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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 8030 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8030 0 CF' r To the Mayor and Members of the City Council October 8, 1996 n r�>4� Subject: SIDEWALK POLICIES 1871 Formal policies governing sidewalks are contained in the Subdivision Regulations, the Policy for Installation of Community Facilities and Traffic Engineering Design Standards and Policy Guidelines. The following summarizes these formal policies as well as administrative policies related to sidewalk requirements. 1. Where are sidewalks required? As a part of new development, sidewalks are required along both sides of any street with a width greater than 42 feet. 2. Who enforces sidewalk policies? Primary responsibility is given to the Director of Transportation and Public Works, who enforces applicable policies as a part of routine driveway permits, building permits, platting, community facilities agreements and capital improvements. 3. When are sidewalks constructed as apart ofdevelopment? Sidewalks are required as part of the building permit process for new commercial development and as a part of the Community Facilities Agreement for residential development. Under this policy, sidewalks in commercial areas are constructed concurrently with the building construction and sidewalks for residential development are constructed at the same time that streets and drainage facilities are constructed. This represents a change from past practices which did not include sidewalk language in the community facilities agreements for residential development. 4. Under what conditions are sidewalks waived? We rarely waive sidewalks under current policies. A sidewalk waiver is permitted for sidewalks in industrial parks and where physical constraints or conditions make sidewalk construction impractical. In practice, sidewalk waivers must be requested in writing and approved by the Director of Transportation and Public Works. Since 1995, only two such waivers have been granted. Prior to 1995, sidewalks were sometimes waived for"lack of continuity"reasons. This practice allowed sidewalks to be waived if they already did not exist on adjacent tracts. This practice has been discontinued. 5. Where should sidewalks be placed behind the curb? City policy allows for variation in sidewalk width and location relative to the street curb. Four foot sidewalks are permitted when sidewalks can be placed on the property line and are separated from the curb by a parkway. When placed against the curb, the minimum sidewalk width is increased to five feet. For pedestrian safety reasons, staff prefers a sidewalk that is separated from the curb by an unpaved parkway and recommends this design where practical. RECORD �,'ISECRETARY F"L WORTH, TEX. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH,TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8o3o To the Mayor and Members of the City Council October 8,1996 Subject: SIDEWALK POLICIES 6. Does the City permit the parkway between the street and the right-of--way line to be paved? Until recently, this was occasionally permitted at the request of the property owner, but more often this was done without permission. Present policy, however, is to not permit any pavement in the parkway except for driveways, normal pedestrian sidewalks, and bikeways. Existing written sidewalk policies are out of date and need to updated, Staff is currently studying these issues so that we can present a report to the City Council within the next 90 days. Attached for reference are recent staff memoranda which address some of the issues discussed above and the c nt City of Fort Worth sidewalk policy, b"Terrell City Manager Attachments - A. IOC dated 10/25✓95 to TPW Staff on"Sidewalk Requirements" B. IOC dated 8/22/96 to TPW Staff on"Sidewalk and Street Border Policies" C. Sidewalk Policy (Section VII of the Policy for the Installation of Community Facilities) .............. 110RD FL OF1111 ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH,TEXAS ATTACHMENT B INTEROFFICE CORRESPONDENCE City of Fort Worth Transportation&Public Works Department August 22,1996 TO: Jim McKanna, Development Engineer FROM: Don McChesney, Ast. Director SUBJECT: Sidewalk and Street Border Policies By this memo I want to confirm administrative policies we need to follow concerning the location of sidewalk and the use of street borders: 1. Sidewalk Location: Sidewalks should always be located at the property line unless there are physical limitations which prevent this from being done. 2. Paving of Street Borders: Street borders should not be paved except for the purpose of providing vehicular access (driveways) and pedestrian flow along the street. These statements are consistent with and clarify existing formally adopted policies. Thank you for your attention to these needs. cc: Hugo Malanga, Director Ann Kovich, Director of Development Saeid Daniari, City Traffic Engineer ............. ....... rjy P r1— ATTACHMENT C 01 r, SIDEWALK POLICY CITY OF FORT WORTH GENERAL It is the intent of this policy to encourage the construction and/or re- construction of sidewalks throughout the City for the safety and con- venience of pedestrians. DESIGN STANDARDS The design and construction of sidewalks shall conform to City standards and shall provide at a minimum, a four-foot wide concrete sidewalk located at least four feet behind the back of curb or a five-foot wide concrete walkway located immediately behind the back-of-curb. The specific design and placement of the sidewalk may vary depending upon location and ex- tenuating circumstances; however, the final design shall be approved by the Director of Transportation and Public Works. In all cases, the placement of the sidewalk shall provide a continuous design for the pedestrian and will be compatible with other existing sidewalks in the neighborhood. Wheelchair ramps will be required at the corners of all intersections as sidewalks are constructed. NEWLY DEVELOPING AREAS rv , 1.0 Normally sidewalks will not be required I on local residential streets residential collector streets, or on local industrial streets within industrial parks. Sidewalks are required on both sides of all streets constructed to a width greater than. '42 feet face-to-face of curb unless a street constructed to a width greater than 42 feet can be shown to function as a local residential street, residential collector or as a local industrial street within an industrial park. The determination of the manner in which a street is functioning shall be made by the Director of Transportation and Public Works. The requirement for, the location of, and the width of sidewalks will be determined during platting review by the Development Review Committee. 