Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Driveway Design topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission asks engineering to draft standards for horseshoe and hammerhead driveways
Summary
Planning commissioners discussed allowing horseshoe or hammerhead-style driveways on busier roads, directed staff to consult engineering on turning radii and standards, and said they would limit the change to access (not parking).
At its Feb. 25 work session the Planning Commission discussed whether to allow horseshoe (U-shaped) or hammerhead-style driveways on selected busier roads and asked staff to return with engineering standards for turning radii, widths and setbacks.
Staff presented two possible approaches: (1) extend an existing exception now applied to major UDOT roads to additional busy city roads but add specific engineering standards (widths, clearances, separation from other driveways); or (2) adopt a code similar to those used by nearby cities that specifies measurements such as minimum radii, distances from sidewalks and minimum landscaped, permeable areas. Commissioners expressed a preference for allowing such features on higher-traffic roads rather than in typical neighborhoods and for allowing the design for access only, not for long-term parking.
Commissioners also raised operational constraints. UDOT curb-cut limits can prevent a second access on UDOT-owned roads, so hammerhead or horseshoe options may be feasible only on corner lots or on roads where the city can approve curb cuts. Several commissioners suggested offering a hammerhead (short hammer-shaped turn area) as an alternative for lots that cannot accommodate a full horseshoe.
No formal ordinance change was adopted. Commissioners directed staff to consult city engineering and the building department on minimum turning radii, lane widths and lot-size thresholds and to return with draft standards and drawings at a future meeting.
