The City Council finds as follows: (A) that lack of sidewalks within the City often encourages or forces pedestrians to walk in the streets, subjecting them to the hazards posed by vehicular traffic; (B) that during the rainy season, moving, high, and stagnant waters in City streets create additional dangers and inconveniences; (C) that streets and highways of inadequate width and design hinder vehicular movement and increase congestion; (D) that the lack of curbs, storm drain facilities and improved alleys results in poor drainage allowing for the collection of filth and waste matter; (E) the lack of adequate street lighting reduces visibility and allows for and contributes to the criminal infringement upon the rights of persons and property. The City Council, therefore, finds and declares all of the preceeding conditions to be dangerous to the health, safety, and welfare of the inhabitants of the City and to the users of its streets and highways.

It is the purpose of the City Council, in adopting the provisions of this chapter, to mitigate these dangers, to the extent reasonably possible, by imposing reasonable requirements of dedication and street improvement upon individuals and corporations engaged in the development and construction of buildings or structures that tend to increase demands upon the existing public rights-of-way, streets, and highways within the City and, thereby, increase the danger to the public health and safety.

It is the intent of City Council to accomplish this goal by applying the fundamental principles of the California Subdivision Map Act to development in the City for which no subdivision is necessary. Application of these principles would impose reasonable requirements for the dedication of right-of-way and installation of public improvements in connection with such development, ensuring that the costs associated with additional risks to the health and safety of the public and the burdens or demands upon existing infrastructure that may result from such development are borne by those causing the development. The nature and extent of the requirements imposed herein shall be limited to those dedications and improvements reasonably related and roughly proportional to the impacts created or added and/or harm posed by the development. (Ord. 3223 § 1, 2012; Ord. 1205 § 2, 1969; prior code § 27.501).