The Carrboro Board of Aldermen voted to pass changes made to the town code on snow and ice removal.
After receiving complaints from Carrboro residents following the snowstorms last year, the board looked to clarify the language of the town code.
The previous town code states that occupants of store buildings are required to remove snow or ice from paved sidewalks at the earliest possible time. The proposed amendment to the code included the addition of parking lots and multi-family housing units when clearing snow or ice.
Property managers spoke during the public hearing to address the language in the addition.
“I was a little concerned with some vagueness in the wording, particularly the phrase ‘as soon as possible,’” Celeste Gardner, community manager for Twin Magnolias, said.
“I’m also concerned that it says sidewalk and/or paved parking area,” she said. “That kind of implies that we need to clear the whole parking area.”
Gardner added that usually a path is cleared in the parking lot for residents, and residents are the ones responsible for clearing the area around their own cars.
“It’s a little over broad in our opinions,” Jennifer Creech, senior property manager at Apartment Dynamics, said. “To put this responsibility on us — to say ‘as early as possible’ to have it cleared — it really sets us up for a liability and large cost in the property management world.”
Board of Alderman member Damon Seils discussed the public safety concern that occurred last year during the snowstorms and said he was worried that emergency vehicles would not be able to access the properties.
“I think we can probably tighten up some of the language in some ways,” Seils said. “I don’t accept the premise that language as broad as this places a great deal of responsibility on property owners any more than the existing language does.”
Board of Aldermen member Bethany Chaney agreed not to delay the implementation of new language, but said some of the language is a little too vague.
“We have the obligation to really work with this text,” Chaney said.
“Winter is coming, I think it would be nice to have some new language in place,” Seils said.
The board also heard the overview of the Northside Initiative, which was intended to help drive the town of Carrboro’s actions with the initiative. Additionally, updates were heard about the Lloyd Farm development application and policing in Carrboro.
Noteable:
The Carrboro Police Department is working to mitigate racial bias, and said marijuana enforcement is a low priority.
Quoteable:
"I have neighbors who were trapped in their apartments because their properties had not been cleared," said Seils.
@janelittle26
city@dailytarheel.com
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