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Commission resumes land-division ordinance work; debates lot-size, PUDs and access standards
Summary
Members continued reviewing the land-division draft, debated whether to use a 5- or 10-acre threshold for lot provisions, discussed planned unit developments and favored deferring many technical standards to townships or to septic/shoreline requirements.
The Vernon County Planning Commission returned to drafting its land-division ordinance, focusing on lot-size standards, planned unit developments (PUDs) and minimum access/frontage rules. Members noted an existing proposal referencing "lots of 5 acres or less" but recalled a previous preference for a 10-acre threshold; the group debated which threshold to adopt and whether the commission should set detailed numeric standards or leave finer measurements to townships.
Commissioners discussed PUD language and how minimum lot sizes and average width should interact with setbacks and septic requirements. One member recommended relying on established septic and shoreline protections as a baseline: "So stay at the standard...and then fall back on the septic requirements," the chair said when considering minimum lot sizes. Several members favored limiting the county's involvement to core items (lot size and access) and letting townships adopt more detailed standards where appropriate.
The commission also reviewed access width conventions (66 feet/4 rods) and debated whether the commission should require the standard frontage unless a township adopts a lesser standard. After back-and-forth, the group agreed to leave some technical standards to the staff duo (Matt and Lawrence) to reconcile and return with specific language. The commission scheduled further review at the next meeting.
