Zoning. The use of land in all divisions of land must
conform to any applicable municipal, Town or county zoning ordinances;
however, larger lots and setbacks may be required where conditions
warrant.
Objectionable areas. Land subject to hazards of life,
health, or property as may arise from fire, floods, disease, noise,
or falling aircraft or considered to be uninhabitable for other reasons
may not be subdivided for building purposes unless the hazard has
been eliminated or the plans show adequate safeguards correcting the
hazards have been approved by the Town.
Nearby development. All divisions of land shall be
coordinated with existing nearby development or neighborhoods so that
the area as a whole shall be developed harmoniously.
Preservation. In all divisions of land, care shall
be taken to preserve all natural and historic features which will
add attractiveness and value to the remainder of the land being divided
(i.e., trees, watercourses, views, and historic structures).
Hillside development. Where a division of land is
on a site that has a slope of more than 12%, the Plan Commission may
require larger lot sizes than are zoned and may reduce setback requirements
upon proper appeal.
The damming, filling or relocating or otherwise
interfering with the natural flow of surface water along any surface
water drainage channel or natural watercourse shall not be permitted
except with approval of the Plan Commission or any other affected
agency. Building setback lines shall be established no less than 75
feet from the high-water line of any stream, lake or water body to
prevent construction of any structure other than a dam, bridge, boathouse,
retaining wall, bulkhead or revetments in the setback area.
Planting screens. The Town shall require planting
or buffering easements, extra lot depth or width alongside heavily
traveled highways where lots are backed into the roadway; along zoning
district lines; as buffer strips separating residential zoning districts
from commercial or industrial land uses; as buffer zones along railroad
rights-of-way; or for any such use as may be deemed appropriate and
consistent with the total development of the community.
Coordination of existing street pattern. The arrangement,
character, extent, width, grade, location and engineering specifications
of all streets shall conform to the standards of this chapter, adopted
municipal or county plans and any official highway maps. If there
is Comprehensive Plan or Official Map, the arrangement of streets
in a division of land shall provide for the continuation or appropriate
projection of existing streets into surrounding areas, subject to
topographic conditions, public convenience, safety, and proposed uses
of land to be served. Where a subdivision borders on or contains a
railroad right-of-way, the Commission may require a street approximately
parallel with and on each side of such right-of-way at a distance
suitable for the appropriate use of the intervening land. Such distances
shall also be determined with regard for the requirements of approach
grades and future grade separations.
Where a proposed subdivision abuts or contains
an existing or proposed street right-of-way as designed on the Official
Map of the Town, or as may be determined by the Commission, adequate
protection of existing or proposed development, limitation of access
and separation of through and local traffic shall be handled as follows:
When lots within the proposed subdivision back
upon the right-of-way of an existing or proposed limited access highway
or a railroad, a planting easement at least 15 feet in width shall
be provided adjacent to normal lot depth. This easement shall be a
part of the platted lots but shall have the following restriction
lettered on the face of the plat: "This strip reserved for the planting
of trees and shrubs, the building of structures hereon prohibited."
Streets parallel to a limited access highway
or railroad right-of-way, when intersecting a major street and highway,
said intersection shall be located a minimum distance of 250 feet
from said limited access highway or railroad right-of-way. Such minimum
distance shall be determined with due consideration of the minimum
distance required for the future separation of grades by means of
appropriate approach gradients.
Minor street. A minor street primarily provides
access to abutting properties. It does not serve through traffic and
does not intersect with arterial streets.
Cul-de-sac. Culs-de-sac designed as permanent
installations should not be longer than 1,000 feet, except where topographical
and site conditions warrant an extension, and will be subject to the
approval of the Commission. The closed end shall have a turnaround
with an outside roadway diameter of at least 96 feet and a street
property line diameter of 120 feet for a residential area and a diameter
of 135 feet with an outside roadway diameter of 105 feet in a commercial
area. (Refer to the 2009 International Fire Code and evaluate with
the Community Development Department.)[1]
Alley. Alleys shall be provided in commercial
and industrial districts, except that the Commission may waive this
requirement where other definite and assured provision is made for
service access, such as off-street loading and parking, adequate for
the uses proposed. Alleys shall be prohibited in residential areas
unless necessary because of topography or other exceptional circumstances.
The width of the alleys shall not be less than 30 feet. Dead-end alleys
shall be avoided where possible, but if unavoidable shall be provided
with adequate turnaround facilities at the dead end, as determined
by the Commission.
Reserve strips. Reserve strips controlling access
to streets shall be prohibited except where the control is definitely
placed with the Town under conditions approved by the Plan Commission.
