Residents ask council for help as private subdivision streets, sidewalks remain city-unaccepted

Fred Harlan, a resident of the Cottages on Wallace, told the Terre Haute City Council on Aug. 7 that sidewalks, curbs and a drainage ditch in his development were built incorrectly and remain privately maintained despite residents paying full city taxes. "We pay a lot of taxes, and you and the city doesn't have to do anything much in return," Harlan said, asking whether any monetary assistance was available to help seal roads or maintain the ditch. City staff explained the legal and practical limits. Marcus Myers, City Engineer, said the roadway was platted as a private road and therefore was never accepted as a public street. "This roadway was platted as a private road in a private subdivision," Myers said. He explained the cross slopes on the sidewalks exceed ADA limits in places and that the usual path to city acceptance is for homeowners to make corrections, then replat or petition the city for acceptance; the city had tried to work with developers earlier but could not compel correction because the street remained private. Myers said a ditch adjacent to Wallace Avenue likely sits in a city right-of-way and the city could discuss limited maintenance, but it may not be maintained to the same standard residents expect. Council members noted past cases where bonds were released prematurely and discussed code tracking improvements under City Works to monitor subdivisions and bonds more effectively. Homeowners told council that a phase vote in the HOA rejected replatting because residents did not want yards disturbed to bring sidewalks and streets up to standard. Councilmembers said multiple similar subdivisions exist and staff will continue to work with affected residents to identify options. No formal action was taken at the meeting; staff exchanged contact information with Mr. Harlan and said they would follow up to explore whether ditch maintenance or other limited support was feasible.