A heart attack or stroke. Fire. Car accident. When La Plata County residents need emergency assistance, they want it now.
One obstacle to quick response has been the myriad layouts of driveways in the county, many of which are too steep, too narrow or with curves that are too tight for emergency vehicles to access homes, according to Durango Fire Protection District Chief Dan Noonan.
About 50 first responders, La Plata County staff members and area builders met Wednesday to discuss a proposed driveway code for new construction.
The code would not apply to existing residences or existing residences undergoing a remodel. It would apply to driveways that access private roads, while the current code applies to only the first 15 feet of driveways that intersect with country roads.
The code includes standards for grade, pullouts and turnarounds, drainage, widths and curve radii.
“This is not just about emergency management,” said Paul Kosnik, who’s in the county attorney’s office. “There are land-use, planning and road-maintenance issues being addressed, too.”
County Public Works Director Jim Davis said the code-development process included a review of the other 16 or 18 counties in Colorado that have driveway codes.
“Some are much more restrictive than this,” he said.
Reactions varied from wondering why the driveway code is necessary to wanting more flexibility to requesting more rigid, clear guidelines.
“Most people who are building are going out and using common sense,” real estate attorney Denny Ehlers said. “Is it really necessary to develop something like this if we think it’s common sense?”
Developer Emil Wanatka disagreed, saying he liked strict standards.
“Prescriptive measures may be more painful up front,” he said. “But the value created is real. We continue to build larger and larger houses in more difficult areas in La Plata County and all over Colorado. We need to start thinking like this.”
Developments, soil and terrain differ so much across the county, several people recommended a matrix of features so the code is adaptable.
“It would be nice to develop “what if?” scenarios,” said Eric Flora, who’s developing Edgemont Highlands.
“If you’re adding sprinklers, you don’t have to do this, if you have a fire hydrant, you don’t have to do that. Edgemont has paved streets, fire hydrants and requires hard-surface driveways, but there are lots that would be unbuildable without variances under this code.”
Kosnik said the original plan was to take the proposed code to the Planning Commission in October, but it may need more extensive work before staff is ready to submit it after the discussion.
Pam Wise, executive director of Fire Wise of Southwest Colorado, said she’ll support having a code, and hopes to continue retrofitting older subdivisions with better designed roads and emergency features.
“I think the time has come to have a code for new development,” she said. “If you don’t pay up front, you pay for it later. I’m not a big code fan, but there will always be opposition when you propose change. And I look at some of these subdivisions and driveways and have to ask, ‘Is it fair to put emergency responders in there?’”
abutler@durangoherald.com
Driveway Standards Information (PDF)
