Newton City Zoning Code
§ 320-22
Street design standards/public frontage types.
A.
Street design standards. The street design shall consider methods for creating complete streets that consist of lanes for vehicles and bicycles, as well as pedestrians. Sidewalks and landscaping along these thoroughfares are required. The following standards must apply:
(1)
The street configurations and locations shall be designed utilizing context-sensitive design in combination with the design standards identified herein.
(2)
Each thoroughfare type shall be dimensioned and specified as to right-of-way width, pavement width, sidewalk width, traffic lanes, parking lanes, planting treatment and other factors that may apply to both the functional and aesthetic character of the specific street as specified in the attached street sections.
(3)
All streets shall be open to the public, except for internal lanes, in order to provide access to specific uses on private property. All streets shall be improved to finished specifications prior to the occupation of the buildings.
(4)
Pedestrian spaces must have continuous paving that extends across all streets and intersections and be of a paving material which differentiates it from the street surface.
(5)
Wherever appropriate, all streets shall provide on-street, curbside parking available to the public, with the exception of any internal lanes.
(6)
The on-street parking spaces shall not be attached to any specific use but may contribute 0.5 space per space of parking requirements and may be used for additional parking needs.
(7)
The street improvements identified in this section include all infrastructure, paving base and surfaces, sidewalks, street trees, streetlights, and curbs to meet Town and county standards.
(8)
The street sections are meant to be starting points for design; however minimum design standards shall apply.
B.
Pedestrian realm.
(1)
Sidewalk areas must be provided along all streets and shall be properly sized for the safe and convenient movement of pedestrians through and around the area, taking into consideration such factors as: the volume of traffic on the street, the width of the roadway, and the adjoining land uses.
(2)
Sidewalk areas must be attractively landscaped and durably paved in conformance with any minimum landscape standards and shall be provided with adequate lighting according to lighting standards. Decorative paving materials and pedestrian-scale lighting is required.
(3)
Traffic signage shall be consolidated and affixed onto lampposts to the maximum extent practical so as to reduce the number of poles, obstructions and visual clutter in the streetscape and pedestrian movement. All traffic signage must be in accordance with current MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) guidelines.
(4)
All signal and light posts must be a consistent dark color.
(5)
All sidewalks and intersections must be ADA compliant.
(6)
Crosswalks are required at each intersection.
(7)
Crosswalks must be a different texture, pattern and surface from roadways and sidewalks.
(8)
Sidewalks shall not be asphalt and shall adhere to the Town's minimum standards for sidewalks.
(9)
The buffer area between the curb and sidewalk should be of a different paving material and texture than sidewalks, preferably a textured material such as pavers, brick, and/or synthetic brick.
C.
Trash enclosure requirements. All commercial and multifamily residential uses shall provide trash enclosure and recycling facilities that adhere to the following standards:
(1)
Each structure shall be designed so as to accommodate easy, safe, and sanitary access to disposal facilities and recyclable containers.
(2)
Disposal and recycling pickup shall be from a disposal facility, where accessible to a contracted hauler.
(3)
Disposal and recycling containers must be stored where they are not accessible to wildlife.
(4)
Disposal facilities shall either be located internally to the facility or screened from the street and the pedestrian realm with an enclosure utilizing materials that are compatible with those of the principal structure on the property. Woven wire mesh fencing is prohibited.
D.
Context sensitive design. All streets shall be designed utilizing context-sensitive design (CSD) combined with the minimum street design standards to tailor street designs to the specific situation within which the roadway is being constructed. All streets must be complete streets and provide for multiple users including pedestrian, car, bike and transit (where appropriate). The following items should be considered when designing streets, street frontages, streetscapes and pedestrian or bicycle amenities within the Town of Newton:
(1)
Context sensitivity. Considerations include land uses, users, environmental issues, goals of the community, location and intensity of use.
(2)
Geometric flexibility. Allowing width of the travel lanes, sidewalks, etc., to flex depending on traffic needs, multimodal accommodations, existing and proposed land uses and other considerations.
(3)
Performance flexibility. Allowing flexibility of the posted speed on the roadway can accommodate the varying widths and uses of the road depending on location.
(4)
Institutional collaboration. State, county and local officials will need to work together to create appropriate designs for roadways within the Town depending on the entity with jurisdiction over the project.
(5)
Public outreach and response. For high-volume roadways it is very important to gather public input on the needs of the community with respect to the project. Their input should be incorporated wherever possible and practical.
(6)
Modal balance. In order to address the needs of multiple modes of transportation, other modes may have to be addressed creatively to achieve a balance.
E.
Minimum design standards for complete streets.
Street Type by Transect | Travel Lanes/Turning Lanes | Parking Lanes* | Bike Lanes (where applicable**) | Sidewalks/ Buffers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Local street (T-3) | 8 feet to 10 feet/no turn lanes | 6 feet to 8 feet on one or both sides | 4 feet (shared on street) | 4 feet to 5 feet/2 feet to 6 feet buffer |
Collector (T-3) | 10 feet/no turn lane | 7 feet to 8 feet on one or both sides | 5 feet designated on street lanes | 4 feet to 5 feet/2 feet to 6 feet buffer |
Collector (T-4 to T-6) | 10 feet to 11 feet/9-foot turn lanes | 8 feet on one or both sides | 5 feet designated on street lanes | 6 feet to 8 feet/2 feet to 4 feet |
Arterial (T-1 to T-3) | 10 feet to 12 feet/no turn lane | 7 feet to 8 feet on one or both sides | 5 feet designated on street lanes | 4 feet to 5 feet/2 feet to 6 feet |
Arterial/highway (T-4 to T-6) | 10 feet to 12 feet/9-foot turn lane | 8 feet on one or both sides | 5 feet designated on street lanes | 8 feet to 10 feet/2 feet to 6 feet |
* | On streets where bike lanes are proposed; parking lanes should be removed or reduced and buffers can be reduced or eliminated in order to moderate total widths. |
|---|---|
** | Proposed bike lane locations are proposed in the bike path section of the report. Not all streets will have bike lanes. |
F.
Public frontage types. The following are examples of permissible roadway types in the Town by zone. The width of the developed roadway does not necessarily reflect the right-of-way width of the roadway which may be greater than the roadway width in some cases. Roadways that are narrower than the typical fifty-foot right-of-way are shown to accommodate on the ground conditions that do not permit construction of larger width roadways. Where greater amounts of right-of-way exist, wider roadway widths are shown.
(1)
T-3 local street.
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(2)
T-3 collector.
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(3)
T-4 collector.
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(4)
T-4 and T-5 major arterial: fifty-foot roadway.
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(5)
T-4 and T-5 major arterial: fifty-four-foot roadway.
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(6)
T-4 and T-5 major arterial: fifty-eight-foot roadway.
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(7)
T-4 and T-5 major arterial with turning lane.
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(8)
Rear alley or internal lane.
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(9)
T-5 major arterial.
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(10)
T-6 major arterial.
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