A homeowner is outraged after a sidewalk with a curb was installed in front of her driveway.
And when she tried to find out why the city was barring her entry, she received a frustrating response.
Valerie Rosas said she was initially excited about the sidewalk improvements the city planned to make near her house.
However, the project turned out to be a major headache for her and her neighbor.
She was taken aback when she walked out one day to discover the city had built a mountable sidewalk with a steep curb in front of her driveway.
This meant she had to drive over the large curb whenever she wanted to leave or return to her house.
It also happened to her neighbor, and it appears to be because she lives on a corner lot, according to local CBS affiliate KENS.
She explained that the public works department decided Rosas’ main driveway entrance should be on the side of her house rather than in the center.
However, the side of her house does not have a full driveway, only a gated entrance to the backyard.
“This is my entrance here,” she told the news outlet.
“And they’re like, ‘You have to get with the project manager, we’re just doing our work here, we’re just contractors.'”
“I was getting nothing but a run-around.”
Rosas attempted to prevent the sidewalk from being built by speaking with the city’s project manager several times but was unsuccessful.
She claims the project manager told her she’d need a special permit to get a driveway entrance.
However, when she visited the San Antonio Development Services Department, she was told otherwise.
“I’ve been up and down all this week with the city,” Rosas told the crowd.
Engineers insisted that her property only allowed for a side driveway and that she needed a permit for a front driveway.
They stated that Rosas could include the contractor used by the city on the permit.
But when Rosas returned to San Antonio Development Services, she was told that only contractors could obtain the permit.
It was later discovered that the homeowner on the opposite corner was experiencing the same issue.
Frustrated, she turned to KENS for assistance, and a public works representative eventually came to her aid.
He explained that the city would handle any permit issues on their end.
They also said she’d get a driveway entrance, which means she wouldn’t be stuck driving over a curb.
“It feels better that I will be able to get the approach,” Rosas told me.
“Even though I have a truck, driving in and out of here, I was still bouncing up and down.”
According to a spokesman, the city will now consider the corner property to have two driveway entrances because the side of the property was previously counted as one.
Why is it illegal to block a driveway?
Blocking a driveway is illegal in the United States because it limits access to emergency care.
Blocking a driveway is not only inconsiderate, but it also poses a serious safety risk, according to cops.
Blocking someone’s driveway is illegal in all 50 states, with varying fines and penalties.
For example, blocking a driveway in San Francisco, California can result in a $286 towing fee and a $110 ticket.
That does not include the fee to retrieve the vehicle from an impound lot, which averages more than $600.
In an emergency, a blocked driveway can mean the difference between a patient’s life or death.
“It is illegal in the United States to block a driveway, including your own,” according to Parklio’s website.
“It’s a matter of public safety: emergency vehicles such as fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars require that space to enter and exit.
“An obstructed driveway might also prevent vehicles from pulling out onto the road to seek emergency services.”
Furthermore, the city could do this without obtaining a permit at all.
In a statement, San Antonio Public Works stated, “Since the construction of the new sidewalk along Proctor, we have been in communication with the two property owners regarding the desire to have two driveways at each property.
“This request was reviewed internally and found to meet the needs of the property owners.
“Staff will direct the contractor to start early next week constructing the driveway approaches at the two properties.”
This comes after another homeowner was unable to get his car out of his driveway due to excavation as part of a major city’s new project.
