Seward City Council requires wider, paved streets and no cul-de-sacs in new subdivisions

The Seward City Council voted 6-0 Monday to rewrite the city's subdivision code. Developers must now provide 60 feet of street right-of-way instead of 50, pave the part used for driving and add pedestrian facilities, either sidewalks or a wider paved strip marked for walkers. Permanent cul-de-sacs are banned, and electric lines must go underground.

Courtney, a Community Development Department staff member, said much of the rewrite puts into code what the city already required. The Planning and Zoning Commission approved the changes unanimously in September.

Developers pay for those improvements. Tim McDonald, the only person to testify, said the requirements could add 20 or 30 percent to the cost of a house and that the city should pay at least half. He said the city gave one contractor almost $400,000 for subdivision improvements two years ago. "It shouldn't be an exclusive enclave, and passing this kind of legislation is what that does," he said.

Council member Michael Calhoon said developers in the city's program have had to pay back about half the money it front-funded, and that the cost will be built into lot prices and paid by homeowners. "This has been in the code. This just makes it, in my opinion, tighter," he said. Council member Robert Barnwell said Forest Acres was an example of a developer that slipped by and cost everybody a lot of money.

The ordinance also opens a waiver for wells, cisterns and rainwater catchment, written with Nash Road and Mount Alice Estates in mind. A subdivision qualifies if it sits more than 400 feet from city water or if slope makes a connection impractical. Owners must hook up within 12 months of notice once city water comes within 400 feet.

Homes off city water must also keep enough water stored at all times for fire sprinklers, City Manager Kat Sorensen said.

The rules apply only to properties being subdivided now or in the future, Courtney said.