HomeMy WebLinkAboutA034 - Hearing on Amendments to Chapter 29 of the Ames Municipal Code for Driveway Zoning StandardsITEM #:35
DATE:07-08-25
DEPT:P&H
SUBJECT:ZONING TEXT AMENDMENTS FOR DRIVEWAY DIMENSIONS AND
SPACING AND A NEW PAVING EXCEPTION FOR LONG DRIVEWAYS
COUNCIL ACTION FORM
BACKGROUND:
City Council reviewed a presentation from the Ames Home Builders Association (AHBA) at the
April 22 Council meeting concerning their interests in expanding driveway options for single-
family homes. Staff also provided an overview of the original goals of the 2023 overhaul of
front yard parking and driveway standards, which included:
Creating flexibility for homeowners to add “flared” side yard parking on site
Redefining driveway minimum and maximum dimensions to provide clarity and
consistency for all single-family properties
Ensuring management of driveway curb cuts to minimize pedestrian conflicts and
support on-street parking and safety
Ensuring on site driveway paving area compatibility within existing neighborhoods
Allowing existing front yard paving, regardless of permitting, to be legally pre-existing
paving as of January 1, 2023
After two years of working with the 2023 regulations, the AHBA believes that wider driveway
options will provide more convenience to homebuyers. City Council authorized the AHBA to
apply for changes to standards for driveway widths and spacing of second driveways.
Separate from the original referral, a property owner and their contractor commented
during the driveway standards discussion to the Planning and Zoning Commission
about their interest in creating a paving exception for long driveways. The Commission
recommended that Council consider creating such an exception with the changes to
other driveway standards.
This report addresses approval of a draft ordinance (Attachment A) on first reading that
allows for increases the driveway's maximum widths and reduces the second driveway
separation standards as currently agreed to between the staff and AHBA.
Additionally, this report includes discussion about whether to create an ordinance for a
long driveway paving exception for approval at a future meeting.
DRIVEWAY DIMENSION ORDINANCE
The Addendum includes a general overview of paving and driveway standards along with a
driveway configuration diagram and other examples to assist in review of the proposed
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changes.
The City's driveway standards require driveway paving to lead to a parking space and to be
proportional to the width of the garage or uncovered parking space. With this requirement in
mind, the City has maximum width limitations for driveway approaches measured at a property
line and curb line.
The current relevant dimensions are below as follows:
Maximum driveway approach/curb cut widths measured at the sidewalk/or right-of-way
line if no sidewalk.
1-car garage: 12-foot maximum (+ curb line flares of 3-5 feet required)
2-car garage: 20-foot maximum (+ curb line flares of 3-5 feet required)
3-car garage: 24-feet maximum (+ curb line flares of 3-5 feet required)
Limit second curb cuts to when a property has at least 150 feet of frontage.
Summary of proposed standards:
1. Remove reference to garage size as setting the maximum widths.
2. Measure width at the curb line rather than property line because of the variable flare
widths.
3. Increase the maximum width of a driveway, if it corresponds to the garage width, to 34
feet, inclusive of curb flares. This allows for a straight line width of 28 feet maximum with
3-foot flares, and 24 feet maximum with 5-foot flares.(This does not change the O-SFC
limit of 12 feet in the front yard).
4. Reduce driveway separation distances from 150 feet of frontage to 100 feet of lot
frontage.
5. Second driveways are required to meet spacing requirements along the street of at least
34 feet between driveways. Driveway width are limited to 12 feet plus flares.
The proposed change does not alter the on-site width limitations of a driveway, but it
does create a larger maximum width at the property line which in many cases will allow
for more straight in driveways with less angled taper for wider garages. For example a
22-foot wide two-car garage home will still be limited to 22 feet of driveway width plus
flares, it cannot be expanded to the maximum of 28 feet plus flares because it would
not be proportional to the width of the garage. Additional side yard paving with a taper
can still be added as is currently allowed.
Planning and Traffic Engineering staff reviewed proposals from the AHBA and determined that
the changes identified above are consistent with SUDAS for maximum and minimum safety
requirements. With the these changes the onsite driveway configurations and allowance for
side yard flared parking with a taper are unchanged.
