COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR ORDINANCE NO. 970384

 

Amending Chapter 66, Code of Ordinances of the City of Kansas City, Missouri, commonly known as the Subdivision Regulations, enacting a new Section 66-48, Street Naming Committee, and repealing Section 66-122, Streets, and enacting in lieu thereof a new section of like number and subject matter.

 

BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:

 

Section A. That Chapter 66, Code of Ordinances of the City of Kansas City, Missouri, commonly known as the Subdivision Regulations, is hereby amended by enacting a new Section 66-48, Street Naming Committee, and repealing Section 66-122, Streets, and enacting in lieu thereof a new section of like number and subject matter, to read as follows:

 

Sec. 66-48. Street Naming Committee.

 

(a) Established. Purpose. There is hereby established a Street Naming Committee with the prime function of assigning names to the public and private streets.

 

(b) Membership. Membership is as follows:

 

(1) City Development Department

 

(2) Public Works Department

 

(3) Codes Administration Department

 

(4) Parks and Recreation Department

 

(5) Fire Department

 

(6) Police Department

 

(7) A neighborhood representative to be appointed by the Director of the Department of City Development

 

(8) A business community representative to be appointed by the Director of the Department of City Development

 

Ex-officio membership.

 

(1) U.S. Post Office

 

(2) Other agencies as deemed necessary by the Chairman to render a full review of the street names.

 

(c) Procedures. The Director of the City Development Department or his designated representative shall serve as chairman of the street naming committee and his function shall be to coordinate committee activities and notify each member of scheduled meetings. The committee shall meet to review requests to rename streets and make recommendations to the Director of City Development. The committee shall meet to assign street names as part of the plat approval process. The chairman shall inform the developer of recommendations by the committee and shall present these recommendations to the City Plan Commission or the City Council at public hearings as necessary.

 

(d) Appeals. Any decision of the committee may be appealed to the Plats Review Committee by letter to the chairman of the Plats Review Committee. Any decision of the Plats Review Committee may be appealed to the City Plan Commission and further to the City Council.

 

Sec. 66-122. Streets.

 

(a) Design.

 

(1) In any new subdivision, the street layout shall conform to the arrangement, width and location indicated on the major street plan, comprehensive plan or component

neighborhood unit development plan or any other planned district as approved under

the provisions of the zoning ordinance. In areas for which such plans have not been

completed, the streets shall be designed and located in proper relation to existing and

proposed streets, to the terrain, to such natural features as streams and tree growth,

to public convenience and safety, to the proposed use of the land served by such

streets, and to the most advantageous development of the adjoining area. Each lot

within the subdivision shall provide access to a dedicated public street.

 

(2) Proposed streets shall extend to the boundary line of the tract being subdivided unless prevented by topography or other physical conditions or unless in the opinion of the

city plan commission such extension is not necessary or desirable for the coordination

of the layout of the subdivision or for the advantageous development of the adjacent

tracts.

 

(b) Classification. The standards within this chapter recognize the major street plan for the city and reference to that document for the determination of subdivision streets by functional classification.

 

(c) Buffer strips. Wherever the proposed subdivision contains or is adjacent to a railroad right-of-way or limited access highway, or where lots back onto a public street, the subdivision shall provide the following treatment:

 

(1) In residential districts a buffer strip at least 50 feet in depth shall be provided in addition to the normal lot depth required. The strip shall be a part of the platted lots

and shall have the following restriction lettered on the face of the plat: ``This strip

reserved for the planting of trees or shrubs by the owner or developer; the building

of structures hereon is prohibited.''

 

(2) In commercial and industrial districts adjacent to a railroad right-of-way or limited access highway, no parallel street shall be less than 150 feet from the right-of-way or

limited access highway.

 

(d) Intersections. Streets shall intersect each other at right angles unless otherwise dictated by topography or other factors of good design.

 

(1) The number of intersections along major streets shall be held to a minimum. Wherever practicable the distance between such intersections shall not be less than 1,200 feet.

 

(2) Property lines at street intersections shall be rounded with a minimum radius of 15 feet. A greater radius may be required by the city engineer where anticipated traffic

justifies such a requirement.

 

(3) Streets parallel to a railroad right-of-way or limited access highway shall, when intersecting a major street, highway or collector street, be located at a minimum

distance of 250 feet from such right-of-way, highway or collector street. Such

distance, when desirable and practicable, shall be determined with due consideration

of the minimum distance required for the future separation of grades by means of

appropriate approach gradients.

