Street Widening

Street Widening

Street Widening General:
Two options are available to property owners if they have an interest in requesting the widening or paving of a city street. These involve the construction of (1) a ribbon asphalt pavement with shoulders and side ditches or (2) an asphalt street with concrete curb and gutter and storm drainage facilities. Each of these must involve the construction of a street widening that extends for one or more full city blocks and must be in conformance with the City’s Engineering Specifications and Standard Details.

Petition:
Property owners may initiate the widening/paving of a street with either of the options outlined above. Upon request, a petition form may be obtained from the Engineering Department. It generally takes a few days following the initial request for a petition form to be prepared. The petitioner circulates the petition form among the property owners that abut the length of the proposed widening project in an attempt to secure signatures supporting the project. The petition form outlines the proposed cost to property owners.

If the petition form is returned to the Engineering Department with a sufficient number of signatures, then the City Council will consider authorization of the project at a public hearing. The number of signatures on the petition form is sufficient if it is signed by a majority of the property owners all of whom collectively own a majority of the front footage of the properties abutting the proposed street widening.

Following approval of the proposed project, a contract is let for construction of the widening project. When the project is completed an assessment roll is confirmed by the City Council and notices for the amounts of their respective assessments are forwarded to each property owner. A lump sum may be paid for the entire assessment or arrangements can be made for five annual installment payments with interest accruing at 8% per annum.