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Planning board sends proposed driveway standards back to staff for rewrite after lengthy debate
Summary
The board reviewed proposed standards for single‑family driveways — including a 9‑foot minimum and 22‑foot maximum curb cut, a ban on mulch as a driveway surface, and containment requirements for loose gravel — and unanimously directed staff to revise language on maintenance, grandfathering and curb‑cut definitions.
A proposed ordinance establishing citywide standards for single‑family driveways was the focus of a detailed board discussion on Aug. 13; after lengthy questions and concerns about definitions and grandfathering, the board voted unanimously to send the draft back to staff for clearer language.
City staff presented the scope of the driveway ordinance: a minimum curb‑cut/approach width of 9 feet, a maximum approach width of 22 feet (the width applies to the curb cut/approach where the driveway meets the public right‑of‑way), a limit that the driveway area cannot exceed 35% of front and side yards, and a list of acceptable materials that includes concrete pavers, grasscrete, stone, encapsulated gravel and other director‑approved materials. The draft prohibits using mulch as a constructed driveway surface and requires that loose gravel be contained with a 6‑inch concrete curb.
Board members questioned whether existing wider driveway approaches would be forced into compliance, how resurfacing would be distinguished from replacement, and what constitutes "cracked or deteriorated." Several members urged clearer, brighter‑line language (for example, using terms such as "hazardous" or "falling apart" instead of open‑ended "deteriorated"), and asked staff to add a tolerance or grandfathering approach for existing conditions. Staff agreed to draft clarifications, to separate curb‑cut limits from on‑property driveway widening, and to consider a limited tolerance for small deviations from existing curb cuts when materials are merely being replaced.
After discussion, the board approved a motion directing staff to revise the ordinance language and return with clearer definitions and guidance on material replacements and grandfathering. The motion passed unanimously.
