03-002_Road Naming Policy_20213-002
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DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING
Policy 3 -002: Road Naming Policy
Approval Date: November 28, 2011
Approval Authority: Council, By-Law 3553
Effective Date: November 28, 2011
Next Scheduled Review Year: 2025
Department: Operations
Last reviewed: 2021
Revision Date/s:
Schedules:
POLICY STATEMENT
The Council for the Town of Tillsonburg identifies that the naming of roads and
subdivisions for the municipality should be determined in a manner that incorporates
local history, culture and environmental features.
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Road Naming Policy is to establish procedures for naming roads
and subdivisions within the Town of Tillsonburg.
SCOPE
This policy applies to developers and staff with respect to name of roads and
subdivisions within the Town of Tillsonburg.
IMPLEMENTATION PROCEDURE
1. That the municipality reserves the right to rename any street, in the interest of
public safety.
2. The owner/developer shall give consideration to names of locally important
families, war veterans, local heroes or historical places or events of significance.
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3. That the names of living persons or companies used for the purpose of
advertising shall not be permitted, unless by exception approved by Council.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. That the Street Naming Policies shall apply to both public and private roadways,
condominium roadways, where names are deemed necessary by Director of
Development and Communication Services or designate.
7. That the municipality shall not be responsible or liable for any costs of the owner
associated with street name changes.
8. New street names shall follow the below:
8.1 That there shall be no re-use of former/discontinued street names.
8.2 New names must not be identical or similar sounding to any existing street
name within the municipality.
8.3 Names suggested must not have more than two words with use of no
Special Characters, such as hyphens, apostrophes, or dashes.
8.4 Street extensions should continue with existing street names.
8.5 No new streets shall begin with the use of "Old" and "New" as a base name.
8.6 No use of abbreviations, suffixes, numbers or a single letter of the alphabet
as a base name in the naming of streets.
8.7 No use of names with numbers or words difficult to pronounce and spell.
8.8 Substantiation is required, (Historical/Personal significance) if there is any.
(i.e. person's last name)
8.9 Suggested street names are kept on a list for future use, if needed. These
names are to be pre-approved by the municipality.
8.10 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.
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CLASSIFICATION CHARACTERISTIC
1. Street A paved thoroughfare with or without sidewalks and
buildings along one or both sides
2. Road A way made for traveling between places, by automobile,
horseback, etc. or a highway
3. Avenue Principle road, wide, often lined both sides with trees,
running at right angles between streets
4. Crescent Curved, like a crescent moon
5. Circle Curved line where all points are equal from the centre
point (access often by ‘gate’)
6. Way Specific direction (i.e. one-way)
7. Boulevard Broad roadway, often lined with grass and gardens
(sometimes with grass and gardens in middle)
8. Square An area bounded on all four sides by buildings
9. Court A short street, often closed at one end
10. Lane A narrow road or street, often single lane of traffic
11. Drive No specific definition, but generally accepted as a roadway
‘driven’ through a difficult area
12. Terrace Usually used to name the street in front of row houses
which are called terraces
13. Parkway A board roadway, bordered or divide with plantings of
trees, shrubs and grass
14. Place A square or court in a city, a short usually narrow street
15. Gate A road or path, or entrance road
16. Heights At a level above the others
17. Loop Road with a sharp curve that almost comes back to itself
18. Quay Pronounced key, a wharf, but also the road the joins a
number of wharves together
19. Key A place located to give access to or control of an area
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
The Director of Development and Communication Services or designate, will be the
Road Naming Manager. This role will be the designated contact between developers,
other municipalities and those requesting information regarding road naming.
The Road Naming Manager will review all proposed street names to ensure that the
proposed road name meets the road naming criteria, the 9-1-1 criteria and other tasks
as required.
The review of all proposed names for roads and subdivisions will be presented to the
Council of the Town of Tillsonburg.
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Road Naming
Whenever possible, the name of streets in the Town will be determined by reference to:
a) the names of local service persons who made the ultimate sacrifice.
b) the surnames of local pioneer families in the immediate vicinity of the proposed
development or existing road.
c) the names of prominent former residents who contributed through community
involvement/athletic/business acumen.
d) any prominent geographic or other natural feature which makes a site unique or
identifiable; or
e) a historic name which once identified the location.
Developers are responsible for conducting the research necessary to establish an
appropriate name for proposed roads and subdivisions.
Street names suggested by the developer shall be circulated to the Road Naming
Manager for review. If needed, the Public Works and Fire and Emergency Services
departments may also provide comments.
The duplication of names that are used in adjacent municipalities shall be avoided.
Consideration should be given to correct use of terminology as per Schedule B – Road
Classifications.
Only one name is to be used for street naming throughout the whole Town. Where a
similar name exists, a prefix or suffix may be used.
Subdivisions
Existing Subdivisions
Any existing plan of subdivision may be named, renamed and/or signed by the property
owner(s) subject to the following criteria:
1. The proposed name of the development shall not conflict with the name of any
existing plan of subdivision within the Town of Tillsonburg.
2. The proposed name of the development shall include the word "subdivision" and
should contain at least one of the following:
• name of the associated settlement area;
• name of historical significance to the area;
• name of a prominent topographical feature on or associated with the
property;
• name of prominent person or property owner associated with the property;
or
• name relating to the local flora or fauna.
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3. Any and all signage displaying the name of the development shall be erected on
private property at the expense of the property owner(s) and shall be subject to
all necessary permits and/or approvals.
4. The nature, location and type of any proposed signage shall be reviewed by the
Road Naming Manager, and shall be subject to any provisions in the Zoning By-
law and/or the Sign By-law.
5. It is the responsibility of the property owner(s) to provide, and pay for, any future
maintenance for any such signage.
New Subdivisions
New plans of subdivision shall have a name proposed by the developer and all signing
shall be erected by the developer, subject to the follow criteria:
1. The proposed name of the development shall not conflict with the name of any
existing plan of subdivision within the Town of Tillsonburg.
2. The proposed name of the development shall include the word "subdivision" and
should contain at least one of the following:
• name of the associated settlement area;
• name of historical significance to the area;
• name of a prominent topographical feature on or associated with the
property;
• name of prominent person or property owner associated with the property;
• name relating to the local flora or fauna; or
• name of the developer.
3. Any and all signage displaying the name of the development shall be erected on
private property at the expense of the property owner(s) and shall be subject to
all necessary permits and/ or approvals.
4. The nature, location and type of any proposed signage shall be reviewed by the
Road Naming Manager, and shall be subject to any provisions in the Zoning By-
law and/or the Sign By-law.
5. It is the responsibility of the property owner(s) to provide, and pay for, any future
maintenance for any such signage.
General
This policy shall be administered by the Development and Communication Services
Department. This policy shall be referred to as the "Road Naming Policy". This policy
comes into force and effect on the date adopted.
Authority
The authority for the Road Naming Policy shall be by the approval of the Council of the
Town of Tillsonburg.