Claremont : Driveway Zoning Amended

Residents in the city’s rural zone are now “encouraged” to build circular driveways--so long as those designs include landscaping between the drive and the street and between the drive and the house.

Last week, the City Council altered a zoning regulation that “discouraged” circular drives. Under the new rule, circular drives are allowed on lots with a minimum building setback of 40 feet. An exception is the Blaisdell Ranch subdivision, which was approved with setbacks of 30 feet.

The new amendment also stipulates that driveways should have a maximum width of 18 feet and only two openings, each with a maximum width of 12 feet at the property line.