Chapter 16.30
REQUIRED IMPROVEMENTS
Sections:
16.30.010 Improvements required.
16.30.020 Required agreement providing for proper installation of improvements.
16.30.030 Required construction plans – Review – Inspections.
16.30.040 Street improvements.
16.30.060 Sidewalks – Walkways – Bikeways.
16.30.070 Sanitary sewerage system.
16.30.080 Storm water drainage facilities.
16.30.110 Street signs and lighting.
16.30.010 Improvements required.
(a) Payment for Improvements. The improvements prescribed in this chapter are required as a condition of approval of a land division. The required improvements described in this chapter shall be installed, furnished and financed at the sole expense of the land divider. However, in the case of required improvements in a commercial or industrial area, the cost of such improvements may, at the sole discretion of the village board, be financed through special assessments.
(b) General Standards. The following required improvements in this chapter shall be installed in accordance with the engineering standards and specifications, which have been adopted by the village board. Where standards and specifications have not been adopted, the improvements shall be made in accordance with good engineering practices, approved prior to the start of construction by the village engineer. [Res. 00-04. Prior code § 10-5-6.01].
16.30.020 Required agreement providing for proper installation of improvements.
(a) Contract. Prior to installation of any required improvements and prior to the meeting at which the final plat is approved, the land divider shall enter into a written contract with the village requiring the land divider to furnish and construct said improvements at his sole cost and in accordance with plans, specifications and usual contract conditions, which shall include provision for inspection of construction details by the village engineer.
(b) Financial Guarantees.
(1) The agreement shall require the land divider to make an escrow deposit, or in lieu thereof, to furnish a performance bond or irrevocable letter of credit, the amount of the deposit and the penal amount of the bond to be equal to one and one-quarter times the village engineer’s estimate of the total cost of the improvements to be furnished under the contract, including the cost of inspection.
(2) On request of the land divider, the contract may provide for completion of part or all of the improvements covered thereby prior to acceptance of the land division, and in such event the amount of the deposit, letter of credit or bond shall be reduced in a sum equal to the estimated cost of the improvements so completed prior to acceptance of the plat only. If the required improvements are not complete within the specified period, all amounts held under performance bond, deposit or letter of credit shall be turned over and delivered to the village and applied to the cost of the required improvements. Any balance remaining after such improvements have been made shall be returned to the owner or land divider. The village board, at its option, may require extension of the bond, deposit or letter of credit period for additional periods not to exceed two years each period.
(3) The time for completion of the work and the several parts thereof shall be determined by the village board upon recommendation of the village engineer after consultation with the land divider. The completion date shall be a component of the contract.
(4) The land divider shall pay the village for all costs incurred by the village for review and inspection of the subdivision. This would include review, and preparation at the village board’s discretion, of plans and specifications by the village engineer, planner, and attorney, as well as other costs of a similar nature. [Res. 00-04. Prior code § 10-5-6.02].
16.30.030 Required construction plans – Review – Inspections.
(a) Engineering Reports, Construction Plans and Specifications. As required by AMC 16.20.020, engineering reports, plans and proposed specifications shall be submitted simultaneously with the filing of the preliminary plat. At the final plat stage, or when necessary for a minor subdivision, construction plans for the required improvements conforming in all respects with the standards of the village engineer and the ordinances of the village shall be prepared at the land divider’s expense by a professional engineer who is registered in the state of Wisconsin, and said plans shall contain his seal. Such plans, together with the quantities of construction items, shall be submitted to the village engineer for his approval and for his estimate of the total cost of the required improvements; upon approval they shall become a part of the contract required.
Simultaneously with the filing of the final plat with the village clerk, or as soon thereafter as practicable, copies of the construction plans and specifications, where applicable, shall be furnished for the following public improvements, with a copy sent to the appropriate sanitary district:
(1) Street plans and profiles showing existing and proposed grades, elevations and cross-sections of required improvements.
(2) Sanitary sewer plans and profiles showing the locations, grades, sizes, elevations and materials of required facilities.
