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D 1 '� Cluster men Develo • p t. A Profitable Way to Save O en Space p a M ost suburban and rural resi- achieve cost savings by adopting the By Randall Arendt,MRTPI denial developers probably cluster approach (see Cost-Effective Natural Lands Trust Mhave not fully considered Site Planning: Single-family Devel- the political and economic advantages opment. NAHB. 1986). Studies Building/comes in clusters can offered by cluster or "open space" recently completed at the Center for development. The cluster approach Rural Massachusetts have revealed reduce development costs while allows developers to build the usual another pertinent fact: initial sale preserving permanent open spaes for number of homes on a given site prices and subsequent resale prices while reducing roadbuilding and utili- can be higher in cluster or open space recreation,wildlife,or agriculture. ty costs. In addition. open space developments than in comparable development provides permanently conventional developments. Attrac- protected open space (for recreation, tive views of and access to protected wildlife. agriculture), which adds tan- areas appear to enhance the value of gible economic value to individual downsized lots (see LAND DEVEL- house lots. Best of all. the increased OPMENT.Winter 1991). value is created at no additional cost In Amherst, Massachusetts. for to the developer or to the local juris- example, a comparison of two late diction and involves no sacrifices by 1960s subdivisions—whose house the original land owner(who receives sizes are similar but whose lot sizes the usual selling price). In fact, the and patterns are markedly different— cluster approach rewards all partici- indicates a strong market preference pants in the development process and for cluster development. in the stan- penalizes no one. dard subdivision. where lots are twice In an era of substantial buyer resis- the size of the cluster development tance to condominiums and other lots, houses originally sold for attached units. it is important to note S26,300. or S600 (2.3 percent) less that cluster developments can be easi- than the homes in the cluster subdivi- ly designed to maintain the traditional sion. After 25 years, during which American standard of the single-fami- time the prices of the homes in both ly detached home on its own lot.Open developments increased many times space is created by downsizing and over,houses in the cluster subdivision clustering lots on a site and thereby now sell for S17.000 (12.7 percent) protecting the property's valuable nat- more than their counterparts in the ural features or scenic attributes. The conventional "cookie-cutter" develop- classic New England village settle- ment.The chief difference between the ment pattern is a superb example of two developments, which were Bevel- clustered single-family homes. with oped at similar gross densities, is that the central village green constituting one provides scenic and recreational the permanently preserved open space. open space (low-cost active and pas- Many studies conducted over the sive), while the other offers nothing years by the National Association of more than house lots and streets. Home Builders and others have clear- Cluster development can also offer ly demonstrated that developers can a political benefit. In Connecticut, 26 Land Development/Fall 1991