News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Overton County Regional Planning Commissioners wants to update sidewalk and signature block regulations to meet federal disability standards.
Tommy Lee is the Director of Economic and Community Development for the Upper Cumberland Development District. Lee said the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires the county to maintain all sidewalks in the right-of-ways.
“They can quickly eat up a road budget if the county was to have to maintain sidewalks. Currently, the county does not have any sidewalks that they have to maintain,” Lee said. “And sidewalks are a good thing, but they need to be maintained by the homeowners’ association of whatever neighborhood they belong to.”
The Overton County Regional Planning Commission wants to update sidewalk and signature block regulations to meet federal requirements. (File Photo)
Lee said the changes in how regulations are worded will keep sidewalks out of the right-of-way. Lee also notes the signature blocks serve as a verification tool for the subdivision plats.
“When we adopted the subdivision regulations, there was some confusion. The wording in some of the signature blocks was confusing,” Lee said. “So what we are doing is we are just tightening it up to make it easier to understand and more applicable, if that makes sense.”
Lee said the two changes will benefit multiple agencies.
“What we are trying to do is make it easier on the surveyors and also make it easier on the folks that are signing the plat,” Lee said. “To make sure they are not putting themselves in precarious situations. Where they could potentially get in trouble on down the line. It’s good for everyone involved.”
Lee said the changes will only affect divisions of property under 5 acres. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Oct. 7.
