(1)

Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to establish standards and regulations for the development of a safe and efficient transportation system that provides access to properties, while limiting conflicts between driveway access, street intersections, and turning movements.

(2)

Applicability. The provisions of this chapter apply when lots are created, consolidated, or modified through a land division, lot line adjustment, lot consolidation, or street vacation; and to all new development and modifications to existing development, including changes of use.

(Ord. No. 1451-25 meeting, § 14, 8-11-25)

The standards set forth in this Code are minimum driveway approach standards, the purpose of which are to protect the public health, safety, and general welfare.

(1)

Public Access. No development shall occur unless the development has frontage or approved access to a public street. Lots that front on more than one street must locate motor vehicle access on the street with the lower functional classification, or as required by the City Manager.

(2)

Driveway Width. Minimum driveway approach widths are as provided in TDC 73C-090.

(3)

Driveway Approach Separation. There must be a minimum distance of 40 feet between any two adjacent driveways on a single property unless a lesser distance is approved by the City Manager.

(4)

Distance between Driveways and Intersections. Driveways shall be outside the stopping queue or storage length of intersections. Except for single-family dwellings, duplexes, townhouses, triplexes, quadplexes, and cottage clusters, the minimum distance between driveways and intersections must be as provided below. Distances listed must be measured from the stop bar at the intersection (or crosswalk if no stop bar).

(a)

At an intersection with a collector or arterial street, driveways must be located a minimum of 150 feet from the intersection and must be outside marked turn lanes or areas where vehicles regularly queue to get through the intersection as may be determined by a traffic study.

(b)

At an intersection with a connector, neighborhood route, and local street, driveways must be located a minimum of 30 feet from the intersection.

(c)

If the subject property is not of sufficient width to allow for the separation between driveway and intersection as provided, the driveway must be constructed as far from the intersection as possible, while still maintaining the 5-foot setback between the driveway and property line. In these cases turning movements into and out of the driveway may be limited for safety reasons.

(5)

Existing driveways. If development occurs on properties with existing driveways, the City Manager may restrict the existing driveways to right-in and right-out by construction of raised median barriers or other means, or may require closure of driveways beyond the minimum needed to serve the site.

(6)

Joint and Cross Access.

(a)

Owners of two or more uses, structures, or parcels of land may agree to utilize jointly the same driveway approach when the combined driveway approach of both uses, structures, or parcels of land satisfies their combined requirements as designated in this code; provided that satisfactory legal evidence is presented to the City Attorney in the form of deeds, easements, leases or contracts to establish joint use. Copies of said deeds, easements, leases or contracts must be placed on permanent file with the County Recorder.

(b)

Adjacent commercial uses may be required to provide cross access drive and pedestrian access to allow circulation between sites.

(c)

A system of joint use driveways and cross access easements may be required and may incorporate the following:

(i)

A continuous service drive or cross access corridor extending the entire length of each block served to provide for driveway separation consistent with the access management classification system and standards;

(ii)

A design speed of ten mph and a minimum width of 20 feet to accommodate two-way travel aisles designated to accommodate automobiles, service vehicles, loading vehicles, and emergency vehicles;

(iii)

Stub-outs and other design features to make it visually obvious that the abutting properties may be tied in to provide cross access via a service drive; and

(iv)

A unified access and circulation system plan for coordinated or shared parking areas.

(d)

Pursuant to this section, property owners may be required to:

(i)

Record an easement with the deed allowing cross access to and from other properties served by the joint use driveways and cross access or service drive;

(ii)

Record an agreement with the deed that remaining access rights along the roadway will be dedicated to the city and pre-existing driveways will be closed and eliminated after construction of the joint-use driveway;

(iii)

Record a joint maintenance agreement with the deed defining maintenance responsibilities of property owners; and

(iv)

If subsection(i) through (iii) above involve access to the state highway system or county road system, ODOT or the county must be contacted and must approve changes to subsection(i) through (iii) above prior to any changes.

(7)

Requirements for Development on Less than the Entire Site.

(a)

To promote unified access and circulation systems, lots and parcels under the same ownership or consolidated for the purposes of development and comprised of more than one building site must be reviewed as one unit in relation to the access standards. The number of access points permitted must be the minimum number necessary to provide reasonable access to these properties, not the maximum available for that frontage. All necessary easements, agreements, and stipulations must be met. This must also apply to phased development plans. The owner and all lessees within the affected area must comply with the access requirements.

(b)

All access must be internalized using the shared circulation system of the principal commercial development or retail center. Driveways should be designed to avoid queuing across surrounding parking and driving aisles.

(8)

Vision Clearance Area.

(a)

Connectors, Neighborhood Routes, and Local Streets. A vision clearance area for all local street intersections, local street and driveway intersections, and local street or driveway and railroad intersections must be that triangular area formed by the right-of-way lines along such lots and a straight line joining the right-of-way lines at points which are ten feet from the intersection point of the right-of-way lines, as measured along such lines (see Figure 73-2 for illustration).

(b)

Collector Streets. A vision clearance area for all collector/arterial street intersections, collector/arterial street and local street intersections, and collector/arterial street and railroad intersections must be that triangular area formed by the right-of-way lines along such lots and a straight line joining the right-of-way lines at points which are 25 feet from the intersection point of the right-of-way lines, as measured along such lines. Where a driveway intersects with a collector/arterial street, the distance measured along the driveway line for the triangular area must be ten feet (see Figure 73-2 for illustration).

(c)

Vertical Height Restriction. Except for items associated with utilities or publicly owned structures such as poles and signs and existing street trees, no vehicular parking, hedge, planting, fence, wall structure, or temporary or permanent physical obstruction must be permitted between 30 inches and eight feet above the established height of the curb in the clear vision area (see Figure 73-2 for illustration).

(9)

Sight Distance.

(a)

New and/or modified intersections or driveways must be constructed with sight distance in accordance with the Intersection Sight Distance section of the current A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets by the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and this sight distance must be verified by an Engineer in accordance with the Public Works Construction Code.

(Ord. No. 1451-25 meeting, § 14, 8-11-25)

(1)

Future streets are shown in Functional Classification Plan (Comprehensive Plan Map 8-1) and Local Streets Plan (Comprehensive Plan Map 8-3). These streets are shown as corridors with the exact location determined through the partition, subdivision, public works permit or Architectural Review process.

(2)

New access points connecting to the public street network must meet the spacing standards summarized in Table 75-1. Access points include public streets, private streets, and private driveways, and must meet the following standards:

(a)

Intersection and driveway spacing is measured from centerline of the first access to centerline of the second access.

(b)

Limited access intersections are restricted to right-in/right-out turn movements. In some cases, left-in turn movements may be permitted.

(c)

The following are access limited roadways:

(1)

Basalt Creek Parkway

(A)

124th Avenue to Boones Ferry Road: Access shall be limited to Grahams Ferry Road and Boones Ferry Road.

(3)

A variation to the access spacing standards may be granted in areas with limited property frontage and/or environmental constraints. Variation to these spacing standards will require an access management plan to be approved by the City Manager.

Table 75-1: Access Spacing Standards

(Ord. No. 1451-25 meeting, § 14, 8-11-25)