To: Mark R. Hafner, City Manager
From: Alonzo Liñán, Director of Public Works
Subject:
Title
PUBLIC HEARING: Consider a request to approve amendments to the City of Keller Unified Development Code (UDC), adopted by Ordinance No. 1746 dated July 7, 2015, by amending Article Five - Subdivision Design and Improvement Requirements, Section 5.06 - Sidewalks and Trails, relating to sidewalk width requirements, Section 5.12 - Blocks, relating to sidewalk width requirements and removal of the maximum, Section 5.24 - Design Standards, relating to sidewalk construction requirements, and Appendix C - Subdivision Design and Improvement Requirements, Section 1 - Building Services, relating to sidewalk fee assessment; providing penalties; authorizing publication; and establishing an effective date. (UDC-22-0008)
Action Requested:
Conduct a public hearing and consider amending the City of Keller Unified Development Code (UDC) by amending the minimum sidewalk width requirements.
Background:
The UDC defines sidewalk widths to be a minimum of four (4) feet if in the parkway and five (5) feet if it is against the back of the curb. However, the utility of this width limits the ability of pedestrians to enjoy this public asset when encountering other pedestrians or if it is adjacent to a vertical feature like walls, shrubs, trees.
In November 2021, the city council concurred with this assessment and provided direction to proceed with these amendments.
Proposed Amendments:
See Exhibit “A"
Summary:
The proposed UDC Amendments include:
• Increasing the minimum sidewalk width requirements to five (5) feet for new construction
• Targeting five (5) foot sidewalks in repairs, reconstructions, and infill operations, but aware that this width may not be achievable in all circumstances
• Removing the eight (8) foot maximum sidewalk width around schools
• Assessing the actual cost of sidewalk construction rather than limiting assessments to $1,500
• Considering indexing the cost of sidewalk construction to an external source
Citizen Input:
An amendment to the text of the UDC requires a public hearing notice to be published in the local newspaper ten (10) days prior to the scheduled Planning and Zoning Commission meeting date and fifteen (15) days prior to the City Council Meeting Date. Notices were published in the August 18, 2022 and October 2, 2022 editions of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for the respective Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council public hearings. To date, staff has not received any comments from the public.
Alternatives:
The City Council has the following options when considering an amendment to the text of the UDC:
- Approve as submitted
- Approve with modifications or additional amendment(s)
- Table the agenda item to a specific date with clarification of intent and purpose
- Deny
City Council Action:
Staff recommends approving the proposed UDC amendments as presented.