Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Works Sidewalks topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident asks Sunnyvale staff to modify PG&E sidewalk restoration permit to avoid driveway demolition
Summary
A Sunnyvale resident told the Planning Commission April 28 that PG&E’s required sidewalk restorations after undergrounding work are forcing the demolition of entire driveway approaches rather than limited sidewalk repairs.
Lisa McManus, a Sunnyvale resident since 1984, told the Planning Commission during oral communications on April 28 that PG&E’s post‑installation restoration in her neighborhood is requiring demolition and full replacement of driveway approaches where a small sidewalk panel was disturbed.
McManus said PG&E installed underground service in December and received an encroachment permit from the city that requires sidewalk restoration. "That square of sidewalk could be replaced by demolishing and replacing 2 cubic feet of concrete. Instead, the city is requiring that my entire driveway approach and the adjacent sidewalk, a distance of 20 feet, be demolished and replaced. That will require demolishing and replacing 60 cubic feet of concrete," she told commissioners.
McManus said her driveway is composed of pavers installed as an environmentally preferable, porous surface that reduces runoff and can be reset or reused without sending demolition debris to landfill. She argued that requiring whole‑driveway demolition is inconsistent with Sunnyvale’s 2014 Climate Action Plan and the city’s zero‑waste goals, and she asked the commission to refer the concern to planning staff and to change the encroachment permit language to remove requirements to replace driveways where not strictly necessary.
She offered to provide photographs of the work and requested staff follow‑up; commissioners and staff acknowledged the concern and said staff would review the permit conditions with PG&E and the project’s restoration requirements.