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During the preliminary discussions of these changes in April with City Council, staff noted that
there are a wide range of driveway regulations of widths. Some communities have a maximum
of 24 feet as we do, while others permit wider driveways similar to this proposal or have no
specific standard.
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-0 on June 16th to support the new driveway
dimensions. No one from the public spoke at the meeting. Notice was published in the
newspaper and posted on the Planning website for Development Projects and Legal Notices.
LONG DRIVEWAY EXCEPTION REQUEST
The P&Z Commission received a letter regarding driveway paving exceptions for their
consideration with driveway standards on June 16. The original letter is attached as
Attachment B. In essence the homeowner is constructing a new home on large wooded lot off
of Oakwood with a driveway length exceeding 1100 feet. The home has a rock driveway for
construction and fire access and the owner desires to not have to pave the entire driveway to
conform to the City's front yard parking and driveway paving standards. Paving of the
approach connecting to the road would still be required if the overall paving was not required.
Staff believes this is an unusual circumstance for Ames with a 1000-foot plus length driveway,
but there are some legacy properties annexed to the City and some properties not in modern
subdivisions with longer driveways off of former county roads or that may traverse hills and go
through woods that could be hundreds of feet in length. Most homes in Ames have driveways
of less than 50 feet in length on-site because new subdivision homes are most commonly built
at front setback distances of 20-30 feet.
The City has a paving requirement in order to delineate appropriate areas for vehicle parking
and maneuvering, control dust and noise, potentially reduce or control runoff and erosion, and
to manage sidewalk crossings and connections to streets to avoid track out and rock debris.
The Council did not directly initiate a text amendment regarding this issue so at this
time it is the P&Z's recommendation to include an exception with the driveway
ordinance amendments. The P&Z voted to support an exception for driveways exceeding
300 feet with a requirement to pave the connection to the street. No other guidance or
standards were discussed by the Commission other than the location of the owners property
and the length the driveway in this instance.
If City Council is interested in creating a paving exception, it could either add it to the
Zoning Board of Adjustment special exceptions as a Minor Area Modification
application for case by case review or it could adopt an administrative exception
process that staff approves. Staff is not recommending a specific exception, but has
outlined below an approach that could be used to formulate a paving exception ordinance for
approval at a future meeting.
Exception -Residential long driveway. A substitute surface material of rock may be approved
by the Planning and Housing director for all or part of a long driveway, after consultation with
the Municipal Engineer and Fire Inspector, if:
1. The single family dwelling driveway length exceeds 300 feet from the right-of-way to the
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dwelling;
2. The site has unique characteristics of a rural, agricultural, or wooded setting;
3. The driveway width is minimum required for access (12-16 feet);
4. The driveway approach is paved to the specifications of SUDAS and the first 50 feet of
the driveway is paved on site.
5. A site that already has a paved driveway is not exempt from the paved driveway
standard and cannot be widened or otherwise modified with rock or other noncompliant
surface materials.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. Approve the following:
a. First reading of an ordinance for changes to Driveway Dimensions and Spacing
(Attachment A).
b. Direct the City Attorney to draft an ordinance for a paving exception for long
driveways to be approved by staff/Zoning Board of Adjustment.
2. Modify the text of proposed Driveway Dimensions and Spacing ordinance and approve
on first reading, and/or modify the proposed text for a driveway paving exception to be
put on a future agenda.
3. Approve only the Driveway Dimensions and Spacing Ordinance and take no action on
the driveway paving exception.
4. Refer this item to staff for further information.
5. Deny the proposed driveway changes.
CITY MANAGER'S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
In 2023, the City Council made major updates to front yard parking and driveway standards.
The changes were a balance of increasing owner flexibility to provide more on-site parking
and managing the street right-of-way for safety and on-street parking needs. These changes
have taken time to learn and adapt to within the building community after years of minimal
oversight of driveway permits. The proposed changes are the maximum that City staff believes
meet the interest of the AHBA and still attain Council's original 2023 goals for the updated
driveway standards. Therefore, the City Manager recommends the City Council adopt
Alternative #1a for approval of the ordinance.
