In any new subdivision or minor land division, the street layout shall conform to the arrangement, width and location as specified by the Comprehensive Plan, Comprehensive Plan component, Official Map, Neighborhood Development Study, Waukesha County Street and Highway Width Map, Chapter 180, Highways and Public Lands, of this Code, or jurisdictional highway system plan, whichever is more restrictive, or, if no width is specified therein, the minimum widths shall be as shown on Table 1.[1] In areas for which such plans have not been completed, the street layout shall recognize the functional classification of the various types of streets and shall be developed and located in proper relation to existing and proposed streets, to topography, to such natural features as streams and tree growth, to public convenience and safety, to the proposed use of the land to be served by such streets, and to the most advantageous development of adjoining areas. The subdivision or minor land division shall be designed so as to provide each lot with satisfactory access to a public street. In addition:
A. 
Arterial streets. An arterial street is a street used, or intended to be used, primarily for fast or heavy through traffic, whose function is to convey traffic between municipalities and activity centers. Arterial streets are designated in the Regional Transportation System Plan prepared and adopted by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.
B. 
Collector streets, as herein defined, shall be arranged so as to provide ready collection of traffic from residential areas and conveyance of this traffic to the major street and highway system and shall be properly related to the mass transportation system, to special traffic generators such as schools, churches and shopping centers and other concentrations of population and to the major streets to which they connect.
C. 
Minor streets shall be arranged to conform to the topography, to discourage use by through traffic, to permit the design of efficient stormwater drainage and sanitary sewerage systems, and to require the minimum street area necessary to provide safe and convenient access to abutting property.
D. 
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 Town Plan Commission, such extension is not necessary or desirable for the coordination of the layout of the subdivision or for the advantageous development of the adjacent tracts. Proposed street to be extended shall terminate with a temporary cul-de-sac as shown on Table 1.[2]
[2]
Editor's Note: Table 1 is included in § 200-34.
E. 
Arterial street and highway protection. Whenever the proposed subdivision or minor land division contains or is adjacent to an arterial street or highway, adequate protection of residential properties, limitation of access and separation of through and local traffic shall be provided by reversed frontage with screen planting contained in a nonaccess reservation along the rear property line, or by the use of frontage streets.
F. 
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 Town under conditions approved by the Town Plan Commission.
G. 
Access and sufficient off-street area for the maneuvering and parking or docking of all vehicles on site shall be provided, and the location and design shall be subject to the review and recommendation of the Fire Chief, and subject to the approval of the Plan Commission, in all commercial and industrial zoning districts, and in other districts where commercial or industrial uses are proposed, unless more restrictive requirements are imposed by the Zoning Code.
H. 
Street and highway names. Street and highway names shall be required for all proposed public rights-of-way and shall not duplicate or be such that they could be confused with the name of an existing street or highway within the municipality or zip code area. Rights-of-way that are extensions, or that are proposed to be aligned with existing named highways, must bear the names of these highways unless otherwise approved by the Plan Commission by recommendation of the Fire Chief and Town Department of Public Works Director. Signs shall be required at all intersections. Their location and design shall be determined and approved by the Town Department of Public Works Director. All costs for such signs shall be borne by the developer.
[1]
Editor's Note: Table 1 is included in § 200-34.
Whenever the proposed subdivision or minor land division contains or is adjacent to a limited access highway, an arterial or collector street on the Town of Vernon Official Map or Waukesha County Street or Highway Width Map, the design shall provide the following:
A. 
When lots within the proposed subdivision or minor subdivision back upon or abut the right-of-way of an existing or proposed limited access highway, a planting strip at least 20 feet in depth shall be provided adjacent to the highway or railroad in addition to the normal lot depth or width required by the underlying zoning district unless otherwise required by the Town Plan Commission. This strip 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 is prohibited."
B. 
Commercial and industrial properties shall have provided, on each side of the limited access highway 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.
C. 
Streets parallel to a limited access highway or railroad, 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. 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.
D. 
