City of Thibodaux Zoning Review - South Central Planning ...

2010 Thibodaux Zoning ReviewCity of HammondHammond uses 30 feet to create the two of the right trianglesides. The clearance area is uniform for all districts.City of PinevilleCuriously, we found no such language in the Pineville zoningordinance. However, a search of their code revealed similarlanguage in the ordinance setting standards for Mobile Homeand travel Trailer Parks.City of RustonRuston’s ordinance distinguishes between general “accessways” (minimum of 10 feet for two sides of the triangle)and public streets, requiring a minimum of 25 feet alongtwo sides of the sight triangle. The difference is that these areminimum requirements which might provide greater flexibilityin addressing issues on a case by case basis given the differentdynamics occurring at differing intersections.Co mmentsGiven the typical street widths of Thibodaux, the languageof the ordinance is appropriate in most cases, but the area shouldbe based upon measurement of straight lines creating a sight“triangle” rather than an arc. The triangle is a right triangle,formed by a straight line joining the intersecting street lines atpoints which are set at an appropriate distance from the pointof the intersection measured along each street segment. Theexamples from Terrebonne and Lafayette illustrate the method.Establishing a minimum uniform length for two sides of theright triangle like Ruston did, might help give the city moreflexibility in addressing varying conditions on different kindsof streets. A more detailed method like Lafayette’s based upontraffic engineering principles would provide specific guidance.For other more complicated calculations involving multilaneboulevards, diagonal crossings, curved intersections or trafficcircles, it is suggested that the city consider referring to guidanceissued by AASHTO.Excerpt from Hammond Zoning Ordinance2.5(a) Additional Yard and Wall Regulations(h) On a corner lot in any district, no fence, wall, hedge, orother structure or planting more than 3 feet in height shallbe erected, placed or maintained within the triangular areaformed by the intersecting street lines and a straight linejoining said street lines at points which are 30 feet distantfrom the point of intersection measured along said streetline.Pineville Mobile Home and Travel Trailer Parks8-1.05Development and improvement standards(8) Setback and open spaces(b) Mobile or travel trailer units shall be located at leastten (10) feet from any side or rear property line of the parkboundary and at least twenty (20) feet from any front propertyline; provided, however, that at any intersection of anykind shall be located within a triangle formed by a diagonalline connecting points on the two (2) street propertylines measured thirty (30) feet along the property lines ofeach of the streets from the street corner intersection. (Seearticle 8-1.05(3)(c) for setback of buffers adjacent to residentialareas).City of RustonSec. 29-80. Supplementary regulations.(d) Landscape requirements (6) (e).The line of sight safety triangle at either side of an accessway intersecting with a public street shall not be less thanten feet in length along the access way and public streetright-of-way. The line of sight safety triangle at the junctionof two public streets shall not be less than 25 feet alongeach public street right-of-way. Such line of sight safetytriangle must be essentially clear of obstructions betweenthe heights of three and eight feet above grade to allow forvehicular visibility.41