Chapter 24.16 DESIGN STANDARDS

The layout of streets shall provide for the continuation of principal streets existing in adjoining subdivisions or of their proper projection when adjoining property is not subdivided. The layout shall also provide for future projection of streets into areas which presently are not subdivided. [Ord. 73 § 4.02].

24.16.030 Streets – Access to bodies of water.

Unless topography or ground conditions prevent, subdivisions bordering on a river or public waterfront reservation shall be provided with at least one street not less than 60 feet wide to the low water mark or the reservation boundary at one-half mile intervals as measured along such body of water. [Ord. 73 § 4.03].

24.16.040 Streets – Minor streets.

Minor streets which serve primarily to provide access to abutting property only shall be designed to discourage through traffic. [Ord. 73 § 4.04].

24.16.050 Streets – Deadend.

Streets designed to have one end permanently closed or in the form of a cul-de-sac shall be no longer than 400 feet and shall be provided at the closed end with a turnaround having a minimum right-of-way radius of not less than 50 feet or with a “Y” or “T” permitting comparable ease of turning. [Ord. 73 § 4.05].

24.16.060 Streets – Limited access.

Streets which are designated in the comprehensive plan as “limited access” shall be dedicated in such a manner as to qualify them as “limited access facilities” as such are defined in Chapter 47.52 RCW, but nothing shall prohibit the construction, operation and maintenance of the public facilities in the right-of-way of a limited access facility. [Ord. 73 § 4.06].

24.16.070 Streets – Alignment.

Connecting street centerlines deflecting from each other at any one point more than 10 degrees shall be connected by a horizontal curve. For minor streets, the minimum curve radius shall be 100 feet. For major streets, the minimum curve radius shall meet current AASHTO requirements, unless otherwise approved by the city engineer. A tangent section at least 100 feet long shall be introduced between curves on arterial streets. [Ord. 73 § 4.07; Ord. 28-12 § 3].

24.16.080 Streets – Intersections.

Street intersections shall be as nearly at right angles as is practicable. When the most feasible plan entails an intersection angle that deviates more than 15 degrees from a right angle, curves of suitable radius and lengths shall be provided. [Ord. 73 § 4.08].

24.16.090 Streets – Jogs at intersections.

Street jogs with centerline offsets of less than 125 feet shall be avoided. [Ord. 73 § 4.09].

24.16.100 Streets – Grades.

Streets shall conform closely to the natural contour of the land, except where a different grade has been established by the city authorities or the agency furnishing municipal services to the community. Grades shall be not less than 0.50 percent on any street and shall meet AASHTO maximum requirements for major streets and a maximum of 10 percent for minor streets, unless otherwise approved by the city engineer. Changes in grades shall be connected by easy vertical curves. [Ord. 73 § 4.10; Ord. 28-12 § 4].

24.16.110 Streets – Width.

Street right-of-way widths shall be as shown in the comprehensive plan of the city, but shall be not less than as follows:


Principal Arterial	100 feet
Minor Arterial	80 feet
Arterial Collector	60 feet
Neighborhood Collector	54 feet
Local Street	54 feet
Local Street – Single Frontage	40 feet
Rural Street	60 feet

A street lying along the boundary of a subdivision may be dedicated one-half the required width if it is practical to require the dedication of the other half when the adjoining property is subdivided; and, whenever there exists a dedicated half-street of an adjoining plat, the other half shall be dedicated on the proposed plat to make the street complete. [Ord. 73 § 4.11; Ord. 204; Ord. 29-94; Ord. 11-07].

24.16.130 Alleys – Required – Prohibited.

Alleys shall be provided at the rear of all lots intended for business or industrial uses, except that this requirement may be waived by the commission 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. Alleys shall not be provided in residential areas. [Ord. 73 § 4.13].

24.16.140 Alleys – Standards.

Deadend alleys shall be avoided wherever possible, but if unavoidable, shall be provided with adequate turnaround facilities at the deadend. Alley intersections and sharp changes in direction shall be avoided, but where they are necessary, corners shall be cut off sufficiently to permit safe vehicular movement. Alley right-of-way width shall be not less than 25 feet. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, alleys shall follow the general standards governing streets. [Ord. 73 § 4.14].

24.16.150 Easements – Public utilities.

Where alleys are not provided, easements for public utilities shall be provided on each side of all rear lot lines and side lot lines where necessary. Such easements shall not be less than five feet wide on the half-width that is reserved from the rear of each of the adjacent lots. Insofar as possible, the easements shall be continuous and aligned from block to block within the subdivision and with adjoining subdivisions. Easements for existing or future utility lines which do not lie along rear or side lot lines shall be at least 10 feet wide. [Ord. 73 § 4.15].

