FAMILY GAINS SUPPORT FOR STREET WORK

Two months ago Paul and Patricia Brown faced the bleak prospect of being new property owners of a lot they were unable to build on.

But thanks to the cooperation of abutting property owners, who joined the Browns' efforts to secure access to the neighborhood, the Cape Girardeau City Council Monday authorized engineering work for a new street in front of the Browns' lot.

The couple purchased the lot in an undeveloped portion of the Belleridge Subdivision on the city's north end. The wooded lot fronted Jasmine, an undeveloped street that was planned years ago but was never built.

In May the Browns asked the City Council to allow them to build a driveway on city right of way for Jasmine. Although the street, designed to connect Flad to Dixie, was never built, a small section of the route serves as a gravel driveway that's maintained by property owners abutting the Brown's lot.

That driveway was permitted through a maintenance contract between the property owners and the city. The Browns requested a similar contract for their property.

But city staff and council members said the previous agreement was a "bad precedent" they didn't want to perpetuate. Subdivision regulations adopted in 1976 expressly prohibit construction of a home on property that doesn't abut a paved, city street.

With the council's denial of his request, Brown was at a loss for options.

Assistant City Manager Al Stoverink suggested Brown canvass neighboring property owners and try to convince them to petition the city for street and sewer improvements along Jasmine.

Stoverink said that when the Lexington arterial project is completed the area just north of Jasmine likely will develop and the street could be connected indirectly with Lexington.

The assistant city manager told Brown that the only way the city could build the street is with the financial participation of all the abutting property owners.

At Monday's council meeting Brown presented a petition, signed by five of the seven property owners along Jasmine, requesting the street and sewers.

Brown said Tuesday he was pleased with the council's initial approval of engineering for the project.

"I was planning on building a home there next year, but I can't start that without any type of access," he said. "It took a lot of time and effort, and I've gone the extra mile on this, but it needed to be done."

Brown said he's uncertain how soon the street work would begin.

"I really have no idea when it will go through," he said. "It may be this fall before they get things started as far as engineering.

"But I was wanting to build when I bought the lot. It'd be nice to have something done right away, but I'm not really in a big rush.

He said some of the property owners along the undeveloped street enthusiastically supported the petition.

"It was about 50-50," Brown said. "A couple of the people jumped right on it they're people in the same shape I am.

"Undoubtedly, it's going to bring property values up when that street goes through. It will offset the cost of the street and will really open that up for development."

Although he will have to wait 10 days before any engineering work can be done to allow time for public objections to the project, Brown said he was happy with the way things turned out, particularly given the dim prospect two months ago.

Council member David Barklage Monday praised Brown for his initiative in solving a problem that the city was unable to remedy.

"If more people handled objections in this town like you did, we'd be a lot further ahead," Barklage told Brown at the council meeting.

City Manager J. Ronald Fischer said Tuesday he also was impressed with the Browns' ability to garner support for the improvements.

"They've gone the proper, legitimate route and gotten the support of the majority of the property owners," Fischer said. "I think this is great. They've gone out on their own and found out the neighbors wanted the improvements."

Fischer said he has asked the city's engineering department to put the project on a "pretty fast track" to project construction costs as soon as possible.

"Hopefully, we can get the engineering done, put it out for bid and in the spring of next year, we could be looking at letting a contract," he said.