16.18.080 Street layout and design standards.
Street construction specifications, dimensions, and design standards can be found in the city’s engineering standards. The city encourages the use of context-sensitive designs where appropriate in order to reduce construction costs, provide flexibility and minimize right-of-way widths, pavement widths, turnaround dimensions and intersection curb radii. It is also the intent of this section to maintain safety standards, provide for more pedestrian-friendly street environments, afford appropriate access for bicyclists, and facilitate implementation of the general plan.
The circulation and street pattern of the proposed subdivision shall conform to the circulation element of the general plan, and shall:
A. Logically relate to the existing streets in the area adjoining the proposed subdivision; and
B. Enable access to future land division and use of adjoining undivided property; and
C. Accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists, consistent with the city’s active transportation plan; and
D. Accommodate public transit facilities; and
E. Be designed to meet city engineering standards to the satisfaction of the public works director, with regard to street cross-sections, length, corner radii, intersection offset, turning space, slope, sight triangles, lighting, signalization, etc.
F. In order to implement general plan policy, streets should be designed with the following considerations:
1. Streets shall be no wider than the minimum width needed to accommodate the typical and usual vehicular mix that the street will serve (including necessary fire access).
2. Residential streets may be built at a variety of widths, depending on their function and hierarchy in the street system.
3. The street design shall facilitate the use of alternative transportation modes: riding transit, biking, or walking. Streets should be designed with all users in mind, including bicyclists and pedestrians (nonmotorized travel).
4. If streets are more than two lanes, they should be divided by planted medians to appear more like two one-way streets and to manage left-turn access per city engineering standards.
5. Where cul-de-sacs and other dead-end streets hinder connectivity they should be avoided. Short loops and cul-de-sacs are acceptable as long as higher-order streets (arterials, collectors) offer many interconnections and direct routing. Where cul-de-sacs or dead-end streets are proposed, connectivity to nearby streets should be provided for bicycles and pedestrians where feasible.
6. All streets, except for alleys and roads in rural areas or adjacent to natural settings such as parks, should have vertical curbs. A vertical curb clearly distinguishes the space allocated for the automobile from the space provided for pedestrians and people in wheelchairs. (Ord. 1729 § 4 (Exh. A), 2023)