A. 
Before submitting a preliminary plat, developers, owners, and/or their representatives, are encouraged to meet with City staff to discuss the proposed plat. The official submittal date of the preliminary plat shall be established as the date upon which a completed preliminary plat, including supporting documents, and review fee are provided to the City Clerk. Upon acceptance, the City Clerk shall forward to the Building and Zoning Office for staff review and comment. If deemed complete, the Plan Commission will consider the preliminary plat within 60 days of the date of submittal. After its review, the Plan Commission will make a recommendation to the City Council, which will approve, disapprove, or approve with modifications said preliminary plat.
[Amended 5-1-2017 by Ord. No. 3324]
B. 
After the preliminary plat has been approved, the developer may then proceed with the preparation of improvement plans, provided, of course, he chooses to improve the area prior to actual construction of the contemplated buildings (streets, sewer and water systems, etc.). These improvement plans should be detailed engineering plans, specifications, and drawings showing the exact location of all improvements to be provided, and are submitted to the City Clerk, who submits same to the City Engineer. The City Engineer reviews the improvement plans and makes his recommendations to the City Council. If details provided in improvement plans indicate the need to change the preliminary plat (as street locations, easements, etc.), a new preliminary plat must be submitted for review and consideration as noted above.
C. 
After the Council has approved the improvement plans, the developer may commence installation of the improvements. If improvements are installed prior to the submission of a final plat, surety bonds will not be required. However, if, upon inspection, installed improvements are not accepted, final platting cannot commence and eventual construction of buildings will not be allowed until deficiencies are rectified and/or the developer posts bond with the final plat to cover the cost of providing these improvements. If the developer wishes to submit improvement plans with a final plat, surety bonds must be posted for all improvements to be provided.
D. 
The final plat, again with detailed data as defined in this code, must conform to the approved preliminary plat as well as to improvement plans if same were submitted previously. The final plat is a legal and surveying document designed primarily to record in the County Recorder of Deeds' office the exact boundaries and locations of parcels of land. The final plat is submitted to the City Clerk's office, which forwards it to the Plan Commission and the City Engineer, if necessary. The Plan Commission checks the final plat to ensure that it complies with the preliminary plat and improvement plans and forwards its recommendation to the City Council. If the City Council approves the final plat, the Mayor of the City first ensures that all surety bonds are deposited (if required) and then approves the plat. The plat must then be recorded by the developer before said developer may proceed, including therein the selling of any lots.
[Amended 5-1-2017 by Ord. No. 3324]
A. 
Any owner, developer or his or her representative desiring to submit a preliminary plat for the subdividing of a tract of land shall file four full-size copies, one 11 x 17 copy, and one electronic (PDF) copy of said preliminary plat with the City Clerk's office. The preliminary plat shall contain all pertinent facts and materials required by the Subdivision Code and which are necessary to substantiate the conformance to the minimum standards of design as herein defined.
B. 
The City Clerk shall, after having recorded the required fee, forward said preliminary plat to the Building and Zoning Office for staff review. Once it is determined that the submitted documents meet the standards set fort he code, said plat shall be forwarded to the Plan Commission for its review. If deemed complete, the Plan Commission shall review the preliminary plat within a reasonable time, not to exceed 60 days from the date of filing said plat with the City Clerk's office, or the filing of the last item of required data, whichever is later, unless such time is extended by written mutual consent. The Plan Commission shall determine whether the preliminary plat shall be forwarded to the City Council with recommendation for approval, disapproval, or approval subject to certain conditions and/or modifications.
[Amended 6-5-2017 by Ord. No. 3328]
The Plan Commission shall give notice of its consideration of any preliminary plat and allow the opportunity to be heard to the following person(s) or groups during its preliminary review time span:
A. 
Any person requesting notification of the meeting.
B. 
Any property owner whose property is contiguous to the property, including property across the streets, railroads, creeks, and similar barriers; said information shall be provided by the applicant to the City Clerk's office when filing the plat.
C. 
Any governmental or taxing body which requests notification of the meeting.
The City Council shall review the preliminary plat, along with the Plan Commission recommendations, and approve, disapprove or approve subject to certain conditions and/or modifications said preliminary plat within 30 days after its next regularly scheduled meeting following receipt of the written Plan Commission recommendations, unless variances from Zoning Code requirements are needed, in which case the Council's 30 days commence the day after the Board of Appeals hearing is held, as required by the Zoning Code.
