Supervisors of the Community Development District 6 board showed signs Tuesday they may vote next month to relax some of the district’s restrictions on driveway expansion.
A year ago, they decided not to change the policy, but several homeowners have complained that they want to expand their driveways so the board decided to look at the issue again.
At Tuesday’s workshop meeting, board supervisors heard from a contractor and a friend of residents who want to expand their driveway. Supervisors took no action, but will consider the issue at next month’s regular CDD 6 meeting.
CDD 6 includes The Villages of Bridgeport at Miona Shores, Bridgeport at Lake Sumter, Tall Trees, Virginia Trace, Lake Shore Cottages, Edgewater Bungalows, Amelia, Largo, Sabal Chase, Caroline and Mallory.
Premier homes in some of these communities have multiple garages and residents want their driveways to ensure easy access to them. One CDD 6 supervisor said he’s aware of a Villages home with nine garages.
Contractor Jerome Wilson brought pictures of wide driveways to the meeting in an effort to bolster his case for a wider driveway on Beechwood Lane in Bridgeport at Miona Shores, where he built a garage addition.
Wilson said most driveways in the neighborhood are large and rectangular like the expansion his client wants.
Jack Ridolph said he also was representing the Beachwood Street homeowners who want to enlarge their driveway. The homeowners say the driveway they have been left with is a neighborhood eyesore.
“It’s not an expansion,” he said. “It’s a completion of the project.”
He said a home in a another district has a driveway that could fit a full-size basketball court, but supervisors told him they were concerned only about District 6 driveways.
Driveways are not supposed to be connected to other roads, walkways or cart paths other than the main road, according to the community’s Architectural Review Manual.
Attorney Valerie Fuchs told board members they could take a conservative or liberal approach to driveway expansion, either prohibiting it or allowing expansion under certain circumstances. Under either approach, she said, the board would retain the flexibility to reject projects that are not “harmonious” or “aesthetically pleasing.”
“I think our main goal is to be consistent throughout The Villages,” said Supervisor Joyce Edmonds.
But consistency on driveway expansion is difficult, Fuchs said, because other districts have made varying interpretations of the rules.
She also said a resident turned down for driveway expansion could appeal to the Developer, who retains development rights even in areas governed by CDDs. The Developer also has built homes with wide driveways.
“We’re making parking lots out of a lot of these driveways,” said Supervisor Peter Moeller, adding that wider driveways would provide more room for parking. The Villages does not restrict cars parked in driveways.
Board chairwoman Sally Moss asked Fuchs if driveway size could be restricted by lot size or type of home, but the attorney said that might not be the best approach.
“I think a lot of us are concerned about the concrete jungle,” Moss said.
Resident Nancy Thompson said supervisors should not mix drainage and parking issues with driveway expansion, but that those issues should be addressed on their own.
“Let’s not fix parking cases with whether you can have home (driveway) aprons,” she said.
After a 1 1/2-hour discussion, supervisors appeared ready to relax some of the rules to allow larger driveways. They talked about allowing expansion to accommodate garage additions.
They opposed allowing more curb cuts or allowing a circular driveway, as one resident has requested. They agreed that driveways generally should be the size of the garage doors and aprons restricted to the boundaries of the home or garage. They said aprons should bring the driveway to no wider than the home’s width.
On another matter, supervisors also discussed whether expansion projects should be permitted in the front yards of courtyard villas that have more yard space because they are on the end of a street. Only landscaping currently is allowed in the front yards of courtyard villas, but homeowners have proposed front-yard additions on larger lots.
