[2-28-2022 by Ord. No. 08-2022]
This Ordinance shall apply to all land and water within the corporate limits of the Village of Mount Pleasant, Racine County, Wisconsin and to all lands within the extraterritorial land division approval jurisdiction of the Village.
[2-28-2022 by Ord. No. 08-2022]
All proposed land divisions, except those exempted in accordance with § 74-2.2(d) and (e), shall be subject to Village review and approval in which the Village shall approve, approve with conditions and/or deed restrictions, or reject proposed plats and certified survey maps.
(a) 
Subdivisions. Any division of land within the Village or the extraterritorial land division approval jurisdiction of the Village that results in a subdivision as defined in Article XI shall be surveyed and a plat thereof approved and recorded pursuant to the provisions of Article V this Ordinance and Chapter 236 of the Wisconsin Statutes.
(b) 
Minor land divisions. Any division of land within the Village or the extraterritorial land division approval jurisdiction of the Village that results in a minor land division as defined in Article XI shall be surveyed and a certified survey map of such division approved and recorded as required by Article VI of this Ordinance and Chapter 236 of the Wisconsin Statutes.
(c) 
Condominiums. Any development within the Village that creates a condominium as defined in Article XI shall be surveyed and a condominium plat thereof approved and recorded pursuant to § 74-3.1 of this Ordinance and Chapter 703 of the Wisconsin Statutes. Any condominium that creates a new lot, parcel, or outlet shall also comply with the requirements of Chapter 236 of the Statutes and the requirements of this Ordinance as applicable to land divisions. It is the express intent of this Ordinance to regulate condominiums having one or more principal structures on any lot or parcel, except for condominium conversions of existing buildings where no additional units are being developed, provided such conversions comply with Chapter 703 of the Statutes. In no case shall the maximum number of units in a condominium exceed the maximum number of lots the same parcel could have accommodated under the Village Zoning Ordinance if the parcel had been conventionally divided or developed [unless a density bonus is allowed by the Village].
(d) 
The provisions of this Ordinance, as it applies to division of tracts of land into four or fewer lots or parcels, shall not apply to:
(1) 
Transfers of interest in land by will or pursuant to court order.
(2) 
Leases for a term not to exceed 10 years, mortgages, or easements.
(3) 
Sale or exchange of parcels of land between owners of adjoining property, subject to Village review and approval to ensure compliance with the requirements of this Ordinance and the Village Zoning Ordinance, if additional lots are not thereby created and the lots resulting are not reduced below the minimum sizes required by this Ordinance, the Zoning Ordinance, or other applicable laws or ordinances and the Village approves the sale or exchange to ensure compliance with such requirements and ordinances.
(e) 
All of the following specific uses and activities are exempted from this Ordinance:
(1) 
Cemetery plats made under Section 157.07 of the Wisconsin Statutes.
(2) 
Assessors' plats made under Section 70.27 of the Wisconsin Statutes; however, assessors' plats shall comply with Sections 236.15(1)(A) through (G) and 236.20(1) and (2)(A) through (E) of the Wisconsin Statutes, unless waived under Section 236.20(2)(L).
(3) 
Public transportation project plats made under Section 84.095 of the Wisconsin Statutes.
(4) 
Sale or exchange of parcels of public utilities or railway rights-of-way to adjoining property owners if the Village Board and the county planning agency approve such sale or exchange on the basis of applicable local ordinances or the provisions of Chapter 236 of the Wisconsin Statutes.
[2-28-2022 by Ord. No. 08-2022]
No person, firm, or corporation shall divide any land located within the jurisdictional limits of the Village which results in a subdivision, minor land division, replat, or condominium as defined herein unless specifically exempted under § 74-2.2(d) or (e); and no such subdivision, minor land division, replat, or condominium shall be entitled to record without compliance with:
(a) 
All requirements of this Ordinance.
(b) 
The Village Comprehensive Plan or any component thereof, the Zoning Ordinance, the Official Map Ordinance, and the Erosion Control and Stormwater Management Ordinance.
(c) 
The provisions of Chapter 236 of the Wisconsin Statutes for proposed land divisions.
(d) 
The provisions of Chapter 703 of the Wisconsin Statutes for proposed condominiums.
(e) 
The rules of the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services regulating lot size and lot elevation necessary for proper sanitary conditions if any lot or unit is not served by a public sewer and provisions for such service have not been made.
(f) 
The rules of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Racine County highway department relating to provision for the safety of entrance upon and departure from county and state trunk highways or connecting highways and for the preservation of the public interest and investment in such highway systems if the land owned or controlled by the subdivider abuts on a county or state trunk highway or connecting highway or street.
