Agenda - 11-01-1995 - X-B - Laserfiche WebLink

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52 • To create compact neighborhoods accessible to open space amenities and with a strong identity. Comment. ?his purpose of this section is to convey to landowner and developer alike what aspects of the county's rural character are to be addressed through Flexible Development design. The broad statement of purpose and speck objectives are based on the goals and action strategies outlined in the preceding section. Section IV-B-10-B. APPLICABILITY Flexible Development is permitted in all residential zoning districts except the Rural Buffer (RB) zoning district, but only upon approval of a Minor Subdivision Final Plat by the Planning Department or a Major Subdivision Preliminary Plat by the Board of County Commissioners. All Flexible Development subdivision plats shall comply with the requirements and standards specified herein and in all respects with other applicable codes and ordinances to the extent that they are not in conflict with these provisions. Comment. A major aspect of this Flexible Development proposal is that existing zoning district designations would remain unchanged. In other words,minimum lot size requirements would not be increased. The only instance where minimum lot sizes may be recommended for change is in Protected Watersheds where a technical study has been completed and such increases are recommended for water quality protection purposes. Only one such study is underway, Cane Creek Watershed, and no others are contemplated at this time. This approach is modeled on the Grafton, Massachusetts Flexible Development Bylaws which applies a single set of development standards in most zoning districts. The same approach is currently used in the application of Orange County's Cluster Development standards. The wording is such that Flexible Development standards will not be used in the Rural Buffer zoning district until an amendment to the Joint Planning Area Land Use Plan and Agreement has been approved through which to implement the approach. Section IV-B-10-C. OPEN SPACE STANDARDS Where a developer elects to seek approval of a Flexible Development as specified herein,at least thirty-three percent (33%)of the total land area in the Flexible Development must be set aside as protected open space. Such open space shall meet these standards unless the developer chooses to seek approval of a conventional subdivision. Comment. During the debate/discussion of the amount of open space to be preserved, the possibilities ranged from a citizen-recommended low of 10 percent to a high of 75 percent in the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Land Preservation District. While the Rural Character Study Committee recommended a sliding scale of density bonuses and open space requirements, many reference materials and ordinances recommended or required that at least a certain percentage of the project area be set aside in open space. The requirement of setting aside one-third of the project area as open space represents a mid- range approach. It is slightly higher than one standard considered by the University Station Planning Group (30%) and is less than the 40 to 50 percent range cited in many reference materials. The requirement is considered feasible, based on a review of six Orange County subdivisions which provided or are to provide open space. Open space in these subdivisions ranged from 24 to 47percent of the total project area, with a median of 34 percent. The 'one-third'standard is also considered feasible,given the alternatives availableforsatisfying the open space requirement. The wording at the beginning of this section has been included to clarify that unless a developer chooses to seek approval�fa Flexible Development, he/she need not comply with the open space requirements. Flexible Development 2