Uniquely, the Council must also determine whether to proceed with requested long
driveway paving exceptions as described in Alternative #1b. Council will need to direct
staff regarding whether to draft an ordinance based upon text in this report, and if so,
then whether to have it go as an exception through ZBA for approval or for staff review
only.
ATTACHMENT(S):
Attachment A Ordinance Driveway Dimensions.PDF
Addendum Driveway Dimensions.docx
Long Driveway Exception Request Letter to P&Z.pdf
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ORDINANCE NO.
AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE MUNICIPAL CODE OF
THE CITY OF AMES, IOWA, BY AMENDING SECTIONS
29.406(7) and 29.406(10) THEREOF, FOR THE PURPOSE
OF MODIFYING DRIVEWAY WIDTH AND STANDARDS
REPEALING ANY AND ALL ORDINANCES OR PARTS OF
ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT TO THE EXTENT OF SUCH
CONFLICT; AND ESTABLISHING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
BE IT ENACTED, by the City Council for the City of Ames, Iowa, that:
Section One. The Municipal Code of the City of Ames, Iowa shall be and the same is
hereby amended by amending Section 29.406(7) and 29.406(10) as follows:
“Sec. 29.406. OFF-STREET PARKING.
* * *
(7)Locating Parking Spaces and Paving in the Front Yard.
* * *
(e)Household living and short-term lodging front yard vehicular parking
within any "RL", "RM", "RH", "UCRM", "FS-RL", or "FS-RM" zones is prohibited, except upon
an approved driveway that leads to a side or rear yard vehicular parking area or to a garage.
Specifications for driveways are stated below, no other installation at grade of any expanse of
asphalt, gravel, brick, concrete, or other form of paving is permitted without approval by the
Planning and Housing Department:
(i)No required parking for apartment buildings may be approved upon
a driveway within a front yard.
(ii)All newly constructed single and two-family dwellings shall provide
for at least one required parking space located outside of the Front Yard.
(iii) Prior to approval of a permit to establish an Accessory Dwelling Unit,
two conforming paved parking spaces per dwelling unit of the single-family residence on the
property must exist.
* * *
(10)Driveways. Driveways to all parking facilities shall be designed to promote safety and
access management while providing convenient access to adjoining properties. Drive Through
Facilities have additional standards within Article 13. The Planning and Housing Department
shall maintain a Driveway Manual to provide examples and diagrams of generally accepted
practices for conformance to front yard parking, paving, and driveway specifications for
residential properties.
(a)Driveway width and design characteristics shall be as specified in the
Design Manual of the Statewide Urban Design and Specifications (SUDAS) as adopted by the
City of Ames unless specified differently in this Chapter. Driveway width shall be the specified
minimum to promote on street parking opportunities and pedestrian safety unless the City Traffic
Engineer approves a wider driveway width (not to exceed SUDAS maximum) based upon the
applicable following criteria:
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(i)The extra driveway approach width is necessary to accommodate
design dimension characteristics of non-residential vehicles that regularly use the site (does not
apply to properties with dwelling units); or
(ii)The extra driveway approach width is necessary to resolve concerns
over safe approach and volume of traffic entering and exiting the site.
(b)Additional driveways.
(i)Additional nonresidential driveways shall be limited to the
minimum number necessary for use and design characteristics of the site and in conformance with
SUDAS standards.
(ii)A second single or two-family driveway may be permitted by the
Traffic Engineer if the lot has at least 150 100 linear feet of street frontage and can meet all other
specifications and spacing requirements including 75 feet of separation between drives.
New construction of a Two-Family Dwelling may have a second
driveway approved by the Planning and Housing Director subject to size and appearance
standards of Sec. 29.410 and all other specifications and spacing requirements, including
conformance with all driveways design specifications including but not limited to widths, flares,
sidewalk slope, and separation from other driveways (e.g. five feet) and property lines in
accordance with the Driveway Manual.