(g) 
The rules of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources setting water quality standards preventing and abating pollution, and regulating development within floodplain, wetland, and shoreland areas.
(h) 
The rules of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
(i) 
All other applicable ordinances and state and federal regulation.
[2-28-2022 by Ord. No. 08-2022]
Lands shall not be divided that are held unsuitable for such use by the Plan Commission, upon recommendation of the Public Works Director or other agency as determined by the Plan Commission, for reason of flooding, inadequate drainage, adverse soil or rock formation, unfavorable topography, or any other feature likely to be harmful to the health, safety, or welfare of the future residents or occupants of the proposed land division, or the Village, or poses an imminent harm to the environment. In addition:
(a) 
Floodplains.
(1) 
No lot served by public sanitary sewerage facilities shall have less than 50% of its required lot area, or 4,200 square feet, whichever is greater, above the elevation of the one-percent-annual-probability (100-year recurrence interval) flood. No lots one acre or less in area served by a private onsite wastewater treatment system (POWTS) shall include floodplains. All lots more than one acre in area served by a POWTS shall contain not less than 40,000 square feet of land that is at least two feet above the one-percent-annual-probability flood elevation identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Where such flood stage data are not available, the regulatory flood elevation shall be determined by a professional engineer or professional land surveyor and the sealed report of the engineer setting forth the regulatory flood stage and the method of its determination shall be subject to review and approval by the Public Works Director.
(2) 
Undeveloped lands that are or would be accessed from existing streets located within the one-percent-annual-probability floodplain may not be subdivided for residential, commercial, manufacturing, or institutional uses unless an alternative access is provided through streets located outside of such floodplain or meets the provisions of § 74-7.4(j) of this Ordinance or the floodplain provisions in the Village Zoning [or Floodplain] Ordinance.
(b) 
Lands altered or filled shall not be divided into building sites that are to be served by POWTS except where soil tests by a certified soil tester clearly show that the soils are suited to such use. Soil reports shall include, but need not be limited to, an evaluation of soil permeability, depth to bedrock, soil bearing capacity, soil compaction and depth to groundwater or seasonal water table determined by using redoximorphic features or other methods approved by the governing agencies having jurisdiction. To accomplish this purpose, a minimum of one test per acre shall be made initially where in-situ soils or altered sites dictate such frequency. The Village does not guarantee, warrant, or represent that the required samples represent conditions on an entire property and thereby asserts that there is no liability on the part of the Village Board, its agencies, agents, or employees for sanitary problems or structural damages that may occur as a result of reliance upon such tests.
(1) 
The POWTS evaluation requirements specified herein and any additional requirements specified in the Racine County sanitary code for POWTS shall be followed.
(c) 
A soil and site evaluation may be required, or an evaluation as determined by the POWTS regulatory staff, for any land proposed to be divided that contains an existing structure(s) being served by a POWTS installed before July 1, 1980, and/or is intended to continue operation in order to establish and designate a replacement area for a future POWTS, other than or except a holding tank. The evaluation report shall include a soil test at or near the existing POWTS.
(1) 
Such existing POWTS, including holding tanks, that will continue to serve an existing structure and is a part of or a remnant parcel of a subdivision plat or certified survey map shall be evaluated by a Wisconsin licensed master or master restricted service plumber or POWTS inspector to document compliance with the requirements of Chapter SPS 383 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code. The evaluator shall provide to the POWTS regulatory staff a written report regarding its compliance. Any POWTS found not to follow Chapter 383 or other sections or chapters of the Wisconsin Administrative Code governing POWTS shall be in violation of the Racine County sanitary code for POWTS and must have a sanitary permit issued for a replacement POWTS prior to or at the time of application submittal to the Village for a land division approval. The Village will issue orders and require the owner/subdivider to enter into an installation agreement with the Village as part of the land division application. The owner/subdivider must install the permitted replacement POWTS within one year from the date of sanitary permit issuance. The use of holding tanks to serve proposed land divisions for new residential development is prohibited in accordance with the provisions in the County Sanitary Code.
(d) 
Lands having a slope of 12% or more may be required by the Plan Commission to be maintained in natural open uses. A lot served by public sanitary sewer shall have at least 50% of its minimum required lot area or 4,200 square feet, whichever is less, in slopes of less than 12%. A lot served by a POWTS shall have at least 50% of its minimum required lot area or 20,000 square feet, whichever is less, in slopes of less than 12%.