24.16.160 Easements – Unusual facilities.

Easements for unusual facilities such as high-voltage electric lines, irrigation canals, and pondage areas shall be of such widths as is adequate for the purpose, including any necessary maintenance roads. [Ord. 73 § 4.16].

24.16.170 Easements – Watercourses.

Where a subdivision is traversed by a watercourse, drainage way, wasteway, channel, or stream, there shall be provided a stormwater easement or drainage right-of-way conforming substantially to the lines of such watercourse, drainage way, wasteway, channel, or stream, and such further width for construction, or both, as will be adequate for the purpose. [Ord. 73 § 4.17].

24.16.180 Blocks – Length.

In general, blocks shall be as long as is reasonably possible consistent with the topography and the needs for convenient access, circulation, control and safety of street traffic, and type of land use proposed, but ordinarily, block lengths shall not exceed 1,500 feet or be less than 500 feet. [Ord. 73 § 4.18].

24.16.190 Blocks – Width.

Except for reverse-frontage parcels, the width of blocks shall ordinarily be sufficient to allow for two tiers of lots of depths consistent with the type of land use proposed, that is normally not less than 200 feet for the sum of two lot depths. [Ord. 73 § 4.19].

24.16.200 Blocks – Super.

For large parcels with access provided by a series of cul-de-sac or loop streets entering from the periphery and for large parcels platted into half acre and larger lots, the criteria in RMC 24.16.180 and 24.16.190 shall be disregarded in favor of considerations on an individual basis. Blocks of acreage-type lots, however, shall have block lengths and widths that will lend themselves to later resubdivisions in accordance with the standards prescribed in this title. [Ord. 73 § 4.20].

24.16.210 Blocks – Crosswalks.

A pedestrian crosswalk right-of-way not less than 10 feet wide shall be provided approximately at the midpoint of any block exceeding 1,000 feet in length or in any block of lesser length where such a crosswalk is deemed essential to provide circulation or access to schools, playgrounds, shopping centers, transportation lines, and other community facilities. [Ord. 73 § 4.21].

24.16.220 Lots – Access.

Each lot shall be provided with satisfactory access by means of a public street connecting to an existing public highway or by some other legally sufficient right of access which is permanent and inseparable from the lot served. [Ord. 73 § 4.22].

24.16.230 Lots – Size.

Lot widths and lot areas shall conform with the zoning restrictions applicable to the area within which the property may be located, except that corner lots for which side yards are required shall have extra width to permit appropriate setback from and orientation to both streets. Lot depths shall be suitable for the land use proposed. [Ord. 73 § 4.23].

24.16.240 Lots – Shape.

Lots shall be as nearly rectangular as possible with side lot lines approximately at right angles or radial to street lines. Ordinarily, the ratio of width to depth shall be one to not more than two and one-fourth. [Ord. 73 § 4.24].

24.16.250 Lots – Key.

Key lots shall be avoided where practicable. [Ord. 73 § 4.25].

24.16.260 Lots – Double frontage.

Residential lots which have street frontage along two opposite boundaries shall be avoided except for reverse-frontage lots which are essential to provide separation of residential development from traffic arteries or to overcome specific disadvantages of topography and orientation. For such lots, there shall be an easement in favor of the appropriate governmental entity for a planting screen at least 10 feet wide along the lot lines abutting such a traffic arterial or other disadvantageous use across which there shall be no right of access. [Ord. 73 § 4.26].

24.16.270 Lots – Unsewered.

Lots which need not be connected to an approved sanitary sewer system under the provisions of this title shall be of sufficient size, considering the type of soil, ground conditions involved and location of the lots in relation to public or private water supplies, to allow complete absorption of such septic tank effluent as may reasonably be expected from the uses permitted by applicable zoning restrictions and proposed uses; provided, that all lots are served by the public water system. Approval shall be given by the Benton-Franklin County district health department and the city engineer prior to the filing of an application for final plat approval. [Ord. 73 § 4.27].

24.16.290 Plats and subdivisions – Design standards.

For parcels of land adjacent to major arterial streets, zoned commercial, the access streets, off-street parking lots, and driveways shall be designed where practical and where an undue hardship would not be created so that single or paired curb cuts on major arterial streets are spaced at least 300 feet apart, and preferably up to 600 feet apart. [Ord. 403 § 1.01].