Chapter 14.46 implements the street access policies of the City of Newport Transportation System Plan. It is intended to promote safe vehicle access and egress to properties, while maintaining traffic operations in conformance with adopted standards. "Safety," for the purposes of this chapter, extends to all modes of transportation.

Vehicular access to a public street (e.g., a new or modified driveway connection to a street or highway) requires a right-of-way permit, pursuant to Chapter 9.10. In addition, approval by Lincoln County is required for connections to county roads within the city limits, and authorization from the Oregon Department of Transportation is required for connections onto US 101 or US 20.

Approaches and driveways shall conform to all of the following applicable development standards:

A.

Access to parking lots shall be from a public street or alley. Access to loading and unloading areas shall be from a public street, an alley, or a parking lot.

B.

Access to nonresidential parking lots or loading and unloading areas shall not be through areas that are zoned residential.

C.

All accesses shall be approved by the City Engineer or designate.

D.

Accesses shall be consolidated unless demonstrated to be unfeasible as determined by the City Engineer.

E.

Access shall be taken from lower classification streets (e.g., local and neighborhood collector streets) when it can be accomplished in conformance with these standards.

F.

New approaches shall conform to the spacing standards listed in Table 14.46.020-A, and shall conform to minimum sight distance and channelization standards of the city, county or ODOT, as appropriate.

Table 14.46.020-A. Access Spacing Standards ¹

¹ All distances measured from edge of adjacent approaches.

² All Arterial streets are under ODOT jurisdiction. ODOT facilities are subject to access spacing guidelines in the Oregon Highway Plan, Appendix C Table 14, and the Blueprint for Urban Design. Blueprint for Urban Design Guidelines in Table 14.46.020-B are based on posted speed and urban context.

Table 14.46.020-B. Blueprint for Urban Design Guidelines for Arterial Access Spacing

Source: ODOT Blueprint for Urban Design, Tables 3-9 and 3-10

G.

Existing approaches shall be upgraded as specified in an approved Traffic Impact Analysis.

H.

With the exception of Private Driveways as defined in Section 14.01.020, all approaches and driveways serving more than five parking spaces shall be paved and meet applicable construction standards.

I.

The city may limit the number or location of connections to a street, or limit directional travel at an approach to one-way, right-turn only, or other restrictions, where the city, county, or ODOT requires mitigation to alleviate safety or traffic operations concerns.

J.

Where city, county, or ODOT spacing standards limit the number or location of connections to a street or highway, the city may require a driveway extend to one or more edges of a parcel and be designed to allow for future extension and inter-parcel circulation as adjacent properties develop. The city may also require the owner(s) of the subject site to record an access easement for future joint use of the approach and driveway as the adjacent property(ies) develop(s).

K.

Where applicable codes require emergency vehicle access, approaches and driveways shall be designed and constructed to accommodate emergency vehicle apparatus.

L.

As applicable, approaches and driveways shall be designed and constructed to accommodate truck/trailer-turning movements.

M.

Driveways shall accommodate all projected vehicular traffic on-site without vehicles stacking or backing up onto a street.

N.

Driveways shall be designed so that vehicle areas, including, but not limited to, vehicle storage and service areas, do not obstruct any public right-of-way.

O.

Drive-up/drive-in/drive-through uses and facilities shall meet the standards in Section 14.14.090(F).

P.

Approaches and driveways shall be a minimum of 12 feet for a one-way drive and 20 feet for a two-way drive. Approaches and driveways shall not be greater than 150 percent of the minimum, with the exception of those that serve industrial uses and heavy commercial uses which may be up to 35 feet.

Q.

Construction of approaches along acceleration or deceleration lanes, and along tapered (reduced width) portions of a roadway, shall be avoided; except where no reasonable alternative exists and the approach does not create safety or traffic operations concern.

R.

Approaches and driveways shall be located and designed to allow for safe maneuvering in and around loading areas, while avoiding conflicts with pedestrians, parking, landscaping, and buildings.

S.

Where sidewalks or walkways occur adjacent to a roadway, driveway aprons constructed of concrete shall be installed between the driveway and roadway edge.

T.

Where an accessible route is required pursuant to ADA, approaches and driveways shall meet accessibility requirements where they coincide with an accessible route.

U.

The city may require changes to the proposed configuration and design of an approach, including the number of drive aisles or lanes, surfacing, traffic calming features, allowable turning movements, and other changes or mitigation, to ensure traffic safety and operations.

V.

Where a new approach onto a state highway or a change of use adjacent to a state highway requires ODOT approval, the applicant is responsible for obtaining ODOT approval. The city may approve a development conditionally, requiring the applicant first obtain required ODOT permit(s) before commencing development, in which case the city will work cooperatively with the applicant and ODOT to avoid unnecessary delays.

W.

Where a proposed driveway crosses a culvert or drainage ditch, the city may require the developer to install a culvert extending under and beyond the edges of the driveway on both sides of it, pursuant to applicable engineering and stormwater design standards.

X.

Temporary driveways providing access to a construction site, staging area, or special event shall be paved, graveled, or treated in an alternative manner as approved by the City Engineer, to prevent tracking of mud onto adjacent paved streets.

The city may approve deviations from the spacing standards in Table 14.46.020-A through a Type I procedure, when one of the following criteria can be met.

A.

An existing connection to a city street does not meet the standards of the roadway authority and the proposed development moves in the direction of code compliance; or

B.

Mitigation measures, such as consolidated access, joint use driveways, directional limitations (e.g., one-way), turning restrictions (e.g., right-in/right-out only), or other mitigation actions can be shown to mitigate all traffic operations and safety concerns.

Joint Use Access Easement and Maintenance Agreement. Where the city approves a joint use driveway, the property owners shall record an easement with the deed allowing joint use of and cross access between adjacent properties. The owners of the properties agreeing to joint use of the driveway shall record a joint maintenance agreement with the deed, defining maintenance responsibilities of property owners. The applicant shall provide a fully executed copy of the agreement to the city for its records.