09-16-2004 Regular Meeting, Public Hearing, and Workshop Meeting of the La Porte Planning and Zoning Commission

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• • Staff Report ~ October 21, 2004 PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS CRITERIA MANUAL Request: Review proposed Chapter 7 of the Public Improvements Criteria Manual (PICM) in a workshop format. Requested Bv: Mr. Robert Alden Cummings, Supervising Engineer, City of La Porte Baclcsround: The Development Ordinance of 1998, Ordinance 1444, references the Public Improvements Criteria Manual as being "the set of standards set forth...to determine the specific technical requirements for construction of public improvements:' Currently, the PICM does not contain a chapter on driveways, driveway construction and access management requirements. The master plan for the PICM document is to have all aspects of public improvements design covered including driveways and that portion of driveways located in the public right-of--way. In an effort to move toward that ultimate goal, design standards covering such things as driveway construction and driveway location are being presented to the Planning & Zoning Commission for review and workshop. When Chapter 5 on Storm Water Design Requirements was passed in 1999, Chapter 4 in 2003 and Chapters 3 & 6 earlier in 2004, the Planning & Zoning Commission reviewed it and recommended its adoption and approval to the City Council. Therefore, the official recommendation of approval from the Planning & Zoning Commission will be sought before any official action is taken on the proposed Chapter 7 by the City Council. To that end, the Planning & Zoning Commission is asked to review the attached document tonight and at a later date hold a public hearing on the matter to seek public comment on said document. It will be at that time that the Planning & Zoning Commission will be asked to make an official and formal recommendation to City Council that Chapter 7 be passed by resolution. Analysis: There has recently occurred a bit of confusion where the responsibilities of a private land owners begin and where the construction and maintenance activities of the City of La Porte begin in relation to driveways, driveway construction and driveway locations. Moreover, as many more proposed developments, subdivisions and sections thereof develop in La Porte, staff needs a def nitive mechanism to refer to regarding the specifics and locations of private and commercial driveways. These proposed criteria have been reviewed and agreed upon by the Building Inspections Department and the Public Works Department. These criteria are not intended to conflict with or supersede the Zoning Ordinance or the Building Codes that La Porte follows. Lastly, the City of La Porte is a unique city in regards to its public roads. There exists Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) maintained freeways, Harris County maintained arterials, collectors and local roads, city maintained collector and local roads, and privately maintained private roads. With so many different entities having a say in the method and construction used to tie-in a driveway to a frontage road, these criteria were written in an effort to standardize those new driveway tie-ins.