Intersection approach areas should not exceed
a grade of 2% on all approaching streets for a distance of 50 feet
from the intersecting points of the right-of-way lines.
Proper sight line easements, referred to as vision triangle
areas, shall be maintained at all street intersections; measured along
the intersecting right-of-way lines, there shall be a clear sight
triangle easement with two sides as follows: state and federal highways,
as defined by the WDOT Facilities Development Manual; arterial streets,
60 feet; collector streets, 60 feet; and minor streets, 25 feet. No
visual obstructions, such as but not limited to structures, parking,
fencing or vegetation, shall be permitted in any district between
the heights of 2 1/2 feet and 10 feet above the mean edge of
pavement grade within the limits of this area. See the illustration.
The distance between intersections of minor
or collector streets with arterials should not be less than 800 feet,
and they shall be in alignment with existing and planned streets entering
the arterial from the opposite side, unless approved by the Town Board.
In no case shall intersection center lines be offset less than 125
feet.
Streets shall have a minimum center-line grade
of 0.5% and shall not exceed grades specified as follows; these figures
can be adjusted where deemed necessary by the Town:
All changes in street grades shall be connected
by vertical curves of minimum length equivalent in feet to 15 times
the algebraic difference in the rates of grade for major streets and
1/2 this minimum for all other streets.
Width. All street rights-of-way shall be the width
specified by local ordinance. Where no local or county ordinance applies,
the provisions of § 236.15(2), Wis. Stats., shall apply
and the Commission shall impose minimum standards as established by
§ 82.50, Wis. Stats., for improvements on Town roads.
Curves. A tangent at least 100 feet long shall be
introduced between reverse curves on arterial and collector streets
and a fifty-foot tangent on minor streets. The minimum radii or curvature
on the center line shall be 300 feet minimum radius for arterial streets,
200 feet minimum radius for collector streets, and 100 feet minimum
radius for minor streets.
Easements. Easements across lots or centered on rear
or side lot lines shall be designed for utilities where necessary
and shall be at least 15 feet wide. Electric and telephone lines shall
be planned along rear lot lines wherever possible. The Plan Commission
shall determine the feasibility of burying utility lines. Where a
subdivision is traversed by a watercourse, drainageway, channel, or
stream, there shall be provided a stormwater easement or drainage
right-of-way not less than 30 feet in width, conforming substantially
with the lines of such watercourses. Parallel streets or parkways
may be required in connection therewith.
Storm drainage. Storm sewers, culverts and related
facilities shall be designed to permit the unimpeded flow of natural
watercourses, ensure the drainage of all low points along the line
of streets, and provide positive drainage away from on-site sewage
disposal facilities. Storm drainage facilities must be designed not
only to handle the anticipated peak discharge from the property being
subdivided but also the anticipated increase in runoff that will occur
when all the property at a higher elevation in the same drainage basin
is fully developed. Where adequate existing storm sewers are readily
accessible, the subdivider shall connect his stormwater facilities
to these existing sewers. In the design of storm drainage facilities,
special consideration shall be given to preventing excess runoff onto
adjacent property. Where a storm drainage outlet will abut another
property, sufficient and adequate engineering safeguards shall be
designed in the plat to prevent damage to adjoining property. Sloped
drainage channels must be protected against erosion.
Purposes. The intent of this section is to protect
property and structures from damage caused by increased surface water
runoff due to commercial, industrial and residential development.
Standards. Surface water runoff after development
shall not exceed the peak rate/volume of flow at predevelopment conditions.
The twenty-five-year frequency storm shall be the basis to determine
both preconstruction and post-construction surface water runoff.
Plan. A stormwater retention plan shall be submitted
with the preliminary plat. The plan shall be designed, stamped and
signed by a registered professional engineer. The plan shall include,
but not be limited to, the following:
Soil types, infiltration characteristics of
the soil, amount of available detention area, type of vegetative cover,
amount of impervious cover and time response to runoff.
The plan shall identify bridges, regional drainage
patterns, water boundaries, pipes, culverts, catch basins, waterways,
ditches, and detention and retention basins and indicate respective
size, dimensions and grades of each.
The plan shall be designed in accordance with
the United States Department of Agriculture Technical Release No.
55, Urban Hydrology for Small Watersheds.
The statement shall indicate methods that will
be used to protect downstream areas and adjacent property owners from
damage caused by increased surface water runoff.
Maintenance of all drainageways
and associated structures within the subdivision or serving the subdivision
is the sole responsibility of the property owners of the subdivision,
unless noted on the plan.