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 shall be avoided in residential areas.
[Amended 7-6-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-09]
A. 
The minimum right-of-way and roadway width of all proposed streets shall be as specified by the Comprehensive Plan, Comprehensive Plan component, Official Map, Neighborhood Development Study, Waukesha County Street and Highway Width Map, Chapter 180 of this Code, entitled "Highways and Public Lands," or jurisdictional highway system plan, whichever is more restrictive; or if no width is specified therein, the minimum widths shall be as shown on Table 1.
Table 1
Minimum Local Street Cross Sections in the Town of Vernon
Type of Street or Public Right-of-Way
Minimum Rural ROW Required
Minimum Rural Street Section
Minimum Urban ROW
Minimum Urban Section
Residential street cross section
66 feet
24-foot pavement
60 feet
24-foot pavement, plus 30-inch concrete curb and gutter
4-foot shoulders
15.5-foot greenway or terrace
17-foot ditch section
See Cross Section A1
See Cross Section A2
Commercial- Industrial
72 feet
24-foot pavement
6-foot shoulders
72 feet
30-foot pavement, plus 30-inch concrete curb and gutter
18-foot ditch section minimum
18.5-foot terrace
See Cross Section B1
See Cross Section B2
Cul-de-sac
66-foot radius
45-foot radius
66-foot radius
50-foot pavement, plus 30-inch concrete curb and gutter
4-foot shoulders
15.5-foot greenway or terrace
17-foot ditch sections
See Appendix D
Temporary See Appendix E
Collector street
66 feet
30-foot pavement
66 feet
30-foot pavement, plus 30-inch concrete curb and gutter
80 feet preferred
6-foot shoulders
80 feet preferred
15.5-foot greenway or terrace
12-foot ditch section minimum
Arterial street
80 feet
30-foot initial pavement
28-foot pavement, plus 30-inch concrete curb and gutter
Pavement to be placed for future 48-foot pavement, plus 30-inch concrete cub and gutter
100 feet preferred
6-foot shoulders; ditches to be constructed to accommodate an eventual 48-foot pavement with 5-foot shoulders
80 feet
100 feet preferred
Pedestrianways
10 feet
Surface width and type as recommended by the Town Engineer and approved by the Town Board
B. 
Street sections are for local streets only. Cross sections for county and state highways shall be determined by the Waukesha County Department of Public Works or the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, whichever has jurisdiction. The Town of Vernon Official Map or Waukesha County Street and Highway Width Map may require additional rights-of-way to be dedicated for state and county highways above that which are required by the state or county. Cross sections for freeways, expressways, and parkways should be based upon detailed engineering studies. In addition:
[Amended 1-19-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-02]
(1) 
Culs-de-sac.
(a) 
Culs-de-sac designed as permanent installation and not to be extended at any time shall not be longer than 600 feet in length, except where topographical and particular conditions warrant an extension and will be subject to approval of a waiver and modification to this ordinance, at the sole discretion of the Town Board. However, no waivers shall be granted to permit a permanent cul-de-sac exceeding 1,200 feet in length.
(b) 
Culs-de-sac designed as a temporary installation are permitted up to 1,200 feet in length without the need for a waiver and modification. Waivers for temporary culs-de-sac in excess of 1,200 feet, or extensions thereof, may be granted by the Town Board where it finds that all of the following criteria are met:
[1] 
The street extension serves to implement the Town of Vernon Official Map without regard to long-term street connectivity.
[2] 
A fire tank is already located within 1,200 feet of the terminus of the planned temporary cul-de-sac or will be installed within 1,200 feet of the planned temporary cul-de-sac as part of the proposed development.
[3] 
The Chief of the Big Bend Vernon Fire Department approves of the waiver in writing prior to the Town Board’s consideration of the waiver and modification request.
(c) 
The closed end shall have a paved turning diameter of at least 90 feet and a right-of-way diameter of 132 feet. The size, design, construction and maintenance of a cul-de-sac shall be as determined by the Town Plan Commission after recommendation by the Town Engineer.
