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#1 RD Milhollin

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Posted 12 April 2014 - 04:33 PM

Article about plans for sidewalks in Fort Worth, leading to be better urban environment?

 

http://www.star-tele...worth-aims.html

 

In general, sidewalks are a good thing for neighborhoods and for cities. All too often, though they are an afterthought when streets go in. In urban areas sidewalks are needed at curb and 6 feet wide, in more spread-out residential  areas they are really only needed on one side of the street. Too much paving is a bad thing for any area, and sidewalks are paving. The main thing about sidewalks is that they really need to lead to somewhere. Sidewalks that are only put in along one segment of a street and don't connect with amenities that people could walk to (stores, schools, commuter stops, employment areas…) are not going to be used, and end up being a waste of scarce public money. Allowing non-thinking residents to plant trees between the curb and the street is stupid, one warning should be issued before city crews pull them up; no use in allowing willful destruction of a public amenity. Allowing people to park on sidewalks is related; the sidewalk loses its usefulness when people can't walk there. Cities need to include sidewalks in their comprehensive transportation plan, with aspects such as width, placement, and connectivity as part of the plan. Code enforcement needs to be more proactive about blockage of sidewalks by residents and property owners who leave vehicles and unkempt foliage making the sidewalks unusable. 



#2 McHand

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Posted 13 April 2014 - 03:23 PM

 Code enforcement needs to be more proactive about blockage of sidewalks by residents and property owners who leave vehicles and unkempt foliage making the sidewalks unusable. 

 

Couldn't agree more.  Unfortunately, when the city is tight on funds one of the first things it does is sends the responsibility to maintain rights-of-way to residents, with no enforcement for failure to maintain.

 

There is a strip of sidewalk along South Henderson which in spring and summer is always overgrown with foliage from one particular house's backyard fence.  It is a walking path for school children and a route to Capps Park, making the overgrowth even more inconvenient.  

 

TP&W was fairly prompt about clearing it every season, until the 2008 financial crisis when the city sent out the notice that TP&W would no longer maintain residential rights of way.

It remained blocked for quite some time until someone finally cleared it.  Now it's starting to grow back.  Hopefully TP&W is back on the job so it won't become a nuisance again.


Voice & Guitars in Big Heaven
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Texas Wesleyan 2015
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#3 RD Milhollin

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Posted 13 April 2014 - 06:33 PM

Hoping is the wrong approach for this sort of thing, unfortunately. If this is a definite code violation you or your neighbors should call code enforcement and report the problem. When they run short on resources there is no proactivity, and the only cases that get handled are those that are reported. 



#4 Doohickie

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Posted 14 April 2014 - 07:18 AM

In my neighborhood, I got a notification last year from the Neighborhood Association that my tree was obstructing the Stop Sign on the corner of my lot. I'd never trimmed it previously; the city always took care of it. I didn't realize that the funds for that kind of thing were cut. So I went out and trimmed it back.

My point is that maybe you should start with Shaw Clarke NA and see what they can do.
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#5 Austin55

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Posted 24 September 2016 - 12:23 PM

This is among the agenda for the city council next week. 

 

 

 

RECOMMENDATION:

It is recommended that the City Council authorize the adoption of the Planning and Development Fee Policy for parkway fees removing permit and inspection fees for those homeowners voluntarily  installing sidewalks in existing neighborhoods.

  DISCUSSION:

On June 14, 2016, at the Pre-Council Meeting Staff provided a briefing on the City's Sidewalk Policy which is comprised of the City Charter, Subdivision Ordinance, Community Facilities Agreement Policy, Traffic Engineering Design Standards and Guidelines and Master Thoroughfare Plan.

During the briefing City Council directed Staff to bring forward a Parkway Fee Policy that would allow residents to voluntarily install sidewalks with no permitting or inspection fees. Sidewalks will still be constructed by approved bonded contractors and permitted and inspected by Staff. This removal of fees would apply in existing residential neighborhoods where there are no sidewalks and the residents wished to add a sidewalk. The removal of the fee(s) would reduce a financial obstacle to residents adding sidewalks to the sidewalk network and help achieve the public purpose of creating more walkable, accessible and safer communities.

Currently the projected revenue received from this activity is $7,200.00 per year based on permitting for 72 sites in the previous fiscal year. The removal of the fee would have a limited impact on the budget; the costs for parkway inspection and permitting are primarily funded from new development permits. There are sufficient controls to ensure that the public purpose is carried out.



#6 johnfwd

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Posted 28 September 2016 - 02:47 PM

Wonder if this could also apply to commercial real property owners?  Any thoughts?






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