Upon failure of the property owners
to perform maintenance of the drainageways and associated structures;
the Township retains the right to perform maintenance and/or repairs.
The payment of said maintenance and/or repairs shall be equally assessed
among the property owners of the subdivision with a drainage covenant.
Surface water drainage restrictions. No drainageway contained within a drainage easement shall be disturbed, except as provided in Subsection A(3), in accordance with the following:
No artificial obstruction may be constructed,
planted or maintained within any man-made or natural drainageway so
that such obstruction impedes the natural flow of water and/or diminishes
the natural esthetic quality of the drainageway.
Lot boundaries shall be made to coincide with
new and/or preexisting man-made and natural drainageways to avoid
the creation of lots that can be built upon by altering such drainageways.
The retention or diversion results from a technique,
practice or device deliberately installed as part of an approved sedimentation
or stormwater runoff control plan.
The retention or diversion is not substantially
different in location or degree than that experienced by the development
site in its predevelopment stage, unless such a retention presents
a danger to health or safety.
The retention or diversion results from the actions of natural obstructions, whereby maintenance shall be performed by the property owners as described in Subsection D(1)(c)[10].
Sanitary sewers. In areas that have a sanitary sewer
system on or near the proposed subdivision, the Town Sanitary District
shall determine the feasibility of service and the requirements to
be followed by the subdivider. In areas that are not to be served
by a sewer system, on-site subsurface sewage disposal systems shall
be permitted only where soil tests and feasibility reports are satisfactory
as regulated by the Wisconsin Statutes.
Water facilities. Where there is an existing public
water supply system on or near the subdivision, the Town Sanitary
District shall determine the feasibility of connection to this system.
Where there is a community water supply system, connection must be
approved by the engineer of the water utility company holding the
franchise covering the land to be subdivided and by the Wisconsin
State Department of Safety and Professional Services. Where there
is no existing public water supply and no community water supply,
individual water supply systems will be permitted in accordance with
minimum standards approved by the Wisconsin Department of Safety and
Professional Services and Department of Natural Resources. See Ch.
NR 812, Wis. Adm. Code.[3]
Blocks. The lengths, widths and shapes of blocks shall
be determined by provisions for building sites suitable to meet the
needs of the type of use contemplated; Zoning Ordinance requirements
pertaining to lot size and dimensions; need for convenient access,
circulation, control and safety of street traffic; and limitations
and opportunities of topography. Block lengths shall normally not
exceed 1,800 feet or be less than 1,000 feet in length. Pedestrian
easements or dedications not less than 10 feet wide shall be required
where deemed necessary to provide access to playgrounds, schools,
shopping centers, or other community facilities.
Lots and building location. The lot size, width, depth, shape, orientation and minimum building lines shall be appropriate for the location of the subdivision and for the type of development and use proposed. Lot dimensions shall conform to the requirements of Chapter 535, Zoning, or as may be determined by soil capability ratings and by the County Shoreland Ordinance. Corner lots shall have increased width to permit adequate setback from both streets. Every lot in a subdivision shall abut on a public street for at least 33 feet. Side lot lines shall be substantially at right angles to the street lines. Double frontage shall be avoided except where essential to provide separation of residential development from traffic arteries or to overcome particular topographic and orientation disadvantages.
Access. Every lot shall front or abut on a public
street and have direct vehicular access to that public street for
a distance of at least 33 feet. Direct vehicular access does not include
the use of easements.
Depth. Lots shall be designed with a suitable proportion
between width and depth. Neither long, narrow or wide, shallow lots
are normally desirable. The use of "flag" lots (as illustrated below)
shall be prohibited, except to overcome specific topographic or environmental
restrictions. Depth shall not exceed 2.5 times the width nor shall
it be less than 120 feet. Flag lot examples:
Street names. No street names shall be used which
will duplicate or be confused with the name of an existing street
within the same community. Streets that are extensions, or obviously
are in alignment with existing named streets, must bear the names
of those streets. Street names must be approved by the Town and county.
Commercial and industrial areas. The land division
shall be designed with consideration of site conditions to permit
the best possible layout to serve the public; to permit good traffic
circulation and the parking of cars; to make delivery and pickup efficient;
to design individual units so that they blend with the whole; to provide
for the most efficient arrangement of space for present use and future
expansion; and to provide adequate and safe space for worker and customer
access and parking. A development plan of this nature shall be accompanied
by a plan indicating general landscape treatment intended.
Requirements for new roads and subdivision improvements contained in Chapter 468, Streets and Sidewalks, also apply where applicable to requirements under this chapter.