(1) 
Proposed POWTS area shall have slopes of 25% or less and, if the absorption area for POWTS contains slopes exceeding 18%, there shall be sufficient available area for both a primary and replacement POWTS absorption area. Where in situ soils exist and land slope reduction or modification (i.e., shaping, grading, cutting, filling, or other alteration from existing conditions) is proposed in the POWTS area, a soil test (morphological evaluation) shall be conducted to determine that sufficient suitable in situ soils remain for a proposed inground or subsurface POWTS system. The proposed use of pretreatment devices for POWTS shall not be allowed as an alternative or used in lieu of meeting the in-situ soil standards stated in this Ordinance. The slope and altered area shall provide sufficient topography alteration to prevent surface or subsurface water ponding that may adversely affect the POWTS performance. Surface-designed POWTS may be prohibited on such described soils.
(e) 
Lands having bedrock within seven feet of the natural undisturbed surface shall not be divided into building sites to be served by POWTS unless the sites are compliant with standards set forth in Chapters SPS 383, 384, and 385 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code and the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (SPS) most recent edition of the POWTS design component manuals. The minimum depth of suitable soil over bedrock must comply with the specifications set forth in Table 383.44-3 of Chapter SPS 383. The depth of soil required over bedrock will be dependent on soil texture, soil structure, and the quality of the influent entering the proposed soil dispersal area. The land division layout shall permit the infiltrative surfaces of dispersal cells to be located at least 36 inches above bedrock.
(f) 
Lands having permanent groundwater and/or seasonal water table, as determined by redoximorphic features or other approved methodology, within seven feet of the natural undisturbed surface shall not be divided into building sites to be served by POWTS unless the sites are compliant with standards set forth in Chapters SPS 383, 384, and 385 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code and the SPS most recent edition of the POWTS design component manuals. The minimum depth of unsaturated soil above seasonal groundwater must comply with the specifications set forth in Table 383.44-3 of Chapter SPS 383. The land division layout shall permit the infiltrative surfaces of the dispersal cells to be located at least 36 inches above the highest groundwater elevation as estimated utilizing soil redoximorphic features. At least six of the 36 inches of soil separation required shall be comprised of an in situ (original or natural glaciated form) soil type for which soil treatment capability is credited under the afore referenced Table. Seasonal soil saturation shall be assumed to reach the ground surface where redoximorphic features are present within four inches of the bottom of the "A" horizon. Soils meeting this "A+4" criteria shall contain at least in situ soil formed in place, as described above, and at least four inches of unmottled soil of a "B," "E," or "C" soil characteristic horizon directly below the in situ "A" horizon or nonredoximorphic features.
(g) 
Lands covered by soils having coarse textures such as sand, course sand, loamy sand, and loamy coarse sand with more than 35% coarse fragment content shall have "described" soils of five or more feet below proposed POWTS elevation. The described soils shall not contain limiting characteristics other than coarse fragment quantity to be deemed acceptable for POWTS. When at-surface POWTS are proposed on the aforementioned soils and soil conditions, the in-situ surface soils must remain unaltered to preserve site suitability for accommodating a POWTS. A percolation rate slower than 120 minutes per inch or a soil load rate of less than 0.20 gallons per square feet per day shall not be divided into building sites to be served by POWTS unless compliance with Chapters SPS 383, 384, and 385 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code and the SPS most recent edition of POWTS design component manuals can be demonstrated. The use of pretreatment devices in a POWTS design to make a proposed land division site suitable for POWTS in lieu of the site meeting the abovementioned soil standards shall be prohibited.
(h) 
Land drained by farm drainage tile or farm ditch systems shall not be divided into building sites to be served by POWTS unless compliance with Chapters SPS 383, 384, and 385 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code and the SPS most recent edition of the POWTS design component manuals can be demonstrated.
(i) 
The Village Plan Commission, in applying the provisions of this section, shall, in writing, recite the particular facts upon which it based its conclusion that the land is not suitable for the intended use and afford the subdivider an opportunity to present evidence in rebuttal to the finding of unsuitability. The Plan Commission may thereafter affirm, modify, or withdraw its determination of unsuitability.
[2-28-2022 by Ord. No. 08-2022]
(a) 
Streets, highways, and drainageways. Whenever a proposed land division encompasses all or any part of an street, highway, drainageway, other public way or public access to navigable lakes, rivers, or streams, which has been designated in the Comprehensive Plan or component thereof or the Official Map of the Village, said public way shall be made a part of the plat or certified survey map and dedicated or reserved, as determined by the Village, by the subdivider in the locations and dimensions indicated on said plan or map and as set forth in Article VII.
(b) 
Dedication or reservation. Park and school sites shall be dedicated or reserved as provided in § 74-7.11.
(c) 
Protection of open space. Whenever a proposed land division encompasses all or any part of open space lands, as defined in Article XI, such open space land shall be protected. Acceptable means of protection shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(1) 
Reservation or dedication to the Village, county, or state.