[Amended 6-4-2007 by Ord. No. 2563]
A minimum of four copies of the City-Council-approved preliminary plat (with the accompanying topographic and profile study that complies with the requirements of this Subdivision Code and the Illinois Plat Act), signed by the Mayor, shall be filed in the office of the City Clerk, and the City Clerk shall provide one copy to the City Attorney, one copy to the City Zoning Administrator and shall return one copy to the subdivider. The subdivider shall mail by certified mail, return receipt requested (which shall be deemed served when mailed if properly addressed with proper postage affixed), or shall have personally delivered to each public utility service provider supplying public utility services in the City (not to include telecommunication service providers) a minimum of one copy of the City-Council-approved preliminary plat (with the accompanying topographic and profile study), and shall file with the City Clerk within 20 days of the subdivider receiving from the City Clerk the approved preliminary plat signed by the Mayor, proof of service of the approved preliminary plat on said public utility service providers. The improvement plans for a subdivision that requires preliminary plat approval shall not be approved by the City Council prior to the subdivider filing with the City Clerk the required proof of service of the preliminary plat on the public utility service providers.
Preliminary plat approval shall confer the following rights and privileges upon the subdivider:
A. 
That the preliminary plat will remain in effect for a one-year period from the day the City Council approves the same. The applicant may, during this period, submit all or part or parts of said preliminary plat for final approval. In the event that the subdivision is being developed in stages, the applicant may, by written mutual agreement with the City Council, have final approval of the last part of the plat delayed for a period not to exceed five years from the date of the preliminary plat approval. Any part of a subdivision which is being developed in stages shall contain a tract of land at least one block in area.
B. 
That the general terms and conditions under which the preliminary plat approval was granted will not be changed for final approval.
C. 
The applicant may also proceed with any detailed improvement plans required for all facilities or utilities intended to be provided. Actual construction of such facilities and improvements may commence prior to final plat approval if the detailed improvement plans have been recommended by the City Engineer and approved by the City Council, provided that such facilities and improvements will be inspected throughout their construction, and final plat approval will be contingent in part upon acceptable compliance with City improvement and facilities standards. If the applicant does not submit the improvement plans prior to the submission of the final plat, then he shall submit the improvement plans to the City Clerk's office at the time that the final plat is submitted.
Preliminary plats and supportive materials shall include the following:
A. 
Proposed name of the subdivision and location.
B. 
Small key map showing the relation of the proposed subdivision to section or U.S. Survey lines and to platted subdivisions and dedicated roads within 300 feet of the proposed subdivision.
C. 
Names and addresses of the owner, subdivider and land planning consultant, and the licensed engineer or registered land surveyor who prepared the preliminary plat.
D. 
All lot lines adjacent to and abutting the subdivision.
E. 
Layout of lots, showing approximate dimensions and numbers and minimum area, showing an identifying number for each lot.
F. 
Parcels of land, if any, proposed to be dedicated or reserved for schools, parks, playground or other public, semi-public or community purposes and the use(s) of the area to be subdivided as shown on the Comprehensive Plan as adopted by the City.
G. 
Streets and rights-of-way on and adjoining the site of the proposed subdivision; showing the names and including street right-of-way and paving widths; approximate gradients; types and widths of pavement, curbs, sidewalks, crosswalks, planting strips and other pertinent data, including classification of all existing or proposed streets as to function as collector, major, minor or county road.
H. 
Easements, existing and proposed, showing locations, widths and purposes.
I. 
Building setback or front yard lines and dimensions.
J. 
Location and size of nearest water main, sewer outlet and other pertinent utilities.
K. 
Location, type and approximate size of utilities to be installed.
L. 
Tract boundary lines showing dimensions, bearings, angles, and references to known land lines.
M. 
The gross and net acreage area of the proposed subdivision, the acreage of streets, and of any areas reserved for the common use of the property owners within the subdivision and/or for public use.
N. 
Where the topography has a significant bearing upon street grades, the plan of public utilities and drainageways or facilities in the proposed subdivision, elevation contour lines at intervals not greater than five-foot intervals shall be shown. Contour lines shall be shown for all hillside areas and all other areas of significant slope. Contour lines shall also be shown for surrounding undeveloped areas immediately adjoining the proposed development.
