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Council changes driveway rules to expand residential parking options
Summary
Belton amended its Unified Development Code to increase allowable driveway coverage in front yards, permit ribbon driveways, restore certain gravel driveways in agricultural districts, and add exceptions for circle drives on larger lots.
Belton City Council on first reading approved amendments to Section 26-5 of the Unified Development Code to modify residential driveway standards, a set of changes driven by permit-review questions and recommendations from the Code Enforcement Advisory Committee.
City staff said the amendments increase the maximum driveway coverage in the front yard from 35% to 50%, which staff said will help typical 70-foot lots accommodate a third car pad beside a two-car driveway. The amendments also add exceptions for horseshoe or circular drives on lots with more than 125 feet of frontage, restore a limited gravel driveway allowance in agricultural zoning for driveways longer than 200 feet (with the front 50 feet paved to reduce gravel tracking into the right of way), and allow ribbon driveways in rear yards and as an affordable option in side yards (concrete or block strips for wheel tracks with turf or low-cover in between).
Staff told the council the changes are intended to provide more off-street parking options — including lower-cost alternatives for boats, RVs and trailers — and to address enforcement concerns raised by the Code Enforcement Advisory Committee over the past two years. The committee and the planning commission reviewed the amendments; both recommended approval and staff also recommended the changes. Council members asked whether right-of-way pavement specifications (for public streets) were affected; staff said the right-of-way paving requirement remains governed by the Public Works Design and Construction Manual and was not changed by this ordinance.
The council approved the first reading on a voice vote. City staff said the UDC consulting team has been notified so the changes can be incorporated into a future full UDC update planned for next year.
