Planning commission recommends larger cul‑de‑sac bulbs, limits on dead‑end lengths to meet fire code

The Planning Commission recommended that the city revise its cul‑de‑sac standards to meet fire code and to improve future connectivity.

City Engineer Clark Kent Fugal told commissioners the city’s current standard yields an approximate 89‑foot drivable diameter in the cul‑de‑sac bulb, while fire code requires 96 feet. "So we're short on meeting fire code," he said. To address that, staff proposed increasing the turnaround radius at the property line to 60 feet and modifying allowable cul‑de‑sac lengths: 550 feet in residential zones (measured from the center line of the cross street to the cul‑de‑sac center) and 750 feet in other zones.

Commissioners also discussed parking and temporary turnarounds. Staff proposed changing the maximum length of a dead end without a temporary turnaround to 150 feet (measured from the center line of the cross street), aligning with fire code guidance and reducing barriers to creating stub streets that enable future connectivity. Staff said the city engineer can work with developers on engineering solutions and that variances or appeals to council remain possible. The commission voted to recommend the revisions.