The following definitions shall be applicable
in this chapter:
ALLEY
A public right-of-way which normally affords a secondary
means of vehicular access to abutting property.
ARTERIAL STREET
A street which provides for the movement of relatively fast
or heavy traffic to, from or within the Town. It has a secondary function
of providing access to abutting land.
BLOCK
An area of land within a subdivision that is entirely bounded
by a combination or combinations of streets, exterior boundary lines
of the subdivision and streams or water bodies.
BUILDING LINE
Lines generally parallel to a lot line and at a distance
from the lot line as specified in the Town or County Zoning Ordinance
and which delineate the buildable area of the lot or parcel.
COLLECTOR STREET
A street which collects and distributes internal traffic
within an urban area, such as a residential neighborhood, between
arterial and local streets. It provides access to abutting property.
COMMISSION
The Plan Commission created by the Town Board pursuant to
§ 62.23, Wis. Stats.
COMMUNITY
A town, incorporated municipality, or a group of adjacent
towns and/or incorporated municipalities having common social, economic
or physical interests or characteristics.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
A comprehensive plan prepared by the Town indicating the
general locations recommended for the various functional classes of
land use, places and structures and for the general physical development
of the Town and includes any unit or part of such plan separately
adopted and any amendment to such plan or parts thereof.
CUL-DE-SAC
A short street having but one end open to traffic and the
other end being permanently terminated in a vehicular turnaround.
DEVELOPMENT (RURAL)
Agricultural, residential, recreational and other open space
development at such concentrations and densities not requiring traditional
urban services and facilities. Historically, in southeastern Wisconsin,
when residential development densities are less than 0.2 dwelling
unit per gross acre (or one dwelling unit per five acres), such traditional
urban services are not required. Such rural development may be expected
to result in minimum disturbance of the land and land cover and, therefore,
less impact on the natural environment.
DEVELOPMENT (URBAN)
Residential, commercial, industrial, governmental and institutional
development in sufficient concentrations or densities to require a
variety and high level of traditional urban services and facilities,
including but not limited to full- or part-time municipal police and
fire protection and community administration; additional public streets
and highways; neighborhood parks and playgrounds; neighborhood schools;
local libraries; public sanitary sewer facilities, public water supply
facilities and public solid waste removal; storm sewers; mass transit
facilities; continual street maintenance; curbs, gutters and sidewalks;
streetlighting; and neighborhood convenience shopping. Such development
may be expected to alter or require the altering of land and land
cover and have a detrimental impact on the ground and surface waters.
Historically, in southeastern Wisconsin, urban development occurs
when residential development is concentrated in densities in excess
of 0.2 dwelling unit per gross acre (or one dwelling unit per five
acres).
DIVISION OF LAND
Where the title or any part thereof is transferred by the
execution of a land contract, an option to purchase, an offer to purchase
and acceptance, a deed, or a certified survey.
EASEMENT
The area of land set aside or over or through which a liberty,
privilege or advantage in land, distinct from ownership of the land,
is granted to the public or some particular person or part of the
public.
FACE OF CURB
A vertical portion of the curb facing the pavement on a nonmountable
curb. On mountable curbs, the curb face is computed to be at a point
seven inches from the outside edge of the curb.
FINAL PLAT
The final map, drawing or chart on which the subdivider's
plan of subdivision is presented for approval and which, if approved,
will be submitted to the County Register of Deeds.
FLOODLANDS
Those lands, including the floodplains, floodways and channels,
subject to inundation by the one-hundred-year recurrence interval
flood or, where such data is not available, the maximum flood of record.
FRONTAGE STREET
A minor street auxiliary to and located on the side of an
arterial street for control of access and for service to the abutting
development.
IMPROVEMENT, PUBLIC
Any sanitary sewer, storm sewer, open channel, curb and gutter,
water main, roadway, park, parkway, public access, sidewalk, pedestrianway,
planting strip or other facility for which the Town may ultimately
assume the responsibility for maintenance and operation.
LETTER OF CREDIT
An irrevocable letter of credit constituting an engagement
by a commercial bank made at the request of the subdivider whereby
the issuer will honor drafts or other demands for payment upon compliance
with the conditions specified in the credit.
LOCAL STREET
A street of little or no continuity designed to provide access
to abutting property and leading into collector streets. Also referred
to as a "minor street."
LOT
A parcel of land having frontage on a public street or other
officially approved means of access, occupied or intended to be occupied
by a principal structure or use and sufficient in size to meet the
lot width, lot frontage, lot area, yard, parking area and other open
space provisions of this chapter and any applicable zoning ordinance.
LOT AREA
The area contained within the exterior boundaries of a lot,
excluding streets, and land under navigable bodies of water.
LOT, CORNER
A lot abutting intersecting streets at their intersection.
LOT, DOUBLE FRONTAGE
A lot which has a pair of opposite lot lines along two substantially
parallel streets and which is not a corner lot. Both street lines
on a double frontage lot shall be deemed front lot lines, but in the
case of two or more contiguous double frontage lots, there shall be
a common front line.
