By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
White Sands Drive, located in the Twin Lakes subdivision of Great Bend, was platted in such a manner to allow access to the real estate north of Dry Walnut Creek. In order to accomplish this, a bridge would have to be constructed across the creek. The 100-foot wide street was dedicated in 1976 and now the Walnut Creek Estates are well developed with no demand or interest in expansion on the north side of Dry Creek.
Great Bend City Attorney Bob Suelter said the portion of White Sands
that is north of Quail Creek Drive is unused and maintained by the adjacent
landowners.
"I hate to call this a street to nowhere because it could become a street someday, but there are no house fronts on this street," said Suelter. "All the houses either face Quail Creek or Oxbow Drive."
Wanting to install a privacy fence for their backyard at 4948 Quail Creek that would be squared up with
the sidewalk, Chris and Deena Smith requested the city vacate a 20-foot strip
of White Sands Drive. With all the utilities located on the west side of the
unpaved vacant street, the Great Bend City Council approved the Smith request.
Suelter
added issues with White Sands Drive have been ongoing for years.
"We even had a neighborhood fight about people parking in that part of the street," said Suelter. "We had the street blocked off and had to take that down. It has been a long-term issue periodically in town."
A neighbor of Smith that lives on Oxbow Drive and has the back of his house
facing the unused White Sands road asked why the city did not go ahead and
award 20-foot strips of land to all the adjacent property owners. Suelter
mentioned any owner can submit their request for vacating a portion of the
street and the city will examine each case.
The remaining 80 feet of White Sands leaves more than adequate width to
construct a street in the future if the city desires.