(A) Title. This chapter shall be known as the “Subdivision Chapter of the Columbus Land Development Ordinance of the City of Columbus, Nebraska (CLDO).”
(B) Authority. This chapter is adopted pursuant to the authority granted the city under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 16, enabling cities of the First Class to regulate the development of land within their jurisdictions and to promote good planning practice.
(C) Purposes. The purposes of this chapter are to:
(1) Serve the public health, safety and general welfare of the city and residents of the city and its surrounding jurisdiction;
(2) Provide for the orderly development and growth of the city by prescribing rules and standards insuring the functional arrangement of streets, public improvements, open spaces, community facilities and utilities;
(3) Promote the creation of well-planned and attractive residential, commercial and industrial developments within the city and its jurisdiction;
(4) Avoid excessive costs to the taxpayers of this city or the residents of the jurisdiction of the city for the provision of public services and utilities, while maintaining high standards for these services;
(5) Protect the unique environment of the city by avoiding environmental damage whenever feasible and appropriate, and by encouraging flexibility in the design of subdivisions; and
(6) Provide the city with the ability to grow incrementally through the eventual annexation of new developments.
(D) Consideration of plans. The design of subdivisions shall consider all existing local and regional plans and policies for the city and its jurisdiction. These include, but are not limited to, the Comprehensive Development Plan, Long Range Transportation Plan, Stormwater Management Plan and the State Board of Classifications and Standards.
(E) Preservation of natural features and drainage patterns.
(1) In accordance with all federal, state and local requirements and to the maximum extent possible, development shall be located to preserve natural features of the site, to avoid areas of environmental sensitivity, and to minimize negative impact and alteration of natural features and drainage patterns.
(2) The subdivider shall give maximum consideration to the preservation of the following areas as open space or stormwater treatment facility or detention system, to the extent consistent with reasonable utilization of land:
(a) Wetlands and other unique environmental areas, as defined in Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972 § 404, and delineated on wetlands maps and policies prepared by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Army Corps of Engineers, State Department of Natural Resources and the Lower Loup Natural Resource District; and
(b) Floodplain and floodway lands as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Flood Insurance Rate Map and the city’s special flood hazard areas.
(F) General guidelines for subdivision layout. Subdivisions shall be designed to comply with the following overall performance objectives:
(1) Reduction and minimization of cut and fill;
(2) No increase of peak flow, area of runoff or encroachment of stormwater runoff onto other properties; and
(3) Provision of adequate access to lots, including alternative routes to lots and sites within the subdivision and minimization of cul-de-sacs over 350 feet;
(4) Respect for the urban character and traditional layout of the city, including providing continuity to established street and community facility networks; establishing linkages and connections between new development and existing parts of the city; and preserving historically and architecturally significant sites and buildings, determined as those sites or districts either listed on or determined to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, as determined by the State Historic Preservation Officer.
(F) Site design objectives and approval. The Planning Commission and City Council shall take the above site design objectives into account during their review and approval of subdivision applications.
(E) Enforcement. The administrative official shall enforce the provisions of this chapter and shall bring violations or lack of compliance to the attention of the Planning Commission, City Council, or other appropriate agency.
(Ord. 23-09, passed 8-21-2023)