(3) Storm sewer, open channel and detention/retention pond plans and profiles showing the locations, grades, sizes, cross-sections, elevations and materials of required facilities.
(4) Water main plans and profiles showing the locations, sizes, elevations and materials of required facilities.
(5) Erosion and sedimentation control plans showing those structures required to retard the rate of runoff water and those grading and excavating practices that will prevent erosion and sedimentation.
(6) Planting plans showing the locations, age, caliper, species and time of planting of any required grasses, vines, shrubs and trees.
(7) Additional special plans or information as required by village officials.
(b) Action by the Village Engineer. The village engineer shall review or cause to be reviewed the plans and specifications for conformance with the requirements of this title and other pertinent village ordinances and design standards recommended by the village engineer and approved by the village board. If the village engineer rejects the plans and specifications, he shall notify the owner, who shall modify the plans or specifications or both accordingly. When the plans and specifications are corrected, the village engineer shall approve the plans and specifications for transmittal to the village board. The village board shall approve the plans and specifications before the improvements are installed and construction commenced.
(c) Construction and Inspection.
(1) Prior to starting any of the work covered by the plans approved above, written authorization to start the work shall be obtained from the village engineer upon receipt of all necessary permits and in accordance with the construction methods of this title. Building permits shall not be issued until all improvements required by this chapter are satisfactorily completed.
(2) Construction of all improvements required by this chapter shall be completed within two years from the date of approval of the preliminary plat by the village board, unless good cause can be shown for the village board to grant an extension.
(3) During the course of construction, the village engineer shall make such inspections as the village board deems necessary to ensure compliance with the plans and specifications as approved. The owner shall pay the actual cost incurred by the village for such inspections. This fee shall be the actual cost to the village of inspectors, engineers and other parties necessary to ensure satisfactory work.
(d) Record Plans. After completion of all public improvements and prior to final acceptance of said improvements, the land divider shall make or cause to be made two copies and one reproducible mylar of record plans showing the actual location of all valves, manholes, stubs, sewers and water mains and such other facilities as the village engineer shall require. These plans shall be prepared on the original mylars of the construction plans and shall bear the signature and seal of a professional engineer registered in Wisconsin. The presentation of the record plans shall be a condition of final acceptance of the improvements and release of the surety bond assuring their completion. Two copies shall be retained by the village and one copy of such record plans shall be forwarded to the appropriate sanitary district. [Res. 00-04. Prior code § 10-5-6.03].
16.30.040 Street improvements.
The land divider shall construct streets, roads and alleys as outlined on the approved plans based on the requirements of this title:
(a) Street Construction Standards. The design and construction of all roads, streets and alleys in the village shall fully comply with the requirements of this title, and any applicable sections of the Wisconsin Statutes and Administrative Code. Roads in the town shall meet all town and county standards and any applicable standards in the Wisconsin Statutes and Administrative Code. After sanitary sewer, storm sewer, water and other necessary utilities have been installed, where required by the village, the land divider shall construct and dedicate, as part of the subdivision, streets. All street rights-of-way within each land division shall be dedicated to the village. The standards for street construction are as follows.
(b) Street Arrangement. The street layout shall be developed and located in harmonious relation to existing and proposed streets and to the functional purposes of such streets, to the 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. Each lot shall have satisfactory frontage or access to a public street according to the requirements for the applicable zoning district.
Collector streets 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 special traffic generators such as schools, churches and shopping centers and other concentrations of population and to the major streets into which they feed.
Minor streets shall be arranged to conform to the topography, to discourage use by through traffic, to permit the design of efficient storm and sanitary sewerage systems, and to require the minimum street area necessary to provide safe and convenient access to abutting property.
Proposed streets shall extend to the boundary lines of the tract being subdivided unless prevented by topography or other physical conditions or unless 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.
Street names shall not duplicate or be similar to existing street names, and existing street names shall be projected wherever possible.
