[Prior legislation: Ords. 3209 and 3225.]
[Ord. 2903, 1976; Ord. 3717 § 1, 2013]
This article shall be known and cited as the street and sidewalk
code of the Meadville Municipal Code.
[Ord. 2903, 1976; Ord. 3717 § 1, 2013]
All persons owning property abutting on those streets and parts
of streets set forth upon Schedule A, which is the official sidewalk
map of the City of Meadville and is hereby incorporated and made a
part of this article by reference, shall install sidewalks along the
full length of those portions of the properties which abut such streets
and parts of streets.
[Ord. 2903, 1976; Ord. 3717 § 1, 2013]
No person shall install or replace any sidewalk abutting any
street in the City of Meadville except in conformity with standards
as are, from time to time, promulgated by the city manager and approved
by city council. Copies of current sidewalk standards shall be on
file and available to the public in the office of the city manager
or his designee.
[Ord. 2903, 1976; Ord. 3717 § 1, 2013]
No person shall install or replace any sidewalk abutting any
street in the City of Meadville without first having obtained a permit
from the office designated by the city manager.
[Ord. 2903, 1976; Ord. 3717 § 1, 2013]
(A) Sidewalks
Shall Not Be Removed. No person shall remove any sidewalk abutting
any street in the City of Meadville except as hereinafter provided.
(B) City
Council May Permit Removal of Sidewalks. Upon application by the owner
of any property abutting any street in the City of Meadville, and
after obtaining the recommendation of the city manager or his designee,
city council may, by resolution or ordinance, permit the removal of
sidewalks from the applicant’s property.
[Formerly 745.08. Ord. 2903, 1976; Ord. 3717 §
1, 2013]
(A) Application.
Any person who desires city council to permit the removal of or require
the installation of sidewalks upon land abutting any city street shall
make application therefor at the office of the city manager or his
designee upon a form prescribed by the city manager.
(B) Requirements
for Processing Request. The city manager or his designee shall process
all applications filed upon proper forms; provided, that if any application
seeks permission to remove sidewalks in any of the following situations,
the following additional materials must be filed with the application
before any action is taken thereon:
(1) Dead End Streets. Written consent to the proposed removal signed
by all persons who own and all persons who occupy properties which:
(a) Are on the same side of the street as the property affected by the
application; and
(c) Are located between the site of the proposed removal and the dead
end of the street.
(2) Streets with Partial Sidewalks. Written consent to the proposed removal
signed by all persons who own and all persons who occupy properties
which:
(a) Are on the same side of the street as the property affected by the
application; and
(b) Have sidewalks abutting the street; and
(c) Which are located within the same block as the site of the proposed
removal.
(C) Procedure.
Upon receipt of any application together with all supplemental data
required by this code, the city manager or his designee shall forthwith
schedule a public hearing upon any such application within 30 days
of his receipt of the said materials. The city manager or his designee
shall further cause public notice of the time, place and subject matter
of each scheduled hearing by one publication in a newspaper of general
circulation in the city at least seven days before the date of the
hearing.
(D) Hearings.
The city manager or his designee shall make full inquiry into the
facts and circumstances surrounding each application. The city manager
or his designee shall hear and make note of such comment as any person
may desire to make regarding the application.
(E) Recommendation
to City Council. Within 30 days of each hearing, the city manager
or his designee shall make a written recommendation thereupon to city
council. Such recommendations shall fully describe the property in
question, the nature of the application, the identity and comments
of each person who appeared at the public hearing and the recommendation
for action. Each such recommendation shall note the city manager’s
or his designee’s consideration of each of the following factors:
(2) Pedestrian school children’s existing traffic patterns and
volume.
(3) Location of commercial, institutional, industrial and other pedestrian
traffic generators.
(4) Existing general pedestrian traffic patterns and volume of general
pedestrian traffic.
(5) Sidewalks on one side only or both sides and the percentage, by number
and front footage, of properties in the same block and along the same
street which have sidewalks.
(6) Sidewalks in suburban type residential developments.
(7) Volume of vehicular traffic.
(8) Maximum permitted speed for vehicular traffic.
