The purpose of this article is to provide access standards which will facilitate through traffic operations, ensure public safety along roadways, and protect the public investment in the street system; while providing property owners with reasonable, though not always direct, access. The standards are specifically designed for streets whose primary function is the movement of through traffic, as opposed to local streets whose primary function is access to adjacent properties.

(Ord. No. 440, §§ 1, 10, 6-10-19)

A.

The standards of this article shall be applied to the following major traffic routes (arterials and collectors) identified in the City of Swartz Creek City Master Plan:

1.

Miller Road.

2.

Elms Road.

3.

Morrish Road.

4.

Bristol Road.

5.

Seymour Road.

B.

The access standards contained herein shall be required in addition to, and where permissible shall supersede, the requirements of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).

C.

The standards contained in this article shall apply to all uses, except permitted one-family and two-family dwelling units.

D.

For expansion and/or redevelopment of existing sites where the planning commission recommends that compliance with all the standards of this article is unreasonable, the standards shall be applied to the maximum extent possible. In such situations, suitable alternatives which substantially achieve the purpose of this article may be accepted by the planning commission, provided that the applicant demonstrates all of the following apply:

1.

Size of the parcel is insufficient to meet the dimensional standards.

2.

The spacing of existing, adjacent driveways or environmental constraints prohibit adherence to the access standards at a reasonable cost.

3.

The use will generate less than 500 total vehicle trips per day or less than 75 total vehicle trips in the peak hour of travel on the adjacent street, based on the most recent rates developed by the Institute of Transportation Engineers.

4.

There is no other reasonable means of access.

(Ord. No. 440, §§ 1, 10, 6-10-19)

A.

Access to a parcel shall consist of either a single two-way driveway or a pair of one-way driveways wherein one driveway is designed and appropriately signed to accommodate ingress movements and the other egress movements.

B.

Where parcel frontage is insufficient to provide a driveway meeting the minimum driveway width and radii, a shared driveway or other means of access may be required.

C.

Where parcels have frontage along two streets on a parcel of at least two acres in area, access should be provided only along the street with the lower average daily traffic volume, unless the planning commission determines this would negatively affect traffic operations or surrounding land uses.

D.

Where the property has continuous frontage of over 300 feet and the applicant can demonstrate, using the Institute of Transportation Engineers Trip Generation Manual or other accepted reference, that a second access is warranted, the planning commission may allow an additional access point. Where possible, this additional access should be spaced accordingly to the standards contained herein, located on a side street, shared with an adjacent property, and/or be designed to restrict one or both left turn movements.

E.

Where the property has continuous frontage of over 600 feet, a maximum of three driveways may be allowed, with at least one such driveway being designed and signed for right-turns-in, right-turns-out only.

(Ord. No. 440, §§ 1, 10, 6-10-19)

Shared use of access between two or more property owners should be encouraged through use of driveways constructed along property lines, connecting parking lots and construction on-site of frontage roads and rear service drives; particularly within one-quarter mile of major intersections, for sites having dual frontage, where frontage dimensions are less than 300 feet, at locations with sight distance problems, and/or along roadway segments experiencing congestion or accidents. In such cases, shared access of some type may be the only access design allowed.

A.

In cases where a site is adjacent to an existing frontage road, parking lot of a compatible use, or rear service drive, a connection to the adjacent facility may be required by the planning commission.

B.

In cases where a site is adjacent to undeveloped property, the site should be designed to accommodate a future frontage road, parking lot connection or rear service drive.

C.

The applicant shall provide the city with letters of agreement or access easements from all affected property owners.

(Ord. No. 440, §§ 1, 10, 6-10-19)

A.

Requirements for minimum intersection or corner sight distance for driveways shall be in accordance with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) guidelines defined in Chapter 9 of A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, 1994.

B.

The planning commission may adjust a driveway location where there is a concern regarding adequate sight distance.

(Ord. No. 440, §§ 1, 10, 6-10-19)

A.

Driveway spacing from intersections shall be measured from the centerline of the driveway to the extended edge of the intersecting street's right-of-way line.

B.

In order to preserve intersection operations and safety, the minimum distance between a driveway and an intersecting street right-of-way shall be based on the following:

1.

For locations in the vicinity of intersections experiencing congestion (peak hour operations below level of service "C" for one or more movements) and/or a significant number of traffic accidents (five or more annually), the planning commission may require that access be constructed along the property line furthest from the intersection. Source: AASHTO's 2000 Highway Capacity Manual, Special Report 209.

2.

For locations within 200 feet of any signalized or four-way stop intersection, driveways shall be spaced a minimum of 150 feet from the intersection; where this spacing cannot be provided, driveways designed for "right-turn in, right-turn out only" movements may be allowed, with a minimum spacing of 75 feet from the intersecting street right-of-way.

Figure: Alignment of Driveways in Proximity to a Four-Way Stop or a Signalized Intersection.

3.

For locations that are not a four-way stop or signalized, driveways shall be spaced a minimum of 100 feet from the intersection.

(Ord. No. 440, §§ 1, 10, 6-10-19)

A.

Driveway spacing from other driveways shall be measured from the centerline of each driveway at the point where it crosses the street right-of-way line.