(2) 
Alleys shall be provided in commercial and industrial districts except that the Town Plan Commission may waive this requirement where other provisions are 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 exceptional circumstances. Dead-end alleys shall not be allowed. Alleys shall have a minimum width of 30 feet with 24 feet of paved surface.
(3) 
Half highways are highways which are only a portion of the required width and are usually platted along property lines. These half highways shall be prohibited except where it is deemed essential for the reasonable development of the subdivision or minor land division in conformity with the other requirements of these regulations and where the Town Plan Commission finds it will be practical to require the dedication of the other half when the adjoining property is subdivided.
(4) 
Width. The right-of-way of all highways shall be no less than 66 feet for minor highways. All arterials and major highways shall comply with the requirements of the Comprehensive Plan, Comprehensive Plan component, Town of Vernon Planned Road Map, Master Plan, Waukesha County Street and Highway Width Map, Chapter 180 of this Code, entitled "Highways and Public Lands," or jurisdictional highway system plan, whichever is more restrictive; or if no width is specified therein, the minimum widths shall be as shown on Table 1.
(5) 
Street grades. Unless necessitated by exceptional topography, and subject to the approval of the Town Plan Commission, the maximum center-line grade of any street or public way shall not exceed the following:
(a) 
Arterial streets: maximum 6% with a minimum of 0.75%.
(b) 
Collector streets: maximum 8% with a minimum of 0.75%.
(c) 
Minor streets, alleys and frontage streets: maximum 10% with a minimum of 0.75%.
(d) 
Pedestrianways: 12% unless steps or stairs of acceptable design are provided.
(e) 
The grade of any street shall in no case exceed 12% or be less than 0.5 of 1%.
(f) 
Street grades shall be established wherever practical so as to avoid excessive grading, the promiscuous removal of ground cover and tree growth, and general leveling of the topography. All changes in street grades shall be connected by vertical curves of a minimum length equivalent in feet to 20 times the algebraic difference in the rates of grade for all streets. The Town Engineer shall determine the need for a vertical curve.
(6) 
Sight distance. Proper sight distances must be provided with respect to both horizontal and vertical alignment as per Wisconsin Department of Transportation Facilities Development Manual Procedure 11-10-5 (Exhibit B[1]).
[1]
Editor's Note: Exhibit B is included at the end of this chapter.
(7) 
Radii of curvature. 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:
(a) 
Arterial streets and highways: 500 feet.
(b) 
Collector streets: 300 feet.
(c) 
Minor streets: 150 feet.
(8) 
Roadway elevations. Elevations of roadways passing through floodland areas shall be designed in the following manner:
(a) 
At least two feet above the one-hundred-year recurrence interval flood elevation for arterial streets.
(b) 
At least two feet above the ten-year recurrence interval flood elevation for minor streets.
(c) 
At no less than the one-hundred-year recurrence interval flood elevation for collector streets.
(9) 
New and replacement bridges and culverts. All new and replacement bridges and culverts over perennial waterways, including pedestrian and other minor bridges, in addition to meeting other applicable requirements, shall be designed so as to accommodate the one-hundred-year recurrence interval flood event without raising the peak stage, either upstream or downstream, more than 0.01 foot above the peak stage for the one-hundred-year recurrence interval flood, as established in the applicable federal flood insurance study or other technical study. Larger permissible flood stage increases may be acceptable for reaches having topographic conditions which could accommodate the increased stage without creating additional flood damage upstream or downstream of the proposed structure, providing that flood easements or other appropriate legal measures have been secured from all property owners affected by the excess stage increases. Such bridges and culverts shall be so designed and constructed as to facilitate the passage of ice flows and other debris. All new and replacement bridges shall be constructed in accordance with all applicable federal and state statutes and codes, and plans shall be submitted to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the US Army Corps of Engineers to assure compliance therewith. Applicable permits or letters of nonobjection shall be submitted to the Town. All costs for such bridges or culverts shall be borne by the developer.
