Agenda - Council Work Session - 09/10/2024

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2. 3. CC Work Session Meeting Date: 09/10/2024 PrimaryStrategic Plan Initiative: Create a positive image for residential neighborhoods,business districts and key g corridors. Information Title: Driveway Discussion Purpose/Background: The requested discussion stemmed from two recent variance cases where parking spaces were constructed as extensions of existing driveways on the sides of the garages closer than the required 5 feet. The current regulations for driveways are: Sec. 106-463. -Residential driveways. (a) When required. (1)A driveway shall be required for all attached accessory buildings with a doorway opening meeting or exceeding eight feet wide by seven feet tall. (2)If a detached accessory building serves as the primary garage, a driveway shall be installed. (b) Surface materials. (1) Urbanized districts. Driveway materials shall consist of concrete, bituminous, or driveway-rated pavers for a continuous hard surface. (2)Rural residential or MUSA reserve districts. Driveway materials shall consist of concrete, bituminous, driveway-rated pavers, or a minimum two-inch Class-V gravel. (c)Driveways shall be setback at least five feet from interior side or rear property lines. (d)Driveway widths shall not exceed 30 feet at the street, through the public right-of-way, and the first five feet of the adjacent yard to the right-of-way where the driveway is accessing. (e)No more than 50 percent of a front yard may be covered by a driveway. The 5-foot side yard setback rule has been in place since the 1990s. This 5-foot rule is common in many suburban communities,though narrower setbacks can be found in older established communities and the central cities. There are generally three practical reasons for requiring some setback distance between driveways and property lines: 1. Drainage. Commonly found in residential subdivisions going back to the 1980s,platted side-yard drainage and utility easements are present to protect swales where water can run off a property's impervious surfaces and be channeled between homes to the street or a storm basin. 2. Tresspass. If a driveway is constructed close to a property line and a car is parked close to the edge of the driveway, is the car accessible without having to walk onto the neighboring property? 3. Snow storage. Homeowners tend to plow snow to both sides of the driveway. The driveway setback area can be used as snow storage without encroaching onto the neighbor's property. A fourth aesthetics-based reason is based on the premise that the suburbs are places that are supposed to be less crowded and a driveway setback gives elbow room between neighbors. Counter-arguments can be made for each of the three practical reasons above: 1. Drainage can still be accommodated by carefully sloping the driveway so that it does not impede the proper flow of water. Generally,the point where the driveway meets the garage is at the high point of the yard. 2. If a neighbor builds a fence,the person parking will need to park well enough away to give themselves enough room to get out of the vehicle.