A.
General considerations. The streets shall be designed
and located in relation to existing and planned streets, to topographical
conditions and natural terrain features such as streams and existing
tree growth, to public convenience and safety, and in their appropriate
relation to the proposed uses of the land to be served by such streets.
B.
Construction standards. Construction of all streets
shall conform to the current standards as established by the City
and shall be subject to approval of the City Engineer before acceptance.
A.
Compliance with statutes. In laying out a subdivision,
the owner shall conform to the provisions of Ch. 236, Wis. Stats.,
and all applicable City regulations. In all cases where the requirements
of this section are different from the requirements of Ch. 236, Wis.
Stats. the more restrictive provision shall apply.
B.
Dedication. The subdivider shall dedicate land and improve streets as provided in this section and Chapter 3 of this Title. Streets shall be located with due regard for topographical conditions, natural features, existing and proposed streets, utilities and land uses and public convenience and safety. Streets shall conform to Official Maps adopted by the Common Council. The subdivision, certified survey parcel or land division shall be so designed as to provide each lot with satisfactory access to a public street or road.
C.
Compliance with Comprehensive Plan and Official Map. The arrangement, character, extent, width, grade and location of
all streets shall conform to any City Comprehensive Plan and Official
Map and to this section and shall be considered in their relation
to existing and planned streets, to reasonable circulation of traffic,
to topographical conditions, to runoff of stormwater, to public convenience
and safety, and in their appropriate relation to the proposed uses
of the land to be served by such streets. The arrangement of streets
in new subdivisions shall make provision for the appropriate continuation
at the same width of the existing streets in adjoining areas.
D.
Areas not covered by Official Map. In areas not covered
by an Official Map, the layout of streets shall conform to the plan
for the most advantageous development of adjoining areas of the neighborhood.
Streets shall be designed and located in relation to existing and
officially planned streets, topography and natural terrain, streams
and lakes and existing tree growth, public convenience and safety
and in their appropriate relation to the proposed use of the land
to be served by such streets.
E.
Traffic impact studies. If a traffic impact study is required as outlined in Section 13.05.51, the recommendations outlined shall be followed as part of street design standards. Costs for improvements related to new traffic impacts shall be paid by the developer.
F.
Continuation. Streets shall be laid out to provide for
possible continuation wherever topographic and other physical conditions
permit. Provision shall be made so that all proposed streets shall
have a direct connection with, or be continuous and in line with,
existing, planned or platted streets with which they are to connect.
Proposed streets shall be extended to the boundary lines of the tract
to be subdivided, unless prevented by topography or other physical
conditions, or unless in the opinion of the Common Council, upon the
recommendation of the Plan Commission, such extension is not necessary
or desirable for the coordination of the layout of the subdivision
with existing layout or the most advantageous future development of
adjacent tracts. Dead-end streets not over 500 feet in length will
be approved when necessitated by the topography.
G.
Minor streets. Minor streets shall be so laid out so
as to discourage their use by through traffic.
H.
Frontage roads. Where a subdivision abuts or contains
an existing or proposed arterial highway, the Plan Commission may
require a frontage road, non-access reservation along the rear of
the property contiguous to such highway or such other treatment as
may be necessary to ensure safe, efficient traffic flow and adequate
protection of residential properties.
I.
Private streets. Private streets shall not be approved
nor shall public improvements be approved for any private street;
all streets shall be dedicated for public use and installed to City
specifications.
J.
Tangents. A tangent at least 100 feet long shall be
required between reverse curves on arterial and collector streets.
K.
Half streets. Where an existing dedicated or platted
half-street is adjacent to the subdivision, the other half-street
shall be dedicated by the subdivider. The platting of half-streets
is not permitted.
A.
Street classifications. Streets shall be classified
as indicated below:
1.
