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Provisional Cane Creek Recommendations 9 <br /> June 26, 1997 <br /> Page 7 <br /> Existing parcels of less than 12 acres would be unaffected by the proposed rezoning, because <br /> they could be subdivided into five 2-acre tracts, which is consistent with current provisions. <br /> (Comment: Nearly 75 percent of the 1300 existing parcels in the Orange County portion of the <br /> watershed are less than or equal to 12 acres in size. These properties, which constitute about 20 <br /> percent of the watershed area,would not be affected by the new large lot requirements.) <br /> Creative Open Space Desigg (Clustering) <br /> As an alternative to mandatory large-lot development,property owners could choose a more <br /> flexible approach by locating dwelling units on smaller lots and reserving a portion of the tract as <br /> permanent open space. Existing forested or agricultural land could remain in those uses as part <br /> or all of the designated open space. <br /> It is recommended that such development continue to be promoted under Orange County's <br /> Flexible Development Standards with a required open space reservation of 50 percent, allowable <br /> density of 2 acres per dwelling unit(based on total tract size and subject to suitability for septic <br /> systems), and a minimum actual lot size of 1 acre. Development opportunities on a hypothetical <br /> 55-acre parcel are illustrated for existing 2-acre zoning and compared to large lot and open space <br /> options in Figures 1 through 3 below. <br /> Although the availability of central water or sewer utilities is recognized as an important factor in the <br /> viability of clustering, there is substantial concern about the reliability of subsurface and spray irrigation <br /> wastewater technology. At this time OWASA does not recommend these methods be allowed for <br /> community scale applications in the Cane Creek watershed, even if operated and maintained by <br /> OWASA. OWASA may choose to revisit this issue sometime in the future through an open, public <br /> process. <br /> Figure 1. Existing Zoning Figure 2. Large Lots Figure 3. Creative Open Space <br /> + <br /> • 55-acre parcel •55-acre parcel • 55-acre parcel <br /> • 5 acres roads& •5 acres roads& • 5 acres roads& <br /> infrastructure infrastructure infrastructure <br /> • 25 two-acre lots •5 two-acre lots • 25 one-acre lots <br /> •8 five-acre lots • 25 acres open space <br /> preserved <br />