CITY WIDE IMPLICATIONS

CITY OF HAMILTON

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

Development and Real Estate Division Report to:

Chairman and Members Planning & Economic Development Committee

Submitted by:

Lee Ann Coveyduck General Manager

Date: File:

February 11, 2005

Prepared by: Paul Toffoletti - Ext. 4348 David Samis - Ext. 6663

SUBJECT: City of Hamilton Street Naming, Renaming, and Addressing

Guidelines and Policies (PD05059) (City Wide) RECOMMENDATION:

That approval be given to establish and implement a new policy and procedures for street naming and street numbering of lands throughout the City of Hamilton, as set out in the City of Hamilton Street Naming Guidelines and Requirements; and City of Hamilton Municipal Addressing Policy; attached as Appendices "A" and “B” to Report PD05059.

Lee Ann Coveyduck General Manager Planning and Development Department EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Prior to amalgamation, street naming, renaming and numbering within the City was implemented through each municipality’s own policies and guidelines. After an extensive review of these, a consolidated document incorporating best practices was developed. This report presents recommendations for Council’s adoption of a new City-Wide consolidated set of procedures, guidelines and policies for the purpose of street naming, re-naming and numbering throughout the City of Hamilton. The new procedures, guidelines and policies are included in Appendix “A”. Contained in Appendix “B” is the municipal addressing policy. For information purposes, Appendices “C” and “D” contain a list of pre-approved street names. Appendix “C” contains a list of names of streets reserved for specified subdivision sites. Appendix “D” is a list of street names held on reserve by developers and consultants for future use.

SUBJECT: City of Hamilton Street Naming, Renaming, and Addressing Guidelines and Policies (PD05059) (City Wide) - Page 2 of 5

STREET NAMES Prior to amalgamation, the former Region of Hamilton-Wentworth was responsible for the co-ordination of all new street names to avoid the creation of duplicate street names in the Region. Each former Area Municipality was responsible for the naming of streets within their jurisdiction. A comprehensive reserve list was compiled and is still in use today. The City of Hamilton continues to use a reserved street name list. Each municipality had their own guidelines and policies for the naming of streets. For example, Ancaster’s street naming policy prohibits the use of “advertising”, and Dundas honoured their war heroes by selecting names from the Town’s Cenotaph. The procedure for street naming within the former City of Hamilton was the same as the former Region. MUNICIPAL ADDRESSING The former municipalities had various guidelines and policies in place for municipal numbering. Some municipalities had procedures in written form and others did not. The purpose of Appendix “B” is to have a Council approved set of policies for municipal numbering.

BACKGROUND:

POLICIES: The following summarizes the comprehensive list of policies to guide municipal street naming in the City of Hamilton being recommended:

(a) That the City reserve its right to rename any street, including duplicate street names,

in the interest of public safety.

(b) That the selection of a street name should generally be in reference to people, groups, places, events and things related to the area, the City, and its citizens, including, but not limited to, native flora, fauna and geographical features.

(c) That the owner/developer/applicant shall give consideration to names of locally important families, war veterans, local heroes or historical places or events of significance.

(d) That names of living persons or companies used for the purpose of advertising shall not be permitted, unless by exception approved by Council.

(e) That in the case that an owner/developer/applicant, after all other considerations,

requests a street be named after his/herself or in the essence or derivative of a

SUBJECT: City of Hamilton Street Naming, Renaming, and Addressing Guidelines and Policies (PD05059) (City Wide) - Page 3 of 5

corporate name; it should be known that any street for these purposes cannot intersect another property owner’s lands or have frontage on municipally owned property.

(f) That there shall be no use of awkward, corrupt, discriminatory or derogatory names, in

regard to race, sex, colour, creed, political affiliation, or other social factors. (g) That the Street Naming Policies and Guidelines and Procedures shall apply to both

public and private roadways, condominium roadways, where names are deemed necessary by the Director of Development and Real Estate.

(h) That City Council shall approve names on all new collector and arterial roadways,

which names shall appear on the draft plan of subdivision submitted to Council for consideration.

(i) That the City of Hamilton shall not be responsible or liable for any costs of the owner

associated with street name changes. The following comprehensive list of policies to guide municipal addressing in the City of Hamilton is also being recommended:

(a) That the intersection at King Street and James Street shall be deemed the Directional Starting Point for the purpose of municipal addressing on arterial and collector roads. The Directional Starting Point will be followed, where possible, and the streets will be numbered outwardly towards the City of Hamilton boundary.

(b) That one address shall be assigned per legal lot of record, except where otherwise permitted in this policy.

