Quote:
Originally Posted by ardecila
They are streets that more or less fall in line with the city grid, but have gateway features or actual gates at each end. The street is held by the owners along it. New Orleans had a few as well, and (I think) San Francisco, they were quite the rage among robber barons in the Victorian era.
I'm not sure how the street is 'owned' from a legal perspective, I'm guessing there is some kind of homeowners association or co-op structure that owns the "street parcel". Or potentially each homeowner owns half the street and grants cross-easements to his neighbor for access. Underground utilities are an easement granted to the city or the various utility companies.
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Thanks for the info.
Having a "gated street" on the street grid is obviously exceptionally poor urban planning and breaks down the urban fabric while simultaneously reinforcing socio-economic stratification. That said, these don't sound like actual streets but more laneways and/or entrances to a gated community similar to townhome developments where each owner is either part of a strata or co-op. In other words these are technically not public streets but rather private access roads.
There is one easy way to determine if these are actual streets.............does the city maintain them? If the city does things on the street like clear the snow or fill the pot holes then it is a street but if not then they are not streets but extended driveways.If the latter is the case then they have every right to put up a gate because it is NOT a public street but rather private property and can forbid anyone from entering just like any other home owner can.