O. 
Location of major watercourses, ponding areas, natural drainageways and flood hazard areas.
P. 
The plat shall be drawn to a scale of 100 feet to one inch; provided, however, that if the resulting drawing would be over 48 inches in the longest dimension, two or more sheets shall be used instead, such that no sheet shall exceed 48 inches in the longest dimension.
Q. 
North arrow and date.
R. 
Duplication of street names within the City's jurisdiction shall be prohibited.
S. 
Whenever a large tract is intended to be developed in stages, and a part of that tract is proposed for platting, a preliminary plat for the future subdivision of the entire tract shall be submitted, or if approved by the Plan Commission, a final land use plan may be substituted for that area of the tract not yet ready to be platted (See Subsection T below.).
T. 
Final land use plan for the entire project area.
U. 
A project or project phase development schedule indicating:
(1) 
Approximate date when construction of the project can be expected to begin.
(2) 
The stages in which the project will be built, with identifying land use stage map and the approximate date when construction of each stage can be expected to begin.
(3) 
The approximate completion date of each and every step.
(4) 
The area and location of common or public open space that will be provided at each stage.
V. 
A plot plan for each building site, showing the approximate location of all buildings, structures, and improvements and indicating the open spaces around buildings and structures.
W. 
The term or the text of agreements, provisions, or covenants which will guarantee the conveyance and governance of use, provide proper maintenance, and continued protection of the proposed development and any of its common or open areas or facilities.
X. 
Any plans, diagrams, sketches, etc., designed to portray, explain or visually show any of the above requirements.
After a preliminary plat has been approved, improvement plans prepared by an engineer for the subdivision of all or any part of the tract shall be submitted to the City Clerk's office for review by the City Engineer.
The developer shall submit four blue-line prints of the improvement plan to the City Clerk's office, which shall forward three copies of the same to the City Engineer. Improvement plans do not require Plan Commission action.
The City Engineer shall review the proposed improvement plans and notify both the Plan Commission and the City Council, in writing, with a copy of the improvement plan, of his recommendation regarding approval, conditional approval, or denial.
Variances from regulations and requirements of this code shall be permitted in accordance with Article VI.
[Amended 6-4-2007 by Ord. No. 2563]
A. 
The City Council shall review the City Engineer's recommended action and approve, conditionally approve or deny in writing to the developer the improvement plans. If the action is one of conditional approval or denial, the City Engineer shall, in writing, as a guideline to the applicant, state the reasons therefor. If the City Council utilizes other denial or conditional approval matters, these also will be forwarded to the applicant in writing.
B. 
The subdivider shall mail by certified mail, return receipt requested (which shall be deemed served when mailed if properly addressed with proper postage affixed), or shall personally deliver to each utility service provider supplying public utility services in the City (not to include telecommunication service providers) a minimum of one copy of the City-Council-approved improvement plans within 20 days after they are approved by the City Council and the subdivider receives notice of that approval from the City. The final subdivision plat for a subdivision that requires final subdivision plat approval shall not be approved by the City Council prior to the subdivider filing with the City Clerk the required proof of service of the improvement plans on the public utility service providers.
The actions set forth in § 300-3.12 shall allow the applicant the following rights and privileges:
A. 
Approval means the applicant is now authorized to proceed with the physical improvements in the subdivision, provided the City Council accepts the improvement plans.
B. 
Conditional approval means the developer may proceed as outlined in the preceding Subsection A, but only after he has submitted four copies of the corrected improvement plans to the City Clerk, who shall forward three copies of said plans to the City Engineer.
C. 
Denial means disapproval of improvement plans. For further consideration, the developer must rework his plans to conform to the requirements, and then resubmit the reworked plans to the City Clerk's office as though they were a completely new set of plans.
Improvement plans shall be prepared on an exhibit not to exceed 48 inches and shall contain the following information:
A. 
Title page, which shall include a key map showing the relationship of the area to be subdivided to the project area and which shall reflect areas of the project area previously subdivided, plus adjacent streets.
B. 
North arrow and graphic scale.
C. 
Title block showing name and address of developer and engineering firm, as well as the engineer's seal.
D. 
One or more benchmarks, in or near the subdivision, to which the subdivision is referenced. The elevation shall be based on the sea level datum.
E. 