LOT LINES
The peripheral boundaries of a lot as defined herein.
LOT, REVERSED CORNER
A corner lot which is oriented so that it has its rear lot
line coincident with or parallel to the side lot line of the interior
lot immediately to its rear.
LOT, THROUGH
A lot having a pair of opposite lot lines along two more
or less parallel public streets and which is not a corner lot. On
a through lot, both street lines shall be deemed front lot lines.
LOT WIDTH
The width of a parcel of land measured along the front building
line.
MAJOR THOROUGHFARE
A street used or intended to be used primarily for fast or
heavy through traffic. Major thoroughfares shall include freeways,
expressways and other highways and parkways, as well as arterial streets.
MINOR LAND DIVISION
Any division of land, whether acquired by one or more conveyances,
not defined as a subdivision. Minor land divisions include the division
of land by the owner or subdivider resulting in the creation of two
but not more than four parcels or building sites of any size or the
division of a block, lot or outlot within a recorded subdivision plat
into not more than four parcels or building sites without changing
the exterior boundaries of said block, lot or outlot. Such minor land
divisions shall be made by a certified survey map.
MINOR STREET
A street used, or intended to be used, primarily for access
to abutting properties. Also referred to as a "local street."
NATIONAL MAP ACCURACY STANDARDS
Standards governing the horizontal and vertical accuracy
of topographic maps and specifying the means for testing and determining
such accuracy endorsed by all federal agencies having surveying and
mapping functions and responsibilities. These standards have been
fully reproduced in Appendix D of SEWRPC Technical Report No. 7, Horizontal
and Vertical Survey Control in Southeastern Wisconsin.
NAVIGABLE STREAM
Any stream capable of floating any boat, skiff or canoe of
the shallowest draft used for recreational purposes at any one time
of the year.
OWNER
Includes the plural as well as the singular and may mean
either a natural person, firm, association, partnership, private corporation,
public or quasi-public corporation, or combination of these.
OUTLOT
A parcel of land, other than a lot or block, so designated
on the plat but generally not of standard lot size which can be either
redivided into lots or combined with one or more other adjacent outlots
or lots in adjacent subdivisions or minor subdivision in the future
for the purpose of creating buildable lots.
PEDESTRIAN PATHWAY
A public way, usually running at right angles to streets,
which is intended for the convenience of pedestrians only; it may
also provide public right-of-way for utilities.
PLAT
The map, drawing or chart on which the subdivider's plat
of subdivision is presented to the Town for approval.
PRELIMINARY PLAT
The preliminary plat map, drawing or chart indicating the
proposed layout of the subdivision to be submitted to the Plan Commission/Town
Board for their consideration as to compliance with the Comprehensive
Plan, Zoning Code and these regulations along with required supporting
data.
PROTECTIVE COVENANTS
Contracts entered into between private parties or between
private parties and public bodies pursuant to § 236.293,
Wis. Stats., which constitute a restriction on the use of all private
or platted property within a minor land division or subdivision for
the benefit of the public or property owners and to provide mutual
protection against undesirable aspects of development which would
tend to impair stability of values.
REPLAT
The process of changing, or a map or plat which changes,
the boundaries of a recorded subdivision plat or part thereof. The
legal dividing of a large block, lot or outlot within a recorded subdivision
plat or certified survey map without changing exterior boundaries
of said block, lot or outlot is not a replat.
SHORELANDS
Those lands within the following distances: 1,000 feet from
the high-water elevation of navigable lakes, ponds and flowages or
300 feet from the high-water elevation of navigable streams or to
the landward side of the floodplain, whichever is greater.
SOIL MAPPING UNIT
Soil type, slope and erosion factor boundaries as shown on
the operational soil survey maps prepared by the United States Soil
Conservation Service.
SUBDIVIDER
Any person, firm or corporation, or any agent thereof, dividing
or proposing to divide land resulting in a subdivision, minor subdivision
(certified survey map) or replat.
SUBDIVISION
The division of a lot, outlot, parcel, or tract of land by
the owner thereof or his agent for the purpose of transfer of ownership
or building development where the act of division creates five or
more parcels or building sites of 1 1/2 acres or less in area, or
where the act of division creates five or more parcels of 1 1/2 acres
or less by successive division within a period of five years, whether
done by the original owner or a successor owner.
SURETY BOND
A bond guaranteeing performance of a contract or obligation
through forfeiture of the bond if said contract or obligation is unfulfilled
by the subdivider.
WETLANDS
An area where water is at, near or above the land surface
long enough to be capable of supporting aquatic or hydrophytic vegetation
and which has soils indicative of wet conditions. [§ 23.32(1),
Wis. Stats.]
WISCONSIN ADMINISTRATIVE CODE
The rules of administrative agencies having rule-making authority
in Wisconsin, published in a loose-leaf, continual revision system,
as directed by § 35.93 and Ch. 227, Wis. Stats., including
subsequent amendments to those rules.