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Attachment # 8 <br />ISSUE PAPER <br />what: To determine the.appropriate number of lots to use as <br />breakpoint between Major and Minor Subdivisions. <br />Why: To identify and revise administrative procedures where the <br />costs to the County and the public exceed the substantive <br />benefits of the process. <br />Existing Conditions: Under present regulations, up to S lots may be <br />created out of a tract during a two -year period <br />through the minor subdivision process. The <br />creation of more than 5 lots always involves the <br />Major Subdivision process. <br />Minor Subdivisions are approved by the Planning <br />Department, and may take as little as 2 weeks to <br />process. Major Subdivisions must receive Concept <br />Plan approval from the Planning Board, and <br />Preliminary Plat approval from the Board of <br />Commissioners. It takes a minimum of about 4 <br />months to receive preliminary plat approval. <br />` The time and costs to the applicant /developer; <br />and the County, are not proportional to the <br />number of lots being created. A six -lot <br />subdivision will require approximately the same <br />amount of time and work as a 25 -lot subdivision. <br />It is' likely however that the larger subdivision <br />will involve more substantive issues or concerns. <br />Analysis: Between November,. 1986 and October 1989, 90 preliminary <br />plats were approved by the Board of County Commissioners, <br />ranging in size from 1 lot to 56 lots. <br />Figure 1 shows the distribution of these 90 subdivision by <br />number of lots. The average number of lots per <br />subdivision is 11. The median number of lots per <br />subdivision is 7. <br />Differences between the Planning Department <br />recommendations to the Planning Board, and the final <br />decisions by the Board of, Commissioners were analyzed. <br />Results of the analysis are as follows: <br />J <br />