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DESCRIPTION AND CONDITIONS: A petition has been submitted to abandon the entire 15th Street S. W. right-of-way within the Grovenor Estates subdivision. This right-of--wav segment is located along the southern boundary of Grovenor Estates, and abuts a portion of the site approved to be developed as "The Colony" PD (planned development). The subject right-of-way segment is a 35' wide public "half -street that is unpaved but improved (graded) as a 14' to 16'+ wide travelway (see attachment #2). This right-of-way abandonment request was initiated by The Colony developer as a result of an approval condition for The Colony PD project. Because the subject portion of 15' Street S.W. does not provide the sole direct access to any adjacent Grovenor Estates lots, does not provide access to The Colony development, and is substandard in width, it is a candidate for abandonment. In accordance with county procedures, adjacent property owners were notified of, and participated in, the Technical Review Committee review of this request. The Board of County Commissioners is now to consider granting this abandonment request. ANALYSIS: The referenced segment of 15`' Street S.W. right-of-way was created as a county -maintained half - street in 1957 via the Grovenor Estates subdivision plat. Currently, no residences are accessed by this segment of 1511' Street S.W. Therefore, no existing development uses this right -of --way access. During review and approval of The Colony project, the County accepted and approved The Colony's project design. That design does not connect to or use the subject segment of 15th Street S.W., and instead provides a golf course along 15" Street S.W. Because the Colony developer neither needs nor proposes use of the adjacent subject right-of-way, there is no need to complete the half -street for vehicular access. Also, it should be noted that the owners of adjacent Grovenor Estates lots would benefit from the abandonment by the resulting increase in lot sizes and buildable area, since all abandoned right-of-way area would revert to adjacent Grovenor Estates lots. In reviewing any right-of-way abandonment request, it is important to consider the characteristics and function of the road to be abandoned. In this case, the subject segment of 15'° Street S.W. has a low volume of local traffic and merely serves as a "loop road" connection between the south ends of 32"d Avenue S.W. and 33`11 Avenue S.W. (see attachment #2). Thus, the subject road segment serves as an occasional turnaround for vehicles that travel to the southern ends of 32nd Avenue S.W. and 33`11 Avenue S.W. Proposed Access Drainage and Utility Easements Per guidelines established by the Board, this petition has been reviewed by all county divisions and Utility providers having potential interest in the right-of-way. All departments and utility providers have recommended approval, although several departments have recommended approval with conditions. Those conditions are that the county retain an access, drainage, utility, and pedestrian easement over the entire abandoned segment. By retaining such an easement, the 15t° Street S.W. travelway can be maintained as is nd , in lieu of creating dead end T -turnarounds at the south ends of 32 Avenue S.W. and 33`11 Avenue S.W. Also, establishing the easement will retain pedestrian access for Grovenor Estates residents and allow for any future drainage and utility improvements. Such an arrangement is similar to what was approved for a Greenbriar Estates roadway segment that was located adjacent to the Pointe West PD and abandoned, with easement retained, on February 1, 2000. The" Public Works Department has agreed to maintain the travelway within the proposed easement, as necessary. OCTOBER 23, 2001 -35- 1J Jr V Plh r tj4)