(2) 
Donation to a nonprofit conservation organization.
(3) 
Conservation easement.
(4) 
Deed restriction or restrictive covenant. Common open space to be preserved in perpetuity shall be protected by providing a deed restriction or restrictive covenant that prohibits any land division or development of said open space, except limited recreational amenities as approved by the agency or organization having jurisdiction. Future modifications of deed restrictions or restrictive covenants are subject to approval by the land owners and the Village Board.
(d) 
Proposed public lands lying outside the corporate limits of the Village but within the extraterritorial land division approval jurisdictional area of these regulations shall be reserved for acquisition by the Town or county.
[2-28-2022 by Ord. No. 08-2022]
Common areas or facilities within a land division or condominium shall be held in common ownership as undivided proportionate interests by the members of a homeowners' or condominium association, subject to the provisions set forth herein. The homeowners' or condominium association shall be governed according to the following:
(a) 
The subdivider shall provide the Village with a description of the homeowners' or condominium association, including its bylaws, and all documents governing maintenance requirements and use restrictions for common areas and facilities. These documents shall be subject to review by the Plan Commission and reviewed as to form by the Village Attorney.
(b) 
The association shall be established by the owner or applicant and shall be operating prior to the sale of any lots or units in the subdivision or condominium.
(c) 
Membership in the association shall be mandatory for all purchasers of lots or units therein and their successors and assigns.
(d) 
The association shall be responsible for maintenance and insurance of common areas and facilities.
(e) 
A plan for any common open space to be retained in a natural state shall be included in the submittal of association documents.
(f) 
The members of the association shall share equally the costs of maintaining, insuring, and operating common areas and facilities.
(g) 
The association shall have or hire adequate staff to administer, maintain, and operate common areas and facilities.
(h) 
The subdivider shall arrange with the Village Assessor a method of assessment of any common areas and facilities, which will allocate to each lot, parcel, or unit within the land division or condominium a share of the total assessment for such common areas and facilities.
(i) 
The Village may require that it receive written notice of any proposed transfer of common areas or facilities by the association or the assumption of maintenance of common areas or facilities. Such notice shall be given to all members of the association and to the Village at least 30 days prior to such transfer.
(j) 
In the event that the association established to own and maintain common areas and facilities, or any successor organization thereto, fails to properly maintain all or any portion of the aforesaid common areas or facilities, the Village may serve written notice upon such association setting forth the manner in which the association has failed to maintain the aforesaid common areas and facilities. Such notice shall set forth the nature of corrections required and the time within which the corrections shall be made. Upon failure to comply within the time specified, the association, or any successor association, shall be considered in violation of this Ordinance, in which case the Village shall have the right to enter the premises and take the needed corrective actions. The costs of corrective actions by the Village shall be assessed against the properties that have the right of enjoyment of the common areas and facilities.
[2-28-2022 by Ord. No. 08-2022]
Before approval of any final plat or, where applicable, certified survey map (CSM) located within the corporate limits of the Village, the subdivider shall install street, utility, and other improvements as hereinafter required. In the alternative, if such improvements are not installed by the time the final plat or CSM is submitted for approval, the subdivider shall, before the recording of the plat or CSM, enter into a development agreement with the Village agreeing to install the required improvements, and shall file with said agreement a bond or letter of credit with good and sufficient surety meeting the approval of the Village Attorney or a certified check in the amount equal to the estimated cost of the improvements. Said estimate shall be made by the Public Works Director as a guarantee that such improvements will be completed by the subdivider or the subdivider's subcontractors not later than the dates set forth in the development agreement and as a further guarantee that all obligations to subcontractors for work on the land division are satisfied. In addition:
(a) 
Contracts and contract specifications for the construction of street and utility improvements within public street rights-of-way, as well as contractors and subcontractors providing such work, shall be subject to approval of the Public Works Director.
(b) 
Governmental units to which these bond and contract provisions apply may file, in lieu of said contract and bond, a letter from officers authorized to act on their behalf agreeing to comply with the provisions of this section.
(c) 
Survey monuments. Before final approval of any plat or CSM within the corporate limits of the Village, the subdivider shall cause survey monuments to be installed as required by and placed in accordance with the requirements of Section 236.15 of the Wisconsin Statutes, and as may be required by the Public Works Director. The Public Works Director may waive the placing of monuments, as provided in § 236.15(1)(H) of the Wisconsin Statutes, for a reasonable time, not to exceed one year, on the condition that the subdivider provide a letter of credit, certified check, or surety bond equal to the estimated cost of installing the monuments to ensure the placing of such monuments within the time required by statute. Additional time may be granted upon show of cause.
