City Engineer Chris Otto provided council with an update to the city’s Design Criteria Manual, or DCM during a May 13 City Council meeting. The manual outlines standards and specifications for city construction projects.
The details
In September 2024, a majority of council supported changing the requirements for residential street width from 30 feet to 32 feet, according to agenda documents.
The updated DCM would reflect that direction, which Otto says will allow for emergency vehicles to get through a residential street even if parking occurs on both sides.
“Parking is allowed on both sides, we’ve all seen it, [but] that doesn’t leave enough room for an emergency vehicle unless the cars are really hugging the curbs, which they rarely do,” Otto said.
Currently, residential street width in Cibolo ranges from 30 to 40 feet, according to agenda documents. Otto said it is a “balancing act” to increase accessibility while also deterring fast speeds.
“We want to keep the street narrow enough so that it’s uncomfortable to speed, but wide enough that a fire truck can get through,” he said.
The last time the city updated its DCM was in 2010, mainly based on 2008 City of San Antonio specifications. The Texas Department of Transportation updated specifications in 2024, spurring the update for Cibolo.
Next steps
There was no action taken in the discussion item. Otto said he will bring the DCM back to council for approval within the next month.
