one degree, they shall be connected with a degree of curvature determined by the county engineer;
J. Streets and/or road rights-of-way at intersections shall be laid out so as to intersect as nearly as possible at right angles;
K. The angle between property lines at intersecting roads or streets shall accommodate the radii of curvature of the roads or streets. Road radii shall be approved by the county engineer (generally a 20-foot minimum);
L. Road or street right-of-way widths free from any encumbrances shall be as shown in the comprehensive plan, and where not shown therein, shall be not less than 60 feet wide in subdivisions. In short subdivisions, the right-of-way shall be a minimum of 30 feet wide, where the right-of-way will only serve the number of lots created by the proposed development. When more than the proposed development will be served, the county engineer shall determine the minimum right-of-way width. A reduction of the right-of-way width may be considered where topographic restrictions exist, or when the proposed road or street connects to or is the extension of any existing platted street having a right-of-way width less than the required minimum, when approved in accordance with Chapter 16.34 OCC and the county engineer;
M. Half streets or roads shall be prohibited except where essential to the reasonable development of the short subdivision or subdivision in conformity with the other requirements of this title and where the county finds it will be practicable to require the dedication of the other half when the adjoining property is subdivided. Whenever a half street or road is adjacent to a tract being subdivided, the other half of the street shall be included as a part of the short subdivision or subdivision;
N. The length, turnaround, and design of dead-end streets or roads, and their associated parking areas, shall be determined by the county engineer (generally no longer than 600 feet);
O. No street or road names shall be used which will duplicate or be confused with the names of existing county streets. Street or road names shall be subject to the approval of the public works department;
P. Street or road grades shall not exceed maximum county road standards, without county engineer approval depending upon topographic conditions and whether the street is designated as a major county road, secondary county road, collector county road or access county road; and
Q. Guardrails may be required when topography and road alignment create unsafe conditions. The county engineer shall determine when guardrails are required. (Ord. 95-7 § 1, 1995).
16.28.030 Alleys.
A. Alleys shall be provided in commercial and industrial districts, except that the county may waive this requirement where other definite and assured provision is made for service access, such as off-street loading, unloading and parking consistent with and adequate for the uses proposed.
B. The minimum width of an alley is generally 20 feet.
C. Alley intersections and sharp changes in alignment shall be avoided, but where necessary corners shall be cut off sufficiently to permit safe vehicular movement as determined by the county engineer.
D. Dead-end alleys shall be avoided where possible, but if unavoidable, shall be provided with adequate turn-around facilities at the dead-end, as determined by the county engineer. (Ord. 95-7 § 1, 1995).
16.28.040 Utilities.
Easements shall be provided for all utilities and be subject to the approval of the department of public works. Easement width shall be sufficient to insure construction and maintenance of utilities without disruption/impact on adjacent lots or streets. Each utility district shall determine if and when utility lines require undergrounding. Utility provider requirements are binding conditions for final plat approval. (Ord. 95-7 § 1, 1995).
16.28.045 Drainage facilities.
Any short subdivision or subdivision site which contains a water course, drainageway, channel or stream shall provide a drainage easement encompassing these features of sufficient area and width for the construction and maintenance of drainage facilities as determined by the department of public works. (Ord. 95-7 § 1, 1995).
16.28.050 Pedestrian facilities.
Pedestrian walking easements are encouraged, if feasible and appropriate, particularly along natural streams and creeks and other bodies of water within proposed short subdivisions or subdivisions. A minimum of vegetation shall be removed for such facilities. (Ord. 95-7 § 1, 1995).
16.28.055 Blocks.
A. The lengths, widths and shapes of blocks shall be determined with due regard to:
1. Provision of adequate building sites suitable to the special needs of the type of use contemplated;
2. Needs for convenient access, circulation, control and safety of street traffic;
3. Limitations and opportunities of topography.
B. Generally, block lengths should not exceed 1,000 feet.
C. Pedestrian crosswalks, (generally not less than 10 feet wide) may be required where deemed essential to provide circulation or access to schools, playgrounds, shopping centers, transportation and other community facilities. (Ord. 95-7 § 1, 1995).
16.28.060 Lots.
A. The lot size, width, depth, shape and orientation shall be in accordance with the applicable county zoning laws;
B. Corner lots in short subdivisions and subdivisions shall provide adequate site distance and turning radiuses approved by county engineer;
C. The subdividing of the land shall be such as to provide, by means of a public street, each lot with satisfactory access to an existing public street; and
D. Double frontage and reverse frontage lots should be avoided except where essential to provide separation of residential development from traffic arteries or to overcome specific disadvantages of topography and orientation. An easement of at least eight feet, and across which there shall be no right of access, shall be provided along the line of lots abutting such a traffic artery or other disadvantageous use. (Ord. 95-7 § 1, 1995).
16.28.070 Parks, trails and recreational areas.
Pursuant to RCW 58.17.110 and related statutes, the board of Okanogan County commissioners may require plats of subdivisions with less than two-acre lot sizes in urban areas which may result in an increased demand for parks, trails and recreational areas, and which are not already served by parks, trails and recreational areas to designate up to five percent of their land exclusive of streets, as either private or public parks and recreational areas, the nature of which shall be clearly indicated on the plat. The acquisition of the land required by the county for public parks, trails, or recreational areas, other than streets and alleys, shall be obtained by deed, conservation easement or such other method approved by county commissioners in conjunction with final approval from the developer in conjunction with final approval of the plat. Such mitigation of park and recreation land and/or facilities shall be based on an identified and quantified impact on recreational resources. As an alternative to dedication of public parks, trails and recreational areas, the developer may voluntarily choose to contribute to the county for park purposes a payment approximately equal to the value of the land which the county would otherwise have required to be designated for parks, trails and recreational areas. Payment of cash in lieu of land for park purposes shall be made by the developer to the county before final plat approval is given. The payment shall be deposited in a reserve account from which funds may be expended solely for parks and recreational uses which will benefit the general area of the approved subdivision. The payment shall be expended within five years of collection, and any payment not so expended shall be refunded with interest at the rate applied to judgments to the property owners of record at the time of the refund. However, if the payment is not expended within five years due to delay attributable to the developer, the payment shall be refunded without interest. (Ord. 95-7 § 1, 1995).