By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
The city of Whitewater’s ongoing comb-through of its municipal ordinances continues, and one of the more technical issues — impervious surface threshold calculations — is the latest component to receive extra special attention.
At its core, the thresholds relate to stormwater maintenance in the city. A proposed amendment, which was reviewed by the Common Council on March 1, calls for reaching a lot’s permissible impervious surface area once it has been divided by the total lot area.
Over the years, Whitewater has grappled with flooding in some areas of the community, and this revision to the zoning code is one in a series of steps aimed at mitigating the issue.
If approved, the zoning change would vary depending upon the total square footage of a lot. As is the case with most municipalities, lot sizes in Whitewater’s city limits vary — a reflection, in part, through different stages of development over the years.
Under the proposal, the base calculation for an impervious surface for a lot less than 7,000 square feet is set at a 65-percent threshold. For lots of 7,000 to 8,499 square feet, the threshold inches downward at 60 percent.
Lots sizes falling between 8,500 and 9,999 square feet would have a lot size threshold of 55 percent, and lots of 10,000 square feet or greater would have a 50-percent impervious surface threshold.
As part of the proposal, lot sizes falling outside the permissible ranges would require input from the neighborhood services director, who likely would initiate a stormwater management plan for the specific property owner. Components of that plan could include installing rain barrels and rain gardens.
City Planner Chriz Munz-Pritchard said the proposal has already been reviewed by other appointed bodies within the community — most notably the Plan Commission — with a favorable recommendation.
