1.1 What are the Street Design Standards?

The City of Plano Street Design Standards (Standards) provide the design requirements for transportation
infrastructure, including streets, sidewalks, traffic calming, and other appurtenances. The design
requirements outlined in these Standards are minimum requirements for design scenarios that frequently
arise in transportation planning, traffic operations, street design, and site development. The Standards
provide standardized traffic and transportation design requirements for existing and future site development
in the City, including technical requirements for Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA). In addition, these Standards
provide design requirements for street elements called for in the Thoroughfare Plan Map and Bicycle
Transportation Plan Map of the City’s Comprehensive Plan.

These Standards are a professional design resource for the City, the professional development community,
and any individuals or groups involved in the planning and design of the City’s street network, public and
private. It is adopted by ordinance by the City Council of the City of Plano, Texas. The Standards are
intended to work in conjunction with the City of Plano Subdivision Ordinance.

Design standards for City streets are defined through these documents:

 The Street Design Standards - the document contained herein - which is part of the Development
Regulations Manual, covering the technical details of street and transportation system design; and

 Thoroughfare Plan Map - a map that establishes the general alignment, size, and function of
significant city streets - which is a part of the Comprehensive Plan.

 Subdivision Ordinance – a document designed to prepare land for development.

 Standard Construction Details – the detailed specifications for the construction techniques and
material used for streets and other thoroughfares.

 Traffic Studies - The Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) guidelines are used to analyze site
development. Refer to Section 12 (Traffic Studies) for additional information and requirements.

 All street designs within the City of Plano’s public right-of-way (ROW) shall meet the guidelines in
AASHTO’s A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets.
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1.2 Purpose of the Street Design Standards

The purpose of the Street Design Standards is to provide design regulations to be applied when
development or redevelopment occurs. In addition, these standards incorporate changes based on national
best practices and recent City-initiated planning efforts. Updated design requirements in these Standards
are intended to shift the street network into a multimodal transportation system that promotes safety and
efficiency of the roadways for all users, in keeping with the goals of the Comprehensive Plan.

1.3 Section Descriptions

 Section 1 – Introduction Requirements

This section includes general minimum requirements applicable to all projects, including submittal
requirements to the City and to other agencies. This section also includes an overview of the
references and national best practices used in the Standards.

 Section 2 – Street Framework Requirements

This section includes requirements associated with the City’s functional classifications, typologies,
more integration, thoroughfare design, and cross-sections.

 Section 3 – Alleys, Mews, Paseos, and Shared Streets

This section provides requirements and standards to address requirements for alleys, mews,
paseos, and service roads within roadway right-of-way.

 Section 4 – Downtown Streets

This section includes requirements associated with the City’s Downtown Streets inset of the
Thoroughfare Plan Map.

 Section 5 – Street Design Requirements

This section includes requirements associated with the City’s thoroughfares, including roadway
geometry, minimum horizontal and vertical radius, roundabouts, street lengths, etc.

 Section 6 – Intersection Design Requirements

This section includes requirements associated with the City’s intersection and midblock design
guidelines.

 Section 7 – Median, Left Turn, and Right Turn Lane Requirements

This section includes requirements associated with the City’s medians and left turn lanes.

 Section 8 – Access Management Policy and Driveway Design Requirements

This section provides requirements and standards to address the procedure allowing access to
streets and driveway design requirements within roadway right-of-way.

 Section 9 – Multimodal Facilities Design Requirements

This section provides requirements and standards to address multimodal facilities design
requirements, which includes pedestrian, sidewalk, and bikeway designs.

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 Section 10 – Public Right-of-Way Visibility Requirements

This section includes requirements for corner visibility triangles, sight line triangles, traffic control
devices, street trees, and fire lanes.

 Section 11 – Street Lighting Requirements

This section includes minimum design requirements for street lighting and photometric analysis.

 Section 12 – Traffic Impact Analysis

This section includes requirements associated with the City’s traffic impact analysis and mitigation.

 Section 13 – Neighborhood Traffic Management

This section includes requirements associated with the City’s neighborhood traffic management.

 Section 14 – Curbside Management

This section includes requirements associated with the City’s curbside management and parking.

 Section 15 – Appendix

This section includes definitions, abbreviations, and acronyms used in the Standards.

