Questions On Curb Cuts Pondered By Planners

Discussions revolving around curb cuts and the impact by them on certain areas of the city consumed much of the time at last night's regular City Planning Commission meeting. A public hearing was conducted on the proposed curb cut ordinance and the commissioners voted to deny the site plan for a service station at Maple and Liberty because they believed there are too many curb cuts shown on the plan. The site plan for the proposed Shell Oil Co. station apparently meets all requirements. One commissioner said she believed she was being "pressured" into a decision on the issue, while Jacob F. Fahrner Jr. - attorney for the developer - noted the plan has been in the hands of the Planning Department staff since last December. Commissioners still resent the City Council action which overrode the commission's recommendation for an office zoning on the parcel in question. Councilmen approved a C3 commercial zoning to permit construction of the service station. Commissioners last night said generally two curb cuts on each of the adjacent streets would be hazardous, and backed this claim with a report from Traffic and Transportation Department Director John E. Robbins. A motion to deny the site plan failed to receive the six votes necessary for a recommendation, but five commissioners did support the denial motion while two opposed it. The site plan's listing of twol curb cuts on each street would not be permitted under the proposed curb cut ordinance and at its last meeting commissioners had voted to delay action on the site plan until the curb cut ordinance is adopted. At that point, Fahrner said such action might result in a lawsuit. Assistant Planning Director John Hyslop said the intent of the curb cut ordinance is to eliminate unnecessary cuts, noting it establishes certain standards for the various zoning classifications. Commercial properties (which in the ordinance constitute everything except residential) are permitted one entrance for a 50-foot frontage and two for a 100-foot frontage. Sites larger than 200 feet may be granted added curb cuts. Residential sites may have one curb cut if there is at least 40 feet of frontage and two if there is at least 100 feet, while multiple-family developments may have two with 80 feet of frontage. The commission is scheduled to act on the curb cut ordinance at its Nov. 24 meeting. There will be revisions in the document prior t o that date, changes based upon comments made by commissioners and other citizens last night.

Council. In addition, there are II many procedures routinely iol-I lowed by the staff of the 1 ning Department aimed at I lactively soliciting public I Itions and opinions on specific I Imatters - when affected I Izens can be identified." Writing on the concerns I Iraised about the city's growth I Ipolicies, Crecine said, "I trust I lyou have asked yourself what I Icontrol the city could II I mately have over the decisions I I of the_ University -hospitals, I [research fïr'ms, industrial firms, I I and EEëfike which ultimately I I determine whether the región I I experiences a population in-I crease or not." "If your group has any feasi-l ble mechanism for controllingl the disaggregate decisions ofl those .instjtutions in our com-l