Planning & Zoning
| Amber Toutge Planner 715-243-0406 |
Welcome to the Planning and Zoning Page.
Some things we cover here are:
Historic Preservation
Preserving and enhancing the downtown’s historic roots as the civic, commercial, and cultural heart of the community is very important. We currently have 2 State and Nationally registered historic districts. A frequently asked question is “If I own a historic building, can I make changes to it?” It depends on the house and the change. There are design standards that guide any changes to homes within the West Side Historic District, but not yet standards for the East Side District as it has not been locally adopted as a historic district.
Community Planning Documents (SRTS, Bike & Ped Plan, Comprehensive Plan)
Municipalities in Wisconsin are required to have a Comprehensive Plan and even if it wasn’t required, we’d want to have one! The Comprehensive Plan acts as a guiding document for what the community’s vision for the City is. The Comprehensive Plan updated in 2018 set the principles for what the city will look like in 2040. Updates to the Comp Plan can happen at any time and should have inputs from as many community members as possible. We also have other planning documents that help us prioritize projects within the city.
Future Land Use
The Future Land Use map is part of the Comp plan. We use this map for what we base our zoning designations and other developmental applications off of. As with any other plan, the City and community reserves the right to make changes to this if we don’t think it fits our needs or visions anymore.
Zoning - New Richmond Zoning Map
Every parcel of land within the city has a zoning district designation. You can find that map here. We have a zoning ordinance that sets out what can and cannot be done in certain districts. Zoning Ordinances are adopted to promote the health, safety and general welfare of the City of New Richmond, Wisconsin and its citizens, including protection of the environment, conservation of land, energy and natural resources, reduction in vehicular traffic congestion, more efficient use of public funds, health benefits of a pedestrian environment, historic preservation, education and recreation, reduction in sprawl development, and improvement of the built environment.
Annexations
Annexation is the process that occurs when a parcel of land changes municipality. For the City of New Richmond, this would mean that a parcel that was previously in the Town of Richmond, Town of Erin Prairie, or Town of Stanton would become a part of the City. Well, what difference does it make? People who live within the City pay city taxes, generally are served by city water, sewer, and electric, get to vote in local city elections, and have access to other local services like the compost site and grant opportunities.
Divisions of Land (Plats & CSMs)
Two ways to divide land in Wisconsin are Plats and Certified Survey Maps (CSMs). Plats are used when more than 4 lots are being divided. Typically a plat is used on larger parcels of land to create a series of lots which is where the phrase “subdivision” used as a synonym for neighborhood comes from. CSMs are typically used when dividing one lot into two. A common instance of this is when a farmer wants to sell their farm land, but not their house so they make it into two lots. Both of these divisions of land need to be approved by the City Council.
Map of New Residential Dwelling Units - 2022
NR Housing Study 2021
Boundary Agreement - New Richmond & Star Prairie