06. Driveway Standards
Staff Report
Date of Meeting: May 7, 2025
For: Honorable Mayor and Council
From: Kyle Morell, City Administrator
Subject: Driveway Standards
Background:
Council first discussed updating our driveway standards at their March 18, 2025, Regular
Meeting. Fire Chief Hinz had presented the attached report and proposed changes to the City’s
Engineering Standards in response to numerous requests regarding driveway standards,
especially on large lots with long driveways. The proposed changes to the Engineering Standards
have been updated since the March meeting. Please review the updated proposed changes.
The question of the minimum length of a city road has come up since our March meeting. This
came from a discussion about lot division and the necessary frontage. The lot in question is a
10-acre lot on 2018th St., pictured below.
A prospective buyer has proposed dividing the property in two down the middle and installing a
cul-de-sac just beyond the right-of-way to meet frontage requirements. The lot frontage
requirement for a 5-acre lot is 300 feet; it is 60 feet for a cul-de-sac. The lot has approximately
350 feet of frontage on 2018th St. Nothing in our City Code, the UDC, or our Engineering
Standards would prohibit the proposed installation of a cul-de-sac just beyond the right-of-way,
as we have no minimum road length requirement. The Fire Chief recommends that roads be at
least 150 feet long, which would allow for the staging of 3 fire trucks on the road in case an
emergency occurs at either house. Public Works has recommended a shared driveway or private
road for the two properties. Typically, the City does not allow private roads.
I believe it is worth discussing whether or not to establish a minimum length for a City road, and
consider anything shorter than that to be a private road or shared driveway. In this particular
example, the buyer would have to install a 150ft road and cul-de-sac to City standards for the
City to accept the road. Or they can install a shared driveway entrance, and they are then
responsible for maintenance.
Staff welcomes your thoughts on these matters.
Attachments:
Fire Chief Hinz Staff Report and Engineering Standard Changes