City's Planning & Zoning Commission is recommending requiring sidewalks on just one side of the streets in the Bruening Addition

The Decorah City Council is being sent a recommendation that property owners in the Bruening subdivision be allowed to have sidewalks on just one side of streets in the area.

Sidewalks are typically required on both sides of streets in Decorah.  But when the preliminary plat for the subdivision was submitted years ago to the city's Planning & Zoning Commission, it contained sidewalks on just one side of the streets.  Then even that requirement was removed from the final plat, which showed no sidewalks on either side of the streets.

Planning & Zoning Commission members felt it was appropriate to ask that the requirements of the preliminary plat be followed.  Engineering consultant Jeff Schlig from McClure Engineering says his firm estimates it would cost a total of $450,000 to install sidewalks everywhere in the subdivision and north along Park Street and Linden Street.  City Administrator Chad Bird says such costs could be assessed to the property owners.

City council members will be advised to consider one option to possibly hold down the cost of the sidewalks--using 4 feet of the street on one side to build "California sidewalks"--sidewalks that directly abut the street.  Schlig says such an approach could avoid the cost of building retaining walls in some locations.

The recommendation from the Planning & Zoning Commission will now be sent on to the Decorah City Council.