5-5-2009 Council Meeting

Did Kommandant Kohler tell a fib?

I surely did think that I heard Col. Kohler tell a little fib at last night’s council meeting when he said that there was no law about driveways in our fair city. Did the Kommandant forget about Section 1225 of his “Middletown - Planning and Zoning Code” (part of the Codified Ordinances)????

§ 1225.01 SCOPE.

The following standards will apply to all single, two-, three- and four-family dwellings for which building permit applications are filed after the effective date of this chapter. No building permit shall be issued without a determination from the Architectural Review Board (ARB) of compliance with the standards set forth herein.

(Ord. 2002-91, passed 8-6-2002; Am. Ord. O2005-114, passed 11-15-2005)

§ 1225.03 ARCHITECTURAL STANDARDS.

(g) Minimum off-street parking. A minimum number of off-street parking shall be provided based on the following:

Housing and Architectural Standards

Floor Area Per Single Family         Minimum Off-street Parking

Unit (Square Feet)                            Spaces

1,200–2,000                                  3

2,001–3,000                                  4

3,001 or more                                5

(h) Garages and driveways.

(1) Garages. Street-facing garages shall not comprise more than 50% of the ground floor building frontages. Any garage with more than two car parking capacity should not directly face onto any street. It is recommended that any garage with more than two car parking capacity should have the sidewall facing onto the street. All garage doors shall be compatible with the dwelling style and colors.

(2) Driveways. Circular driveways shall be avoided as they increase the amount of paved area in the front yard. Also, consider using paving materials other than plain concrete or asphalt, as the driveway paving material has a big impact on the visual character of the property.

These requirements would apply not only to NEW construction, but also to any permits requests for additions or major remodeling projects.

Of course, the Kommandant could have been a little worried. It looks like he left just enough “wiggle room” in his wording to let any of his “good friends” off of this expensive hook!!!

Whoops! There is a nice ranch home at the corner of Rosedale and Rachel Lane that has a 4 car garage that faces Rosedale. This, I Believe, is a violation under h- item #1 Garages. Whoops! There is a nice home at the corner of Briel and Rosedale that has a nice circular drive in front of it. I believe this violates h- #2 Driveways. I'm sure there are many "violations" as described under this scope. Sounds like the Kohlermeister has some "rules" that are not strictly enforced. How many building permits are issued for room additions without the "Architectural Review Board" being involved? Many I suspect. As to the use of materials. I thought they said if you have a concrete drive, they wanted you to use concrete. Same with blacktop. Can't mix 'em under penalty of death. Didn't Leslie Eugene Landon also say something about dumping a load of gravel in your yard and calling it a driveway in the last council meeting? Finally- "consider using paving material other than plain concrete or asphalt, as the driveway has a big impact on the visual "character" of the property".(I can see where a hunk of concrete would contribute to the character- Sure!)- Outside of concrete or asphalt, what choices for driveway material would one have to enhance the "character" of one's property? How about mulch or "fiesta" colored patio blocks for a driveway? Those would be crowd-pleasers!