(c) Limited Access Highway and Railroad Right-of-Way Treatment. Whenever the proposed land division contains or is adjacent to a limited access highway or railroad right-of-way, the design shall provide the following treatment:
When lots within the proposed division back upon the right-of-way of an existing or proposed limited access highway, a planting strip at least 30 feet in depth shall be provided adjacent to the highway in addition to the normal lot depth. 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 prohibited.”
Streets parallel to a limited access highway or railroad right-of-way, 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 right-of-way. 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.
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 and to railroad rights-of-way shall be avoided in residential areas.
(d) Street Design Standards. The minimum right-of-way and roadway width of all proposed new streets shall be as follows:
Type of Street |
R.O.W. Width to Be Dedicated (Minimum) |
Pavement Width (Face of Curb to Face of Curb) (Minimum) |
---|---|---|
Arterial Streets |
80 Feet |
44 Feet |
Collector Streets |
66 Feet |
40 Feet |
Minor Streets |
66 Feet |
26 Feet |
Pedestrian Paths |
10 Feet |
5 Feet |
Bikeways |
10 Feet |
7 Feet |
(1) Modifications. Design standards for streets within village-approved planned unit developments shall be as described in the approved PUD application.
(2) Design standards for streets in the extraterritorial area shall be determined by the village plan commission based upon town and county road standards.
(3) Cul-de-sac streets designed to have one end permanently closed shall not exceed 1,000 feet in length. All cul-de-sac streets designed to have one end permanently closed shall terminate in a circular turn-around having a minimum right-of-way radius of 60 feet and a minimum outside curb radius of 45 feet.
(4) Temporary Dead Ends or Cul-de-Sacs. All temporary dead ends shall have a maximum length of 800 feet. Temporary cul-de-sacs shall have a minimum radius of 45 feet, or the developer must provide, in writing, an alternate plan for turn-around of emergency vehicles and snow removal equipment that has been approved by the director of public works and village engineer.
(5) Street Grades. Unless necessitated by exceptional topography subject to the approval of the village board, the maximum centerline grade of any street or public way shall not exceed the following:
Collector Streets |
Six percent |
Minor Streets and Frontage Streets |
10 percent |
Pedestrian Ways |
12 percent unless steps of acceptable design are provided |
The grade of any street shall in no case exceed 12 percent or be less than one-half of one percent.
Street grades shall be established wherever practicable so as to avoid excessive grading, the excessive 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 15 times the algebraic difference in the rates of grade for major streets, and one-half this minimum for all other streets.
(6) Radii of Curvature. When a continuous street centerline deflects at any one point by more than 10 degrees, a circular curve shall be introduced having a radius of curvature on said centerline of not less than the following:
Arterial Streets and Highways |
500 Feet |
Collector Streets |
300 Feet |
Minor Streets |
100 Feet |
A tangent at least 100 feet in length shall be provided between reverse curves on arterial and collector streets.
(7) Half-Streets. Where an existing dedicated or platted half-street is adjacent to the tract being subdivided, the other half of the street shall be dedicated by the subdivider. The platting of half-streets shall be prohibited.
(e) Street Intersections. Streets shall intersect each other at as nearly right angles as topography and other limiting factors of good design permit.
Number of streets converging at one intersection shall be reduced to a minimum, preferably not more than two.
Number of intersections along arterials shall be held to a minimum. Wherever practical the distance between such intersections shall not be less than 1,200 feet.
Property lines at street intersections shall be rounded with a minimum radius of 15 feet or of a greater radius when required by the village board, or shall be cut off by a straight line through the points of tangency of an arc having a radius of 15 feet.
Minor streets shall not necessarily continue across arterial or collector streets, but if the centerlines of such minor streets approach the major streets from opposite sides within 300 feet of each other, measured along the centerline 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) Blocks. 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.
(1) Length. 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.
Pedestrian ways of not less than 12 feet in width may be required near the center and entirely across any block over 900 feet in length where deemed essential to provide adequate pedestrian circulation or access to schools, shopping centers, churches or transportation facilities.
(2) Width. Blocks shall have sufficient width 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 shall be adequate to provide for off-street service and parking required by the use contemplated and the zoning restrictions for such use.
