§ 5.9. Streets.

5.9.1.

General standards.

A.

All streets in the proposed subdivision shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the minimum requirements found in this section at no cost to the county.

B.

Road widening and right-of-way dedication must meet or exceed VDOT standards.

C.

Unless specifically modified in this ordinance, all new streets (public and private) must be improved to comply with the VDOT road and bridge standards.

5.9.2.

Description of public and private streets.

A.

Public street. .....A street (or portion of a street) that has been improved to comply with the requirements of this ordinance and the VDOT subdivision street design guide and has been accepted or is proposed to be accepted into the state primary or secondary road system.

B.

Private street. .....A street (or portion of a street) that has not been accepted into the state primary or secondary road system.

5.9.3.

Private street standards.

A.

Design, construction, and maintenance.

1.

Private streets proposed for acceptance into the state secondary road system at a later date must be designed and constructed in accordance with VDOT construction standards.

2.

A common access easement must be provided allowing unencumbered access from the public street to all lots that will be served by the private street.

3.

Sufficient easements must be provided for installation and maintenance of all utility facilities including, but not limited to, water and sewer, electricity, telecommunications, cable television, and drainage.

4.

A written road maintenance agreement with provisions for maintenance of the street until it is accepted into the state system shall be included in the final plat. The county will not maintain any private street or roadway. This agreement must be in a form acceptable to the county attorney.

B.

Use of private streets. .....Private streets designed and constructed in accordance with the requirements for public streets may be used in lieu of a public street for access to the following types of development lots:

1.

Single-family developments: Family member subdivisions up to a maximum of four (4) lots. This subsection shall apply to parcels created after the adoption date of this ordinance; rural subdivisions up to a maximum of two (2) lots (see section 5.4, subdivision types);

2.

Multifamily and townhouse developments;

3.

Commercial shopping centers; and

4.

Commercial lots which do not front on a public road in accordance with section 3.2.3 of this ordinance.

5.9.4.

Connectivity requirements.

A.

Required. .....Unless exempted below, stub outs are required on each side of a subdivision (as defined by each of the cardinal directions) as follows:

1.

Rural subdivisions. .....At least one (1) stub out for every two thousand eight hundred (2,800) linear feet on any single side of the proposed development.

2.

Other subdivisions. .....At least one (1) stub out for every one thousand four hundred (1,400) linear feet on any single side of the proposed development.

B.

Exemptions.

1.

Stub outs are not required when the existing street pattern in the area of the proposed subdivision already provides for vehicular connections at intervals no greater than one-half (½) mile apart in rural subdivisions, and one-quarter (¼) mile apart in all other subdivisions.

2.

Stub outs may not be required adjacent to existing development that has not made any accommodation for such connections or to adjoining sites that are permanently protected from development through conservation easements or ownership that precludes development.

3.

Stub outs may not be required if the only point of access would require crossing floodplains, wetlands, or other similar natural features.

5.9.5.

Street classification.

A.

Guidelines.

1.

In all new subdivisions, streets that are dedicated to public use shall be classified as provided in this section;

2.

The functional classification is based on the general design and the projected volume of traffic to be carried by the street, stated in terms of the number of average daily vehicle trips per day;

3.

The number of dwelling units to be served by the street may be used as an indicator of the number of trips but is not conclusive;

4.

Whenever a proposed subdivision street continues an existing street that previously ended outside the subdivision or it is expected that a subdivision street will be continued beyond the subdivision at some future time, the classification of the proposed street is based upon the entire street, both within and outside of the subdivision.

B.

Functional classification.

1.

Arterial (primary). .....A street specifically designed to move high volumes of traffic from collector streets through the county and not designed to serve abutting lots except indirectly through intersecting streets. Arterial streets include all U.S. Highways, state primaries with one-, two- or three-digit numbers, and any other streets which the subdivision agent determines as functionally equivalent to these transportation department classifications.

2.

Collector (secondary). .....A relatively low-speed, low-volume street that provides circulation within and between neighborhoods. Collector streets usually serve short trips and are intended for collecting trips from local streets and distributing them to the arterial network. They also form a secondary network of cross county connectivity. It is intended to serve, directly or indirectly, up to one hundred (100) dwelling units and is intended to carry up to eight hundred (800) average daily vehicle trips per day.

3.

