Jacksonville council member convenes residents to weigh fixes for deteriorating private roads in District 14

Council Member Rahman Johnson convened a community meeting Thursday evening for residents of Maple Lane and Sheryl Ann Lane to discuss persistent safety and access problems on privately owned roads that the city does not maintain.

Residents described deep potholes, broken vehicles, and blocked ambulance access. "So the purpose of this meeting, today, of course, is to talk about ... Maple Lane and Sheryl Ann Lane," Johnson said as he opened the session and invited city staff to outline legal and technical constraints.

City staff told residents the central legal obstacle is that the roads are private: parcels were platted decades ago as "lots of record" and the frontage and roadways were never built to city standards or dedicated to the city. Dylan Bridal of the Office of General Counsel explained that local governments generally cannot use public dollars to improve private roads unless owners grant dedication or agree to an assessment or special district. "If we don't have 100% of that buy in from the owners, then we're not really able to go on and legally go do the improvements," Bridal said.

Public Works Operations Director Steve Long and a city staff member identified as Nina described technical and financing alternatives. The most comprehensive option — rebuilding the subbase, drainage and paving to city standards so the roadway could be dedicated and maintained by the city in perpetuity — carries a large price…