Thursday, April 24, 2008

Gravel/Concrete Ordinance

There have been several questions regarding some information in the "spring clean-up guide". The statement being: Parking on an un-surfaced area is prohibited. Make sure all vehicles and trailers are parked on an appropriate solid surfaced area. By June 2010 all parking areas from the front corner of the house to the street will be required to be surfaced with concrete or asphalt. Gravel already in place will no longer be an acceptable parking surface.

This has raised some questions from residents. One friend, wanted to know where in the actual city code this was addressed. I talked with my Neigborhood Services contact, Craig Thomas & he sent me the following information. He said, "Okay - it was adopted May 2005. The reference in City Code is 7-9-115 (see attached). Code Enforcement will be the ones enforcing the code. If you go to the City webpage, there is a box on the left side that says "Code and Ordinances" click on it and it takes you to the City Code. Then click on "Title 7 - Land Use Development and Management Act" it will open the document I attached. Page 83-84 has section 115 that talks about surfacing.

Here is that specific information:


7-9-115. SURFACING.
The following requirements apply to all new off-street parking spaces and maneuvering areas as of May 1, 2005. Off-street parking spaces and maneuvering areas that do not meet one or more of the following requirements and were completed prior to May 1, 2005 must comply with the following requirements by June 1, 2010.
(1) All minimum number of
off-street parking spaces and maneuvering areas shall be paved and permanently
maintained with asphalt or concrete with the following exceptions:
(a)
Agricultural and heavy equipment uses will be evaluated as to their impact on
City streets, neighboring properties and the subject property with appropriate
dustless surfacing to be determined by the Zoning Administrator. Access to
detached garages which provide parking areas in excess of minimum parking stall
numbers, shall provide an appropriate dustless surface provided the minimum
front yard driveway is paved with asphalt or cement. A dustless surface can be
gravel provided the gravel is a minimum of two inches deep and contained with
durable borders.
(b) Surfacing standards for single family dwelling and duplex lots are found in Subsection 2 below.
(2) All off-street parking areas
for single family dwelling or duplex lots shall meet the following standards:
(a) All parking and maneuvering areas shall be paved and permanently maintained with a hard-surface with the following exceptions:
(i) Access to detached garages, which provide parking areas in excess of the minimum required parking spaces, shall be either gravel or a hard-surface provided the front yard access is a hard-surface.
(ii)
Recreational vehicles such as boats and campers that are used infrequently shall
be parked on either gravel or a hardsurface if they are placed in the rear yard
or a side yard that is not adjacent to a public or private street. The access to
recreational vehicle parking spaces may be through landscaping, as defined in
Section 7-1-103, provided the landscaping is maintained in a healthy
condition.
(iii) Parking and maneuvering areas in excess of the minimum required parking spaces shall be either gravel or a hard-surface if they are within the rear yard or a side yard that is not adjacent to a public or private street, except as provided in
(ii) above.
(b) Whenever gravel is used for parking in a residential zone, the gravel must be a minimum of two inches deep, compacted, free of grass and weeds, and contained with durable borders.
(c) For the purposes of Section 7-9-115 Subsection 2, a hard-surface shall only include concrete, asphalt, brick pavers and stone.

West Valley City Municipal Code Title 7 – Land Use Development and
Management Act
Title 7 – Pg 84 (Revised 2/28/2008)
(d) Hard surfaced
parking strips with a minimum width of two feet (2’) each may be used for
parking and maneuvering areas instead of a solid driveway. Landscaping, as
defined in Section 7-1-103, must be installed and maintained in a healthy
condition between the parking strips. For the purposes of the determining the
hard surface percentage in the front yard for item e below, the landscaped space
between the parking strips shall be included in the hard surface percentage.
(e) In order to allow double driveways, and to allow hard-surface
access to the rear yard, up to, but not more than, 40 percent of a front yard
may be covered with a hardsurface. Lots with duplexes, twin home lots,
cul-de-sac lots, or lots on major streets needing circular driveways may
increase the hard-surface percent to 50 percent.
3) All off-street vehicle parking must occur in an area that meets the requirements of Subsections 1 and 2 of Section 7-9-115. No parking shall be allowed in landscaped areas.