List of the standards and specifications followed, citing volume, section, page or other references.
F. 
Paving details conforming to City standard specifications.
G. 
Details of streets, existing and proposed sanitary sewers, water lines, drainage channels, swales and storm sewers as required by this code.
H. 
Plans and profiles of streets, storm and sanitary sewers, water lines and other improvements required by this code. The plans and profiles shall be drawn at a scale not greater than one inch equals 100 feet horizontal, and one inch equals 10 feet vertical.
I. 
Any structural or nonstructural measure proposed to prevent soil erosion and sediment control as required by this code must be shown or included in a statement accompanying the improvement plans.
J. 
Existing and proposed survey monuments on street plans or on the proposed final plat as required by this code.
As-built drawings (in duplicate) shall be submitted to the City Clerk's office after the improvements have been installed.
Substantial variances from the preliminary plat shall not be permitted. If substantial alterations of an approved preliminary plat are necessary, then a new preliminary plat must be submitted.
[Amended 5-1-2017 by Ord. No. 3324]
Four full-size copies, one 11 x 17 copy, and one electronic (PDF) copy of the final plat shall be submitted to the City Clerk's office. The City Clerk shall then distribute the final plats to the Building and Zoning Office for review by City staff. The final plat shall include all plans and specifications as required by the Subdivision Code and that may be necessary to comply with all the requirements herein and such information as may be necessary concerning the form of guarantee or performance bond(s) to be used. In addition, if the applicant has not previously submitted improvement plans, then they shall be submitted along with the final plat to the City Clerk's office, which shall forward the improvement plan along with the final plat to the City Engineer. Once it is determined that the submitted documents meet the standards set for the code, said plat shall be forwarded to the Plan Commission for its review. If deemed complete, the Plan Commission shall review the final plat within a reasonable time, not to exceed 60 days from the date of filing said plat with the City Clerk's office, or the filing of the last item of required data, whichever is later, unless such time is extended by written mutual consent. The Plan Commission shall determine whether the final plat shall be forwarded to the City Council with recommendation for approval, disapproval, or approval subject to certain conditions and/or modifications.
The Plan Commission shall review the final plat and documentation and transmit its report in writing to the City Council within 30 days of the filing date of the final plat, or 30 days from the date on which the last item of required material is received by the City Clerk's office, whichever is later.
The City Engineer shall review the final plat and documentation, including the improvement plan if not previously submitted, and transmit his recommendations to the City Council in writing within 30 days of the filing; except that in the case of his first review of the improvement plans, the City Engineer shall have 60 days.
The City Council shall review the final plat and shall either approve or disapprove said final plat within 30 days after it receives the required recommendations of the Plan Commission and City Engineer. Approval shall not be granted unless the following conditions are met:
A. 
The final plat conforms to the preliminary plat approved previously.
B. 
The final plat meets the design standards and engineering specifications and all other requirements set forth herein.
C. 
The final plat meets all requirements of the laws of the state.
D. 
The subdivider or applicant posts a performance bond or bonds with the City of Columbia, Illinois equal to 125% of the estimated cost of all improvements for construction, maintenance and operation, as the case may be, of all improvements as required by this code or as in addition recommended by the City Engineer and approved by the City Council, but not yet completed at the time of final plat approval by the City Council.
If the final plat is approved by the City Council by ordinance, the Mayor shall immediately affix his signature to the plat and cause to be attached thereto a notation that the plat has received final approval of the City Council. The City Clerk shall then attest the signature of the Mayor and affix the City Seal thereto. If the final plat is disapproved, the reason(s) for such action and specific instances where such plat is not in conformance with the requirements herein shall be noted and conveyed in writing to the subdivider or applicant.
A. 
The final plat may include all or only a part of the project area portrayed on the preliminary plat which has received approval.
B. 
The final plat shall be drawn on new linen tracing cloth, Mylar or other material of comparable stability with waterproof black ink to a scale of not more than one inch equals 100 feet, provided that the resulting drawing does not exceed 18 inches by 24 inches. Two or more sheets may be used, provided that an index drawing is provided on each sheet. Five black or blue line prints shall be provided by the subdivider, along with the original Mylar or linen.
C. 
All dimensions shall be shown in feet and decimals of a foot.
D. 