Arterial streets. Arterial streets shall be arranged
to provide through traffic for a heavy volume of vehicles. Arterial
streets shall be arranged so as to provide ready access to centers
of employment, centers of governmental activity, shopping areas, recreation
areas and points beyond the boundaries of the community. They shall
also be properly integrated with and related to the existing and proposed
system of major streets and highways and shall be, insofar as practicable,
continuous and in alignment with existing or planned streets with
which they are to connect.
2.
Collector streets. Collector streets shall be arranged
so as to provide ready collection of traffic from commercial and residential
areas and conveyance of this traffic to the major street and highway
system and shall be properly related to special traffic generators
such as schools, churches and shopping centers and other concentrations
of population and to the major streets into which they feed.
3.
Minor/local streets. Minor streets shall be arranged
to conform to the topography, to discourage use by through traffic,
to permit the design of efficient storm and sanitary sewerage systems
and to require the minimum street area necessary to provide safe and
convenient access to abutting property.
4.
Proposed streets. Proposed streets shall extend to the
boundary lines of the tract being subdivided unless prevented by topography
or other physical conditions or unless, in the opinion of the Plan
Commission, such extension is not necessary or desirable for the coordination
of the layout of the subdivision or land division or for the advantageous
development of the adjacent tracts.
a.
Reserve strips. Reserve strips shall not be provided
on any plat to control access to streets or alleys, except where control
of such strips is placed with the City under conditions approved by
the Plan Commission.
b.
Alleys.
i.
Commercial, industrial, and mixed use. Alleys may
be provided in all commercial, industrial, and mixed-use districts
as approved by the City Engineer.
ii.
Residential. Alleys may be approved in residential
areas due to topography, planned unit developments or other exceptional
circumstances.
iii.
Dead end. Dead-end alleys are prohibited except
under very unusual circumstances, and crooked and "T" alleys shall
be discouraged. Where dead-end alleys are unavoidable, they shall
be provided with adequate turnaround facilities at the dead end.
A.
Street grades.
1.
Unless necessitated by exceptional topography subject to the approval
of the Plan Commission, the maximum center line grade of any street
or public way shall not exceed the following:
a.
Arterial streets: 6%.
b.
Collector streets: 8%.
c.
Minor streets, alleys and frontage streets: 10%. Three hundred
feet maximum length on a single street section.
d.
Pedestrianways: 12% unless steps of acceptable design are provided.
e.
The grade of any street shall in no case exceed 12% or be less
than 0.36%.
2.
Street grades shall be established wherever practicable so as to
avoid excessive grading, the promiscuous removal of ground cover and
tree growth, and general leveling of the topography.
3.
All pavement shall have a minimum cross slope of 0.015 feet per foot
and a minimum longitudinal slope of 0.36%.
B.
Radii of curvature.
1.
When a continuous street center line deflects at any one point by
more than 10°, a circular curve shall be introduced having a radius
of curvature on said center line of not less than the following:
2.
Horizontal curves should be provided when center line defections
exceed 1° in rural areas and in urban areas when defection exceeds
3°.
3.
All changes in street grades shall be connected by vertical curves
of a minimum length equivalent in feet to 15 times the algebraic difference
in the rates of grade for all major streets and 1/2 this minimum for
all other streets.
A.
Visibility. Streets shall afford maximum visibility
and safety and shall intersect at right angles where practicable.
As required by the City Engineer, sufficient vision clearance triangles
shall be provided at intersections.
B.
Intersections.
1.
Property lines. Property lines at street intersections
of major thoroughfares shall be rounded with a radius of 15 feet or
of a greater radius where the City Engineer considers it necessary.
2.
Angle of intersect. Streets shall intersect each other
at as nearly right angles as topography and other limiting factors
of good design permit.
3.
Number of streets converging. The number of streets
converging at one intersection shall be reduced to a minimum, preferably
not more than two. Diagonal intersections on local streets shall be
avoided whenever possible in favor of T-type intersections. Intersections
of local streets shall be at least 125 feet from each other.
4.
Number of intersections. The number of intersections
along arterial streets shall be held to a minimum. Wherever practicable,
the distance between such intersections shall be not less than 1,200
feet.
