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Paris council adopts subdivision ordinance changes to strengthen stormwater, street and water-main standards
Summary
On Nov. 10 the Paris City Council approved a text amendment to Ordinance No. 1315 raising stormwater detention design to a 50-year standard, increasing concrete strength and rebar sizing, and setting an 8-inch minimum water main, with staff noting modest increases in developer costs and some engineering exceptions.
Paris City Council unanimously approved a text amendment to the city's subdivision design improvements (Ordinance No. 1315) on Nov. 10 that will raise several infrastructure standards for new development.
Mr. Mickey, speaking for public works/engineering, told the council the city's stormwater systems currently require detention sized between a 5-year and a 25-year storm and proposed changing those reference events to a 50-year storm standard. He said the change aims to reduce frequent flooding and avoid channeling excessive runoff downstream.
On pavement and reinforcement, Mr. Mickey proposed tighter rebar spacing but a larger diameter (moving from an 18-inch square of No. 3 rebar to a 16-inch square with No. 4 rebar) and increasing concrete strength from 3,000 PSI to 4,000 PSI. He estimated the concrete portion would cost developers approximately 10% more.
Regarding water infrastructure, the amendment raises the minimum required water-main size from 6 inches to 8 inches to better accommodate future growth and interconnections; Mr. Mickey said some developers voluntarily have installed larger mains (he cited the Forest Brook developer's voluntary use of 10-inch and 8-inch mains). He also said the ordinance retains a route for exceptions approved by the city engineer in constrained central areas.
Mr. Mickey noted developers who want to build to a higher standard have, in some cases, agreed to 100-year design or subsurface drainage; he specifically cited developer Nathan Spalding as having agreed to a higher standard on a recent project. Council members expressed broad support, describing the changes as long-term savings for the city by reducing reactive flood repairs.
The council voted 6-0 to approve Item 16. Staff said the amendments will be incorporated into the subdivision ordinance and that city engineering retains discretion to grant site-specific adjustments where practical.