(c) That the addressing of local streets shall start from the Arterial, Collector, or closest

major road.

(d) That the right hand side of a street shall be assigned “EVEN” numbers (beginning with ‘4’), and the left side of the street shall be assigned “ODD” numbers (beginning with ‘3’).

(e) That a default space for numbering shall be incrementing odd or even numbers for

every 6m of frontage, e.g. 4, 6, 8, 10, or 3, 5, 7, 9. (f) That an area with an established numbering pattern shall continue to use that

numbering pattern. (g) That Cul-de-sacs shall be addressed with the lowest numbers starting at the

intersection; except that addressing shall be continuous when a “Court” and “Street” have the same name and intersect with each other.

SUBJECT: City of Hamilton Street Naming, Renaming, and Addressing Guidelines and Policies (PD05059) (City Wide) - Page 4 of 5

(h) That a municipal address shall be assigned to the legal lot frontage determined by

the Zoning By-law on corner lots. (i) That more than one municipal address may be assigned for use by tenants or

additional buildings erected on one parcel of land, if available, and without requiring a change to the addresses of adjacent properties.

(j) It is not the policy to avoid any particular number for any reason (13, 44, 69, 666). It

is the policy to assign “rounded-off” municipal numbers (50, 400, 555, and 1000). (k) That only whole numbers are to be assigned to establish a separate identity for each

building. If necessary, and renumbering of surrounding buildings is not an option, ½ numbers shall be used. The use of letters for separate buildings shall not be used, i.e. 5A, 5B, 5C.

(l) That addresses will not be assigned to vacant or severed lands until such time as an

application for a building permit has been submitted or the conditions of the approved severance application have been completely fulfilled. In cases where the approval of a consent application creates a situation where the original address now falls out of sequence from the newly created lots, it will have to be renumbered through the “Change/Additional Address Request Form”.

FINANCIAL/STAFFING/LEGAL IMPLICATIONS:

Financial - N/A. Staffing - N/A. Legal - N/A.

POLICIES AFFECTING PROPOSAL: The proposal is to establish a comprehensive policy to guide Street Naming and Renaming and Municipal Addressing within the City of Hamilton. CONSULTATION WITH RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS/AGENCIES:

The proposed Municipal Addressing, Naming and Renaming Guidelines and Policies have also been reviewed by Emergency Services, Legal Services Division, and Bell 911 Services. There have been no objections received. PUBLIC CONSULTATION:

Consultation discussions occurred with the Hamilton-Halton Homebuilders’ Association Liaison Committee on November 5, 2004, about the policy and guidelines, and concurrence has been given.

SUBJECT: City of Hamilton Street Naming, Renaming, and Addressing Guidelines and Policies (PD05059) (City Wide) - Page 5 of 5

CITY STRATEGIC COMMITMENT: N/A.

COMMENTS: Planning and Development staff contacted a number of municipalities, and had discussions with individuals responsible for municipal numbering and addressing in those cities. It was found that presently very few have a Municipal Numbering Policy or Street Naming Policy in place. Many more are planning to have a Municipal numbering and addressing policy in place by the end of the year. CONCLUSION: Based on the foregoing, the recommended Street Naming and Renaming Policies and associated procedures will allow street names to be consistently assigned throughout the City, and in a timely manner. The recommended Municipal Addressing Policy will create a standard process across the City of Hamilton for new municipal addresses.

:PT/DS Attachs. (4)

Appendix ‘A’ to Report PD05059 Page 1 of 4

City of Hamilton Local Street Naming: Policies, Guidelines and Procedures

1) Policies:

In the approval of street names the following Council policies shall be adhered to:

a) That the City reserve its right to rename any street, including duplicate street names, in the interest of

public safety. b) That the selection of a street name should generally be in reference to people, groups, places,

events and things related to the area, the City, and its citizens, including, but not limited to, native flora, fauna and geographical features.

c) That the owner/developer/applicant shall give consideration to names of locally important families, war

veterans, local heroes or historical places or events of significance.

d) That names of living persons or companies used for the purpose of advertising shall not be permitted, unless by exception approved by Council.

e) That in the case that an owner/developer/applicant, after all other considerations, requires a street be

named after his/herself or in the essence or derivative of a corporate name; it should be known that any street for these purposes cannot intersect another property owner’s lands or have frontage on municipally owned property.

f) That there shall be no use of awkward, corrupt, discriminatory or derogatory names, in regard to race,

sex, colour, creed, political affiliation, or other social factors.

g) That the Street Naming Policies and Guidelines and Procedures shall apply to both public and private roadways, condominium roadways, where names are deemed necessary by the Director of Development and Real Estate.

h) That City Council shall approve names on all new collector and arterial roadways, which names

shall appear on the draft plan of subdivision submitted to Council for consideration.

i) That the City of Hamilton shall not be responsible or liable for any costs of the owner associated with street name changes.

