Cutting corners: Carson City homeowners face off against city regarding high rolled curbs, 'necessary' ramps

Throughout the summer, homeowners in the Schulz Ranch area have faced off against Carson City code enforcement over a contentious topic: ramps.

Homeowners argue that because the streets are so narrow and the grades so high, rolled curbs should never have been approved for the development, leaving them with no choice but to add ramps to get their vehicles in and out of their driveways safely.

However, the city argues that homeowners have no right to place anything in the gutters or streets, which are owned by the city, and could potentially interfere with storm drain functionality.

One homeowner, who asked not to be named for this article, said they spoke to city staff about what they are supposed to do without a ramp since they cannot get in and out of their driveway without damaging their vehicle. According to the homeowner, they were told they would need to foot the bill for a new driveway, and must have the project approved by the city through permitting.

However, the homeowner said over 140 residents just in their development alone have received notices regarding ramps, and that fixing what they call the developer's mistake would cost roughly $5,000 for each house.

This, the homeowner said, is completely unreasonable. If 140 homes are experiencing the same issue and must supplement with ramps, then the issue needs to be dealt with on a larger scale.

They also pointed out that, under current codes, there is nothing strictly barring ramps from being placed at the edges of driveways.

Mayor Lori Bagwell weighed in on the debate, stating that it’s a complicated issue and that she sees all sides of the problem.

“There’s a rational reason for saying we don’t want things in the gutters, because we want to maintain public safety and we want our stormwater systems to be maintained and safe during street sweeping and floods,” Bagwell said. “On the other hand, I have empathy to homeowners who are saying they need these ramps to get their vehicles up their driveways.”

Bagwell said that, because of this issue, staff is examining several proposals.

One deals with the ramps itself, with an ordinance being crated that will specifically bar residents from placing items, including ramps, within the gutters for an extended period of time.

“I don’t think anyone is proposing to ban ramps in situations, for example, of getting a travel trailer up the curb,” Bagwell said. “You go in, place the ramps down, get the trailer up, and remove the ramps. I understand it’s a necessity.”

Secondly, staff is looking at whether or not to ban the rolled curbs altogether in future developments, or potentially once they are past a certain grade.

However, both are in the preliminary periods, Bagwell said, and she looks forward to seeing what staff will propose.

“It’s a catch-22 situation all around,” Bagwell said. “We want affordable housing and to keep prices down, so developers are cutting costs with rolling curbs. But at the same time, you need appropriate driveways. We don’t want ramps causing storm drains to back up into people’s houses. So I think we’re going to do more research and find out what other cities are doing, because we’re not the only ones with rolled curbs.”

Several homeowners who are at odds with the city, however, have only one request: leave their ramps alone.

They argue that, against code enforcement’s claims, the heavy duty rubberized ramps they are using are specifically designed to not impede stormwaters, and as for street sweepers, cars are allowed to park in the city right-of-way against curbs, which far outnumber the number of ramps in the neighborhood.

According to the homeowner, a flash flood that occurred this summer directed a large flow of water and mud from Lahontan Drive to Elk Ridge, where approximately six inches of mud ultimately settled.

“Our ramps did not move, nor impede, that worse case scenario flood,” the homeowner said.

Following the mud flow, “robust” street sweeping occurred, which the ramps did not interfere with, and during the historic winter last season, snow plows were also not impeded by the ramps, according to the homeowner.

Bagwell said that, moving forward with the issue, Supervisors will most likely hold a joint meeting with the Planning Commission to discuss next steps.

“It’s an opportunity for the community to come together and say ‘Here’s an issue we need to address, what are everyone’s ideas?’” Bagwell said. “Staff is going to try to solve for everyone, but in the end, we’ll have to go with what is best for the majority of the community.”

This is a developing story and we will update with new information when it is available.