SPRINGDALE -- The City Council here recently changed how streets are named and addresses assigned -- sort of.
Clayton Sedberry, the city's geographic information system manager, said he has had the job of approving street names and assigning addresses since he started working for the city in 2002. He started as the system manager in the city's Planning Department.
Several years ago, Sedberry's position came under the umbrella of the city's Information Technology Department, and Sedberry went with it.
The council on Dec. 13 approved an update to the city ordinance determining responsibility for recording streets and addresses.
"We did it so we could make the ordinance match our practice," Sedberry said.
The new ordinance also added timelines, so people know when to expect to receive their addresses, he said.
Addresses in the city must be assigned within 10 days of the time the City Council accepts the final plat of a residential, commercial or industrial subdivision and 10 days after the Planning Commission approves residential, commercial or industrial developments.
Addresses created for utility meters, suite and unit assignments and single lot assignments must be assigned within five days, the ordinance reads.
Sedberry said he usually creates addresses more quickly.
Developers, engineers and land agents submit proposals for street names, he said.
He then must ensure the developer has spelled the street name correctly. Often they are named for the developers' children, mothers or other family members. Some cities prohibit this naming practice, but Springdale allows it, he said.
Sedberry also ensures the new street names aren't already assigned to other streets or too similar to other street names, and that the street suffixes follow city grid requirements.
In general, streets running north and south bear the "street" suffix, while those running east and west use "avenue." Cul-de-sacs are most commonly named with "place" and loop roads bear the suffix "loop," Sedberry said.
The post office asks cities not to use the same street name more than once in a ZIP code, he said.
The council in October 2020 changed the names of three streets when the city annexed Bethel Heights. Amethyst Avenue in Springdale became Opal Avenue. Onyx Avenue in Bethel Heights changed to Black Onyx Avenue. Mulberry Lane in Bethel Heights is now Loganberry Lane.
All Springdale addresses must include three digits, Sedberry said. Some locations need just two digits, and those addresses must be approved by the council.
Address assignment started in the center of the city, with numbers in the 100s, and work outward, Sedberry said. The city's grid reaches addresses into the 10,000s.
Numbered addresses are already assigned to pieces of land in the grid, which was developed in the 1990s. Blocks generally are 330 feet long, Sedberry added.
Sedberry is working to integrate the city's addresses into the state's next-generation 911 system.
He said he fixes transposed numbers and misspellings in the current city addresses. And the state system has its own quirks -- such as not accepting apostrophes.
Sedberry said the Planning Commission requests about 100 new addresses a month. Lately, he's been working on several large apartment complexes and residential subdivisions.
The city's geographic information system also can determine the centerline of each street, the city limits, access points, hydrants, building footprints and more for the city's emergency services, Sedberry said. The system can determine response times in different areas to help emergency services determine how to use equipment and people.