(g) Surfacing. After the installation of all utility and storm water drainage improvements, the subdivider shall surface all roadways in streets proposed to be dedicated to the widths prescribed by these regulations. Said surfacing shall be done in accordance with plans and standard specifications of the village and/or the town and county highway department where town or county approval is required.
(h) Utility Easements. All utility lines for electric power and telephone service shall be placed on mid-block easements along rear lot lines and placed underground.
(i) Completion of Street and Sidewalk Construction.
(1) Prior to any building permits being issued on lands adjacent to streets, required street construction in conformance with the village-developer agreement shall be completed by the land divider, approved by the village engineer and accepted by the village board. All street rights-of-way within each land division shall be dedicated to the village.
(2) The village board may issue a waiver of these requirements in unusual or special circumstances such as excessively severe weather conditions, heavy construction temporarily in area or construction material shortages (i.e., cement, asphalt). The issuance of a waiver shall be at the discretion of the village board.
(3) The land divider requesting a waiver shall do so in writing, presenting such information and documentation as required by the village board. The waiver shall be in written form and shall detail which improvement requirements are temporarily waived and for what period of time. [Ord. dated 3/6/12 § 129; Res. 00-04. Prior code § 10-5-6.04].
16.30.050 Curb and gutter.
After the installation of all required utility and storm water drainage improvements, the land divider, when required by the village board where determined to be necessary by the village engineer, shall construct concrete curbs and gutters in accordance with plans and standard specifications approved by the village board or its designee. Wherever possible, provision shall be made at the time of construction for driveway access curb cuts. [Res. 00-04. Prior code § 10-5-6.05].
16.30.060 Sidewalks – Walkways – Bikeways.
Sidewalks may be required by the village board in high traffic areas and areas in the vicinity of schools, commercial areas and other places of public assemblage. The village board may require the construction of sidewalks if such walks are necessary, in their opinion, for safe and adequate pedestrian circulation. In the design of a major subdivision, the land divider shall make provisions for walkways and bikeways for transport and recreation, as required by the village board. Pedestrian pathways, not less than 12 feet wide, may be required by the village board, upon the recommendation of the plan commission, through the center of a block more than 900 feet long, where deemed essential to provide circulation or access to schools, playgrounds, public recreation areas, commercial districts or other community facilities. Where it is deemed necessary by the plan commission, walks and paths away from streets in common areas should be lighted for safety and to permit visual surveillance.
Wider-than-standard sidewalks may be required in the vicinity of schools, commercial areas and other places of public assemblage, and construction of sidewalks may be required in locations other than required under the preceding provisions of this chapter if such walks are necessary for safe and adequate pedestrian circulation. [Res. 00-04. Prior code § 10-5-6.06].
16.30.070 Sanitary sewerage system.
(a) Land divisions in the village shall be served by public sewer facilities. The size, type, and installation of all sanitary sewers proposed to be constructed shall be in accordance with plans and specifications approved by the village board. Service laterals shall be provided to all lots served by public sewer.
(b) Land divisions outside the village may be served by private sewage disposal systems, if public sewer facilities are not available. Private sewage disposal systems shall comply with the Wisconsin Administrative Code and with the Iowa County sanitation ordinance. Service laterals shall be provided to all lots served by public sewer.
(c) The land divider shall pay all the costs of all public sanitary sewer work including the bringing of the sanitary sewer from where it exists to the subdivision in question as well as providing all sanitary sewer work within the subdivision. The size, type and installation of all sanitary sewers proposed to be constructed shall be in accordance with plans and standard specifications approved by the village and/or the appropriate sanitary district serving the area. [Res. 00-04. Prior code § 10-5-6.07].
