By Dave Fidlin
CORRESPONDENT
With the goal of having specific parameters in place as new residential developments bubble to the surface, Village of Rochester officials are in the midst of considering a series of policies and procedures concerning private roads.
Throughout the community, a smattering of subdivisions and individual homes have installed roads that are not directly under the village’s auspices — many dating back before the village and town became one joint municipality in 2009.
The impetus for the current review comes as officials examine language within the village’s land division code, which pertains to scenarios where multi-acreage plots of land are carved up to accommodate neighborhood developments.
Betty Novy, Rochester clerk-treasurer, discussed the issue with members of the Plan Commission at a meeting Aug. 1. Private roadways, she said, provide unique challenges since they are not under the village’s auspices.
Many of the private roadways in the village are narrower than public thoroughfares because they have not been subjected to the same standards over the years. Novy pointed out some private roads are as narrow as 8 feet in width, which is in stark contrast to public roadways.
The non-uniformity of private roadways also has provided challenges over the years for municipal services. Case in point: Novy said there have been concerns about emergency vehicles accessing homes and adequately having the ability to back out of private roadways.
Other issues in the past on private roadways have included enforcement of traffic laws and maintaining the streets. In some instances, Novy said property owners abutting private roadways are subject to an extra layer of taxation at the end of the year by way of a streets and lights levy.
“We’ve had to get creative with this kind of situation,” Novy said of ensuring this group of residents receive the same level of municipal services.
Historically, many of the village’s private roadways were created as families created their own developments. The infrastructure was created out of verbal agreements. The rub, however, has come as the homes are sold and no agreement is in place.
“A lot of these private roads fall into a sort of pitfall when that happens,” commissioner Mark Tamblyn said. “Who takes care of these roads when the homes are sold?”
In some of the more recent cases, homeowners associations have been created to handle the responses of private roadway maintenance.
From her vantage point, Novy said village decision-makers have one of two options as future private roadways are proposed.
“Either we have a completely different process, or we stay with the course of what we’ve been doing,” Novy said.
Commissioner Patricia Gerber said she believed a clear, coherent process should be put in place so there is not any ambiguity in the future.
“That way, we will have consistency and continuity as we move forward,” Gerber said.
Commissioners agreed to begin drafting a set of procedures. The proposal is advancing to the Village Board for further deliberation and possible action.
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