La Plata planning staff to refine street-width definitions after commission raises safety and cost concerns

The La Plata Planning Commission directed staff to refine definitions of primary, secondary and tertiary residential streets and to return with a more developed street-design policy at a December working session, after commissioners, staff and public-safety representatives debated emergency access, parking and long-term maintenance costs.

Director Dooley opened the policy discussion by noting the code currently sets minimums but that the definitions and minimum widths are written in ways staff finds ambiguous. "These design standards for all of our road classifications are simply minimum standards," Dooley said, adding that the code allows increases but provides little guidance on when higher standards are warranted. Dooley warned staff had identified several concerns with the present language, including cul-de-sac diameters that may be inadequate for larger emergency apparatus and 50-foot rights-of-way with 26 feet of pavement that can leave only about 10 feet of through-travel lane if cars are parked on both sides.

Commission comments ranged from public-safety emphasis to concerns about cost and unintended consequences. Councilman Guttenberg urged a policy that distinguishes streets that truly collect traffic from those that serve only a few homes so the town does not impose wider roadway standards across every small loop street. "There are some streets in Agricopia where no matter where you live you are traveling down that street to get to your house — I would argue that's a primary street," he said, endorsing a context-sensitive approach rather than a blanket increase.

Commissioner Jenkins cautioned that wider paved surfaces can encourage speeding and urged staff to look at national best practices and guidance (including groups such as NACTO) rather than simply copying older county cross sections. Commissioners and staff discussed a matrix of options (presented in the staff report) ranging from retaining current minimums to adopting larger rights-of-way and paving widths, and three cul-de-sac-diameter options that account for parked cars and maneuverability of large trucks and ladder-equipped fire apparatus.

Dooley presented five preliminary policy options (and three cul-de-sac options) and asked for commission direction to focus staff work. Commissioners asked staff to coordinate with the town attorney, the public-works director and emergency-services representatives and to return to the commission with revised definitions and a draft policy. The commission scheduled a dedicated working-session agenda in December to continue the discussion.