Plan Commission weighs major sidewalk ordinance changes, including in-lieu fees and assessment triggers
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Summary
Mount Pleasant staff proposed expanding the in-lieu-of fee to urban streets farther than 1,200 feet from an existing sidewalk, disqualifying sidewalks in Tax Increment Districts from paying in-lieu, considering requiring developers to install sidewalks earlier, and exploring special assessments to extend sidewalks to intersections; commissioners asked for fee numbers, visual examples, and ordinance language for December.
The Mount Pleasant Plan Commission spent the bulk of its Nov. 19 meeting on a package of proposed changes to the village sidewalk ordinances intended to reduce abrupt dead-end sidewalks and improve network connectivity.
Staff (Speaker 2) presented four principal ideas for discussion: expand the in-lieu-of fee to urban cross sections when a property is more than 1,200 feet from a connecting sidewalk; exclude sidewalks that are part of Tax Increment District or bike-and-ped plans from the in-lieu program so those prioritized connections are built; require developers to install sidewalks earlier in planning and/or tie installation to building permits or a completion percentage; and empower the village to install short extensions and specially assess adjacent properties so sidewalks reach the nearest intersection rather than stopping at a lot line.
"We would allow those property owners, otherwise required to construct a sidewalk, to pay into the program if they lie further than 1,200 feet from a connecting sidewalk," Speaker 2 said, summarizing the staff threshold being considered. Speaker 6, who identified as developer-aligned in remarks, argued that upfront installation helps avoid a ‘‘choppiness’’ in the network and said many protections exist to prevent construction damage during later building.
Commissioners raised several concerns: homeowner impacts where sidewalks would be added alongside long-established yards, the size of special assessments, and the risk that allowing multiple eligibility paths could create an inconsistent pattern of sidewalks and gaps along the same street. "It's the village's front yard," Speaker 2 said when responding to a resident-style concern about losing front yard space, underscoring staff's framing that rights-of-way remain village property.
Staff said the in-lieu fees are held in a separate account and that the village calculates fees from recent project bids; a $40-per-foot estimate for a 5-foot sidewalk was discussed informally on the record but staff committed to providing a confirmed per-foot fee for the current year. Commissioners asked staff to return draft ordinance language and visual examples showing how each approach would affect subdivisions and CSMs; staff said the draft will go to Public Works for refinement and then back to the Plan Commission in December.
No formal ordinance was adopted at the meeting; the commission provided policy direction and asked staff to prepare clear draft language that clarifies eligibility, triggers (including a possible percentage-completion or permit-based trigger), and exceptions for TID areas.