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Home My WebLink AboutCC Report - Street Naming Policy 10042016MAYOR AND COUNCIL COMMUNICATION DATE: 10/4/2016 REGULAR ITEM #: AGENDA ITEM: Street Naming Ordinance Amendment SUBMITTED BY: Emily Becker, City Planner THROUGH: Kristina Handt, City Administrator REVIEWED BY: Stephen Wensman, Planning Director BACKGROUND: Currently, Chapter 153: Subdivision Regulations, Section 07: Preliminary Plat, Subd. E: Proposed Design Features mandates that street names and numbering system shall comply with the County Uniform Street Numbering System. It also states that the “name of any street used in the city or its environs shall not be used [in a proposed plat] unless the proposed street is a logical extension of an already named street, in which event the same name shall be used.” The County Uniform Street Naming and Property Numbering System was developed by the County in 1967 in order to provide a logical system by which to name streets, making it easier for addresses to find throughout cities, thus reducing difficulty in emergency vehicle access to properties, incorrect address deliveries, and duplicate addresses. The policy was adopted by the City in an Agreement with the County in 1971. The City canceled the street naming portion of the agreement by Resolution #2000-071 in 2000 in response to the County’s refusal to record the Fields of St. Croix II plat because the street names did not correspond to the agreed-to system. In 2005, Ordinance 97-149 was adopted reintroducing a uniform street naming system within the City that follows the general pattern (alphabetical west-to-east) of the 1971 Agreement, but which also allows some street naming latitude as long as the alphabetical range is adhered to. The purpose of this ordinance was to have the force of law for future plats in regards to street naming. This ordinance, however, no longer exists in the published Lake Elmo Code of Ordinances. The reason for this is unclear to Staff as there has been no found record of its repeal. Without a current and clear street naming policy or ordinance, there has been recent confusion and discussion about street naming within new developments. Attached is research gathered on these discussions about street naming from Council meeting minutes in the past year. Summarily, with Staff transitions, it has not been clear what actual policy or ordinance to refer to when reviewing proposed street names. City Council Meeting 10/4/2016 Regular Agenda Item #___ 2 Staff has found that a motion “that if the street dead ends, so does the name” was passed at the May 5, 2015 City Council meeting with a vote of 3-2. However, no formal document was prepared or approved. In order to provide clarity on this issue, Staff had proposed during a City Council Work Session in August of 2016 an official City street naming policy that would be referred to in the City Code. After further this discussion and further consideration, Staff is instead proposing an amendment to the City’s Subdivision Regulations that will refer to the County’s Uniform Street Naming Policy but delineate City-specific variances. ISSUE BEFORE COUNCIL: The Council should decide if the City should continue to reference in the Subdivision Regulations the County’s Uniform Street Naming and Property Numbering System yet point out City-specific variances from this Policy. PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS: The County’s Uniform Street Naming and Property Numbering System sets forth the following policies. The Policy is attached and can be referred to, as it provides further visual diagrams to help demonstrate the following: Street Naming: • A grid pattern which uses the State Capitol as a point of origin with one-mile intervals. • North-south streets are labeled as avenues using starting at the Capitol with ‘A,’ following the alphabet each mile going East. • East-west streets are labeled as streets and use numbers. • NE to SW streets shall be called Boulevards. • NW to SE streets shall be called Roads. • Streets that relate to a base street from which it is extended shall be called Courts or Circles. • Streets that dip, forming a connecting off-shoot from another street shall be called Lanes or Ways. • Meandering routes shall be called Trails. • Streets that deflect shall either be named differently or have appropriate prefixes or suffixes. Property Numbering: • There shall be 1,000 property numbers per mile. o 500 number available on each side of the street for assignment.  Thus, a number could be assigned for a building each 12 feet. • Numbers on the south and east sides of the street shall be odd. • Numbers on the north and west sides of the street shall be even. Putting the Plan into Effect: City Council Meeting 10/4/2016 Regular Agenda Item #___ 3 • Ordinance must be passed by City adopting new system. • Existing street names may remain the same. Amendment to Section 153.07: Preliminary Plat, Subd. (E) (3). It is being proposed that this Section continue to reference the County Uniform Street Naming and Property Numbering System but list the following exceptions (examples/diagrams are shown in boxes but would not be in the proposed ordinance amendment): • Unless a newly proposed street directly extends from, or is planned to extend from, an existing street, no street name that already exists in the city or its environs shall be used, regardless if it is on the same grid as another street. o North-south avenues shall follow the grid system, increasing alphabetically from east to west, but must use different names. Example: All streets within these parallels should be named according to the above system but cannot be the same name if a street dead ends. The example below would not be allowed. A different name starting with “Li…” should be used. o East-west streets shall follow the grid numbering system as appropriate, but a different suffix such as Lane, Place, Way, etc. or a different prefix such as Upper or Lower shall be used. City Council Meeting 10/4/2016 Regular Agenda Item #___ 4 Example: Inwood’s streets are on the address map grid at around the area where the 7 and 8 mile markers of the address grid are, but because a street with the name of 7th Street already existed, these streets are labelled 7th and 8th Place, as opposed to Street. • The names of deflecting streets shall not vary; names of continual streets shall not change, even if the street changes direction, unless an intersection exists. Example: Because an intersection does not exist between 4th St N and Langly Ave N as shown below, the street name would continue on, as Whistling Valley does. o The names of deflecting streets shall be determined according to their relation to an Arterial or Collector Street if appropriate, otherwise such names shall be determined according to their main point of entry in to a development or as deemed appropriate by Council. Example: City Council Meeting 10/4/2016 Regular Agenda Item #___ 5 5th Street would be so-named, as it connects to the collector street, Inwood Avenue, at the 5 mile marker of the grid. • If appropriate, names with the same theme (i.e. flowers, nature) are permitted for naming streets in an entire subdivision. Example: • All street names shall end with the directional suffix of North. FISCAL IMPACT: Adopting a clarifying ordinance may reduce Staff, Commission and Council time spent reviewing and approving street names. OPTIONS: The Council has the following options in regards to this Agenda Item: • Approve the ordinance amendment as proposed. • Amend the proposed ordinance amendment and approve. • Deny the ordinance amendment. City Council Meeting 10/4/2016 Regular Agenda Item #___ 6 RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the Council approve the ordinance amendment as proposed. The Council may approve the proposed ordinance amendment with the following motion: “Move to approve Ord 08-144, an amendment to Chapter 153: Subdivision Regulations, Section 07: Preliminary Plat, Subd. E: Proposed Design Features, which mandates that plats show street names according to the County Uniform Street Naming and Property Numbering System, with outlined exceptions.” In addition, Staff is recommending that the City Council authorize summary publication of the approved ordinance through the following resolution: “Move to adopt Resolution 2016-__, authorizing summary publication of Ordinance 08-__” ATTACHMENTS: • Ord. No. 08-144 • County Uniform Street Naming and Property Numbering System • Resolution 2016- , authorizing summary publication • Address Map