§ 74.056. Initiation of changes by petition.

(a)

A change in the name of a public street may be initiated by a citizen petition. The petition shall be in a form prescribed by the director of planning and development services.

(b)

The petition shall be considered initially by the planning and zoning commission and shall be considered only if more than 50 percent of the owners of businesses addressed along the street and more than 50 percent of the owners of property addressed along the street in question, insofar as they can reasonably be determined, have signed the petition in favor of the change.

(c)

In considering the petition, the planning and zoning commission shall conduct a public hearing and shall apply the following criteria:

(1)

Multiple names along the continuity of a single street or along two streets that are in substantial alignment shall be avoided;

(2)

Consideration shall be given to historical and geographical significance of a street or area or to the recognition of a significant personal achievement;

(3)

A new street name shall not duplicate or sound phonetically similar to the name of a street already in use in the city or the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction or designated as a future extension in the current thoroughfare plan;

(4)

A new street name shall not differ from an existing street name except by the addition of a different auxiliary designation including "avenue," "way," "boulevard," etc.; and

(5)

The planning and zoning commission shall also review any other pertinent criteria in its consideration of a street name change.

(d)

Notice of the public hearing by the planning and zoning commission shall be given by publication one time in a newspaper of general circulation in the city and by first class mail to all owners of businesses addressed along the street and owners of property addressed along the street, insofar as they can reasonably be determined, at least ten days in advance of the hearing.

(e)

A petition shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable administrative fee established by the city council for the processing of the request. This fee may be waived by the city council.

(f)

After the planning and zoning commission has considered the street name change request, its recommendation shall be forwarded to the city council. The city council shall hold a public hearing, and shall apply the criteria described in subsection (c) of this section in determining whether to grant the request.

(g)

Street name changes approved by the city council shall be adopted by separate ordinance and shall be implemented by the department of planning and development services. If the request is approved by the city council, an additional fee for the manufacture and installation of replacement street name signs shall be assessed by the director of public works. The city council reserves the right to waive this fee.

(h)

The planning and development services department shall notify the appropriate emergency service agencies; gas, telephone, public utility companies; all appropriate city and county offices; the U.S. Post office; and the San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District of a street name change.

(Code 1970, § 25-8)