2) Guidelines: New street names shall follow the below:

a) That there shall be no re-use of former/discontinued street names.

b) New names must not be identical or similar sounding to any existing street name within the City of Hamilton.

c) Names suggested must not have more than two words with use of no Special Characters,

such as hyphens, apostrophes, or dashes.

Appendix ‘A’ to Report PD05059 Page 2 of 4

d) Street extensions should continue with existing street names.

e) No new streets shall begin with the use of “Old” and “New” as a base name. f) No use of abbreviations, suffixes, numbers or a single letter of the alphabet as a base

name in the naming of streets.

g) No use of names with numbers or words difficult to pronounce and spell.

h) Substantiation is required, (Historical/Personal significance) if there is any. (i.e. person’s last name)

i) Suggested street names are kept on a list for future use, if needed. These names are to be pre-approved by the City.

j) All pre-approved, held and reserved street names that were specifically submitted by the former

municipalities should be used exclusively within that municipality.

Street Name Type Designations The owner/developer/applicant shall have regard to the roadway function, length, and configuration to determine the street type designation. Street Type Designation Criterion Street, Avenue, Road, Boulevard, Drive

Applicable to all major thoroughfares or streets of several blocks in length.

Trail, Way Applicable to streets which are winding or curved in nature Terrace, Gardens, Grove, Pathway, Heights

Applicable to minor or short length streets

Lane, Mews Applicable to all narrow streets generally used for service or private roads

Crescent Applicable to streets forming a crescent Circle Applicable to streets that are circular in nature Gate Applicable to short streets that provide entrance to subdivisions Square Applicable to streets that form part of a square. Court, Place, Green Applicable to streets that form a Cul-de-Sac Close Applicable to streets that form a “P” shape with entry from

another road Hill or Rise Applicable to streets that have a noticeable slope throughout the

majority of its length Note: If the new street is an extension of an existing street which cannot be renumbered, then the use of the following qualifying words are permitted: North, South, East, West, Upper, or Lower 3) Local Street Naming Procedure: • The owner/developer/applicant shall obtain a copy of the approved “Street Name List” and the

“Street Naming Guidelines and Requirements” from the Planning and Development,

Appendix ‘A’ to Report PD05059 Page 3 of 4

Development Division for Street Naming Procedure. • That the City of Hamilton shall maintain a list of “RESERVED” street names for future new

developments. • The owner/developer/applicant shall submit a written list of proposed street names and their

locations shown on a reduced size of (81/2x11) copy of the draft plan to the City’s Planning and Development Department, Development Division, for approval. We would encourage the applicant to select a street name from the approved street name list maintained by the City’s Planning and Development Department.

• Upon receipt of the written request to approve street names, the names will be circulated by the

Planning and Development Department to all relevant agencies; in particular, the Emergency Services Division (i.e. fire, police & ambulance).

• If the proposed names are acceptable to all parties, the City’s Planning and Development

Department will add the proposed street names to the City’s list of reserved/held street name directory for use by the proponent of the names on the draft plans of subdivision.

• If the proposed names are not acceptable by any single party, the owner/developer must submit

alternative names. 4) Local Street Re-Naming Procedure: • The Proponent shall make all effort to avoid changing the name of the street in question. • The proponent shall consider renaming a street only when a duplication of the name occurs

within the City of Hamilton or when renaming would provide a general improvement to the City’s administration of essential services and in the public’s interest.

• The Proponent shall submit an application to the City’s Planning and Development Department,

Development Division, for approval. Street Names should be selected from a list of names maintained by the City’s Planning and Development Department.

• The Proponent shall adhere to the New Street Name Policies, Guidelines, and Requirements

for the selection of a street name. • The renaming request must include the proposed street name and location, a sketch of the street

and lands to be named, a petition with the name, address and signatures of 80% of the assessed property owners/residents who reside or own property which fronts on or is abutting the subject land, and a non-refundable processing fee payable to the City of Hamilton.

• Upon receipt of the written request and processing fee, the request will be circulated to all

relevant agencies; in particular, the Emergency Services Division (i.e. Fire, Ambulance & Police) and Area Senior Project Manager for review and comment.

