Residential driveways in Paola can now be a little bit wider thanks to action taken last week by the Paola City Council.
Council members addressed the ongoing issue during their Jan. 14 meeting, but the topic was first reviewed by city officials last summer when developer Craig Browning asked for a revision of the city’s land development ordinance to allow for wider residential access drives depending on garage size. City Manager Jay Wieland also previously has talked about homeowners who have directly asked the city for changes. He mentioned a previous request from a homeowner with a three-car garage who wanted a wider access drive to avoid issues with a vehicle on the paved wing having trouble backing out, especially if another car is parked on the driveway.
In another case, a homeowner wanted to build a driveway big enough to park six to eight vehicles for visiting family members and friends.
In October 2018, the Paola Planning Commission recommended approval of a text amendment that would have changed the criteria from a 10 feet minimum and 20 feet maximum at the right-of-way line to a minimum of 10 feet and a maximum of 32 feet or 35 percent of lot frontage, whichever is less at the right-of-way line.
(Read more: The Miami County Republic)