The final plat shall be prepared under the active and personal direction of a registered Illinois land surveyor, who shall certify that the plat correctly shows the results of his survey of the boundaries and platting of parcels within the subdivision.
In addition, the final plat shall portray or present the following plat data:
A. 
Accurate boundary lines, with dimensions and bearings or angles, which provide a survey of the tract, closing with an error of closure of not more than one foot in 5,000 feet.
B. 
Accurate distances and directions to the nearest established official monument. Reference corners shall be accurately described on the final plat.
C. 
Reference to known and permanent monuments and benchmarks from which future surveys may be made, together with elevations of any benchmarks; and the surveyor must, at the time of making his survey, establish permanent monuments (set in such a manner that they will not be moved by frost) which mark the external boundaries of the tract to be divided or subdivided and must designate upon the plat the locations where they may be found.
D. 
Accurate metes-and-bounds description of the boundary and the included area of the subdivision to the nearest 1/100 of an acre.
E. 
Accurate locations of all existing and recorded streets intersecting the boundaries of the tract.
F. 
Right-of-way lines of streets, easements and other rights-of-way and property lines and areas of lots and other tracts, with accurate dimensions, bearings and curve data, including radii, arcs and chords, points of tangency and central angles.
G. 
Name and right-of-way width for each proposed street or other right-of-way.
H. 
Location and dimensions of any easement and a statement of purpose for each easement.
I. 
Number to identify each lot or site.
J. 
Purpose for which sites, other than residential lots, are dedicated or reserved.
K. 
Lot dimensions and areas of each lot, and building or setback lines and dimensions.
L. 
Location, type, material and size of all monuments and lot markers.
M. 
Certification, before a notary public, by the owners in fee of all property embraced within the final plat, acknowledging the plat to be their free and voluntary act, dedicating to the public use forever the streets and drainage easements shown thereon, dedicating the easements shown thereon for the construction and maintenance of municipal and public utility services, and stating that building lines shown thereon will be referenced in all future conveyances of lots in the subdivision; in addition, the dedication and reservation to the public of any right-of-way lying along any public road adjacent to the boundaries of the plat.
N. 
Reference to recorded subdivision plats within 300 feet of adjoining platted land by record name, date and number.
O. 
Restrictions of all types which will run with the land and become covenants in the deeds for lots.
P. 
Title or name of subdivision; identification of the portion of the Public Lands Survey in which the subdivision is located; and North arrow, graphic scale and date drawn.
Q. 
Certification by a registered land surveyor, with registration numbers and seal affixed to all final documents prepared by the surveyor.
R. 
Certification of dedication of all public areas.
A. 
No subdivision plat or replat shall be filed for record or recorded in the office of the County Recorder of Deeds unless and until the approval of the City is endorsed thereon. No lot shall be sold for such subdivision plat or replat until it has been approved by the City Council and filed for record in the office of the County Recorder of Deeds as required by the Illinois Statutes.
B. 
For official filings, the subdivider shall file the approved final plat with the County Recorder of Deeds within 60 days after the City Council has approved the same and the Mayor has affixed his signature thereto. One copy of the final plat shall be given to the City Clerk's office by the County Recorder bearing the official stamp of the County Recorder attesting its recording within 20 days of such action.
It shall be unlawful for the County Recorder to accept for recording any plat of a subdivision within the incorporated area of the City and/or the 1 1/2-mile subdivision authority surrounding the City's borders until the plat has been approved by the City as required herein and such approval has been endorsed in writing on the plat.
Minor subdivisions (as defined in § 300-2.2 of this chapter) may be exempted from the procedures and requirements for preliminary plats and the subdivider may proceed to file the final plat for review. Final plat procedures and requirements shall be as specified in §§ 300-3.22, 300-3.23 and 300-3.24.
A. 
The review fee for the preliminary plat shall be $25, plus $5 per lot.
B. 
The final plat fee shall be $50 if there is no variation from the preliminary plat, otherwise $50, plus $5 per lot whenever Plan Commission review is required.
C. 
Improvement plan review and inspection fees shall be 1% of the total estimated cost for all improvements.
D. 
Minor subdivisions, as defined herein, shall be reviewed for the fee of $50, plus $5 per lot, whether it be a preliminary and/or final plat.
All fees listed in § 300-3.27 shall be paid by the developer or the applicant to the City Clerk's office with the submission of the last item of required information in each instance to that office.