The subdivision of land is the first step in the process of
urban development. The arrangement of land parcels in the community
for residential, commercial and industrial uses and for streets, alleys,
schools, parks and other public purposes will determine, to a large
degree, the conditions of health, safety, economy and amenity that
prevail in the urban area. The quality of these conditions is of public
interest. These regulations and standards for the subdivision and
improvement of land for urban use are to make provision for adequate
light, air, open spaces, drainage, transportation, public utilities
and other needs, and to insure the development and maintenance of
a healthy, attractive and efficient community that provides for the
conservation and protection of its human and natural resources.
These regulations are designed, intended and should be administered
in a manner to:
1. Implement the General Plan.
2. Provide neighborhood conservation and prevent the development of
slums and blight.
3. Harmoniously relate the development of the various tracts of land
to the existing community and facilitate the future development of
adjoining tracts.
4. Provide that the cost of improvements which primarily benefit the
tract of land being developed be borne by the owners or developers
of the tract and that the cost of improvements which primarily benefit
the who community be borne by the whole community.
5. Provide the best possible design for the tract.
6. Reconcile any differences of interest.
7. Establish adequate and accurate records of land subdivision.
These subdivision regulations and minimum standards for land
development are pursuant to the authority granted in Title 11, Sections
45-101 to 45-105, Oklahoma Statutes, 1991, as amended thereof.
These regulations shall apply to the incorporated area of the
City of Weatherford, in so far as they have been adopted by the Planning
Commission and approved by the City Commission.
These regulations and development standards shall apply to the
following forms of land subdivision:
1. The division of land into two or more tracts, lots, sites, or parcels,
any part of which, when subdivided shall contain less than 10 acres
in area; or
2. The division of land, previously subdivided or platted, into tracts,
lots, sites or parcels of less than 10 acres in area; or
3. The dedication, vacation or reservation of any public or private
easement through any tract of land regardless of the area involved,
including those for use by public and private utility companies; or
4. The dedication or vacation of any street or alley through any tract
of land regardless of the area involved.
For the purpose of these regulations, certain terms used herein
are defined as follows:
1. ALLEY – Shall mean a minor right-of-way dedicated to public
use, which gives a secondary means of vehicular access to the back
side or properties otherwise abutting a street, and which may be used
for public utility purposes.
2. BLOCK – Shall mean a parcel of land, intended to be used for
urban purposes, which is entirely surrounded by public streets, highways,
railroad right-of-way, public walks, parks or greenstrips, rural land
or drainage channels, or a combination thereof.
3. BUILDING LINE OR SETBACK LINE – Shall mean a line or lines
designating the area outside of which buildings may not be erected.
4. CITY – Shall mean the City of Weatherford, Oklahoma.
5. CITY COMMISSION – Shall mean the Weatherford City Commission.
6. EASEMENT – Shall mean a grant by the property owner to the
public, a corporation or persons, of the use of a strip of land for
specific purposes.
7. GENERAL PLAN – Shall mean the comprehensive development plan
for the Weatherford area which has been officially adopted to provide
long-range development policies for the area subject to urbanization
in the foreseeable future and which includes, among other things,
the plan for land use, land subdivision, circulation and community
facilities.
8. LOT – Shall mean a subdivision of a block or other parcel intended
as a unit for the transfer of ownership or for development.
9. LOT, CORNER – Shall mean a lot located at the intersection
and abutting on two or more streets.
10. LOT, DOUBLE FRONTAGE – Shall mean a lot which runs through
a block from street to street and which has two nonintersecting sides
abutting on two or more streets.
11. LOT, REVERSE FRONTAGE – Shall mean a double frontage lot which
is to be developed with the rear yard abutting a major street and
with the primary means of ingress and egress provided on a minor street.
12. PLANNING COMMISSION – Shall mean the Weatherford Planning Commission.
13. PLAT, PRELIMINARY – Shall mean a map of a proposed land subdivisions
showing the character and proposed layout of the tract in sufficient
detail to indicate the suitability of the proposed subdivision of
land.
14. PLAT, FINAL – Shall mean a map of a land subdivision prepared
in a form suitable for filing of record with necessary affidavits,
dedications and acceptances; and with complete bearings and dimensions
of all lines defining lots and blocks, streets and alleys, public
areas and other dimensions of land.
15. STREET – Shall mean any public or private right-of-way which
affords the primary means of access to abutting property.
16. STREET, MAJOR – Shall mean an arterial street which is designated
on the major street plan or expressway plan.
17. STREET, MINOR – Shall mean a street whose primary purpose is
to provide access to adjacent properties and which is designed so
that its use by arterial traffic will be discouraged.
18. STREET, COLLECTOR – Shall mean a minor street which collects
traffic from other minor streets and serves as the most direct route
to a major street or a community facility.
19. STREET, CUL-DE-SAC – Shall mean a minor street having one end
open to vehicular traffic and having one closed end terminated by
a turn around.
20. STREET, FRONTAGE OR SERVICE – Shall mean a minor street auxiliary
to and located on the side of a major street for service to abutting
properties and adjacent areas and for control of access.
21. SUBDIVIDER – Shall mean any person, firm, partnership, corporation
or other entity, acting as a unit, subdividing or proposing to subdivide
land as herein defined.
22. SUBDIVISIONS – Shall mean the division or re-division of land
into two or more lots, tracts, sites or parcels for the purpose of
transfer of ownership or for development or the dedication or vacation
of a public or private right-of-way or easement.
For all cases of subdividing within the scope of these regulations,
a plat of the land in question shall be drawn and submitted to the
Planning Commission for approval or disapproval. All subdivisions
located within the corporate limits of the City shall then be submitted
to the City Commission for acceptance of public streets, alleys, and
areas dedicated to public use.
No plat or other land subdivision instrument shall be filed
in the office of the County Clerk until it shall have been approved
by the Planning Commission and by the City Commission as hereinafter
set forth. All final plats shall be filed within two years of date
of approval by the Planning Commission, and no lots shall be sold
from any plat until approved by the Planning Commission and the City
Commission. Failure to record the plat within two years of the date
of Planning Commission or City Commission approval, whichever is the
later, shall void all approvals thereto.
Each plat submitted for preliminary or final approval shall
be placed on the agenda of the Planning Commission only after fulfilling
the appropriate requirements of these regulations. However, a plat
not meeting all of the requirements may be submitted providing the
subdivider presents with the plat a written request for specific exceptions
and enumerates in detail the reasons therefor.