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Belfast |
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Code of Ordinances |
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Subpt. B. Land Use Regulations |
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Chapter 102. Zoning |
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Article IX. Performance Standards |
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Division 5. Nonresidential Development Standards – Office Park District |
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102-1308. Curb cuts and site access. |
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The purpose of these standards is to allow the minimum number
of curb cuts (points of site access) on a site to enable its safe
and efficient use, and to assist in retaining safe and efficient traffic
patterns on the City's main road corridors, particularly Route
3 and Route 52. The code enforcement officer or planning board shall
consult with the department of public safety, department of public
works, City engineer (if City engineer is involved with review of
the project), and MDOT (if required by state standards) in making
a decision regarding the location and number of curb cuts.
(1)
Safe unobstructed access to and from the site shall occur by providing
an adequate number, design and location of access points with respect
to sight distances, intersections, traffic generators, all types of
vehicles having occasion to enter the site and adjoining properties.
(2)
All properties in existence on or before August 21, 2001, that have
no existing curb cuts or only one existing curb cut shall be restricted
to one main (two-way) curb cut onto Route 3, Route 52 or Crocker Road.
The code enforcement officer or planning board, however, may allow
a property with 500 feet or more of road frontage to have more than
one curb cut. The code enforcement officer or the planning board also
may allow a property that has frontage on more than one road corridor
or significant other road to have a curb cut on one or more of these
roads.
(3)
All properties that were developed on or before August 21, 2001,
that have two or more existing curb cuts may retain the existing curb
cuts to serve the existing development, an expanded development or
a change of use, if the code enforcement officer or planning board
finds the following:
a.
That the existing curb cuts are critical to allow the safe and efficient
use of the site;
b.
That the applicant has fully examined alternatives that could result
in the elimination of one or more of the existing curb cuts, and the
code enforcement officer or planning board finds that there is no
reasonable alternative to retaining the present curb cuts;
c.
That the applicant has fully examined alternatives regarding the
redesign or relocation of existing curb cuts that do not comply with
City dimensional requirements for the design or location of curb cuts,
and the code enforcement officer or the board finds that there is
no practical alternative to retaining the current design and location
of said nonconforming curb cuts; and
d.
That the applicant has fully examined and implemented, when deemed
practical by the code enforcement officer or planning board, alternatives
that allow the joint use of one or more of the access drives, or that
the applicant has provided a means to connect the existing site to
one or more of the adjacent sites.
(4)
The code enforcement officer or planning board may allow the use
of one or more restricted access right-turn entrance or exit only
lanes, provided that the code enforcement officer or planning board
makes the following findings:
a.
The restricted lane will benefit traffic circulation and safety on
the main road, Route 3, Route 52, Crocker Road or an internal access
drive;
b.
The restricted lane will benefit internal traffic circulation;
c.
The site has 250 feet or more of frontage; and
d.
There is adequate separation between the restricted lane and other
curb cuts on the site and on other sites (both sides of the road)
in the project area.
(5)
The applicant shall provide adequate separation between all curb
cuts. The code enforcement officer or planning board shall use the
following guidelines to identify the amount of separation required
between curb cuts:
a.
A minimum of 75 feet of separation between the curb cut proposed
by the applicant and curb cuts located on the same side of the road,
unless there is no practical alternative to provide at least 75 feet
of separation;
b.
A preferred separation of 150 feet or more between the curb cut proposed
by the applicant and curb cuts located on the same side of the road;
c.
The amount of separation between the curb cut proposed by the applicant
and the location of curb cuts located on the opposite side of the
road;
d.
The size of the lot proposed to be developed by the applicant and
the amount of lot frontage, as well as the size and amount of frontage
of other lots in the surrounding area;
e.
Present and future traffic patterns that occur in the area.
(6)
All means of ingress/egress (site access points) onto a public road
shall be designed according to the following standards of safe sight
distance. The code enforcement officer or planning board, however,
shall not use this section as the sole criterion for rejecting an
application unless all possible ingresses/egresses are deemed to be
unsafe due to poor sight distances. Sight distances shall be measured
both from the perspective of a vehicle sitting in the entrance viewing
vehicles traveling on the road and from the perspective of a vehicle
traveling on the road viewing a vehicle in the entrance.
(7)
The applicant shall provide direct connections and safe street crossings
to adjacent land uses and properties, and allow the shared use of
these connections, unless the code enforcement officer or planning
board deems that one or more of the potential connections are not
appropriate. The direct connection(s) shall involve the construction
of the needed access way or the reservation of the right-of-way to
an adjacent parcel. If the project involves the reservation of a right-of-way,
the code enforcement officer or planning board may require the applicant
to escrow funds to construct the connection at a future date.
(8)
An applicant shall identify how bicycle and pedestrian access to
the site can occur, and shall examine the amount of bicycle and pedestrian
use of the site that may occur. This analysis shall consider the extent
of bicycle and pedestrian facilities that exist in the area at the
time of application, the potential need for such facilities in the
area, City or state plans to construct or designate bicycle and pedestrian
facilities in the area, and how bicycle and pedestrian use of the
area can be achieved. The code enforcement officer or planning board
shall review this analysis and determine if the applicant must construct
improvements to facilitate bicycle or pedestrian access to the site.
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| Ord. No. 80-2001, 6-7-2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||