What you need to know…
• YOU the homeowner will pay for the cost of the sidewalk
• YOU will be required to insure the sidewalk and be liable for any accidents that occur on the sidewalk
• YOU will be required to maintain the sidewalk to code standards
• YOU will be prohibited from using the part of your driveway that intersects with the sidewalk. Fines will be assessed by Code Enforcement
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SIDEWALK EFFECTS
- Having sidewalks in residential neighborhoods does not necessarily create a safer interaction between pedestrians and
- Safety is compromised when these sidewalks cross private driveways in front of People backing out of their driveways/ garages have much less time to see pedestrians
- For Example: when backing out drivers would encounter pedestrians on sidewalks within 10 feet of their homes (15') setback subdivisions: potentially less!!! This also makes it difficult, if not impossible to park large vehicles in a driveway without blocking the sidewalk and if you do block the sidewalk, you will receive a citation.
- Homes with 25' setback front entrance garages would have a max of 17' of clearance to see and react to pedestrians if there is no landscaping
- Requirements of sidewalks in residential areas is cost prohibitive, with cost estimates ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 on average lots in San Angelo
- Loss of privacy: pedestrians would approach homes to within 5' of patio homes (bedrooms, windows, family rooms, ) They would be within 15' of regular home lots.
- Current staff would have homeowners pay for sidewalks and maintenance and insure these Other cities with these types of ordinances require repairs on an as needed basis. If homeowners are financially unable to repair, city does repairs and then attaches lien to said property
- Homeowner's insurance policy can be cancelled because of cracks in sidewalks leaving homeowner Homeowners will also be responsible to any accident that takes place on their sidewalk.
- Homeowners will not be allowed to park on the strip of sidewalk that crosses their driveway per D.A Restrictions
- Homes that have a large or extended family routinely have 4, 5 even 6 cars. They use their front yard in many cases for parking. Sidewalks will preclude
The building industry is facing enough challenges today with the increase in material costs and supply chain disruptions. Meeting appraisals has become a very difficult task and this ordinance will only increase our costs and ultimately drive development outside of the city taking with it perpetual tax dollars. For development to continue in the city, this ordinance proposal must be thwarted.