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51 <br /> SECTION II: <br /> FLEXIBLE DEVELOPMENT <br /> This Flexible Development proposal is modeled, in part,on standards used by other localities as well as open space <br /> design reference materials. It also reflects the many suggestions of Orange County citizens, interest groups, and <br /> advisory boards. A partial list of these sources includes the following: <br /> • Conceptual Guidelines for Rural Orange, Rural Character Study Committee <br /> • Flexible Development Bylaws, Grafton, Massachusetts <br /> • Land Preservation District Zoning Provisions, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania <br /> • Designing Open Space Developments. Sussex County,Delaware <br /> • Rural by Design, Randall Arendt <br /> • PEARL Design Manual,Livingston County, Michigan <br /> • Dealing with Change in the Connecticut River Valley, Center for Rural Massachusetts <br /> • Open Space Development Alternatives, University Station Planning Group <br /> • Designing Open Space Subdivisions:A Practical Step-By-Step Approach, Randall Arendt <br /> • Towns and Town-Making Principles, Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk <br /> • Seaside: Making A Town in America, David Mohney and Keller Easterling <br /> • Choices and Changes:Loudoun County General Plan 1990-2010,Loudoun County, Virginia <br /> The proposal has been formatted so that it may be substituted for the current Cluster Development provisions <br /> contained in Section IV-B-10 of the Subdivision Regulations. After each major section or subsection, comments are <br /> provided to identify the source and/or explain the rationale for inclusion of specific standards or guidelines. <br /> IV-B-10. FLEXIBLE DEVELOPMENT <br /> Section IV-B-10-A. INTENT <br /> The purpose of Flexible Development is to preserve agricultural and forestry lands, natural and cultural features, <br /> and rural community character that might be lost through conventional development approaches. To accomplish this <br /> goal, greater flexibility and creativity in the design of such developments is encouraged and allowed. Specific <br /> objectives are as follows: <br /> • To preserve areas of the county with productive soils for continued agricultural and forestry use by <br /> preserving blocks of land large enough to allow for efficient operations. <br /> • To encourage the preservation and improvement of habitat for various forms of wildlife and to create new <br /> woodlands through natural succession and reforestation where appropriate. <br /> • To minimize site disturbance and erosion through retention of existing vegetation and avoiding development <br /> on steep slopes. <br /> • To preserve open land, including those areas containing unique and sensitive features such as natural areas <br /> and wildlife habitats, steep slopes, streams, wetlands, and floodplains. <br /> • To preserve scenic views and elements of the county's rural character, and to minimize perceived density <br /> by minimizing views of new development from existing roads. <br /> • To preserve and maintain historic and archaeological sites and structures that serve as significant visible <br /> reminders of the county's social and architectural history. <br /> • To provide for the active and passive recreational needs of county residents, including implementation of <br /> the Master Recreation&Parks Plan. <br /> • To provide greater efficiency in the siting of services and infrastructure by reducing road length, utility <br /> runs, and the amount of paving for development. <br /> Flexible Development 1 <br />