An ordinance allowing developer The Signorelli Co. to build 26-foot-wide streets in its Chapel Run subdivision, approved in a split vote by Conroe City Council on Jan. 10, was brought back for reconsideration by council members Seth Gibson and Duke Coon. On Jan. 10, the vote on the variance ended in a tie vote broken by Mayor Toby Powell, who was absent Jan. 24. Ultimately on Jan. 24, the council voted 3-2 in favor of keeping the variance allowing for the 26-foot-wide street, with Coon and Gibson voting against it. "Reality is, it’s a luxury to have a 29-foot-wide street. Extra-wide streets cost a premium that must be passed on to the homebuyer," CEO and President Danny Signorelli said via email ahead of the council meeting. "This is not a developer greed issue, it’s an economic issue. The higher the construction cost, the higher the home price, resulting in fewer people who can afford the home." The discourse stemmed from emergency vehicle accessibility and safety issues. "We need room in those streets to deploy apparatus once we're on the street," Conroe Fire Marshal Steve Cottar said at the Jan. 23 workshop. Cottar asserted that narrow streets make it difficult for emergency vehicles to pass when cars are parked parallel along the roads. However, there are 22- and 24-foot-wide roads in Grand Central Park and in The Woodlands Hills neighborhoods, which were approved by an earlier City Council. Without special variance approval, streets in Conroe are recommended to be 29 feet wide. Smaller street widths allow for developers to add more property lot spaces in a subdivision. "I'm a little confused here. Before this variance came to the table, committees were coming to discuss narrowing streets to drop infrastructure costs," Council Member Jody Czajkoski said at the workshop. "We recently got a downtown study, and they told us to start building smaller streets. 'No parking' signs may make this a little more simple." Czajkoski said the council has a goal of getting more homeownership in Conroe, which is expected to boost sales tax revenue, and that studies show homes are better than apartments. "I feel I am standing strongly for the citizens, especially those who cannot afford homes here," Council Member Raymond McDonald said. "I feel like this was shoved down our throats and didn't go through the proper vetting process before it was brought to us," Council Member Duane Hamm said at the meeting. "I cannot support this [narrow street]," Gibson said. "I have too many citizens asking me to keep the standards, and I have to keep the standards." "These firefighters get nothing extra out of this," Coon said. "I assure you there is nothing to gain, this is a public safety-related issue in our hearts and minds." Council discussed putting together a committee to make street-width recommendations in the future. After the meeting, Signorelli thanked the council in an email. "They see the value, the benefits to the city of homeownership such as homeowners attract better retail and restaurants," Signorelli said. "[Homeowners] generate more sales taxes, which fund our city budget and services, and make Conroe a more attractive workforce population that helps attract quality companies to relocate, creating better opportunities for our citizens and Conroe’s future."