Local (secondary). .....These streets provide direct access to adjacent land and serve travel of short distances as compared to the higher systems. It serves or is designed to serve no more than twenty-five (25) dwelling units or expected to or does handle between seventy-five (75) and two hundred (200) average daily vehicle trips per day.

4.

Alley (private). .....A service easement which affords only a secondary means of access to abutting property for utilities, sanitation, garages, backyards and any accessory units and are not intended for general traffic circulation

5.

Service drive (marginal access street, frontage road). .....A street that is parallel to and adjacent to an arterial street and that is designed to provide access to abutting properties so that these properties do not directly access the arterial street. Properties fronting on a service drive are somewhat sheltered, and the flow of traffic on the arterial street is not impeded by numerous direct driveway access points from a large number of properties.

5.9.6.

Street alignment and layout.

A.

The proposed street layout in a new development must be coordinated with the existing street system with connections made at all stub outs existing on adjacent properties. Per chapter 11 of the comprehensive plan, the street layout shall be a modified grid pattern adapted to the topography and unique features of the site. Where full connection cannot be made as a result of the topography of the site being developed, the subdivision agent may allow the installation of a cul-de-sac or other turnaround facility in accordance with section 5.9.10 of this ordinance.

B.

Half streets along the boundary of land proposed for subdivision are prohibited (this is not deemed to prohibit the construction of service drives or one-way streets).

C.

Street intersections should be as close as possible to ninety (90) degrees (right angle), and may not be less than seventy (70) degrees without express approval by the subdivision agent, in consultation with VDOT.

D.

Whenever a proposed subdivision contains or is adjacent to a limited access highway or expressway, provisions must be made for a service drive or marginal access street approximately parallel to such right-of-way at a distance suitable for an appropriate use of the land between such highway and the proposed subdivision. Such distances shall be determined with due consideration of the minimum distance required for ingress and egress to the main thoroughfare.

E.

The proposed street arrangement may not cause unnecessary hardship to owners of adjoining property when they plat their own land and seek to provide for convenient access to it. Where, in the opinion of the subdivision agent, it is desirable to provide for street access to adjoining undeveloped property, proposed streets must be extended by one (1) of the following methods:

1.

The developer may construct a stub out street in conformance with section 5.9.10, cul-de-sac streets or section 5.9.11, loop lanes. Where stub outs are less than fifty (50) feet in length and do not provide access for nonresidential or multifamily uses, the subdivision agent may waive the requirement for a turnaround facility.

2.

The developer of the proposed subdivision may dedicate a stub out easement to the county of sufficient width to accommodate the future extension of the subject street when the adjacent property is developed. If this alternative is selected, the developer must provide a construction bond sufficient to pay for the proposed improvements. The developer must provide notice to all future owners of lots fronting on the easement that a roadway may be installed at a future date. This easement and notice must be prominently indicated on the final subdivision plat. The applicant must post a sign of a design approved by the county.

5.9.7.

Traffic calming. .....Traffic calming measures must be installed in accordance with VDOT standards. When traffic calming measures are proposed, such measures should be shown on subdivision construction plans and profiles or site plan submissions. If desired, a comprehensive traffic calming plan indicating proposed calming measures can be submitted for review and approval for the entire development with the first preliminary plat application.

5.9.8.

Street grades. .....The grades of streets submitted on subdivision plats shall be approved by the county engineering division in consultation with the VDOT engineer. Wherever feasible, street grades may not exceed five (5) percent.

5.9.9.

Street cross-section.

A.

Applicability. .....Unless the use of alternative street design standards has been authorized (see section 5.9.16), all public and private streets must comply with VDOT street cross-section standards.

B.

Pavement construction requirements.

1.

Pavement design for new public and private streets must be in accordance with VDOT standards.

5.9.10.

Cul-de-sac streets.

A.

Description. .....Generally, cul-de-sac streets (minor terminal streets) are designed to have one (1) end permanently closed. Cul-de-sacs should be avoided unless natural barriers (wetlands, topography, floodplains) limit the opportunities for an interconnected grid network.

B.

Length.

1.

The length of a cul-de-sac street is measured from the end of the right-of-way of the turnaround portion of the cul-de-sac street to the nearest intersection with a street which provides a means of direct or indirect egress from the subdivision.

2.

Cul-de-sac streets may not exceed the greater of five hundred (500) linear feet or ten (10) times the width of the lot (measured at its narrowest point).

C.

Landscaped medians and islands.

1.