Appendix ‘A’ to Report PD05059 Page 4 of 4

• The Planning and Development Department shall:

a. Schedule a Public notice in the Hamilton Spectator (20 days prior to a public meeting) b. Prepare a staff Report (15 days prior to the meeting to the City’s Planning & Economic Development Committee) c. Hold a Public Meeting of the City’s Planning and Economic Development Committee

• If no one is opposed to the proposed change in street name, the Planning and Economic Development Committee shall forward to Council its recommendations for Consideration. • If the proposed name is not approved by Council, the proponent may submit alternative names.

Appendix ‘B’ to Report PD05059 Page 1 of 2

City of Hamilton Municipal Addressing Policy

1.0 Responsibility:

The Planning and Development Department is responsible for the municipal addressing of all structures and properties in the City of Hamilton. A number assigned by the Planning and Development Department is considered the official Municipal Number regardless of any other number assigned by any other outside agency or City Department. This document is to be used for assigning any new Municipal addresses within the City of Hamilton.

2.0 General Policies

a) That the intersection at King Street and James Street shall be deemed the Directional Starting Point for the purpose of municipal addressing on arterial and collector roads. The Directional Starting Point will be followed, where possible, and the streets will be numbered outwardly towards the City of Hamilton boundary.

b) That one address shall be assigned per legal lot of record, except where otherwise

permitted in this policy.

c) That the addressing of local streets shall start from the Arterial, Collector, or closest major road.

d) That the right hand side of a street shall be assigned “EVEN” numbers (beginning with

‘4’), and the left side of the street shall be assigned “ODD” numbers (beginning with ‘3’).

e) That a default space for numbering shall be incrementing odd or even numbers for every 6m of frontage, e.g. 4, 6, 8, 10, or 3, 5, 7, 9.

f) That an area with an established numbering pattern shall continue to use that numbering

pattern.

g) That Cul-de-sacs shall be addressed with the lowest numbers starting at the intersection; except that addressing shall be continuous when a “Court” and “Street” have the same name and intersect with each other.

h) That a municipal address shall be assigned to the legal lot frontage determined by the

zoning by-law on corner lots.

i) That more than one municipal address may be assigned for use by tenants or additional buildings erected on one parcel of land, if available, and without requiring a change to the addresses of adjacent properties.

j) It is not the policy to avoid any particular number for any reason (13, 44, 69, 666). It is

the policy to assign “rounded-off” municipal numbers (50, 400, 555, and 1000).

k) That only whole numbers are to be assigned to establish a separate identity for each building. If necessary, and renumbering of surrounding buildings is not an option, ½ numbers shall be used. The use of letters for separate buildings shall not be used, i.e. 5A, 5B, 5C.

Appendix ‘B’ to Report PD05059 Page 2 of 2

l) That addresses will not be assigned to vacant or severed lands until such time as an

application for a building permit has been submitted or the conditions of the approved severance application have been completely fulfilled. In cases where the approval of a consent application creates a situation where the original address now falls out of sequence from the newly created lots, it will have to be renumbered through the “Change/Additional Address Request Form”.

3.0 Policies for new Development

a) Single family dwellings – That dwellings will be numbered by increments of 4’s

b) Semi-detached dwellings – That each dwelling will be numbered by increments of 2’s with an interval of 2 between buildings.

c) Street Townhomes – That each dwelling will be numbered by increments of 2’s with an interval of 2 between buildings.

d) Quadraplex Street Townhomes – That the individual dwellings be addressed consecutively based on the location of the driveway frontage.

e) Condominium Townhouse, Commercial, or Industrial blocks – That one municipal address be assigned to the Main access driveway for the Condominium Blocks. It is the developer’s responsibility to assign unit numbers for each Condominium unit.

f) Apartment buildings – That one address per apartment building be assigned, and the owner assigns the individual unit numbers as required.

g) Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional Sites – That one address be assigned

per property, unless it is required to avoid confusion with multiple buildings on a site.

h) City Parkland –That parkland properties be addressed based on the location of buildings, structures, parking areas, splash-pads, or playground areas.

i) Utilities- That addresses be assigned to utility facilities for reference purposes in the

event of an emergency situation, and a “Change / Additional Address Request Form” has been submitted.

4.0 Policies for the Rural Area:

a) Agricultural land – That more than one address may be given to a property where there is a second dwelling or large accessory buildings.

b) Other development – For Commercial, Industrial, Institutional, and Parkland

properties, please refer to section 3.0.

c) 911 Rural Numbering Signs – Hamilton By-law 02-312 deals with the procedures and placement for the green coloured 911 rural numbering signs.

5.0 Change of Address / Additional Address

a) A request for an address change or an additional number shall be made by using the “Change / Additional Address Request Form” and the appropriate fee is charged ‘once per property’.