1.1 In developing areas, sidewalks should normally be installed along with the construction of homes, offices, buildings, etc., so as to avoid being damaged by heavy trucks during that stage of development. The Director of the Department of Development will require that sidewalks which were required at the time of platting be installed during the construction of buildings' on the lot(s) and prior to the issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy and/or final connection of utilities. 1 .2 The cost of required sidewalks in newly developing areas shall be paid by the builder and/or property owner. Pt VII-1 Sidewalks CIT, � FT. .......... .................... Ir r, percent (50%) by the City. 3.4 In community development target areas, community development funds shall be used to pay sidewalk assessments if: a. Community development funds are available; b. Normal assessments have occurred; and C. The property owner that has been assessed meets community development grant eligibility. 3.5 In areas where existing sidewalks are deteriorated and constitute a potential hazard, the adjacent property owners may petition the City to remove the existing sidewalks and return the parkway to grass,, etc. The Director of Transportation and Public Works shall grant the petition if the following conditions are satisfied: a. The sidewalk is adjacent to a street that is 30 feet or less in width, face to face of curb,, or the street can be shown to function as a local residential street; and b. At least seventy-five percent (75%) of the owners representing ownership of at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the frontage in each block face must have signed the petition; and C . The removal of the section of sidewalk in question will not, in the opinion of the Director of Transportation and Public Works, destroy the continuity of the system of existing sidewalks. Only those sidewalks in front of property whose owner signed the petition will be removed. The cost of removing the sidewalks and grading under this provision shall be equally shared by the owner and the City; fifty percent (50%) by the owner and fifty percent (50%) by the City. The use of community development funds as outlined above in paragraph 3.4 shall also apply to this provision. EXISTING DEVELOPED AREAS NEW SIDEWALKS 4.0 In developed areas with no existing sidewalks, property owners can request the installation of sidewalks by petitioning the City. At a minimum, sixty percent (60%) of the property owners owning sixty percent (60%) of the property along the block face must sign the petition requesting the installation of the sidewalks. C "ORD iJH�,r1,­!H; A1 Rr", VII-3 Sidewalks Lo FY EIARY FT. WORT11, TEX. ➢u 6.1 In all sidewalk cases requiring cost participation by the property owner(s), the City will notify the affected property owner(s) of the project scope, length, total estimated cost, and . the estimated pro- perty owner's cost of participation. Notice will be given of any re- quired meeting and the meeting date, time and place, as required by law. PAYMENT 7.0 The total amount of the assessment may be paid in a lump sum cash payment, without interest, if payment is made within 30 days of acceptance of the project by the City Council. 7.1 The assessment may be divided into five equal annual payments over a four-year period with the first payment due within 30 days of accep- tance by the City Council, and with interest not to exceed the maximum permitted by State Law on the unpaid balance. 7.2 The assessment may be paid in monthly payments of $9.00 or more per month over a maximum period of 49 months with the interest rate pre- computed and made a part of the monthly payment . 7.3 In financial hardship cases, where the owner occupies the property as a homestead, a monthly installment can be determined to fit any budget with payments extended for more than 49 months. 7.4 The City's participation in the cost of sidewalk replacement shall be based upon average unit prices paid for similar work on publicly advertised and bid Public Works projects over a six month period beginning seven (7) months prior to each quarterly revision date (1st of October, January, April and July) . Such average unit prices are subject to quarterly revision by the Transportation and Public Works Department. The average unit prices shall be the Maximum Unit Price Rates applicable for the quarter for which established and will be available on file and from the Transportation and Public Works Department. (1) In calculating the cost to replace sidewalks in existing developed areas or removing sidewalks under the provisions of paragraph 3.5, Maximum Unit Price Rates as hereinabove defined shall be utilized in determining the cost and allocation of fifty percent thereof to the property owner. Upon receipt of the owner's share of the cost, the work may be accomplished by customary Public Works Contract or by City forces under and upon compliance with the terms of Section 22 of Chapter XXVIII of the Charter of the City of Fort Worth. VII-5 ROB Sidewalks �� T EXu EFFECTIVE DATE This policy shall become effective thirty (30) days after the date of City Council approval subject to the following: 9.0 Funds being available for the City's share of the cost of construction or removal of sidewalks. 9.1 Developers with Community Facilities Contracts fully executed prior to the effective date of this policy may amend said contracts to conform to this policy. 9.2 All valid requests for sidewalks, petitions by individuals or neighborhoods, shall be honored upon approval of this policy by the City Council and subject to paragraph 9.0 above. OFFICAAL REIMIM VII-7 NTY SECRETARY Sidewalks FT. WORTIf I EX