The following definitions are applicable to an access management program for development along arterial and collector roadways and, where applicable, local roads serving land abutting arterial and collector roadways. Definitions found in other chapters or in other municipal ordinances which relate to access management may be used to assist in gaining greater understanding of the city's overall intentions.

Acceleration lane means a speed-change lane for the purpose of enabling a vehicle entering a roadway to increase its speed to a rate at which it can safely merge with through traffic.

Access means the ability to enter or leave a public street or highway from an adjacent driveway or another public street.

Access management means the control of driveways and intersections to maintain highway safety and the traffic carrying capacity of an arterial.

Annual average daily traffic (AADT) means the annual average two-way daily traffic volume. It represents the total annual traffic on a road for the year, divided by 365.

Arterial means major roadways which serve long distance through traffic. Access to abutting land can generally be provided. Also see Major arterial highway and Minor arterial highway in section 60-2.

Collector street means roadways which connect streets to arterials and generally provide access to abutting lands. Also see Minor arterial highway in section 60-2.

Corner clearance means the minimum dimension, measured parallel to a highway, between the curb, pavement or shoulder lines of an intersecting highway and the nearest edge of a driveway.

Corner lot means a single lot with frontage on two or more intersecting roads. Also see Corner lot in section 60-2.

Deceleration lane means a speed-change lane for the purpose of enabling a vehicle to leave the through traffic lane at speed equal to or slightly less than the speed of traffic in the through lane and to decelerate to a stop or make a slow speed turn.

Design hourly volume means the hourly traffic volume used to evaluate or design a highway or driveway.

Driveway means an entrance used by vehicular traffic to access property abutting a highway. As used in this chapter, the term "driveway" includes private residential driveways as well as commercial and other nonresidential driveways.

(1)

Low volume driveways means driveways with a traffic volume of less than 500 vehicle trips per day and less than 50 vehicle trips per peak hour.

(2)

Medium volume driveways means driveways with a traffic volume of 500 to less than 1,500 vehicle trips per day and 50 to less than 150 vehicle trips per peak hour.

(3)

High volume driveways means driveways with a traffic volume of 1,500 or more vehicle trips per day and 150 or more vehicle trips per peak hour.

Driveway width means the narrowest width of the driveway, measured parallel to the highway right-of-way.

Highway capacity means the maximum number of vehicles that a highway can handle during a specific unit of time at a given level of service.

Lane means the portion of a roadway for the movement of a single line of vehicles which does not include the gutter or shoulder of the roadway.

Peak hour traffic means the highest number of vehicles found to be passing over a section of a lane or roadway during any 60 consecutive minutes. Typically, there is a peak hour condition in the morning and a peak hour condition in the afternoon for which the roadway or intersection is analyzed for capacity and level of service.

Service road/frontage road means a local street or road located parallel to an arterial for service to abutting properties for the purpose of controlling access to the arterial.

Shared driveway means a single driveway serving two or more lots. A shared driveway may cross a lot line or be on the lot line, and the owners may have an easement for the shared used and maintenance.

Storage length means additional lane footage added to a turning lane to hold the maximum number of vehicles likely to accumulate during a peak period so as not to interfere with the through travel lanes.

Traffic congestion means a condition resulting from more vehicles trying to use a given road during a specific period of time than the road can handle with what are considered to be acceptable levels of delay or inconvenience.

Trip generation means the estimated volume of traffic going to and from a particular location.

Uncontrolled access means the unlimited number, spacing and/or unstandardized design of driveways onto a street or road.

Vehicle trip means the vehicle moving from an origination point to a destination point.

(Ord. of 9-21-2009, § 4.6B)

The access management program is the sum of all actions taken by the city to maintain the safety and traffic carrying capacity of its arterials and collector roadways. The following standards are enacted to provide for safe driving conditions, reduced potential traffic hazards, relieve congestion, and achieve a sustainable level of vehicle carrying capacity within identified commercial corridors and abutting lands. The effective application of these standards, coupled with other associated municipal ordinances, will assist in preserving highway capacity, reducing accidents and avoiding or minimizing costly road improvements.

(Ord. of 9-21-2009, § 4.6A)

The provisions of this ordinance shall apply as follows:

(1)

See section 60-2, definitions of major or principal highway and minor arterial highway for a listing of roadways subject to access management standards.

(2)

Proposed changes in use requiring the issuance of any land use permit.

(3)

Properties which meet the following threshold standards:

a.

Any building or addition which results in a building footprint of greater than 5,000 square feet.

b.

Uses generating more than 100 vehicle trips in the peak hour.

c.

Uses with a drive-through facility which generates more than 50 vehicle trips in the peak hour.

(4)

Subdivisions consisting of three or more lots.

(5)

The following municipal uses where large or emergency vehicles are commonly used: fire, public works, parks and recreation, police and schools.

(Ord. of 9-21-2009, § 4.6C; Ord. No. 11-03012021, § 75, 3-15-2021)

The following standards are designed to ensure safety and maintain the traffic carrying capacity of identified roadways. In the review of a development proposal, a primary consideration shall be for the safety of people traveling on the arterial and a secondary consideration shall be for people entering and leaving the proposed development. Design elements should conform to the standards as contained in the most current version of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) manual and commonly used by the state department of transportation (MDOT).

(Ord. of 9-21-2009, § 4.6D(intro. ¶))

Driveways and other accesses for all developments, including individual residences, subdivisions and commercial and other nonresidential developments shall be located to meet a minimum sight distance measured in each direction along the arterial or collector while maintaining adequate distances from adjacent driveways and intersections. For the purpose of the sight distance standard, the following provisions shall apply:

(1)

The sight distance shall be based on the posted speed limit. For those developments requiring planning board review and/or the submission of a traffic impact study, the developer shall provide an analysis of the sight distance for both the posted speed limit and the 85th percentile speed, either one of which the board may require the plan to be designed to.