1.4 Reference Standards and Superseding Law

If there is a contradiction between the Standards and most recent and up-to-date standard listed below, the
language of the Standards will control. If the Standards are superseded by state or federal law, then the
City shall apply the required legal standard imposed by state or federal law. The Director of Engineering, in
consultation with the City attorney, is empowered to determine whether the Standards are superseded and
to require compliance with the correct standard imposed by law.

The national standards and guidelines are:

 Roadway:

o American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO): A Policy on

Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (The Green Book)

o Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT): Access Management Manual

o Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (TMUTCD)

o Highway Capacity Manual

o Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Roundabouts: An Informational Guide

o FHWA: Flexibility in Highway Design

o National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO): Urban Street Design Guide

o NACTO: Global Street Design Guide

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o Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) / Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE): Manual
Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares

o CNU/ITE Implementing Context-Sensitive Design on Multimodal Corridors: A Practitioner’s

Handbook

o American Planning Association (APA) Complete Streets: Best Policies and Implementation
Practices

 Bicycle and Pedestrian Design:

o NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide

o NACTO Urban Street Design Guide

o AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities

o FHWA Separated Bike Lane Planning and Design Guide

o Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (TMUTCD)

o Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) Essentials of Bike Parking

o Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards

o Texas Accessibility Standards

o United States Access Board’s Proposed Accessibility Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities in the
Public Right-of-Way (PROWAG)

o NACTO Urban Street Design Guide

o ITE Implementing Context Sensitive Design on Multimodal Thoroughfares

o United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)

Rails with Trails: Best Practices and Lessons Learned

 Transit Design:

o NACTO Transit Street Design Guide

o Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CMTA) Service Guidelines & Standards

o CMTA Transit Design Guide: Standards & Best Practices, A Resource Manual for Transit System
Design

o Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 183, A Guidebook on Transit-Supportive

Roadway Strategies

o Federal Highway Administration Achieving Multimodal Networks: Applying Design Flexibility and
Reducing Conflicts

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 Complete Streets:

o CNU/ITE Manual Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares

o CNU/ITE Implementing Context-Sensitive Design on Multimodal Corridors: A Practitioner’s

Handbook

o APA Complete Streets: Best Policies and Implementation Practices

o NACTO Urban Street Design Guide

o NACTO Urban Street Stormwater Guide

 Roadside Design (Offsets & Rails):

o AASHTO’s A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (The Green Book)

o AASHTO Roadside Design Guide

o NACTO Urban Street Stormwater Guide

1.5 Texas Accessibility Standards (TAS)

All plans and specifications for the construction or alteration of public buildings and facilities, privately
owned buildings and facilities leased or occupied by state agencies, places of public accommodation,
pedestrian facilities within public right-of-way must be in compliance with the Texas Accessibility Standards
(TAS) for individuals with disabilities and must conform to the standards required by regulations issued by
the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), under the Elimination of Architectural Barriers
Act, codified as Chapter 469, Texas Civil Statutes.

Projects with a total estimated construction cost of $50,000 or more are required to submit a full set of
construction documents in accordance with Administrative Rule 68.20 to TDLR for registration and review
all transportation projects within Public Right-of-Way. For Public Right-of-Way projects, the estimated cost
for the project shall be based on pedestrian elements only in accordance with Administrative Rule 68.102.
An architect, engineer, interior designer, or landscape architect with overall responsibility for the design of
a building or facility subject to subsection 5(j) of the Architectural Barriers Act, shall mail, ship, or hand-
deliver the project registration form, review and inspection fees, and construction documents to the TDLR,
a registered accessibility specialist, or a contract provider not later than thirty (30) business days after the
design professional seals and signs the construction documents. An Architectural Barriers Project
Registration Form must be completed for each subject building or facility.

1.6 Interpretation
The Director of Engineering is responsible for interpretation of the provisions of the Standards. Such
interpretations shall be in compliance with the intent and purposes of the Standards. Interpretations shall
not have the effect of waiving requirements specifically provided for in the Standards. The Director of
Engineering is not required to give advisory opinions regarding the interpretation of the Standards.

The request for interpretation of the Standards must be submitted in writing to the Director of Engineering
for consideration. The request must contain the requestors’ proposed interpretation, reason for appeal, and
any applicable fees. Requests shall be evaluated by the Director of Engineering and his/her interpretation

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shall be provided in writing to the requestor. The Director’s interpretation may be appealed to the City
Manager’s Office.

