Government

Are Brick’s Driveways Getting Too Wide? In Some Neighborhoods, It’s a Problem

by
Daniel Nee
May 15, 2024

Rebuilding in Brick’s Normandy Beach neighborhood, Oct. 28, 2015. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Brick Township council members on Tuesday night passed an ordinance limiting the width of curb cuts for new driveways in town, citing concerns from residents and officials that in several neighborhood, driveways widths on new-build homes are reaching the point where they run nearly the length of the property, taking away on-street parking.

The issue mainly affects neighborhoods on lagoons, the bayfront and the barrier island, where large homes have steadily replaced much smaller homes destroyed in Superstorm Sandy. These areas are also the most likely to suffer from parking issues when residents host gatherings or people from outside the neighborhood come to access the water.

The ordinance will apply to homes in the R5 and R7.5 zones, those most commonly found in waterfront neighborhoods and which encompass the majority of the barrier island neighborhoods.

Councilman Steve Feinman said existing homes would be grandfathered in under the ordinance, and no homeowner will be forced to remove their driveway or shorten their curb cut. But going forward, the revised development ordinance will call for a strict limit.

All new residential development in the zones will be required to provide off-street parking in driveways that have a minimum width of 9-feet and a maximum width of 18-feet. The driveway must be marked by curb cuts or a legitimate, paved driveway opening in neighborhoods where no curbing exists. More than one driveway will be allowed fronting the street, provided the aggregate width does not exceed 18-feet and at least one on-street parking space for the public is provided. Also, a minimum of 25-feet must separate each driveway when multiple driveways are requested.

Driveways must be built with a dust-free, durable surface to minimize erosion and all paved areas must be at least 5-feet removed from property lines, except for the entrance to a property.

The ordinance will be subject to a public hearing and second vote at the council’s May 28, 2024 meeting.