§ 3-6-87. Performance/design standards for access roads.

(a)

A developer may use the access road easement, whether dedicated or not, for signage, density, lot coverage and landscaping purposes, so long as traffic sight distance is not adversely impaired, in accordance with section 3-6-6, as it may be amended.

(b)

Where a common access road is required along a property line in accordance with the terms of this article, the common access road shall have a minimum right-of-way of fifty (50) feet, and may be dedicated to the county at the option of the developer. The mere dedication and/or construction of an access road shall not be a subdivision and shall not require any plat. The acceptance of the dedication of access roads constructed to county specifications will not be unreasonably refused.

(c)

An access road shall not be required unless the site has a minimum depth of three hundred (300) feet at the time this article is adopted [May 31, 1989]. Access roads may be dedicated to the county at the option of the developer. Unless exempted or otherwise deferred under the terms of this article, access roads shall be constructed at the time of commercial development or subdivision of each parcel along said roads.

(d)

Under the terms of this article, a developer may utilize a "reverse access road" whereby the back of the lots or parcels may front on the arterial highway.

(e)

Where, by virtue of adjacent access roads having not yet been built to an access point on arterial highways requiring an access road, the applicant may defer building his portion of the access road provided the applicant agrees in writing and in a recordable form to construct said access road at the time the adjoining property is developed, agrees to dedicate the access road easement, and the applicant records the above agreement in the official records of the county.

(f)

The center line of an access road shall be set back a minimum of twenty-five (25) feet from the arterial right-of-way line (or future right-of-way line as established by a right-of-way reservation map, or as established by the county to implement capital improvement program improvements to the arterial). The access road may be designed with curves in order to accommodate a developer's site plan, provided that the curves have a minimum engineering design speed of thirty (30) miles per hour. The access road center line setback at each property line shall match the centerline setback of an existing access road or road on an adjoining property. If the adjoining property has no access road already constructed, then the access road center line shall be set back the appropriate twenty-five (25) feet unless the written consent of the adjoining property owner is obtained by the applicant.

(g)

The common access road pavement shall be constructed according to the standards of the public works department and shall, when constructed, be designed to directly extend or connect to an existing or future access road or roadway or to adjacent parcels of land. Access roads shall be constructed so they do not adversely affect arterial highway drainage.

(h)

Access points from the major arterial highway to the access road shall be located at median cuts wherever possible. Spacing of access points to the major arterial highway from the access road shall be a minimum of three hundred thirty (330) feet, and in accordance with this article.

(i)

The access road requirements of this article shall not apply to existing phased commercial developments with county-approved site plans, nor shall they apply where the board of county commissioners finds that an access road constructed on a particular site by a developer pursuant to this article would not become functional because existing surrounding development has occurred on adjoining properties on each side of the site without an access road.

(Ord. No. 89-36, § 7, 5-31-89)