(Ord. No. 02-59 Amended 09/17/2002; Ord. No. 05-19 Amended 04/19/2005)



If you have further questions, please contact me.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

National Night Out - Aug 5, 2008

August 5, 2008
We'll be holding it at the same place as last year
Pine Valley Lane. We will be having guests from the WVC Police & Fire Departments...there's even rumor that McGruff will be heading out to Diamond Summit! We will be providing Children ID Kits (Fingerprint & DNA) at the National Night Out.
What would YOU like to do at our NNO Block Party? Some ideas are:
Hot Dog BBQ Potluck
Children's Bike Parade
Guest Speaker
Water Balloon Toss/Games
Pie Eating Contest or other Contests
Service Project
Face Painting
Does anyone have access to a sno-cone machine? Or cotton candy machine?
National Night Out is an event organized
to:
  • Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;
  • Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime
    programs;
  • Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community
    partnerships; and
  • Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods
    are organized and fighting back.

If anyone would like to donate food or items for our NNO to be fun & successful, please email me at summitneighborhoodwatch@yahoo.com . We had a great time last year...hope we can make it bigger & better in 2008!

Spring Clean-Up Guide

Spring Guide to Property Maintenance

  • Keep vehicles, lumber, fencing, bushes, and other items from obstructing or blocking the sidewalk. Make sure your trees are trimmed seven feet above the sidewalk and 14 feet above the street to provide a safe and clear route for vehicles and passersby.
  • Front yard landscaping is required on both sides of the driveway and in the parkway. Landscaping needs to be maintained in a live, healthy condition.
  • Parking on an un-surfaced area is prohibited. Make sure all vehicles and trailers are parked on an appropriate solid surfaced area. By June 2010 all parking areas from the front corner of the house to the street will be required to be surfaced with concrete or asphalt. Gravel already in place will no longer be an acceptable parking surface.
  • Trash & debris need to be placed in an enclosed container and not allowed to accumulate or blow off of your property. Boxes, along with other outside storage are not permitted and need to be placed in an enclosed structure, such as a shed.
  • All weeds need to be cut and maintained at a height not to exceed six inches, thus reducing rodent and insect harborage, and to prevent fires. Weeds cut below six inches do not constitute landscaping.
  • All vehicles kept on the property need to be operable and licensed, or stored in an enclosed structure, such as a garage.
  • Yard, garage, basement or other similar sales are not allowed more than four times each year, and each sale cannot last more than 72 hours.
  • Graffiti must be removed within 24 hours. The City can offer limited assistance. Please call 963-3289 for more information.
  • If you have questions, please call Code Enforcement at 963-3289. Click HERE for most violated ordinances.

BULKY WASTE

Bulky Waste Removel is a way for residents to get rid of those big, bulky waste items that don’t fit in with their regular garbage pickup service. All material must be boxed, bagged, or bundled. Nothing over 5 feet long or 75 pounds is allowed. Absolutely NO hazardous materials. Bulky Waste is picked up once a month and corresponds with an area’s regular garbage pickup date. To find out when your Bulky Waste Removal day is, please visit www.wvc-ut.gov/bulkywaste . If you have questions, please call Public Works at 955-3720.

NEIGHBORHOOD DUMPSTERS

Once a year, per area, residents, volunteer groups and neighborhood associations may schedule 10 dumpsters for neighborhood cleanup projects. The dumpsters are delivered and picked up two days later. Groups must advertise the cleanup project, collect the debris and load it into the dumpsters.If you have questions, please call Public Works at 955-3720.

Information taken from the WVC Official Website.

Vial of Life Program


This month the West Valley City Neighborhood Services Office in partnership with the West Valley City Fire and Police Departments, Pioneer Valley Hospital and the West Valley City Community Corps Council launched a new program called the “Vial of Life.” This program is for West Valley City residents only.


The Vial of Life is an emergency preparedness program to help make West Valley City more disaster resistant and resilient through citizen volunteer involvement. The purpose of the Vial of Life program is to encourage residents, particularly those who are home bound, living alone,
or with special medical needs, to compile personal information and place it where it can be easily located by 911 responders in the event of an emergency. The vial comes with a personal information sheet, a vial to keep the information sheet(s) in, and a refrigerator magnet to place on the refrigerator door to alert emergency personal of the homes participation in the program. More information is available online at: www.wvc-ut.gov/vial

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Driver Feedback Signs

I just wanted to ask you a favor regarding our Driver Feedback Signs on Wakefield, Laurel Canyon & High Bluff. I was asked by the WVC Public Works Department to keep an eye on the signs. There has been some vandalism & tampering with them. Each sign was a significant amount of money. We need these in our neighborhoods to remind people to slow down...for the safety of our families! I especially don't want the city to perceive that we are ungrateful for these signs, we need to take care of them as much as we can. Please...keep an eye out for any suspicious behavior around these signs. So...if you see anything odd...please call the police 840-4000. If you are uncomfortable calling the police, please email me at summitneighborhoodwatch@yahoo.com .
Thank you!!