B.

Driveways shall be directly aligned with those across the street or, where offset, the minimum driveway spacing from driveways across the street shall be a minimum of 150 feet, as determined by the planning commission, excluding when one or both driveways are designed and signed for right-turn-in, right-turn-out only.

C.

Minimum driveway spacing from other driveways along the same side of the street shall be determined based on posted speed limits along the parcel for each particular frontage, as follows:

(Ord. No. 440, §§ 1, 10, 6-10-19)

A.

Driveways shall be designed to the standards of the Genesee County Road Commission, except where stricter standards are included herein or by the city driveway construction standards.

B.

Driveway width and radii:

1.

The typical driveway design shall include one ingress and one egress lane, with a combined maximum throat width of 30 feet, measured from face to face of curb.

2.

Wherever the planning commission determines that traffic volumes or conditions may cause significant delays for traffic exiting left, two exit lanes may be required.

3.

For one-way paired driveway systems, each driveway shall be 16 feet wide, measured perpendicularly.

4.

In areas with pedestrian traffic, the exit and enter lanes may be separated by a median with a maximum width of ten feet.

5.

Driveways shall be designed with a 25-foot radii; 30-foot radii where daily semi-truck traffic is expected.

C.

Driveway vehicle stacking: Generally, the minimum of 40 feet of driveway vehicle stacking shall be provided for less intense developments and a minimum of 120 feet of driveway storage shall be required for larger developments. The specific amount of vehicle stacking shall be determined by the city's traffic engineer based on traffic volumes and conditions. Driveway storage shall be measured from the right-of-way line.

D.

Directional driveways, divided driveways and deceleration tapers: Directional driveways, divided driveways, and deceleration tapers and/or bypass lanes may be required by the planning commission where they will reduce congestion and accident potential for vehicles accessing the proposed use or site. Right-turn tapers shall be a minimum of 75 feet in length and at least 11 feet wide.

(Ord. No. 440, §§ 1, 10, 6-10-19)

A.

General: Frontage roads, rear service drives and drives connecting two or more parking lots shall be constructed in accordance with the following standards:

1.

Pavement width shall be a maximum of 30 feet, measured face of curb to face of curb; intersection approaches may be widened to 39 feet for a left turn lane.

2.

Frontage road access to public streets shall be spaced according to the standards of sections 17.05 and 17.06.

3.

Frontage roads shall have a minimum setback of 30 feet between the outer edge of pavement and the right-of-way line, with a minimum 60 feet of uninterrupted queuing (stacking) space at the intersections.

4.

Parking along or which backs into a frontage road shall be prohibited.

5.

For properties which are currently developed or are adjacent to developed uses, and the standards of subsections 1. through 4. above are determined by the planning commission to be too restrictive, frontage roads can be defined through parking lots by raised and/or painted islands, provided that at least every third end island is raised.

B.

Service road along Miller Road: Uses permitted in the GBD District located along Miller Road between I-69 and Dye Road may also be subject to the following conditions:

1.

In those instances where the planning commission finds that an excessive number of access drives may occur with relation to a major thoroughfare and thereby diminish the carrying capacity of the thoroughfare, a service road may be required so that development of contiguous abutting properties will allow traffic circulation from one property to another without having to reenter the public thoroughfare.

2.

The service road shall be parallel to the front property line and shall be at least 22 feet wide. Said service road shall be an easement which will permit the use of the service road for traffic circulation from one property to another. Said easement shall be in a form acceptable to the city council and approved as to form by the city attorney prior to the issuance of a building permit. No permanent structures shall be permitted within the interior easement which would block the flow of traffic. Each property owner shall be responsible for maintenance of the easement so that it remains usable as a means of getting from one property to another. The easement shall be recorded with the county register of deeds prior to the issuance of an occupancy permit.

3.

In reviewing the site plan, the planning commission may permit temporary parking in the easement area, provided that the layout is such that the parking can be removed at a later date when the service road is needed for access to adjacent properties without disrupting the layout of the parking area. Temporary parking spaces permitted within the service drive shall not be included in computing the minimum off-street parking requirements under Article 18.

4.

The edge of the service road easement nearest the street shall be located 15 feet from the existing or future right-of-way line of the street. An eight-foot wide greenbelt shall separate the service road from the parking area of the site.

5.

The entire 22-foot service road area shall be paved up to abutting properties. The site plan shall indicate the proposed elevation of the service road at the property line and the zoning administrator shall maintain a record of all service road elevations so that their grades can be coordinated. Proposed service road elevations shall be not more than one-foot above or below the elevation of adjoining, undeveloped property. Paving of the service road shall meet construction specifications established by the city council.

6.

Temporary entrances and exits may be approved for individual sites provided performance guarantees in a form acceptable to the city council are placed to assure elimination of temporary entrances and exits.

7.

In determining which entrances and exits will be permanent and which will be temporary, the planning commission shall generally be guided by a minimum distance of 600 feet between entrances and exits and by the location of existing or approved drives on the opposite side of the street.

8.

The planning commission may determine the maximum number of lots to be served by a service drive.

(Ord. No. 440, §§ 1, 10, 6-10-19)