The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-02-26
SHOWS VALUE
OF CITY PLAN
Annual Report of City
Planning Commission
Given Osborn.
OFFERS NEW SERVICE
Commission Offers to Plat New
Subdivisions and Gives
Real Service Gratis.

tenn of land plating, in both of which
the city is pioneering, are elaborately
pointed out in the annual report OF
j. M. Albers, secretary of the CITY
Plan commission, just submitted to
City, Manager C. NJ. Osborn. The re-
port describes the work of the past
year in the various phases of civic
interest in which the commission has
been called upon to participate.
The personnel of the City Plan COM
mission includes men prominent In all
business and professional lines IN the
city who are giving of their time and
professional experience that certain
ideals which have been advanced may
be extended into realities. City Manager
C. M. Osborn is chairman of the COM
mission, which also includes as mem
bers Mrs. G. H. Gephart, E. I. O'Brlen,
John Zens, Hugh E. Barden, Robert M.
Smith, F. A. Carlson and j. M. Al
bers, secretary.
Just One Year Old.
The commission was organized Feb.
10, 1924, pursuant to the terms OF Or
dinance No. SGT, which had been I'M
animously approved by the city coun-
ell Just previously, and under the au-
thority of Chapter 1928 Of the Wis
consin statutes which set up the du-
ties and responsibilities of such bod
les.
That this commission had plenty OF
work to do is evidenced, according to
Secretary Albers' report, by the num-
Der of meetings required to carry on
all of it's business. The third Tues
dav of each month was established as
a regular meeting day, but the large
and varied amount of material pre-
sented for consideration necessltated
is meetings in IL months. In addl-
tion to these formal sittings, it is adj
ded. a large amount of research and
routine work was done by the various
departments of the city administration
for the use of the commission.
The following is classification OF
+ the various subjects to which consld-
Grafton was given, according to the an
nual report:
Land Subdivision Rules.
A set of rules for the regulation OF
land subdivision was adopted. THESE
rules specify in general that the width.
continuity, arrangement and grades OF
streets and alleys shall be uniform IN
so far as possible. This means tnat
streets will not end blindly, there Will
be no Jogging corners, nor odd-slzeo
lots projecting in fantastic shapes In
subdivisions; and it also means that
the city desires to profit by the mis-
takes of the past and eliminate re-
netition of the 273 dead-end joys that
are now found within the corporate
| limits of the city. In this connection
the city engineering department IS
preparing an elaborate Typographical
man of the entire city of Kenosha
which will be used in plating new
subdivisions and in laying new streets
with an idea to closer conformity 70
| land lines.
Other considerations which are TAX
en- I'M with the regulation of land sub
divisions concern the sizes of lots and
blocks to insure uniformity of areas
in so far as possible, the observing OF
building lines, the studying of deslg-
nations for suitable school, park and
nlavground sites; the size, location and
| variety of street trees-so that only
| those trees which have real utility
value combined with beauty are plant
cd. easements of public utilities
which provides for underground con;
| Quits, elimination of unslgntly ABOVE
ground wires, mains, poles, etc., in the
| front lots. The city is given power by
law to supervise the construction and
! Mating of subdivisions within and
outside of the city to the limit of one
and a half miles beyond the corpor-
ate limits.
Are Benefit to City; Owner.
| at was the idea in adopting such
rules" declares Albers in his report,
"that they would serve for guidance
of both the landowner and the COM
! mission and would furnish the neces-
| sary degree of uniformity in land sub
division, without sacrificing that flexl-
| bility which must necessarily obtain
! in each individual piece"
That this zoning has already been
| placed in effect and with considerable
benefit to both owner and city, the re-
mort points out the coming of one new
addition to the city and the re-zoning
! of two other localities. Among other
| things the location of two public build
| ings and one monument was approved
| The widening of two streets and the
| dedication of one alley was approved
and the further widening of one other
main ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS road
| is now being discussed by special
commission. The commission spent
l so,,
of reports on transit facilities, parks
and Fairgrounds submitted by City
Palmer Bartholomew.
Work With Plat Surveys.
Twelve preliminary plats of new
/ subdivisions were submitted for the
! approval of the commission during the
past year. Of these, six were approx
/ ed and recommended for acceptance
three were not returned by the owns
! ers in final form and three were stud.
les of tentative plans only. "Ail &C.
| cepted subdivisions" continued Al
bers, "were approved in accordance
with the land subdivisions rules, anc
| the fact that some corrections were
made necessary on practically all, es
pecially as to street arrangement anG
widths, demonstrated the value OF thi:
| class of work.
"The examination and approval o.
new subdivisions has, during the past
year, been the largest and most i'm
portant feature of the work Of the
City Plan commission. There are sew.
/ eral factors that are contfibutory tc
the increasing scope of this work
They are the authority given by the