JPC drafting property ordinance

The Jamestown Planning Commission agreed Monday to proceed with drafting a new ordinance requiring a plat of a property before any city permits would be issued.

Currently some properties are defined with auditor’s lots. An auditor’s lot is a surveyed and mapped description of the property. A plat is a surveyed and mapped description of the property that is submitted to the Planning Commission and City Council for approval. The approval process involves several considerations including road access, utility access and storm water drainage.

“The auditor’s lot is established by a survey and registered at the Register of Deeds Office,” said Harley Trefz, chairman of the Planning Commission. “It does not require the legal steps necessary to establish a plat.”

The proposed ordinance, if approved, would be applicable to properties within city limits and within the one-mile area around the city the Planning Commission has authority over.

“An auditor’s lot can be created without the city being aware,” said Reed Schwartzkopf, Jamestown city engineer. “We want to avoid creating a subdivision without planning.”

Schwartzkopf said the process could require a storm water plan for any plat. The storm water plan is required as part of federal guidelines designed to prevent pollutant discharge into the river system. This includes materials such as eroded soil or trash from the property as well as chemical pollutants.

“The health departments are under increased pressure to make sure those discharges don’t occur,” he said.

While the wording of the ordinance is still under discussion, Schwartzkopf said the intent is to give the city some earlier regulatory authority in the development process.

“The simple exchange of property doesn’t require a plat,” he said. “Unless building permits or zoning issues are raised, then we need to look at plats.”

Sun reporter Keith Norman can be reached at (701) 952-8452 or by e-mail at knorman@jamestownsun.com

Tags: local news, news, planning