Community Mailboxes

During the next Planning Commission meeting, which will be held on May 11th, there is an item on the agenda to codify community mailboxes. As developments move into the city it has been a regular sight to see community mailboxes, or mailboxes that serve a subdivision and not just a single dwelling. These are also sometimes called Cluster Mailboxes. Instead of having a mailbox in front of each house, the mail carrier will drop the mail off in a mailbox that resembles the old-time Post Office Boxes of the past. The United States Postal Service (USPS) defines these types of mailboxes as, “This unit is a centralized unit of individually locked compartments for the delivery and collection of mail referred to as a Cluster Box Unit (CBU) Cluster Box units or ‘community mailboxes’ offer the greatest amount of fuel savings and carbon emission reductions because carriers can deliver mail to multiple customers during a single stop with less truck idle time. Increasing the use of centralized delivery for new and existing customers helps the Postal Service create ‘greener’ neighborhoods across the country.” An article on newhomesource.com states, “Under pressure to cut costs wherever possible, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is now requiring builders and developers to purchase and install kiosks holding a cluster of individual mailboxes.” This trend has some disadvantages and advantages. “If you are a senior citizen, handicapped or simply don’t feel like walking (or driving) up to a block away every day to fetch your mail, however, it is something that you might want to move up the list.” Is one of the topics that an article by Lew Sichelman discusses in his blog post “What to Know About Neighborhood Cluster Mailboxes“. Like regular mailboxes, the resident is responsible for the upkeep of the mailbox. This moves to the community in a cluster mailbox.

“Postal rules require that cluster boxes must not require residents to walk more than one block to get their mail. But even that can be a hardship on folks in seniors-only communities or people with disabilities. Regular delivery is much less of a problem for this population. Just because a development sets aside a common area for kiosks does not mean the boxes are secure or safe. Thieves can break into them almost as easily as they can flip open a curbside mailbox. Recently, bandits broke into boxes in dozens of California cities to snatch tax documents so they can file fake tax returns. Foul weather such as snow or ice can make retrieving mail difficult, if not impossible, for anyone. Some planned communities leave it up to their homeowners’ associations (HOAs) to maintain the cluster box areas, which means annual assessments will be that much higher. But not all properties these days have HOAs, which begs the question, “Who’s responsible?” If homeowners should lose their mailbox key, they, not the Post Office, are responsible for replacing it. And if they can’t find their one and only duplicate with which to make a copy, they will have to replace the entire lock, a tricky job at best, especially for those without the proper tools.”

The code below is the addition to the Eagle Mountain City Code that has been proposed for the next Planning Commission meeting.

Chapter 16.35 Development Standards for Required Public Facilities 16.35.150 Community Mailboxes A.General Requirements. Community mailboxes are typically required for all new residential developments. Community mailboxes may be located along special mailbox pullouts or in community open spaces. Any new Community Mailbox must be in compliance with the standards in this chapter. Community mailbox locations shall be approved by the Eagle Mountain Community Development Director, his or her designee, and the US Postal Service. B.Community Mailbox Spacing Standards. All homes shall be located within one-quarter of a mile (¼ mile) (1,320 Feet), measured along normal walking paths/routes. (Sidewalks, Pedestrian Paths, and trails) C.Community Mailbox Locations. Community mailboxes shall be located: a. Adjacent to a local street modified with a mailbox pullout in accordance with this title. b. Adjacent to a private street with special mailbox pullout in compliance with this title; or c. In a community open space I. Community open space mailboxes shall provide at least 4 off-street parking stalls adjacent to the mailbox. ii. Community Open Space mailboxes shall be located adjacent to a public or private ROW. D.Mailbox pullout design standards. a. Local ROW pullouts. i. Community mailboxes are to be placed adjacent to a local street, the street shall utilize the modified local street wit hmailbox pullout, as defined in this title, for either seventy-eight feet (78’) or one hundred and four feet (104’) (3 or 4 Parallel parking spots). Mailbox shall be located near the center point of the pull out adjacent to the right of way, if located on private property a public access easement shall be granted over the mailbox location. ii. Modified mailbox pull-out streets shall replacethe4’ emergency lane and 5’parkstripwith additional pavement to serve as a pullout/parallel parking location. iii. Modified “mountable” curb and gutter shall be continued in line with curb and gutter on either side of the modified ROW, with parking lane being above the street level. Standard Local ROW Modified Local ROW with Mailbox Pullout b. Private road mailbox pullouts. i.Shall include an additional nine feet (9’) of pavement adjacent to the drive aisle for a minimum of seventy-eight feet (78’)to serve as a Mailboxpullout. c. All mailbox pullout parking spots shall be striped. d. All Mailbox parking spots shall be signed as 5-minute parking zones, unless located inside a community open space.