All cul-de-sac streets must have a landscape island at the center of the turnaround circle a minimum of fifty-four (54) feet in diameter for any cul-de-sac on a street serving more than sixteen (16) or more dwelling units or any use other than residential, and twenty-four (24) feet in diameter for any street serving fifteen (15) or less dwelling units and only residential uses. These islands may be designed as bioretention gardens and surface grading of cul-de-sac may be adjusted up to ten (10) percent to allow water to drain to the landscape island.

2.

In the event that a cul-de-sac street is authorized to exceed eight hundred (800) feet in length, then such a cul-de-sac street shall be designed with a landscaped median that divides the cul-de-sac street into two (2) distinct and separate lanes. However, such a cul-de-sac street may be continuously undivided for the final two hundred (200) feet of the street. This undivided section is measured from the end of the right-of-way of the turnaround portion of the cul-de-sac street.

3.

Median breaks must be provided at street intersections and at other appropriate locations along the cul-de-sac street to ensure safe and efficient traffic circulation and delivery of emergency services. One (1) median break should occur approximately every four hundred (400) feet of the cul-de-sac street.

4.

When the cul-de-sac street serves commercial, institutional, or industrial lots or structures, the requirement for a landscaped median or island may be modified or waived by the subdivision agent upon approval by the board of supervisors due to the additional fire protection requirements incorporated into such structures.

5.

All non-vehicular movement areas such as medians and islands shall be located in the right-of-way of the cul-de-sac street.

D.

Turnaround. .....New cul-de-sac streets must terminate in a circular vehicle turnaround. The minimum diameter (measured to the edge of pavement or face of curb) of this turnaround is:

1.

Sixty (60) feet on residential cul-de-sac streets serving fifteen (15) or fewer dwelling units and no other uses.

2.

Ninety (90) feet on all other cul-de-sac streets.

E.

Other terminal access (dead-end) streets.

1.

"T" Turnarounds. .....T-turnaround are discouraged. The subdivision agent may approve the use of "T" (shaped) turnarounds in lieu of cul-de-sacs when upgrading existing streets.

2.

Stub out streets.

a.

Description. .....Stub out streets are continuations of internal streets to the perimeter of a project for future connection to adjacent properties.

b.

Standards. .....A temporary cul-de-sac (standard or "T") must be provided at the end of all stub out streets. The right-of-way lines and constructed pavement must be extended to the boundary line of the proposed subdivision if the adjacent property is undeveloped.

Suitable barricades and "Street Closed" signs must be erected at the street end during the construction phase. At the completion of the street construction, "End of Street" signs must be erected at the street end. The following notation must be placed on the subdivision plat:

"Future access connection for adjacent development, to be constructed upon the extension of the street."

5.9.11.

Loop lane.

A.

Description. .....A loop lane is the recommended alternative to the use of cul-de-sac streets, "T" turnarounds, or other terminal access streets. Loop lanes shall be designed as two (2) one-way lanes separated by a central bioretention area or grassed, planted median at least sixty (60) feet in width.

B.

Length. .....Loop lanes may not exceed five hundred (500) linear feet from the point of intersection with the connecting roadway.

5.9.12.

Alleys. .....Dead-end alleys should be avoided wherever possible. If dead-end alleys are unavoidable, the end shall be provided with adequate turnaround facilities (see section 5.9.10.E, above) as determined by the subdivision agent.

5.9.13.

Planting strips. .....When required, planting strips a minimum of six (6) feet in width and in accordance with the current VDOT Subdivision Street Guide must be located between the roadway and the sidewalk. Additional planting strip width may be required to avoid conflict with required utility easements.

5.9.14.

Street names.

A.

Proposed streets which are obviously in alignment with other already existing and named streets must continue the names of the existing streets. Names of existing streets may not be changed except by approval of the board of supervisors.

B.

In no case may the names of a proposed street duplicate existing street names irrespective of the use of the suffix "road", "street", "avenue", "boulevard", "drive", "way", "place", "lane", or "court".

C.

Street names must be indicated on the preliminary and final plats, and must be approved by the subdivision agent in consultation with the county's information technology and emergency management departments.

5.9.15.

Street identification signs. .....Street identification signs of a design approved by the subdivision agent and VDOT, where applicable, must be installed at all intersections.

5.9.16.

Alternative street design standards. .....The use of VDOT authorized alternative street design standards for subdivisions located in a planned development may be granted by the board of supervisors following a recommendation from the planning commission.