(9) Topography or special features.
(10) Lack of pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
(F) Recommendations
of the city manager or his designee shall be filed in the office of
the city clerk. The city clerk shall, upon receipt of any recommendation,
forthwith forward a copy thereof to each member of city council and
place the recommendation on the agenda of the next public city council
meeting which is at least 14 days from the date upon which copies
of the recommendation were mailed to the members of council.
(G) Nothing
contained herein shall be construed to limit city council from instituting
proceedings in accordance with this section to remove or require sidewalks.
[Formerly 745.11. Ord. 2903, 1976; Ord. 3717 §
1, 2013]
No person, firm or corporation shall place or permit the placement
of any obstructions, including such things as boxes, agricultural
products or packing materials, bales, barrels, or other articles of
merchandise, lumber, coal, wood, ashes, building materials, or any
other article or thing whatever, reasonably deemed by the city to
constitute an obstruction, in or upon any of the sidewalks or other
portions of streets, lanes or alleys in the city. However, this section
shall not be construed to apply to the temporary placing of the above
enumerated articles or things upon any sidewalks, street, lane or
alley, by the owner, tenant or lawful occupant of the abutting premises
for a length of time reasonably necessary to the receipt or delivery
of such articles or things. Any person, firm or corporation may, at
any time, obtain permission under the provisions of existing ordinances
to occupy portions of the streets, alleys and sidewalks of the city
for the purpose of placing building materials thereon.
[Formerly 745.12. Ord. 2903, 1976; Ord. 3717 §
1, 2013]
No person shall engage in the sport of riding or sliding on
any street or sidewalk, when the same is covered with snow or ice,
on any sled or other similar device.
[Formerly 745.13. Ord. 2903, 1976; Ord. 3717 §
1, 2013]
No person shall willfully and maliciously damage or mark, or
cause to be damaged or marked, any sidewalk.
[Formerly 745.15. Ord. 2903, 1976; Ord. 3717 §
1, 2013]
No person shall construct any cellar door stairs, steps, passageway
or opening of any kind, or any porch, piazza, veranda or any other
projection from a building in any sidewalk, public street, alley or
highway in the city without written approval of the city manager or
his designee. However, scuttles and skylights may be placed in sidewalks,
but in every case they shall be secured in accordance with applicable
codes, including but not limited to the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction
Code, Americans with Disabilities Act and the Meadville Property Maintenance
Code.
[Formerly 745.16. Ord. 2903, 1976; Ord. 3717 §
1, 2013]
No person shall play ball or any other game or amusement upon
any of the public streets, alleys or highways, or throw any ball,
dart, arrow, other instrument of sport, stone, missile or any other
substance whatever across or into any public street, alley or highway.
[Formerly 745.17. Ord. 2903, 1976; Ord. 3717 §
1, 2013]
No person shall place, leave, or allow to remain on the sidewalks,
streets, alleys or places of public travel in the city any broken
glass, nails or other sharp substances liable to be injurious to persons,
animals or vehicles.
[Formerly 745.99. Ord. 2903, 1976; Ord. 3717 §
1, 2013]
If any person shall violate a provision of this code, or shall
fail to comply with any of the requirements of this code, or shall
fail to comply with an order issued by the city manager, his designee
or the code official, the city is hereby authorized to:
(A) Have
the said violation corrected by the city or a contractor hired by
the city. The cost of such remedial action and all expenses incidental
thereto, together with a penalty of 10 percent of the costs plus attorneys’
fees, may be collected from the owner or other person responsible
for the premises in any manner permitted by law.
(B) File
a municipal lien or claim in the amount of the costs, related expenses,
and penalties against the premises which were in violation.
(C) Prosecute
the offense as a summary criminal violation, punishable by a fine
of up to $1,000 for any violation which remains uncorrected following
written notice of such violation for the city manager or his designee.
(D) Pursue
any and all other lawful remedies for the violation.
[Ord. 3717 § 1, 2013]
Enforcement proceedings may be instituted by the code official
for MMC 745.02 through 745.06 and by the city police for MMC 745.07
through 745.12.