5.
Property lines at street intersections. Property lines
at street intersections shall be rounded with a minimum radius of
15 feet or of a greater radius when required by the Plan Commission
or shall be terminated by a straight line through the points of tangency
of an arc having a radius of 15 feet.
6.
Local streets. Local streets shall not necessarily continue
across arterial or collector streets, but if the center lines of such
local streets approach the major streets from opposite sides within
300 feet of each other, measured along the center line of the arterial
or collector streets, then the location shall be so adjusted that
the street adjoining to across the major or collector street is continuous.
7.
Additional sight easements. At any intersection determined
by the City Engineer, restricted development easements or additional
street right-of-way shall be platted to provide for adequate sight
distances in every direction of travel. At a minimum, the subdivider
shall grade, clear or otherwise provide for an unobstructed sight
triangle at all intersections incorporating the area within a triangle
formed by the intersection of the street right-of-way lines and a
point on each right-of-way line being not less than 20 feet from the
intersection point.
[Amended 12-13-2022 by Ord. No. 1757-2022]
A.
Street names.
1.
New street names shall not duplicate the names of existing streets
or be confusingly similar to existing streets (i.e., Brooke Lane and
Brooke Elizabeth Drive), but streets that are continuations of existing
streets may continue with the existing name. Street names shall be
subject to approval by the Engineering and Planning Departments and
La Crosse County Emergency Services. All final proposed street names
shall be included on the final plat or Certified Survey Map at the
time of consideration by the Plan Commission and Common Council.
2.
Long or continuous thoroughfares running north and south shall be
named avenues; those running east and west shall be named streets;
diagonal thoroughfares shall be named roads; and curving thoroughfares
shall be named drives. Short or discontinuous thoroughfares running
north and south shall be named courts; those running east and west
shall be named places; diagonal thoroughfares shall be named ways;
and curving thoroughfares shall be named lanes, or as approved by
the Plan Commission and Common Council.
3.
Obscure names, similar spelling and phonetically confusing
spelling not permitted. Repetition of common names (e.g., "Oak")
shall be avoided. To eliminate confusion resulting from diction problems
when individuals are reporting street names under stress, similar
(text or phonetic) or confusing spelling of street names shall not
be approved.
B.
Addressing of parcels and structures.
1.
Authority. The City of Onalaska is the sole official addressing
authority for all parcels, structures, and subaddressing of structures
within municipal boundaries. The City is responsible for approving
new addressing and/or readdressing and updating La Crosse County once
official addressing is complete.
2.
Addressing new parcels. The City shall address parcels zoned
Low-Density Residential (R-1) District and/or Low-Medium Density Residential
(R-2) District when created by a final plat or Certified Survey Map
after recordation at the La Crosse County Register of Deeds. For parcels
of all other zoning districts contained within a final plat or Certified
Survey Map, addressing shall occur at the time of a site plan permit
application. All existing vacant parcels in the City shall be assigned
addressing at the time of a building or zoning permit application
if not already addressed.
3.
Readdressing parcels and structures.
a.
A
parcel owner may request the City to change a parcel or structure
address. The Engineering and/or Planning Department shall review the
request to determine conformance with the procedure outlined in Section
6.02.16.B.4. below and, if appropriate, will create and approve a
new address.
b.
Multitenant structures. Structures that contain two more tenants
(not including parcels with an R-1 or R-2 Zoning District) are required
to submit a subaddressing plan for approval by the Engineering and/or
Planning Department. In the event a structure is subdivided, the property
owner shall submit a change of address(es) with the Engineering and/or
Planning Department.
4.
Address posted. Prior to issuance of a final occupancy permit
or at the time of an approved readdress, the property owner is required
to physically post the structure address a minimum of six feet from
the floor of the structure. The numbering shall contrast with the
façade on which it is displayed and follow the premises identification
requirements noted in Section 15.04.32.A.3.
5.
