Carroll County weighs changes to road design standards to balance fire access and neighborhood character

Carroll County staff told commissioners on May 21 that revisions to the county road design manual are underway to better align pavement widths, emergency access and neighborhood form.

Brian Bokey, director of public works, said the county follows NFPA guidance for fire access roads and typically builds a 22-foot pavement to accommodate a 20-foot clear emergency lane. “Some of the biggest drivers for road width. Number 1 is always safety. Whether it's fire EMS access, sight distance, turning movements, pedestrian crossing, we're always concerned with safety, number 1,” Bokey said.

Chris Hine, director of planning and land management, described the development review process and the technical review committee (TRC), noting the TRC brings multiple agencies and volunteer fire companies together early in the project review so design conflicts—such as sight distance versus landscaping or stormwater—can be identified and addressed.

Fire Chief Michael Robinson said the county’s older neighborhoods, built in the 1960s and 1970s, pose access challenges because apparatus is larger today. “Many of the older communities in Carroll County were built in the sixties and seventies. And, obviously, our apparatus has gotten a lot larger and our requirements have increased,” Robinson said, urging flexibility where site conditions require variances.

Commissioners and staff discussed specific design elements under review: verges (the grass strip between curb and sidewalk), sidewalk widths for ADA compliance (5 feet preferred; 4 feet acceptable with passing areas), mountable versus standard curbs, and limits on cul-de-sac length. Staff reiterated that the county’s subdivision road matrix associates zoning and projected traffic with recommended pavement widths and right-of-way so developers and reviewers have predictable expectations.

The presentation also addressed parking and enforcement. Staff noted that private site plans such as Nels Acres remain the responsibility of the property owner or management company and that failure to enforce a site plan provision would generally be handled as a zoning/site-plan violation, not direct sheriff enforcement. “So then it would be a call to our zoning office and we would go out and enforce notice of violation,” Chris Hine said.

Next steps: staff said draft text amendments and updated plates from the design manual will be circulated to the board for consideration and that they will present recommended changes in a future board meeting for action.