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• Does rezoning comply with other applicable ordinances (subdivision,floodplain, erosion control, wetland, shoreland, etc.)? B. Compliance with Adopted Plans Town Land Use Plan The Town of Verona Land Use Plan(dated 4/4/97 and adopted by Dane County on 8/21/98) limits residential development within the entire township to no more than one unit per 35 acres owned as of January 1, 1985. According to zoning division records, the Lees owned 85 acres in the Town of Vermont at that time, yielding a total of 2 allowable splits. As noted in the density study(in composite report), Petition 7316, once the certified survey map is approved, would count as one split taken since that time. This would leave only one split remaining. The current petition proposes two new lots under 35 acres in size, which would appear to exceed the town's maximum density standard. The Town Plan also shows the entire proposed 25 acre RH-4 site as within a mapped woodland area. Within such areas,the town plan encourages: • Management practices that promote diverse, sustainable plant and wildlife resources; • The use of woodlands and prairie grass habitats as erosion control measures on the hillsides or in waterways, and; • Protection of native trees and grasslands in any development proposal. The proposed RH-4 lot encompasses a wooded hill with slopes ranging from 9%to 33%. The applicant has not provided a site plan or other information to determine if these plan standards have been met. C. Environmental features The dense woodlands on the site are part of an uninterrupted stretch of forest that extends along the side of a ridge for several miles in either direction. Such large, continuous blocks of forest provide valuable habitat for a variety of neotropical songbirds and other wildlife. In addition, heavily wooded areas, particularly on hillsides,perform valuable soil retention and stormwater reduction functions. Tree removal and soil compaction associated with residential construction can fragment and degrade habitat quality and impair the area's ability to accept heavy rainfall. To avoid these problems, building sites should be located away from the forest interior, and tree removal should be kept to a minimum,particularly on slopes greater than 12%. Appropriate erosion control standards should be in place before any construction or vegetation removal takes place. Buildings, driveways, yards and other should remain on relatively flat areas to prevent erosion or uncontrolled runoff. D. Public, Local Government,And Agency Input As of the writing of this report,the Town of Verona Board had not acted on this petition and no other county or state agency had commented on this proposal. 2