16.30.080 Storm water drainage facilities.
(a) The land divider shall provide storm water drainage facilities which may include curb and gutter, catch basins and inlets, storm sewers, road ditches and open channels, as may be required. All such facilities are to be of adequate size and grade to hydraulically accommodate the 10-year storm; culverts shall be designed to accommodate the 10-year storm and shall be sized so that the 25-year-frequency storms do not cause flooding of adjacent arterial or collector roadways. Upon the approval of the village engineer, storm water swales and ditches may be sized for the 25-year storm, with 100-year storm safe passage. Storm drainage facilities shall be so designed as to minimize hazards to life or property, and the size, type and installation of all storm water drains and sewers proposed to be constructed shall be in accordance with the plans and specifications approved by the village board, upon the recommendation of the village engineer. Storm sewers oversized to handle runoff from off-site properties will be installed by the land divider; however, the cost of oversizing above a 24-inch diameter storm sewer shall be paid by other users connecting to the system.
(b) Note: See AMC 16.35.030 for further specifications on drainage systems. [Res. 00-04. Prior code § 10-5-6.08].
16.30.090 Water supplies.
The subdivider shall make adequate domestic water supplies available to each lot.
Where public water service is available, the subdivider shall construct water mains in such a manner as to make adequate water service available to each lot. The size, type, and installation of all public water mains proposed to be constructed shall be in accordance with plans and specifications approved by the village engineer.
If public water service is not available the subdivider shall make provision for adequate private water systems as specified by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. [Res. 00-04. Prior code § 10-5-6.09].
16.30.100 Other utilities.
(a) The land divider of a major subdivision shall cause gas, electrical power and telephone facilities to be installed in such a manner as to make adequate service available to each lot in the subdivision.
(b) All new electrical distribution television cables and telephone lines from which lots are individually served shall be underground unless the village board specifically allows overhead poles for the following reasons:
(1) Topography, soil, water table, solid rock, boulders, or other physical conditions would make underground installation unreasonable or impractical; or
(2) The lots to be served by said facilities can be served directly from existing overhead facilities.
(c) Plans indicating the proposed location of all gas, electrical power, telephone and telecommunications distribution and transmission lines required to service the plat shall be approved by the village board and such map shall be filed with the village clerk. [Res. 00-04. Prior code § 10-5-6.10].
16.30.110 Street signs and lighting.
(a) The land divider shall install at the intersections of all streets proposed to be dedicated a street name sign of a design and installation specified by the village engineer.
(b) The land divider shall install street lights at the direction of the village board. [Res. 00-04. Prior code § 10-5-6.11].
16.30.120 Erosion control.
The land divider shall cause all gradings, excavations, open cuts, side slopes, and other land surface disturbances to be mulched, seeded, sodded or otherwise protected so that erosion, siltation, sedimentation and washing are prevented. The land divider shall submit an erosion control plan that specifies measures that will be taken to assure the minimization of erosion problems. [Res. 00-04. Prior code § 10-5-6.12].
16.30.130 Street trees.
The subdivider shall plant at least one tree of a species approved by the village plan commission and of at least six feet in height for each 50 feet of frontage on all streets proposed to be dedicated. The required trees shall be planted in accordance with plans and specifications approved by the village board. [Res. 00-04. Prior code § 10-5-6.13].
16.30.140 Partition fences.
When the land included in a subdivision plat or certified map abuts upon or is adjacent to land used for farming or grazing purposes, the land divider shall erect, keep, and maintain partition fences, satisfying the requirements of the Wisconsin Statutes for a legal and sufficient fence, between such land and the adjacent land. A covenant binding the developer, its grantees, heirs, successors, and assigns to erect and maintain such fences, without cost to the adjoining property owners, so long as the land is used for farming or grazing purposes, shall be included upon the face of the final plat or certified survey map. This provision may be waived by the village board. [Res. 00-04. Prior code § 10-5-6.14].
16.30.150 Easements.
(a) Utility Easements. The village board, on the recommendation of appropriate agencies serving the village, shall require utility easements for poles, wire, conduits, storm and sanitary sewers, telecommunications, gas, water and head mains or other utility lines. It is the intent of this chapter to protect all established easements so as to assure proper grade, assure maintenance of the established grade, prohibit construction of permanent fences or retaining walls over underground installation and prevent the planting of trees in the easement area.