The City has adopted additional ordinances, which address various requirements not explicitly included in
the Standards. Generally, such ordinances are to be read together and harmonized, giving effect to all
language. If, however, these Standards and other such ordinance cannot be reconciled, the Director of
Engineering is responsible for determining whether these Standards or the documents listed below takes
precedence. Such ordinances, codes, and details include, but are not limited to:

 Zoning Ordinance
 Subdivision Ordinance
 Right-of-Way Ordinance
 International Building Codes
 International Fire Code
 Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance
 Standard Construction Details

1.7 Amendments
The City may amend the Street Design Standards by ordinance, with review and approval of the Planning
& Zoning Commission. The City Secretary may administratively correct scrivener’s errors at any time.

1.8 Enforcement
The City may withhold related permits or approvals including but not limited to certificates of occupancy
and acceptance of final plat for failure to meet applicable requirements in these Standards. It shall be an
offense for any owner or agent of any owner to violate any term or provision of these Standards. Any
violation of the provisions or terms of this ordinance by any person, firm, or corporation shall be a
misdemeanor offense and shall be subject to a fine in accordance with Section 1-4(b) of the Code of
Ordinances. Each day a violation continues shall constitute a separate offense.

Appropriate civil actions and proceedings may be maintained in law or in equity for any lawful purpose,
including but not limited to preventing unlawful construction, recovering damages, imposing additional
penalties, restraining, correcting, or abating a violation of these Standards when such violation occurs with
respect to lands within the corporate boundaries of the City. These remedies are in addition to the penalties
described above.

1.9 Exceptions, Deviations, and Additions

1.9.1 Exceptions
An Engineer of Record may make a formal request for an exception to these Standards or a mitigation
measure required as the result of a Traffic Study in Section 12. The request must be submitted in writing
to the Director of Engineering for consideration. The request must explain the reasoning for such exception
(such as physical constraints of the Project, existing conditions limiting proposed improvements, etc.).
Requests shall be evaluated by the Director on a case-by-case basis and shall in no way establish a
precedent for approval of such exceptions for other projects. Any approved exception shall not be
constructed to relieve the Engineer of Record of the ultimate responsibility for the engineering design of the
project. The Director of Engineering shall consider the following when determining whether an exception
should be granted:

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 It is not detrimental to the public safety and traffic efficiency: and

 It does not adversely impact the public facility in question; and

 It is supported by a signed and sealed engineering analysis performed by a Professional Engineer

licensed in the State of Texas; and,

 It is not based solely on financial interests.

If the purpose of the request is to challenge the nexus or proportionality of a mitigation required by a traffic
study, the proper procedure is to seek relief by the Waivers from Development Exactions procedure listed
in the Subdivision Ordinance. If it is unclear whether relief from a mitigation measure should follow the
exception process of these Standards or the process in the Subdivision Ordinance, the City Attorney shall
determine which is proper.

1.9.2 Deviations
A deviation is a grant of an alternative material or method of construction. All deviations from the
requirements included in the Manual must be approved by the Director of Engineering prior to
implementation. A deviation shall not affect nor relieve the Engineer of the obligation, liability, and
responsibility for such material or method of construction as meeting the intended purposes.

1.9.3 Additions
The Director of Engineering may impose additional requirements based on national standards and
guidelines when, in the Director’s professional engineering judgment, they are necessary to ensure proper
function of the City’s street system for the safety and welfare of the public.

It shall be the responsibility of the Engineer to meet the additional requirements or provide information in
writing explaining why such additional requirements are not necessary for review of the Director of
Engineering. The Director’s decision as to the necessity of the additional requirements if final.

1.9.4 Standards
The State and National references listed above in Section 1.4 can be used in considering an exception,
deviation, or addition.

1.9.5 Responsibility of Engineer and Applicability of these Standards

 Responsibility of Engineer. The Engineer shall be responsible for the applicability of the
information contained in the Standards to the design of his/her project. The Engineer shall also be
responsible for the applicability and accuracy of the information furnished in his/her design.
Acceptance by the City of the study or plans for construction shall not be construed to relieve the
Engineer of any responsibility. When designing a facility, the Engineer shall bear the sole
responsibility for meeting the engineering standard of care for all aspects of the design and
providing a design that is required by the site-specific conditions and intended use of the facilities,
while at a minimum meeting the City’s design and construction requirements.

 Applicability. The Standards shall be in full force and effect after adoption by City Council. Projects
will be required to comply with all requirements unless vested under prior regulations as required
by Chapter 245 of the Local Government Code. The Standards apply to all new construction,
reconstruction, modifications, alterations, and improvements, whether public or private.

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