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City of Denton staff outline proposed updates to Design Criteria Manual, including polypropylene pipe and new 'major collector' roadway class
Summary
City staff presented proposed updates to the City of Denton Design Criteria Manual, including allowing polypropylene pipe for certain stormwater uses, requiring on‑site sediment removal for developments over one acre, adding a 'major collector' roadway classification, and clarifying streetlight and geotechnical requirements; a public hearing is scheduled mid‑January with an anticipated effective date of Feb. 1, 2026.
DENTON — City staff presented a detailed work session on proposed updates to the City of Denton Design Criteria Manual and sought board feedback on technical changes that would affect public infrastructure design and private development.
Mike Linder, the city’s drainage engineer, told the board the updates reflect a year‑long review and outreach process and that a draft was posted online in October. “The design criteria manual is an extremely technical document, and it touches on a wide variety of topics,” Linder said, and staff anticipates a public hearing in mid‑January and an effective date of Feb. 1, 2026.
Among the substantive technical changes, staff proposed allowing polypropylene pipe as an approved stormwater material where appropriate; Linder said the city evaluated vendors, visited local projects and believes polypropylene has appropriate applications that can lower costs. Staff also proposed converting an existing recommendation into a requirement that developments disturbing more than one acre remove the majority of suspended sediment on‑site before it leaves the site — a change staff said would reduce downstream maintenance costs and align local practice with evolving regulatory expectations.
On transportation, staff proposed creating a new roadway classification called the major collector to provide a hybrid design for urban areas that balances vehicular capacity with pedestrian and bicycle facilities. Raki Bulalam, principal transportation planner, said the classification allows flexibility (two‑, three‑ or four‑lane cross sections) and cited Windsor Road as an initial example.
Other proposed updates include requiring geotechnical studies and cathodic protection where soils indicate corrosion risk, reorganizing the water/wastewater sections for clarity, clarifying allowable horizontal traffic‑calming measures (the city does not allow vertical devices such as speed bumps because of emergency‑response concerns), and adding guidance on street‑lighting requests and a new residential pole style.
Board members asked technical questions about polypropylene strength, public access to utility maps (staff said full distribution and collection maps were removed from public facing systems for security but can be requested by developers at no cost), and traffic‑calming options. Staff emphasized the presentation was informational and invited feedback ahead of the January public hearing.