Streets shall intersect each other at as nearly right angles as topography and other limiting factors of good design permit. In addition:
A. 
The number of streets converging at one intersection shall be reduced to a minimum, preferably not more than two.
B. 
The number of intersections along major streets and highways shall be held to a minimum. Whenever practicable the distance between such intersections shall not be less than 1,200 feet.
C. 
Intersections must be approached on all sides by grades not to exceed 4% for a distance of at least 50 feet in length unless exceptional topography would prohibit these grades.
D. 
The minimum turning radius at an intersection shall not be less than 40 feet when intersecting an arterial or collector street. Twenty feet is acceptable for minor street to minor street intersection.
E. 
Minor streets shall not necessarily continue across arterial or collector streets, but if the center lines of such minor streets approach the major streets from opposite sides within 250 feet of each other, measured along the center lines of the arterial or collector street, then the location shall be so adjusted that the adjoinment across the major or collector street is continuous and a jog is avoided.
F. 
Vision triangles providing unobstructed views in both directions perpendicular to the line of sight shall be maintained at all intersections. Measured along the center line, there shall be clear sight triangle easement with sides as follows: state and federal highways, 250 feet; arterials, 150 feet; collector and minor streets, 100 feet. No building or obstruction to view is permitted in this triangle area.
G. 
If a proposed street or highway is to enter a Town, county or state arterial and it is deemed a hazardous entrance by the governing body having jurisdiction over the highway, it will be the responsibility of the developer to correct the potential hazard through an agreement with the governing body or else relocate the proposed entrance to a more suitable location.
The widths, lengths and shapes of blocks shall be suited to the planned use of the land; zoning requirements; need for convenient access; control and safety of street traffic; and the limitations and opportunities of topography. In addition:
A. 
The length of blocks in residential areas shall not as a general rule be less than 600 feet nor more than 1,500 feet in length unless otherwise dictated by exceptional topography or other limiting factors of good design, except blocks located on culs-de-sac shall conform to § 200-34B(1) of this chapter and blocks where major intersections exist must conform to § 200-35B of this chapter.
B. 
Pedestrianways of not less than 20 feet in width may be required near the center and entirely across any block over 900 feet in length where deemed essential by the Town Plan Commission to provide adequate pedestrian circulation or access to schools, parks, shopping centers, churches or transportation facilities.
C. 
The width of blocks shall be wide enough to provide for two tiers of lots of appropriate depth except where otherwise required to separate residential development from through traffic. Width of lots or parcels reserved or laid out for commercial or industrial use shall be adequate to provide for off-street service and parking required by the use contemplated and the area zoning restrictions for such use.
The size, shape and orientation of lots shall be appropriate for the location of the subdivision or minor land division and for the type of development and use contemplated. The lots should be designed to provide an aesthetically pleasing building site and a proper architectural setting for the building contemplated. In addition:
A. 
Side lot lines shall be at right angles to straight street lines or radial to curved street lines on which the lots face. Lot lines shall follow municipal boundary lines rather than cross them.
B. 
Double frontage and reverse frontage lots shall be prohibited except where necessary to provide separation of residential development from through traffic or to overcome specific disadvantages of topography and orientation.
C. 
Access. Every lot shall front or abut for a distance of at least 66 feet on a public street or 45 feet on a cul-de-sac.
D. 
Area and dimensions of all lots shall conform to the requirements of the County Zoning Ordinance. Those building sites not served by a public sanitary sewerage system or other approved system shall be sufficient to permit the use of an on-site soil absorption sewage disposal system designed in accordance with Ch. Comm 83, Wis. Adm. Code.
E. 
Whenever a tract is subdivided into parcels five acres or less in area and more than twice the minimum lot area required for the zoning district in which such parcel is located, the Town Plan Commission may require such parcels to be arranged and dimensioned so as to allow resubdivision of any such parcels in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and in conformance with the County Zoning Ordinance.
F. 
