(A) Application. The following land subdivision principles, standards and requirements will be applied by the Commission in evaluating plans for proposed subdivisions:
(1) The provisions outlined herein shall be considered minimum standards and requirements for the promotion of the public health, safety, morals and general welfare.
(2) Where literal compliance with the standards herein specified in clearly impractical, the Council may modify or adjust the standards to permit reasonable utilization of property while securing substantial conformance with the objectives of these regulations. The procedure for a variation is stated in § 151.07.
(B) Land requirements.
(1) Land shall be suited to the purpose for which it is to be subdivided. No preliminary plan shall be approved if, considering the best interests of the public, the site is not suitable for plat and development purposes of the kind proposed by reason of potential flooding, swamp conditions, topography or soil limitations. Unless a plan is presented to indicate that the land can be made suitable, lots subject to flooding, and lots deemed uninhabitable because of topography or soils limitations shall not be approved by the Commission for residential occupancy, nor for such other uses as may increase danger to health, life or property or aggravate the hazard, but such land within a plat shall be set aside for such uses as shall not be approved by the Commission for residential occupancy, nor for such other uses as may danger to health, life or property or aggravate the hazard, but such land within a plat shall be set aside for such uses as shall not be endangered by periodic or occasional inundation or shall not produce unsatisfactory living conditions.
(2) Land subject to hazards to life, health or property shall not be subdivided for residential purposes until all such hazards have been eliminated or unless adequate safeguard against such hazards are provided by the subdivision plan.
(3) Proposed subdivisions shall be coordinated with existing nearby villages or neighborhoods so that the community as a whole may develop harmoniously.
(4) Proposed land uses shall conform to any county or city zoning ordinance in effect.
(C) Street system.
(1) Proposed streets shall be properly related to such street plans or parts therefor have been officially prepared and adopted by the city.
(2) Proposed streets shall further conform to such county and state road and highway plans as have been prepared, adopted and/or filed as prescribed by law.
(3) Streets shall be logically related to the topography so as to produce usable lots and reasonable grades. Grades shall not be in excess of 10% for collector roads or 15% for minor roads.
(4) Access shall be given to all lots and portions of the tract in the subdivision, and to adjacent unsubdivided territory unless the topography clearly indicated that such connection is not feasible. Streets giving such access shall be improved to the limits of the subdivision. Reserved strips, and land locked areas shall not be created.
(5) Minor streets shall be laid out to discourage their use by through traffic and thoroughfares shall be protected for use by through traffic by marginal access roads, lots served by an interior street or other means.
(6) Half or partial streets will not be permitted, except where essential reasonable subdivision of a tract in conformance with the other requirements and standards of these regulations and where, in addition, satisfactory assurance for dedication of the remaining part of the street can be secured.
(7) Where a tract to be subdivided borders an existing half or partial street, the other part of the street shall be plotted within such tract.
(8) Dead-end streets shall be prohibited, except as stubs to permit future street extension into adjoining tracts, or when designed as cul-de-sac streets.
(9) Private streets and reserve strips shall be prohibited when a variation is submitted and approved in accordance with § 151.07.
(10) Cul-de-sac streets, permanently designed as such shall not exceed 800 feet in length, except as variances are permitted by the Commission. Such a variance may be granted it if can be clearly shown that by reason of unfavorable land form, or the irregular shape of the plat from which the subdivision is being made, that a normal street pattern cannot be established or that land would be wasted by not granting such a variance.
(11) Cul-de-sac streets shall be provided at the closed end with a turn around having a minimum radius to the outside edge of the finished road or curb line of not less than 50 feet.
(12) Unless future extension is clearly impractical or undesirable, the turn-around right-of-way shall be placed adjacent to a property line adjacent right-of-way of the same width as the street shall be carried to the property line in such a way as to a criminal nature extension of the street into the adjoining tract. At such times as such a street is extended, the overage created by the turn around outside the boundaries of the extended street shall revert in ownership to the property owner fronting on the temporary turn-around.
(D) Cul-de-sac streets.
(E) Street design.