(d) 
Plats outside corporate limits. Before final approval by the Village of any plat or CSM located outside the corporate limits of the Village but within the extraterritorial land division approval jurisdiction of the Village, the subdivider shall give evidence that he or she has complied with all street and utility improvement requirements of the Town in which of the land being platted is located.
[2-28-2022 by Ord. No. 08-2022]
Before or as a condition of receiving final approval from the Village Board of any final subdivision plat, condominium plat, or certified survey map for which public improvements are required by this Ordinance; or for which public improvements, dedications, or fees are being deferred under this Ordinance; or for which phasing approval is being granted under § 74-9.2 of this Ordinance, the subdivider shall sign and file with the Village Board a development agreement. The development agreement shall be approved as to form by the Village Attorney, and shall be subject to approval by the Village Board prior to approval of the final subdivision plat, condominium plat, or certified survey map.
[2-28-2022 by Ord. No. 08-2022]
Where, in the judgment of the Plan Commission, it would be inappropriate to apply literally the provisions of Article VII and VIII of this Ordinance because exceptional or undue hardship would result, the Plan Commission may waive or modify any requirement to the extent deemed just and proper. Such relief shall be granted without detriment to the public good, without impairing the intent and purpose of this Ordinance or the desirable general development of the community in accordance with an adopted comprehensive plan or component thereof. No exception or modification shall be granted unless the Plan Commission finds that all the following facts and conditions exist and so indicates in the minutes of its proceedings:
(a) 
Exceptional circumstances. There are exceptional, extraordinary, or unusual circumstances or conditions where a literal enforcement of the requirements of this Ordinance would result in severe hardship. Such hardships should not apply generally to other properties or be of such a recurrent nature as to suggest that this Ordinance should be changed.
(b) 
Preservation of property rights. That such exception or modification is necessary for the preservation and enjoyment of substantial property rights possessed by other properties in the same vicinity.
(c) 
Absence of detriment. That the exception or modification will not create substantial detriment to adjacent property and will not materially impair or be contrary to the purpose and spirit of this Ordinance or the public interest.
(d) 
A majority vote of the quorum of the Plan Commission shall be required to grant any exception or modification of this Ordinance, and the reasons shall be entered into the minutes of the Commission.
[2-28-2022 by Ord. No. 08-2022]
No person, firm, or corporation shall build upon, divide, convey, record, or place monuments on any land in violation of this Ordinance or the Wisconsin Statutes. No person, firm, or corporation shall be issued a zoning, building, or sanitary permit by the Village authorizing the building on, or improvement of, any subdivision, minor land division, replat, or condominium within the jurisdiction of this Ordinance not of record as of the effective date of this Ordinance, until the provisions and requirements of this Ordinance have been fully met. The Village may institute appropriate action or proceedings to enjoin violations of this Ordinance.
[2-28-2022 by Ord. No. 08-2022]
Any person, firm, or corporation who fails to comply with the provisions of this Ordinance or Chapter 236 of the Wisconsin Statutes shall, upon conviction thereof, face penalties as set forth below plus any additional costs incurred by the Village for each violation. Each day a violation exists or continues shall constitute a separate offense. Violations and concomitant penalties shall include the following:
(a) 
Recordation improperly made carries penalties as provided in § 236.30 of the Wisconsin Statutes.
(b) 
Conveyance of lots in unrecorded plats carries penalties as provided in § 236.31 of the Wisconsin Statutes.
(c) 
Monuments disturbed or not placed carries penalties as provided for in § 236.32 of the Wisconsin Statutes.
(d) 
Dividing a lot or parcel, or use if so divided, in a recorded plat or certified survey map for purposes of sale or building development not in compliance with the provisions of Chapter 236 of the statutes, to any applicable ordinance of an approving authority, or to the rules of the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services carries penalties as provided in § 236.335 of the Statutes.
(e) 
An assessor's plat made under § 70.27 of the Wisconsin Statutes may be ordered as a remedy by the Village, at the expense of the subdivider, when a subdivision, as defined in this Ordinance, is created by successive divisions.
[2-28-2022 by Ord. No. 08-2022]
Any person aggrieved by an objection to a plat or a failure to approve a plat may appeal such objection or failure to approve, as provided in §§ 236.13(5) and 62.23(7)(E) of the Wisconsin Statutes, within 30 days of notification of the rejection of the plat. Where failure to approve is based on an unsatisfied objection, the agency making the objection shall be made a party to the action. The court shall direct that the plat be approved if it finds that the action of the approving or objecting agency is arbitrary, unreasonable, or discriminatory.