Depth of lots shall be a minimum of 150 feet. Excessive depth in relation to width shall be avoided and a proportion of 2:1 shall be considered a desirable ratio under normal conditions. Depth and width of lots or parcels reserved or laid out for commercial or industrial use shall be adequate to provide for off-street service and parking required by the use contemplated and the zoning restrictions for such use.
G. 
Width of lots shall conform at a minimum to the requirements of the zoning district in which located unless part of a planned unit development.
H. 
Corner lots shall have an extra width of 15 feet to permit adequate building setbacks from side streets.
I. 
Shape of lots shall generally be rectangular. Lots platted on culs-de-sac will generally be narrower at the street than at the rear lot line.
J. 
The creation of flag lots shall be prohibited unless a waiver or modification is approved by the Town Board. See § 200-14D.
K. 
Lands lying between the meander line and the water's edge and any otherwise unplattable lands which lie between a proposed subdivision and the water's edge shall be included as part of lots, outlots or public dedications in any plat abutting a lake or stream.
L. 
Any outlot shall either be owned by a lot owner, combined with other adjacent parcels, dedicated to the public or owned as an undividable interest by all owners in the subdivision plat.
Building setback lines appropriate to the location and type of development contemplated, which are more restrictive than the regulation of the zoning district in which the plat is located, may be required by the Town Plan Commission and shall be shown on the final plat or final certified survey map. Examples of the application of this provision would include requiring greater setbacks on cul-de-sac lots to achieve the necessary lot width at the setback line, requiring greater setbacks to conform to setbacks of existing adjacent development, setting special yard requirements to protect natural resource elements or where it is anticipated that a right-of-way providing primary access to other development may occur. The Town Plan Commission may require shoreland or wetland setbacks in addition to those required by the Waukesha County Code.
Special restrictions which are appropriate to the location or design of the land division may be required by the Town Plan Commission and shall be shown on the final plat or certified survey map. Examples of the application of this provision include access control along public ways, required planting and buffering strips, and prohibition of structures, vegetative clearing in environmentally significant lands, and proposed future rights-of-way.
A. 
Pedestrian easements or dedications, at least 20 feet in width, shall be required where deemed necessary to provide access to playgrounds, parks, schools, streams, shopping centers, or other community facilities.
B. 
Utility easements shall be provided as may be deemed necessary by those utility companies having installations in the plat. The utility companies shall review all plats to determine whether easements will be necessary and where they should be required. Utility easements for electric power and telephone service shall, where practical, be placed on mid-block easements of not less than 20 feet centered on the property line and, where possible, along rear lot lines for underground construction. Utility easements shall not be located within drainage easements. Utility easements may cross drainage easements.
C. 
Where a subdivision is traversed by a drainageway or stream, an adequate easement shall be provided as recommended by the Town Engineer and approved by the Town Plan Commission or as deemed necessary by any regulatory agency having jurisdiction. The location, width, alignment, and improvement of such drainageway or easement shall be subject to review and recommendation of the Town Engineer and approval of the Town Plan Commission or appropriate approval agency, such as the Army Corps of Engineers, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources or the county, and parallel highways or parkways may be required in connection therewith. Where necessary, stormwater drainage shall be maintained by landscaped open channels of adequate size and grade to hydraulically accommodate maximum potential volumes of flow, subject to review and recommendation of the Town Engineer and approval of the Town Plan Commission. The Town may also require catch basins or sediment basins to be placed in a location which will prevent erosion and sedimentation within the development and on adjacent lands. Said basins shall be constructed in accordance with standards as established by the Town, Waukesha County Construction Site Erosion Control and Stormwater Management Ordinance, and any regulatory agency having jurisdiction. The Town must be granted access to and may maintain all drainage easements. Any costs incurred in said maintenance by the Town shall be charged back to the landowners who benefit from said easement.
Stream or lake shores shall have a minimum of 60 feet of public access platted to the low-water mark at intervals of not more than 1/2 mile but only in circumstances where that is required by § 236.16(3), Wis. Stats.