(c)Dimensions Single and Two Family
(i)Single and Two-Family home driveway width onsite is intended
to be proportional to the curb cut and approach dimensions in the right of way. The approach
shall match the width of the approved driveway that leads directly to parking within an attached
garage or vehicular parking outside of the front yard.
(ii)The minimum Single and Two-Family home driveway width of
the approach in the right-of-way shall be no less than 10 feet, the on-site driveway width shall be
no less than 9 feet.
(iii)The maximum width of a driveway approach is 12 feet for a one-
car garage, carport, or uncovered parking spaces, 20 feet for a two-car garage, and 24 feet for a
three-car garage. notwithstanding subsection (i) above, shall not exceed 34 feet inclusive of
flares measured at the curb line.
(iv) Driveway approaches that do not lead directly to a garage, including
second or looped driveways on the same street frontage are limited to 12 feet. A second
driveway shall have a minimum space of 34 feet between driveways are limited to the
equivalent width of a one car garage.
(iv) (v) On site driveway paving is limited to areas related to the width of
the garage and exceptions described in this Section. In no event will additional paving adjacent
to a driveway be approved that would allow for an additional parking space to be created in
front of a home. Walkways adjacent to a driveway must be of a different decorative paving
material or separated by five feet of vegetative landscaped area from the driveway paving.
(v) (vi) Parking upon decorative paving, rock, gravel, or other material
that is not the approved driveway is illegal front yard parking.
* * *.”
Section Two. All ordinances, or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith are hereby
repealed to the extent of such conflict, if any.
Section Three. This ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage
and publication as required by law.
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Passed this day of , 2025.
__________________________________________________________________
John A. Haila, Mayor
First Reading:
Second Reading:
Third Reading:
Passed on:
I, Renee Hall, City Clerk of the City of Ames, Iowa, hereby certify that the above and
foregoing is a true copy of Ordinance No. _____________, passed by the City Council of said
City at the meeting held on ____________________________, and signed by the Mayor on
____________________, and published in the Ames Tribune on _________________.
____________________________________
Renee Hall, City Clerk
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Addendum
Front Yard Parking and paving requirements are primarily part of Article IV of the Zoning
Ordinance Section 29.406. Section 29.406 can be found at this link.
Summary of Driveway Regulations-
The City requires that all parking and maneuvering areas be paved. Parking upon an
unimproved surface is prohibited.
The location and extent of paving for driveways is regulated primarily within front yards
and requires approval of a permit from the City. Paving must lead directly to a parking
space located outside of the front yard. The City has minimum and maximum standards
for driveway approaches and on-site paving dimensions. Additionally, overall lot coverage
limitations apply to paving. There are no specific paving setbacks for a single-family lot.
In 2023, all existing front yard paving was deemed pre -existing and can be maintained
and replaced. Expansion of paving is subject to current requirements.
Public Works applies SUDAS standards for the driveway approach design within the right-
of-way. The Zoning Ordinance currently requires driveways to be sized at the minimum
SUDAS dimensions unless it is demonstrated to the traffic engineer a greater width up to
the SUDAS maximum is necessary. This primarily applies to commercial properties, not
residential.
Driveway Dimensions
Below is a general diagram of a standard driveway permit. For reference, staff has added
annotation for the different dimensional references.
Curb Flare
Driveway Access
Min/Max
“Flared” parking with 45 deg
taper from driveway
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Current Dimension Standards-
Maximum driveway approach/curb cut widths measured at the sidewalk/or
right-of-way line if no sidewalk.
o 1-car garage: 12-foot maximum (curb flares of 3-5 feet required)
o 2-car garage: 20-foot maximum (curb flares of 3-5 feet required)
o 3-car garage: 24-feet maximum (curb flares of 3-5 feet required)
Limit second curb cuts to when a property has at least 150 feet of frontage.
Note the maximum width is measured at the sidewalk, the width at the street curb line
includes the flare width. Most commonly 3-foot flares are used for standard residential
driveways, 5 feet is used to address higher speed streets or other unusual circumstances.
