Agenda - Council - 07/13/2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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What it really boils down to is how much of a driveway apron should be included as part of the construction project, and how should it be financed. Staff has indicated in the feasibility studies prepared since modification of the policy that driveway approaches which are currently unimproved are not included as a project cost. They are proposed to be an additional charge to the property owner, as they are the ones that directly benefit and it doesn't seem appropriate to have other residents along the project to pay for someone else's driveway construction. This method of financing may be problematic if owners fail to pay the bill, and it may make more sense to add this additional cost to their assessment for the overall street project. Financing additional driveway paving in this manner maybe more enticing to property owners with unimproved surfaces who may consider extending an apron further back to the right of way line. The City should not consider including driveway paving onto private property outside of the public right-of--way. Another option to consider would be to include the cost of driveway apron paving as part of the overall project cost. It is estimated that the costs associated with installing an apron to 10 feet beyond the road surface range from $600 to $1,000, depending on the width ($3 per square foot) of the driveway. Since project costs are divided equally between the property owners and the City everyone would be sharing in the cost of driveway paving. This option might be considered if the City views driveway aprons as integral to a paved street and directly benefit the City as a whole. This item was discussed at the most recent Public Works Committee on June 16, 2010 (see item 5.16 - report from public works listed on the regular agenda). The initial motion was to replace improved impacted driveway surfaces in kind, and to install bituminous aprons on unimproved driveway surfaces up to a maximum of 200 square feet as a project cost. That motion failed due to a lack of a second, and the subsequent recommendation of that group was to replace impacted improved driveway surfaces in kind as a project cost, and to install a bituminous apron on unimproved driveway surfaces to the property line as a project cost on a 2:1 vote. Neither of the motions included extending driveway paving beyond the right-of--way onto private property unless it was a direct result of project impacts. Following the vote additional conversations took place and it appeared that the Committee may have reconsidered their recommendation; therefore this case was prepared for the entire Council to consider. Funding: There would be no financial impact to the City on the current projects for which feasibility studies have been prepared because the driveway paving was not included as a project cost but rather as an additional cost to be paid by the benefiting property owner. Continuing the current policy or allowing the cost to be collected as an assessment would have no financial impact to the City, unless the property owner refused to pay the additional cost for the driveway paving. Modifying the current, policy to include driveway apron paving as a project cost would add approximately $300 to $500 per unimproved driveway on these types of projects. Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends that the City Council modify the driveway apron paving policy to consist of replacing improved impacted driveway surfaces in kind, and to install bituminous aprons on unimproved driveway surfaces up to a maximum of 200 square feet as a project cost. -and-