17.20.030 Access management standards.
This section shall apply to all development on arterials and collectors within the City and UGA and to all properties that abut these roadways as part of site plan review process (Chapter 17.16). Within the Interchange Area Management Plan Overlay Zone’s “Access Management Blocks,” this section also applies to local streets and roads and abutting properties.
A. Site Plan Review Procedures. All site plans are required to be submitted for review pursuant to the provisions of this title and shall show:
1. Location of existing and proposed access point(s) on both sides of the road where applicable;
2. Distances to neighboring constructed access points, median openings (where applicable), traffic signals (where applicable), intersections, and other transportation features on both sides of the property;
3. Number and direction of lanes to be constructed on the driveway plus striping plans;
4. All planned transportation features (such as sidewalks, bikeways, auxiliary lanes, signals, etc.);
5. Parking and internal circulation plans including walkways and bikeways; and
6. A detailed description of any requested variance and the reason the variance is requested.
B. Criteria. All site plans shall comply with the following access criteria:
1. All proposed roads shall follow the natural topography and preserve natural features of the site as much as possible. Alignments shall be planned to minimize grading.
2. Access shall be properly placed in relation to sight distance, driveway spacing, and other related considerations, including opportunities for joint and cross access.
3. The road system shall provide adequate access to buildings for residents, visitors, deliveries, emergency vehicles, and garbage collection.
4. An internal pedestrian system of sidewalks or paths shall provide connections to parking areas; entrances to the development; and open space, recreational, and other community facilities associated with the development. Streets shall have sidewalks on both sides. Pedestrian linkages shall also be provided to the peripheral street system.
5. The access shall be consistent with the access management standards adopted in the Transportation System Plan.
6. Any application that involves access to the State Highway System shall be reviewed by the Oregon Department of Transportation for conformance with state access management standards.
C. Standards.
1. Access Spacing: Driveway accesses shall be separated from other driveways and street intersections in accordance with the standards and procedures of Chapter 13.28.
2. Joint and Cross Access:
a. Adjacent commercial or office properties classified as major traffic generators (e.g. shopping plazas, office parks), shall provide a cross access drive and pedestrian access to allow circulation between sites.
b. A system of joint use driveways and cross access easements shall be established wherever feasible and shall incorporate the following:
1. A continuous service drive or cross access corridor extending the entire length of each block served to provide for driveway separation consistent with the access management classification system and standards.
2. A design speed of ten (10) mph and a maximum width of twenty (20) feet to accommodate two-way travel aisles designated to accommodate automobiles, service vehicles, and loading vehicles;
3. Stub-outs and other design features to make it visually obvious that the abutting properties may be tied in to provide cross-access via a service drive; and
4. A unified access and circulation system plan for coordinated or shared parking areas is encouraged.
c. Shared parking areas shall be permitted a reduction in required parking spaces if peak demands do not occur at the same time periods.
d. Pursuant to this section, property owners shall
1. Record an easement allowing cross access to and from other properties served by the joint use driveways and cross access or service drive;
2. Record an agreement that remaining access rights along the roadway will be dedicated to the City and pre-existing driveways will be closed and eliminated after construction of the joint-use driveway;
3. Record a joint maintenance agreement defining maintenance responsibilities of property owners.
e. The City may reduce required separation distance of access points where they prove impractical, provided all of the following requirements are met:
1. Joint access driveways and cross access easements are provided in accordance with this section.
2. The site plan incorporates a unified access and circulation system in accordance with this section.
3. The property owner enters into a written agreement with the city, which shall be recorded with respect to the subject property, agreeing that pre-existing connections on the site will be closed and eliminated after construction of each side of the joint use driveway; and
4. The City Engineer may modify or waive the requirements of this section where the characteristics or layout of abutting properties would make a development of a unified or shared access and circulation system impractical.
3. Driveway Design: Driveways shall be designed pursuant to the requirements of Chapter 13.28.
4. Requirements for Phased Development Plans:
a. In the interest of promoting unified access and circulation systems, development sites under the same ownership or consolidated for the purposes of development and comprised of more than one (1) building site shall be reviewed as single properties in relation to the access standards of this ordinance. The number of access points permitted shall be the minimum number necessary to provide reasonable access to these properties, not the maximum available for that frontage. All necessary easements, agreements, and stipulations shall be met. This shall also apply to phased development plans. The owner and all lessees within the affected area are responsible for compliance with the requirements of this ordinance and both may be cited for any violation.
b. All access must be internalized using the shared circulation system of the principal development or retail center. Driveways shall be designed to avoid queuing across surrounding parking and driving aisles.
5. Nonconforming Access Features: Legal access connections in place as of November 2001 that do not conform with the standards herein are considered nonconforming features and shall be brought into compliance with applicable standards pursuant to the requirements of 13.28.
6. Reverse Frontage: Lots that front on more than one (1) street shall be required to locate motor vehicle accesses on the street with the lower functional classification.
D. Access within Interchange Area Management Plan (IAMP) Overlay Zone. In addition to the standards and requirements of the Transportation Circulation and Access Management section of this ordinance (Section 16.12 and Section 17.20), parcels wholly or partially within an adopted IAMP Overlay Zone are subject to the Access Management Plan in the applicable IAMP (Exit 62 or Exit 63/64). The following applies to land use and development applications for parcels within an adopted IAMP Overlay Zone that are subject to Chapter 17.16 Site Plan Review or Title 16 Subdivisions and, that are shown as part of an “Access Management Block” subject to the recommendations of the Access Management Plan (see Figure 9, Access Management Blocks, in the Exit 62 IAMP and Figures 10 and 11, Access Management Blocks, in the Exit 63 and 64 IAMP).
1. Access Approval.
a. Access to streets and roads within the IAMP Overlay Zone shall be subject to joint review by the City and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and, where applicable, by Hood River County. Coordination of this review will occur pursuant to Section 17.03.120(D). and consistent with requirements of Title 16.12, when applicable.
b. Approval of an access permit is an Administrative Action and is based on the standards contained in this Section, the provisions of Sections 17.20.030(B) and (C), and the Access Management Plan in the applicable IAMP. Where the recommendations of the Access Management Plan conflict with other access management and spacing requirements in Section 17.20.030 of the Zoning Ordinance, the applicable IAMP Access Management Plan shall govern.
2. Cross Access Agreement.
a. Prior to approving access for tax lots that are identified in the Access Management Plan of the applicable IAMP, the City shall require that:
1. The applicant demonstrate how cross access can be accomplished for sites contiguous to the subject property or properties, consistent with the circulation and planned local street network shown in the IAMP;
2. If access across an adjacent parcel or parcels is necessary for the development of the subject site, a signed cross access agreement is submitted with the application; and,
3. For applications reviewed as part of a subdivision approval process, necessary cross access easements are shown and recorded on the final plat. Access widths shall be consistent with City Public Works standards unless based on a Transportation Impact Study, developed pursuant to Section 17.20.060.C.2 and approved by the City Engineer or his/her designee.
3. Frontage Improvements to Public Streets. Development application approval will require public street frontage improvements pursuant to the Access Management Plan in the applicable IAMP and City requirements for constructing public improvements, including those in Subdivision Ordinance Section 16.12.060, Public Facilities Standards.