(2)

Measurements shall be from the driver's seat of a vehicle that is ten feet behind the curb (or edge of shoulder) line with the height of the eye 3½ feet above the pavement and the height of the object 4¼ feet.

(3)

Where truck traffic from a development onto a roadway is expected to be significant, increase the sight distance by 50 percent. Height of eye shall be six feet with the height of the object no more than 4¼ feet.

(4)

For low and medium volume driveways and intersection road placement, the unobstructed sight distance shall be according to the following schedule:

(5)

For high volume driveways and intersection road placement, an unobstructed sight distance shall be according to the following schedule:

(Ord. of 9-21-2009, § 4.6D(1); Ord. No. 11-03012021, § 76, 3-15-2021)

(a)

For those developments requiring planning board review, the developer shall provide a design for curb cuts and driveways for both the posted speed limit and the 85th percentile speed, either one of which the board may required the plan to be designed to. The minimum distances shall apply to driveways on the same lot or on adjoining lots to the maximum possible to minimize traffic safety impacts. The minimum distance between curb cuts and driveways shall be measured from the centerline of the driveways at the right-of-way line and shall be a function of the posted corridor road speed according to the following table:

(b)

When a lot lacks sufficient corridor road frontage for spacing, the distance can be reduced to the next lowest level as shown on the table in this section. For example, on a 40 mph road requiring an 185 foot spacing, the distance may be reduced to no less than 150 feet; or the property owner can establish a shared driveway or common frontage road with an adjacent property owner.

(c)

Where adjoining nonconforming frontage lots or conforming and nonconforming frontage lots are owned in common, those lots shall be considered combined for the purposes of meeting the frontage and access requirements of this article.

(Ord. of 9-21-2009, § 4.6D(2); Ord. No. 11-03012021, § 77, 3-15-2021)

The maximum number of driveways to a particular site shall be governed by the following:

(1)

No low volume traffic generator, including single-family dwellings and duplexes, shall have more than one two-way access onto a single roadway.

(2)

No medium or high volume traffic generator shall have more than one two-way access or two one-way accesses in total onto a single roadway.

(3)

All driveways shall comply with the spacing requirements.

(Ord. of 9-21-2009, § 4.6D(3))

Where a proposed development involves the construction of two or more uses, or where the potential for two or more uses being developed over time exists, access to the development shall be as follows:

(1)

Direct access to an arterial to any individual lot or to a single place of business shall be prohibited unless it is determined that physical conditions peculiar to the parcel justify the granting of a waiver. A waiver may be granted only if there will be no further subdivision of the parcel and one of the following conditions is met:

a.

There is too little road frontage to reasonably allow the creation of a new way;

b.

The shape or physical condition of the parcel does not permit access to or creation of a street other than an arterial; or

c.

Common access will be utilized which will allow other proposed lots to be serviced by one new curb cut.

(2)

If there is more than one developer or if development proceeds piecemeal over time, smaller sites may be served by an individual entrance until such time as adjacent lots are developed. These temporary individual commercial driveways shall be closed or consolidated into one or two access points and connected to a common service road.

(3)

Permitted access to the development may include one or more of the following:

a.

A common frontage road running parallel to the corridor road provided that such frontage road shall be located at least 35 feet from the edge of the right-of-way.

b.

A common driveway or subdivision street which may intersect the arterial and which serves the individual lots or businesses or a common parking lot adjacent to the individual lots or businesses.

c.

One or more minor roads to be constructed by the developer according to the standards of this article which shall serve the development.

(Ord. of 9-21-2009, § 4.6D(4))

Where a proposed development is to be located at the intersection of an arterial and a minor or collector road, entrance to and exit from the site shall be located only on the minor or collector road. This requirement may be waived where it can be demonstrated that existing site conditions preclude the location of a driveway on the minor or collector road or that the location of the driveway on the minor or collector road would significantly interfere with a predominately residential neighborhood.

(Ord. of 9-21-2009, § 4.6D(5))

Shared driveways shall be encouraged for adjacent sites in order to minimize the number of driveways along the arterial. When two or more adjacent property owners agree to a shared curb cut, driveway or common frontage road, the development may be granted a bonus of lot size and road frontage up to 15 percent for each property owner. In addition, the percentage of the total lot area to be covered by buildings may be increased by up to ten percent for each development that uses a shared driveway. No additional parking shall be required as a result of building space.

(Ord. of 9-21-2009, § 4.6D(6))

For all projects, provisions for vehicular and pedestrian circulation connections to future projects on adjacent properties shall be provided wherever feasible and to the maximum extent possible. When the developer agrees to establish vehicular connections to adjacent developments of a type, scale and intensity similar to the proposed development, a reduction up to five percent of lot size, road frontage and parking requirements may be granted. Developers are further encouraged to provide pedestrian and bicycle linkages, separated from vehicular connections between adjacent developments and residential developments in the area.

(Ord. of 9-21-2009, § 4.6D(7))

An applicant for a project subject to site plan review or a developer or owner of property which is subject to the access management standards may request, with the exception of section 60-799, a modification of such standards. Such requests shall be made to the planning board. Modifications to the access management standards may be allowed upon a demonstration of need by the applicant provided the planning board makes a finding that the objectives of access management have been satisfied.

(Ord. of 9-21-2009, § 4.6D(8))