HomeMy WebLinkAboutA002 - ZBA leter to Council dated July 22, 1991 F6r ED
2 41991
July 22, 1991
CITY i�LEft( u
CIPY OF AMES, 0.1A g
Honorable Mayor and City Council CONSULTING ENGINEERS
City Hall David M. Fox, P.E.
James A. Merideth, P.E.
Ames, Iowa 50010 Doles L Stone, P.E.
Scott L. Renaud, P.E.
Re: Front Yard Parking On Arterial Streets William S. Graham, E.I.T.
Dear Mayor and Council Members:
As the Zoning Board of Adjustment, we have an opportunity to see and hear first hand the
results of enforcement of the zoning ordinances created by your body. In this capacity, we feel
there exists a situation that is not fully addressed in the zoning ordinance and is beyond the
authority of our board to remedy. The situation of which we speak is the access and parking
problems for those homeowners living along the major arterial streets within the City. We
recently had before our board an application for a variance to allow a driveway widening for a
single car drive for a home along Grand Avenue north of 13th Street. Because the ordinance
specifically prohibits additional paving in the front yard because it will encourage front yard
parking, we find no viable option for relief in this situation other than granting of a variance.
The property owner in this situation has a small lot with a single car attached garage. His only
way of accessing the street is to back out onto Grand Avenue. As one of the highest traffic
streets in the city and with its higher speed limit, such access presents a significant safety
problem. In the case of the particular property we were considering, there were additional
problems related to backup of cars from a nearby traffic signal that makes street access almost
impossible during especially heavy traffic times in the morning and evening. There are obvious
problems when such a property owner has two cars which will often times require one car to
back onto the street to allow the second car to access the street. Some of the properties thus
affected have partially alleviated their problem by widening single car drives to allow one car
to pass another for street access. We presume these widenings were made before passage of
current ordinances prohibiting such construction.
In the interest of providing some avenue for relief for these property owners, we would suggest
that the council consider possible modifications to the zoning ordinance that might allow either
driveway widening and/or the construction of a "T" type turn around in the front yard that
would allow for a safer front approach to street access. Such a modification could be made to
apply only to properties on major arterial streets where on street parking is prohibited. We
recognize that such a change could result in some of the situations that no doubt prompted the
passage of the existing ordinance but it may be that safety consideration should take precedence
over aesthetic concerns in this instance.
CLAPSADDLE-GARBER ASSOCIATES, INC.
Wayne R. Moore Technology Transfer Center • Iowa State University Research Park
2501 North Loop Drive • Ames, Iowa 50010 • Telephone 515-296-7750 • Fax 515-296-7740
Iowa &U.S.A. WATS 800-542-7981
We appreciate the opportunity to point out this issue and encourage the City Council, the
Department of Planning and Housing, Public Works Department, and the Planning and Zoning
Commission, the entities of city government that can impact these situations, to reconsider
present positions. Our board members would be happy to cooperate with the council, staff, or
others to facilitate considerations of this issue. If any of your members have questions regarding
this please don't hesitate to contact me or other members of the Board. Thank you for your
consideration and cooperation in this matter.
Sincerely:
James Merideth, Chairperson
Zoning Board of Appeal