County moves to adopt standard maintenance agreement for multiple-residence drives

Planning staff presented a proposed standard maintenance-agreement template for multiple-residence drives (MRDs), describing the document's purpose to set liability, maintenance obligations, a drive-maintenance fund and recording requirements. "For the MRD purposes, it was talked about a special land use ... it's actually a site plan review," planning staff said while explaining the ordinance references a standard agreement.

The agreement provides for the county to be a third-party beneficiary and to compel maintenance (including recovery of attorney fees) if parties allow an MRD to fall into disrepair and impair emergency access. Staff recommended the committee recommend approval of the template language to the board of commissioners; the committee voted to recommend the maintenance-agreement language.

Commissioners asked whether the agreement applies only to new MRDs (staff said the ordinance language and site-plan timelines informed the approach) and whether the county should be a third-party beneficiary; staff said the county's interest is primarily public-safety (emergency vehicle access) and that the county would not intend to take over maintenance but to compel corrective action if needed.