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City staff advise lot-line adjustment, 30-foot access if resident buys parcel at 1012
Summary
At a Harrisville project-management meeting, staff advised a resident seeking driveway access to a parcel at 1012 to obtain a survey and file a lot-line adjustment or plat amendment; staff said a 30-foot access easement would be recommended to preserve required setbacks and future subdivision options.
A resident seeking driveway access to a rear parcel at 1012 spoke with Harrisville City staff on administrative options, and staff advised pursuing a survey and a lot-line adjustment rather than a simple easement.
City Administrator Jenny Knight and staff discussed that if the resident buys the portion of land behind 1012, the safe and administrable route is to have a 30-foot access corridor and to file a lot-line adjustment or a plat amendment. "I think you'd have to do a plat amendment," Matt Robertson, the city engineer, told the meeting, adding that the applicant should "get a surveyor, get them on board, explain to them what you wanna do, and then they can submit their plat amendment to the city." Zeman, the building official, recommended a 30-foot access width, saying, "I would suggest that he do a 30-foot. And then that cleans it up."
The discussion focused on technical limits the city must respect if the property were later subdivided. Staff emphasized maintaining required side-yard setbacks (at least 10 feet) and ensuring utilities and parking access would fit within the proposed corridor. Knight noted that setbacks and utility separation must be checked carefully so a future flag-lot or subdivision would not create encroachments on adjoining lots.
Staff told the resident that an administrative-level lot-line adjustment application is available on the city's website and that the process would begin with a survey and a plotted diagram. Robertson said the city could process the adjustment administratively and that the resident should return to the project-management meeting after engaging a surveyor and confirming the parcel owner’s agreement.
Next steps: the resident was advised to secure a surveyor, confirm the seller's willingness, prepare a lot-line adjustment submittal, and apply through the city. Staff cautioned that if the landowner later subdivides the parcel or builds a new home, additional steps (including formal subdivision or flag-lot review and possible plat amendments) would be required.