Addressing procedure. Addressing shall commence at the origination
point defined as the intersection of Main Street and Court Street
South and shall follow the numbering system as defined below:
a.
Overall numbering system:
i.
Parcels and structures on public rights-of-way running north/south
shall be numbered ascending northerly from Main Street beginning with
100 and increasing by 100 for each city block.
ii.
Parcels and structures on public rights-of-way running east/west
shall be numbered ascending easterly from Court Street South beginning
with 100 and increasing by 100 each city block.
d.
Vacant corner parcels. Vacant corner parcels may maintain
two addresses, the first in accordance with the north/south public
right-of-way and the second in accordance to the east/west public
right-of-way. A structure address shall be determined by the location
of the front structure access point in accordance with the public
right-of-way it faces.
e.
Miscellaneous address requirements. No parcel shall be allowed
to use half or less than full numbers in addressing. Alphanumeric
addresses (i.e., 101A) may be used in limited circumstances for residential
addressing where addressing has already been established and a subdivision
has occurred or an accessory dwelling unit has been created and there
is no opening for additional addressing following the above requirements,
subject to approval by the Engineering and/or Planning Department.
A.
Culs-de-sac and dead-end streets.
1.
Cul-de-sac streets designed to have one end permanently closed shall
not exceed 500 feet in length. Any cul-de-sac street over 500 feet
in length will only be considered if unusual conditions exist with
the approval of the City Engineer. All cul-de-sac streets designed
to have one end permanently closed shall terminate with a turnaround
of not less than 100 feet in diameter of right-of-way and a roadway
of not less than 80 feet in diameter, unless approved by Plan Commission.
The use of culs-de-sac should be avoided where possible. Culs-de-sac
shall have a ten-foot snow easement beyond the right-of-way.
2.
Temporary dead-ends or culs-de-sac. All temporary dead-ends
shall have a maximum length of 800 feet and a temporary cul-de-sac
shall have a minimum right-of-way radius of 66 feet and a minimum
inside curb radius of 40 feet.
B.
Limited-access highway and railroad right-of-way treatment. Whenever the proposed subdivision contains or is adjacent to a limited-access
highway, arterial street or railroad right-of-way, the design shall
provide the following treatment:
1.
Commercial and industrial districts. Commercial and
industrial districts shall have provided, on each side of the limited-access
highway, arterial street or railroad, streets approximately parallel
to and at a suitable distance from such highway or railroad for the
appropriate use of the land between such streets and highway or railroad,
but not less than 150 feet.
2.
Streets parallel to a limited-access highway. Streets
parallel to a limited-access highway or railroad right-of-way, when
intersecting a major street and highway or collector street which
crosses said railroad or highway, shall be located at a minimum distance
of 250 feet from said highway or railroad right-of-way. Such distance,
where desirable and practicable, shall be determined with due consideration
of the minimum distance required for the future separation of grades
by means of appropriate approach gradients.
C.
Minor streets. Minor streets immediately adjacent and
parallel to railroad rights-of-way shall be avoided, and location
of minor streets immediately adjacent to arterial streets and highways
and to railroad rights-of-way shall be avoided in residential areas.
D.
Highway access.
1.
No direct private access shall be permitted to the existing or proposed
rights-of-way of expressways, nor to any controlled access arterial
street without permission of the highway agency that has access control
jurisdiction. No direct public or private access shall be permitted
to the existing or proposed rights-of-way of freeways, interstate
highways and their interchanges or turning lanes nor to intersecting
or interchanging streets within 1,500 feet of the most remote end
of the taper of the turning lanes (such as exit and entrance ramps).
2.
Access barriers, such as curbing, fencing, ditching, landscaping
or other topographic barriers shall be erected to prevent unauthorized
vehicular ingress or egress to the above specified streets or highways.
3.
Temporary access to the above rights-of-way may be granted by the
City Engineer after review and recommendation by the highway agencies
having jurisdiction. Such access permit shall be temporary, revocable
and subject to any conditions required and shall be issued for a period
not to exceed 12 months.
