Agenda - 09-04-2014 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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21 1 properties can be reached by emergency services personnel, there have been reports of public 2 safety concerns regarding the adequacy of certain private roads and other standards. She said 3 additional issues have arisen with requests to convert some private roads to public roads and 4 problems with bringing those private roads up to acceptable construction standards. 5 She said in the review of these standards planning staff would seek input from other 6 County departments to explore a range of perspectives and options. 7 Commissioner Gordon asked if there would ever be an instance where a private road 8 that is already in existence would have to upgrade. 9 Abigaile Pittman said if a road was created legally under the existing ordinance, it would 10 be grandfathered in and would not be required to go back and make revisions. She said it is 11 not uncommon for subdivisions on a private road to seek conversion to a public road for 12 maintenance. She said the class B private roads, which are often 12 feet wide and gravel, can 13 be expensive and difficult to convert. 14 Commissioner Gordon clarified that the existing roads would be grandfathered in, and a 15 new home built in a neighborhood with an existing private road would not be required to make 16 changes to the road. 17 Abigaile Pittman said the ordinance states the any subdivision above 5 homes requires 18 a class A road. 19 Commissioner Gordon asked what would happen if an existing neighborhood decided to 20 subdivide lots to create more homes. 21 Michael Harvey said if a neighborhood is going to create 5 lots, a class B road is 22 adequate. He said the ordinance also requires the accommodation of one additional lot as a 23 means of insuring access. He said if there are 3 lots on a class B private road, and a 4th lot is 24 created, that is still serviceable by a class B private road. He said if there are 5 lots and a 6th 25 lot is created, the road will need to be upgraded to a class A road. 26 Commissioner Gordon clarified that this need to upgrade is only triggered when you go 27 above 5 lots. 28 Michael Harvey said that is correct. 29 Commissioner Pelissier asked, if a sub-division had a class A road, whether this would 30 involve looking to see if the Class A road really exists versus a class B. She asked about the 31 current process to verify that a road has been constructed as specified. 32 Michael Harvey said the current practice requires final subdivision plats cannot be 33 recorded until the road is bonded or staff has verified that it meets the appropriate standards. 34 Commissioner Pelissier asked about the role of the Commission for the Environment 35 (CfE) in this process. 36 Abigaile Pittman said when the OUTBoard was considering some of the issues, 37 concerns were brought up about emergency access on trail systems. She said it has been 38 suggested that there be staging areas where trails cross roads. She said this relates to 39 Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation (DEAPR) and CfE, and it would 40 go to both boards. 41 Chair Jacobs said he has environmental concerns too, and he would be thrilled to have 42 CfE and DEAPR consider these. He said the Board labored for years to create private road 43 standards that would be environmentally sensitive. He said there was discussion about how in 44 other states you can build environmentally sensitive development without roads built to DOT 45 standards. His concern is that in saying that every private road should accommodate the 46 possibility of becoming a public road or accommodate the large ambulances, it will mean losing 47 the ability to maintain the character of the property. He does not see this concern articulated. 48 He said there are also smaller vehicles that can get down the trails. He does not want to see 49 this item result in the cutting of large swaths through trails to get large emergency vehicles 50 down. He does not see anything articulated about these concerns.