§ 33-7.5.7. Access standards.

(a)

Purpose . The purpose of regulating the amount and nature of vehicular access points is to balance the need for providing access to individual private properties with the need to preserve an adequate level of capacity on the streets providing access. Vehicular access restrictions may be required to be shown on subdivision plats.

(b)

Access to arterials . Where a residential subdivision borders on or contains an existing or proposed arterial, the Parish may require that access to such streets be limited by one of the following means:

(1)

Lots shall back onto the arterial and front onto a parallel collector or local street; no access shall be provided from the arterial; or

(2)

A series of cul-de-sacs, U-shaped streets, or short loops entered from and designed generally at right angles to the arterial; or

(3)

A marginal access or service road separated from the arterial by a ten (10) feet wide planting strip and having access at suitable points.

(4)

Secondary access . For public safety and convenience, secondary access shall be provided for any single family residential development with thirty (30) or more homes, or any other development projected to generate more than three-hundred (300) trips per day, or any development that derives its sole access from a street projected to carry more than three-hundred (300) trips per day.

(c)

Railroads, interstates or major arterials . Railroad rights-of-way, interstates, and major arterials, where so located as to affect the subdivision of adjoining lands, shall be treated as follows:

(1)

In residential zoning districts, buffers shall be provided adjacent to the railroad right-of-way, interstate or major arterial. Buffers shall measure at least fifty (50) feet in width and shall include at least one tree every thirty-five (35) feet and a combination of fencing, walls, berms and/or landscaping necessary to establish a six (6) feet tall opaque buffer within two (2) years of plat approval. This strip shall be part of the platted lots and shall be designated on the plat.

(2)

In districts zoned for business, commercial or industrial uses, wherever practicable, the nearest street extending parallel or approximately parallel to the railroad right-of-way shall be at a sufficient distance from the railroad right-of-way to ensure suitable depth for commercial or industrial sites.

(3)

When streets parallel to the railroad right-of-way intersect a street that crosses the railroad right-of-way at grade, they shall, to the extent practicable, be at a distance of at least one-hundred fifty (150) feet from the railroad right-of-way. Such distance shall be determined with due consideration of the minimum distance required for future separation of grades by means of appropriate approach gradients.

(d)

Driveway permits . A driveway permit, issued by the inspection and code enforcement director shall be required for all single family residences and any multiple family development encompassing five (5) or more dwelling units. Driveway permits for all other uses shall be obtained from the public works director prior to the construction of any new access point. When a traffic study is required, no driveway permit will be issued until the traffic study process has been completed. For the purposes of evaluating driveway permit requests, the boundary of the site is considered to be all contiguous parcels under the same ownership on the date of adoption of this provision. Any non-residential change in use resulting in the following will require a new driveway permit:

(1)

An increase of greater than fifty (50) peak hour trips, or

(2)

A ten (10) percent increase in average daily trips of an existing non-residential or multi-family development, or

(3)

Over ten (10) additional daily vehicle trips made by vehicles exceeding thirty-thousand (30,000) pounds gross vehicle weight.

(e)

Driveway design standards :

(1)

Dimensions . Unless required for emergency access, the minimum driveway width shall be twelve (12) feet for residential and fifteen (15) feet for non-residential land uses, and the maximum driveway width shall be twenty-five (25) feet for residential and thirty-five (35) feet for non-residential land uses. The minimum thickness shall comply with adopted improvement standards.

(2)

Approach . The driveways adjacent to paved roads shall provide a concrete driveway approach from the property line to the roadbed edge.

(f)

Substandard access . Where access standards or design objectives of this UDC cannot be met, the public works director shall be guided by the following process in determining whether substandard access may be permitted.

(1)

The public works director shall first determine whether alternate access to another street exists that meets the standards of the Code.

(2)

Where alternate access opportunities are determined not to exist, the public works director may grant a reduction in spacing standards of up to twenty (20) percent.

(3)

If after considering alternatives subject to subsections (a) and (b) above, the public works director determines that no feasible alternatives exist, a substandard access permit may be granted as a subdivision waiver subject to the following findings:

a.

Conditions or circumstances exist which limit the strict application of the requirements of this UDC, including the lack of a secondary access to another public street, the inability to use joint access, and the lack of engineering or construction solutions that can be applied to mitigate the condition;

b.

The proposed access will not result in undue delay or congestion or be detrimental to the safety of motoring public using the roadway; and

c.

The limiting access will create an exceptional and undue hardship on the applicant and that the permit issued will allow a reasonable use of the property.

(Ord. No. 24989 , § VII, 8-12-15)