(b) Drainage Easements. Where a subdivision is traversed by a watercourse, drainageway, channel or stream:
(1) There shall be provided a storm water easement or drainage right-of-way conforming substantially to the lines of such watercourse and such further width or construction, or both, as will be adequate for the purpose and as may be necessary to comply with this section; or
(2) The watercourse, drainageway, channel or stream may be relocated in such a manner that the maintenance of adequate drainage will be assured and the same provided with a storm water easement or drainage right-of-way conforming to the lines of the relocated watercourse, and such further width or construction, or both, as will be adequate for the purpose and may be necessary to comply with this section.
(3) Wherever possible, it is desirable that drainage be maintained by an open channel with landscaped banks and adequate width for maximum potential volume flow. In all cases, such watercourse shall be of a minimum width established at the high water mark or, in the absence of such specification, not less than 30 feet. If, in the opinion of the village engineer, the easement will be for a major drainage swale, the easement shall be of sufficient width to contain a 100-year frequency storm. If the drainage easement is located in an established floodway or flood fringe district, the entire floodplain area shall be included within the drainage easement.
(c) Easement Locations. Telephone, electric, gas and cable television easements shall be at least 12 feet wide, and sewer easements shall be at least 20 feet wide. Combined use easements shall be at least 30 feet wide. Easements may be wider where recommended by the village engineer, and may run across lots or alongside of rear lot lines. Such easements should preferably be located along rear lot lines. Evidence shall be furnished to the plan commission and village board that easements and any easement provisions to be incorporated in the plat or in deeds have been reviewed by the individual utility companies or the organization responsible for furnishing the services involved. [Res. 00-04. Prior code § 10-5-6.15].
16.30.160 Buffer strips.
Where a plat or land division contains a buffer strip required by this title or other applicable regulation, the land divider shall, prior to recording of a final plat or certified survey or prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for a development project, install plantings in conformance with the village standards or shall file with the village clerk a contract, guaranteed by bond in an amount determined by the village board or its designee, in which the land divider agrees to provide such plantings. The plantings are to be trees and shrubs of the varieties required by the village standard and shall average one tree per 35 linear feet of rear lot line. [Res. 00-04. Prior code § 10-5-6.16].
16.30.170 Greenways.
Greenways included within land divisions shall receive the following prescribed treatment:
(a) The land divider shall be responsible for an acceptable continuous drainageway through the proposed land division as determined by the village board. The land divider shall furnish the village with a plan outlining the greenway boundaries and the location of existing drainageways. In addition, the land divider shall furnish to the village board or its designee a set of cross-sections, on 50-foot stations, of the greenway, based on town datum oriented upon a base line as prescribed by the village board or its designee. Where a natural drainageway exists which has acceptable hydraulic capacities, including alignment and grade, as determined by the village board or its designee, construction will not be required and the existing natural growth shall be preserved. Where such natural growth is destroyed or damaged by action of the land divider or his agents, he shall be responsible for repairing the disturbed areas by sodding. When it is determined by the village board or its designee that the hydraulic capacities, including alignment and grade, are not acceptable, then such alignment, grade and slopes shall be improved by the land divider to the cross-section specified by the village board or its designee.
(b) The land divider shall install permanent pipes or culverts at a grade designated by the village board or its designee under all streets crossing a greenway or drainageway. Said installation shall be in accordance with the State of Wisconsin Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction. Culverts required across intersections for temporary street drainage shall be furnished and installed by the land divider. All temporary culverts installed by the land divider shall be completely removed when the streets are constructed to village standards, and the area restored to as nearly original condition as possible, as determined by the village board or its designee.
(c) In order to assure proper drainage, the ground elevation along any lot line common with the boundary of a greenway shall be to an elevation established by the village board or its designee. All lot grading and building elevations shall provide for positive drainage. Grading or filling within the greenway limits is prohibited except as authorized by the village board or its designee.
(d) Greenways shall be limited to public uses. [Res. 00-04. Prior code § 10-5-6.17].