Adding the flare width results in totals at the curb line of the street of up to 22 feet
for a 1-car; 30 feet for a 2-car, and 34 feet for a 3-car garage.
The AHBA believes the above limitations on width create awkward and undesirable
dimensions that can make usability difficult for wider two-car and three-car garages, both
straight in and side loading access. Examples provided by the AHBA focused on an
interest in having more “straight in” approaches with less tapers and angling required on
site. AHBA provided these examples to illustrate their concerns with the current
requirements and how alignments have been adjusted to meet the maximum width at the
sidewalk.
Staff has reviewed many examples of driveway permits with the AHBA as part of this
discussion. In staff’s opinion, these situations arise when two-car garages have separate
individual doors plus the middle separations, three-car garages have individual doors with
spacing between, and placement of a 3-car garage face at 25-foot minimum setbacks,
which limits maneuverability on site and can cause sharp angles. Homebuilders typically
must shift a garage to one side or the other for larger garages, rather than centering the
driveway, to meet the width requirements and ensure on site maneuverability is adequate.
Proposed Driveway Dimension Changes
The result of the AHBA proposal is to effectively add four to eight feet of width at
the sidewalk. Effectively it allows for a maximum 28-foot wide straight in driveway
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that leads to a garage as measured at the sidewalk, which minimizes the degree of
on-site taper. If a property owner requested wider flares, the driveway width would be
narrowed to still meet the maximum 34-foot standard. An example of built conditions
representing the differences of proposed and existing follows on the next page.
Driveway Width-3 car garage examples
Staff believes that within new subdivisions there will be minimal impacts on character,
convenience or safety. Existing neighborhoods have the greatest potential for impact due
to narrows lot configurations and greater densities, but are less likely to have space for
the extra wide driveways and meet other design requirements. Having a single maximum
standard will put pressure on staff to review the basic requirement of matching width of
Matches AHBA Proposal
-Max 28’, 34’ at curb line
Allowed-
24’ with taper
28’ no taper
24’ with taper
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the garage and driveway on a case by case basis. For example, a two car garage that
is 22 feet wide will be limited to a maximum driveway width of 22 feet plus flares at
the curb, they are not permitted to build an oversized 28-foot driveway that does
not correspond to the width of the driveway leading to the garage. On site paving
for side yard flared parking that is wider than the driveway will still require the
taper.
Proposed Second Driveway Spacing
AHBA also proposes to reduce the current looped or second driveway standard from 150
feet to 100 feet of frontage. The current width of 150 feet essentially guarantees that a
second driveway curb cut could only occur on corner lots with two frontages. The new
standard will allow for larger lots on local streets to have two curb cuts subject to design
requirements.
A looped driveway situated along the same street frontage would be restricted to
minimum driveway widths to minimize impacts of curb cuts. Minimum spacing between
looped driveways would be a minimum of 34 feet to ensure site lines and on-street parking
would exist. Loop driveways are uncommon, but builders think that some custom homes,
like those previously built along Ada Hayden Drive within Quarry Estates, would benefit
from this option. The 100-foot lot width threshold will limit the use to only a handful of
large lots that are platted in new subdivisions and some existing lots.
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June 12, 2025 Planning and Zoning Commission City of Ames Ames, IA RE: Request for Exception to Driveway Paving Requirements Dear Planning and Zoning Commission, We understand the Commission is currently considering changes to driveway standards. We have a proposed change that we would like you to consider—specifically, adding an exception for paving requirements for long driveways. This is in reference to Zoning Code Section 29.406 titled “Improvements of off-street parking areas and driveways.” We have recently built a home at 2617 Oakwood Rd that has a driveway approximately 1,100 feet in length. This driveway meets the access requirements set by the fire department, but the surface is gravel. While we anticipate the need to pave the approach, we request the Commission consider allowing an exception for long driveways like this to use gravel rather than requiring concrete or asphalt pavement. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Ryan Allan Prestige Builders 2617 Northridge Parkway, Suite 101 Ames, IA 50010 515.451.1275 (Cell) Alex and Laci Wickenkamp Homeowners 2617 Oakwood Rd Ames, IA 50010
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