(1) Minimum widths for each type of public street or road shall be as follows:
Type of Street or Road | Right-of-Way Width |
Alley | 20 feet |
Collector street or road | 80 feet |
Major thoroughfare | 200 feet |
Marginal access street and cul-de-sac | 50 feet |
Minor street | 66 feet |
Secondary thoroughfare | 100 feet |
(2) Where a subdivision abuts or contains and existing road or street of inadequate width, sufficient additional width shall be provided to meet the above standards.
(3) Additional right-of-way and roadway widths may be required to promote public safety and convenience when special conditions require it or to provide parking space in areas of intensive use.
(4) Short extensions of existing streets or roads with lesser right-of-easy and/or roadway widths than prescribed above may be permitted by variance in special cases.
(F) Restriction of access. When a subdivision or portion thereof adjoining a major thoroughfare, no lot shall have direct access thereto. Said lots shall be provided with frontage on a marginal access street or an interior street with lot contiguous with said major thoroughfare.
(G) Intersections. Street centerline intersections shall be as nearly angles as is possible, and no intersection shall be at an angle of less than 70 degrees.
(H) Street jobs. Street jobs with centerline offsets of less than 125 feet shall not be allowed.
(I) Street names. A proposed street which is in alignment with and joins an existing and named street shall bear the name of the existing street.
(K) Alleys. Alleys shall be provided to the rear or side of all lots to be used for commercial or industrial use.
(L) Blocks. Blocks shall meet the following standards.
(1) In residential areas, blocks shall not be less than 600 feet nor more than 1,320 feet in length measured along the greatest dimension of the enclosed block area unless minor variations are necessitated by topographic or conformance with an adjoining plat.
(2) Blocks for commercial and industrial areas may vary from the elements of design contained in this section if the nature of the use requires other treatment. In such cases, off-street parking for employees and customers shall be provided along with safe and convenient limited access to the street system. Space for off-street loading shall also be provided with similar access. Extension of streets, railroad access right-of-way, and utilities shall be provided as necessary.
(3) In blocks over 800 feet in length, the Commission may require one or more public walkways within an easement not less than ten feet in width to extend entirely across the block and at locations deemed necessary at intervals not closer than 400 feet.
(4) Blocks shall be wide enough to allow two tiers of lots with a minimum depth as required by zoning except adjoining lake, stream, railroad or thoroughfare or where one tier or lots is necessary because of topographic conditions.
(L) Arrangement of lots. Side lot lines shall be substantially at right angles to straight street lines or radial to lake or stream shores unless topographic conditions necessitate a different arrangement.
(1) Each lot must front upon a public street and not be less than 50 feet in width.
(2) Through lots or double-frontage lots shall be avoided when possible. Residential lots shall be separated from thoroughfares and railroad rights-of-way by a greater lot depth amounting to 10% increase over that required by zoning regulations or by other applicable law.
(M) Size of lots. No lot shall have less area or width than is required by zoning regulations; unless provided for otherwise by zoning regulations, or by other applicable law. To minimize the danger of the building site being flooded, the Surveyor may require that lots abutting a drainage course, channel, stream or lake have additional area, depth or width. Lots designed for commercial or industrial purposes shall be adequate for off the street service, loading and parking facilities.
(N) Public use and service areas. Due consideration shall be given to the allocation of areas suitably located and of adequate size for playgrounds and parks for local or neighborhood use as well as public service areas.
(O) Public open spaces. Where a proposed highway, school, historic site, park recreation area or public access to water frontage shown on an official city plan is located in whole or in park in the applicant’s subdivision, the City Council shall require as a condition of final approval that such space within the subdivision be dedicated or reserved. Such reserved land shall not be developed for a period of one year from the date of final approval of the plat so that within said period the appropriate public agency may acquire said land in the manner provided by law and before it is developed for some purpose not conforming to the official plan.
(P) Easements for utilities. Except where alleys are provided for the purpose, utility easements not less than 20 feet in width across lots or centered on rear or side lot lines shall be provided for use in erecting, construction and maintaining poles, wires, conduits, surface drainage, water mains, electrical lines and other public utilities. Such easements shall be placed along rear lot lines whenever possible.
(Q) Drainage courses. Where storm water from adjacent areas naturally passes through a subdivision, adequate provision shall be included in the subdivision for facilities to route the storm water through the subdivision to its natural outlet to maintain or replace the natural watercourse.
(2009 Code, § 906.04)