COLLEYVILLE -- Three residents who recently moved into new homes are asking officials to reconsider a policy that requires them to build sidewalks on their property, even though they may never connect to anything.
City policy, established in 2008, requires a home builder to build a sidewalk when a new home is built."The whole thing is just ludicrous," said Mindy McClure, who moved into a custom home on Beverly Drive in July. "There are so many needs other than a sidewalk in front of my house. When you work so hard to make every other detail perfect ....it's been devastating."The homeowners have written letters and argued their cases at Planning and Zoning Commission meetings the past two months.Mona Gandy, a Colleyville spokeswoman, said the small neighborhood sidewalks are part of a larger plan to provide connectivity in the city, something residents have supported in surveys."Individual sidewalks may be built one at a time, but at some point in the future, they will connect and the sidewalks will connect to the trails," Gandy said. "Each time that happens, neighborhoods become part of the greater community."The sidewalk issue seems to be cropping up in older parts of Colleyville where ranch-style homes are being torn down to make way for new custom mansions. The areas often have a rural feel with a narrow road, bar ditches and no sidewalk. A new home on Colleyville Terrace is the only home on the street that has a sidewalk.The rural atmosphere attracted McClure to Beverly Drive. She said she's not against sidewalks, but they already have one on the south side of Beverly Drive that was built when Colleyville Elementary School moved to Pleasant Run Road."I walk and I run in our city and I'm very aware of where we need them," McClure said. "I don't have any concern with a safety issue."McClure said she has put her landscaping and irrigation installation on hold until she gets this resolved with the city."I can't do anything with the yard," she said. "This was truly out of left field."City Manager Jennifer Fadden said the city will not enforce the sidewalk requirement until the council discusses the policy at its Oct. 16 City Council meeting.Gandy said home builders are aware of the city policy but sometimes the missing sidewalk isn't noticed until the final inspection before move-in."It's that inspection that would catch items like a sidewalk. However, the homeowner or their builder remains responsible for meeting city requirements, and they are made aware of this," Gandy said.Demetri Jobson said a similar thing is happening at his new home near the end of Renfro Drive, a dead end street. His builder, Larry Stewart had original plans for the home approved by the city in August 2011 showing no sidewalks. The city's inspection documents dated September, 2011 show a requirement for a sidewalk that must be completed before final inspection. The Jobsons said they didn't find out about the sidewalk until they moved in over the summer. No other homes on the street have sidewalks.New grass and irrigation has been installed and Jobson said the sidewalk would have to navigate around mature trees."We kind of felt blindsided by the sidewalk requirement," Jobson said. "I don't see that making any sense to be the only house on the block that has a sidewalk. It's secluded. Nobody is going to be coming down there to run."On White Drive, Chris Putnam finished his dream home over the summer before learning he needed a sidewalk. A bar ditch on his property would increase his cost to build the sidewalk, which would be the only one on the road."It's a sidewalk to nowhere. It's absurd," Putnam said.Commissioner Don Davis said while he understands the sidewalks may be isolated, it's important that they begin the process of sidewalk construction."We've got to start building sidewalks somewhere," Davis said.Homeowners have the option of asking the Planning and Zoning Commission for waivers from the sidewalk requirement.The 7-member commission denied McClure's request 5-2. Jobson's request also was denied 6-1. Commissioners David Dudziak and David Wheelwright sided with McClure. Dudziak was the lone vote to support Jobson's request."These are very low traffic streets," Dudziak said. "I'm all for escrowing these kinds of funds for situations like this. It's money better spent either to do the whole project or used elsewhere."That's what the commission did with Putnam's request when they voted 5-2 to approve the waiver with the requirement that Putnam put $8,600 into an escrow fund to pay for future sidewalk construction in his neighborhood district.But Putnam doesn't agree with the sidewalk tax."For some reason, P&Z seems to have abandoned all logic on this issue because they are determined that some citizens (not all) will fund the city's sidewalk plan," he wrote in a letter to the city.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
