Frequently Asked Questions

The Golden Valley City Council is set to revisit the PMP street width policy at it October 13 work session. Formal action on the policy, if any, is scheduled for October 20, 2020.

On September 18, 2020 City staff mailed a Street Width Policy Letter (PDF) to all properties adjacent to a scheduled PMP reconstruction over the next four years. The City received a lot of feedback from residents on this topic. View the PMP Street Width Policy Community Input Report (PDF).

Each year the City reconstructs a portion of its local streets under its Pavement Management Program (PMP). For many years, the City's standard reconstructed street width was 26 feet. In 2019, during the planning and design process for the 2020 (now 2021) PMP project, a number of residents expressed a preference for a 28-foot-wide street. After considering past projects, staff feedback, projected costs, and public input, the Council set 28 feet as the standard local street width.

Residents have expressed concern over the increased assessments to property owners due to the increased project costs resulting from the wider streets. The Council is sensitive to the economic conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and believes it is appropriate to review the street width policy.

The following table summarizes the differences in costs between the 26- and 28-foot-wide streets. Beginning with the 2020 PMP, assessments are based on actual bids rather than projected.

Cost Differences

Note: $30 Admin fee not included in assessments.

• Cost Savings - A reduced street width results in construction cost savings because less material and labor is needed to construct the project. These materials include pipe lengths, base material, and pavement materials. There are also long-term cost savings for plowing and pavement maintenance, such as periodic sealing and mill and overlay projects.
• Traffic Calming - Studies show that narrower streets result in drivers traveling at slower speeds, which feels safer to pedestrians and other multimodal transportation users.
• Environmental/Water Quality Impact - By reducing the street width, a larger green space is created to help collect stormwater. This minimizes the amount of runoff and the pollutants entering our wetlands, lakes, and streams.
• Landscape Impacts - Narrower streets reduce the construction impact to trees, shrubs, retaining walls, other landscaping or irrigation systems located near the existing street.

The following comments and concerns were expressed by residents about narrower streets at the November 19, 2019 City Council meeting where the street width policy was considered:

• Walking and biking on a narrower street where sidewalks do not exist would be more difficult.
• Snow storage would further narrow the streets.
• Other cities have a standard of 28-foot-wide streets.
• Wider streets eliminate the need to consider parking restrictions on one side of the street.
• Streets are currently very wide (29 to 33 feet), and a 26-foot-wide street would be a big change to the neighborhood.