 

(4) Local streets need not continue across major or collector streets; but, if the centerline of such local street approaches the major streets from opposite sides thereof within

150 feet, the director of public works may require an appropriate easement to

accommodate drainage facilities, pedestrian traffic or utilities.

 

(e) Right-of-way width. The minimum right-of-way of all proposed streets shall be the width specified by the major street plan; or, if no width is specified therein, the minimum width shall be as follows:

 

 

Type of Street Right-of-Way

 

 

Freeway Varies, minimum 150 feet

 

 

Expressway 120 feet minimum

 

 

Primary arterial 100 feet minimum

 

 

Secondary arterial 80 feet minimum

 

 

Collector 60 feet minimum

 

 

Minor (local residential street) 50 feet minimum

 

 

Parkways 150 feet minimum, but must conform to established criteria

 

 

Every cul-de-sac shall terminate in a circular turnaround having a minimum right-of-way diameter of 100 feet.

 

(f) Grades.

 

(1) Unless necessitated by exceptional terrain, and subject to the approval of the director of public works, the maximum street grades shall not exceed the following:

 

 

Street Type Maximum Grade (percent)

 

 

Freeway 7

 

 

Expressway 7

 

 

Primary arterial 7

 

 

Secondary arterial 7

 

 

Collector 10

 

 

Minor (local/residential street) 15

 

 

Cul-de-sac (excluding turnaround) 15

 

 

Cul-de-sac turnaround, only 10

 

 

Alleys 15

 

 

Pedestrian ways 15

 

 

(2) All changes in street grade shall be connected by vertical curves and be designed for safe stopping sight distances as determined by the city engineer using current Federal

Highway Administration design criteria.

 

(3) Street grades may either be established by the plat or by separate ordinance. If established by separate ordinance, the applicant may begin construction of the street

prior to the passage of the ordinance, but the street shall not be accepted for

maintenance until the ordinance is passed. Furthermore, if established by separate
ordinance, the plat shall indicate the grades proposed by the applicant, the

recommendation of the director of public works and the statement that any damages

caused by reason of the actual establishment of grades are waived.

 

(4) Wherever practicable, street grades shall be established in such a manner to avoid excessive grading, or promiscuous removal of ground cover and tree growth, and a

general leveling of the terrain. Grades so established will reduce hazards by

maintaining adequate sight distances for the classification of streets and design speeds.

 

(g) Radius of horizontal curvature.

 

(1) The centerline radius of a horizontal curve shall be as follows:

 

 

Type of Street Minimum Curve Radius (feet)

 

 

Freeway 500

 

 

Expressway 500

 

 

Primary arterial 500

 

 

Secondary arterial 250

 

 

Collector 200

 

 

Minor (local/residential street) 150

 

 

(2) A minimum tangent length of 100 feet shall be provided between curves of opposite direction on major and collector streets.

 

(3) The developer may request a variance to the minimums set out in this subsection based on engineering considerations of topography, length of street, number of curves

and other factors which may dictate a lesser radius. Such request may be approved by

the plats review committee with the concurrence of the city engineer. Variations may

also be granted pursuant to section 66-9.

 

(h) Half streets. Where an existing dedicated or platted half street is adjacent to the tract being subdivided, the other half of the street right-of-way shall be dedicated by the subdivider in conformance with the requirements of the major street plan. Half street dedications for minor streets are not permitted unless there is satisfactory agreement with the city that both adjacent developers agree to dedicate and construct one-half of the street, except that when a variance to this will be in the public interest.

 

(i) Street names. Street names shall be assigned by the street naming committee at the time of the preliminary plat approval. The developer shall submit a street name sign plan with the preliminary plat submittal, to be reviewed by the Street Naming Committee. The street name sign plan shall be drawn at a readable scale that shows the proposed street layout with proposed names, perimeter streets and street names, lot lines and proposed street name sign locations, with a note stating the names to be put on each sign. The sign locations, size and message will be according to the Public Works Department's "Specifications for Fabricating and Installing Street Name Signs."

 

(j) Sight distance at intersections. Minimum sight distance shall be provided at each intersection by providing an area free of trees, shrubs, signs or other obstructions greater than two feet in height as measured from the elevation at the edge of pavement. This area shall be determined by constructing two overlapping triangles such that the long leg of each triangle is measured along the edge of pavement 140 feet, the short leg of each triangle is measured along the adjacent edge of pavement 15 feet, and the hypotenuse is constructed to connect the two legs, thus forming an intersecting area to remain free of obstructions.

 

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Approved as to form and legality:

 

 

 

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Assistant City Attorney