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2 <br />REQUEST: Staff proposes an amendment to the mandatory 100-foot building setback <br />requirement and to allow a more flexible perimeter buffer with landscape planting. <br />The proposed amendments would accomplish the following: <br />Allow flexibility for perimeter buffers in Rural Designated Areas and Urban/Transition <br />areas as per the Land Use Element and Map and per the Growth Management System <br />Map. Staff's proposal is to require the subdivision perimeter buffer be a minimum 60 feet <br />in Rural Designated Areas, and a minimum of 40 feet in Urban/Transition Designated <br />Areas. Roadside buffers will remain at 100 feet in the Rural Areas, but may reduced to <br />50 feet minimum in the Transition Areas. All buffers will be in-common ownership. <br />2. Establish planting standards to compensate for the 'reduced setback width. Current <br />regulations do not require the building setback buffers to.be vegetated. Staff proposes <br />that subdivisions in Rural Designated Areas have perimeter buffers planted or preserved <br />to a Type A standard and that subdivisions in the Urban/Transition Designated Areas <br />have perimeter buffers preserved or planted to a Type B standard. Planting standards <br />within roadside buffers will remain the same as the regulations state now. <br />3. Ensure that all buffers are in-common open space and are administered in -accordance <br />with Section IV-13-10 C.S. T_ his will ensure that individual lot owners do not compromise <br />the perimeter buffers. <br />4. Small sized and irregularly shaped tracts will be able to better design their projects. <br />5. Rural character will still be preserved in the Rural Designated Areas with the proposed <br />buffer widths because a perimeter-planting standard will be required, where currently <br />there is no planting requirement. <br />6. Subdivisions in urban/transition areas will have a more urban Type B perimeter-planting <br />. requirement around the subdivision, where currently there is no planting requirement., <br />FINANCIAL IMPACT: No County financial impact at this time with human resources being <br />used from existing departmental staff. <br />RECOMMENDATION: Administration recommends that the proposed text amendments <br />be referred to the Planning Board for a recommendation to be <br />returned to the County Board of Commissioners no sooner than <br />February 6, 2007. <br />2.006 Pith! it; 1h%ri(igqVov 210 Clw;tcl-,Voa I. I )OC' <br />