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ORDINANCE NO. O-1213-27 UPON SECOND AND FINAL READING: AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, MODIFYING THE PLATTED LIMITS OF NO ACCESS PERTAINING TO LOT 13 A, BLOCK 2, VISTA SPRINGS ESTATES ADDITION, SECTION 2, NORMAN, CLEVELAND COUNTY, OKLAHOMA; AND PROVIDING FOR THE SEVERABILITY THEREOF. (GENERALLY LOCATED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF SPRING VIEW DRIVE BETWEEN TURKEY RUN COURT AND DOE RIDGE COURT)
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BACKGROUND: The final plat for Vista Springs Estates Addition, Section 2, was filed of record on September 16, 2010. Vista Springs Estates Addition Section 1 and 2 comprises of 70 lots of rural residential estates and is located at the southeast corner of 72nd Avenue S.E. and Robinson Street. Within the final plat, Limits of No Access was placed on several lots abutting Spring View Drive. The specific location under consideration is Lot 13 A, Block 2, Vista Springs Estates Addition, Section 2.
The Planning Commission, at its meeting of January 10, 2013, recommended approval of the modification and removal of 28 feet (one driveway) of Limits of No Access for Lot 13 A, Block 2, Visa Springs Estates Addition, Section 2.
DISCUSSION: "Limits of No Access" is a platting restriction commonly used in subdivisions to limit access onto collector and arterial streets to increase traffic safety and to reduce traffic congestion. This restriction is codified in Section 4001.1 of the City's Engineering Design Criteria which requires access to corner lots to be taken off the lower classified street. The specific language of this Section states that "
A residential lot at the corner of a local and collector street shall not have driveway access to the collector without the approval of the Public Works Director." Its inclusion in the Criteria addresses the hierarchical definition of street types and makes clear that higher classified streets, such as arterials and collectors, are designed to carry higher traffic volumes. Local streets, on the other hand, are designed for access to individual parcels.
In this case, the criteria requires that the driveway be connected to Turkey Run Court and restricts access onto Spring View Drive, independent of the Limit of No Access shown in the plat. Enforcement of the requirement will make the neighborhood transportation system safer and more efficient by reducing the potential for traffic collisions while enhancing mobility on the higher classified street.
When evaluating the location of a proposed intersection of two streets, one of the critical elements to consider is the amount of available intersection sight distance that exists along the roadway. Intersections occur along both public and private streets where other public streets, private streets, or driveways connect to the roadway in question. Intersection sight distance is the distance the driver of a vehicle approaching an intersection needs to have an unobstructed view of the entire intersection in order to anticipate and avoid potential collisions. The sight distance required is directly related to vehicle speeds and resulting distances traversed during perception-reaction time and braking.
The City of Norman's Engineering Design Criteria (Section 4005.2) offers some insight into the amount of sight distance that should be available along roadways of various design speeds. For example, a roadway with a 25 mph design speed should have a minimum of 280-feet of available sight distance. Likewise, a roadway with 30 and 35 mph design speed should have 355-feet and 415-feet of available sight distance, respectively. Currently, the posted speed limit (not necessarily the speed of traffic using the roadway) on Spring View Drive is 25 mph.
When the applicant purchased the property, the Limits of No Access on this parcel was clearly recorded in Cleveland County, the property records and obtainable through a title search. The building permit for the new home was issued on July 2, 2012, with a driveway shown onto Turkey Run Court. If the applicant's current request is approved, the revised site plan indicates that the home will have two driveways, one on Spring View Drive and one on Turkey Run Court.
RECOMMENDATION: Based upon the above information, staff cannot support the request to modify and remove the Limits of No Access at a specific location from Lot 13 A, Block 2, Vista Springs Estates Addition, Section 2.