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<br /> cons �rnc ion o subdivisions
<br /> By R.J. Beatty 04 464/— oa "'The main [benefit] is the eaten- " [I'he . minor ' . subdivision rules]
<br /> lion of the amount of time before
<br /> The hews of orange county were designed so we could help the
<br /> [developers] can start fresh, " said little guy who just wants to add a
<br /> Constructing residential subdivi- Gordon . "Before, developers would few lots, " said Jacobs . "People ma-
<br /> sions in Orange County just got a do a series of minor subdivisions to nipulated it piece by piece -- do
<br /> little more difficult — at least for get around the rules. " four lots, then two years later do
<br /> { the developer who would seek , to _ four more ,
<br /> ' skirt around long-range county de- The regulations adopted at the
<br /> velopment plans, May 16 meeting increase the al-
<br /> 111 lowed time between resubdivisionsIn addition to the expanded review
<br /> of land from two to ten ears and period, regulations were amended
<br /> } By unanimous vote, the Orange y regarding the Planning Board review
<br /> County Board of Commissioners include a cumulative provision to
<br /> process itself. Whereas before May
<br /> last week approved a number of text gauge the impact of minor subdivi- 16 the board approved all concept
<br /> amendments to county subdivision sions over the complete ten-year pet
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<br /> { regulations, amendments that in- . riod . , The hope is that the new plans whether flexible or conven-
<br /> . ! crease the Planning Board review rules will keep _ developers from tional; after which the developer
<br /> period for subdivisions and measure ceaselessly subdividing property and chose the plan they wanted, the
<br /> periodic additions by their cumula- adding dwelling units, in a manner board now will approve only one
<br /> tive effect on the county . The that leads to haphazard, sprawl-style concept plan option .
<br /> amendments alter the distinction be-
<br /> development, said Gordon.
<br /> tween "minor" subdivisions, which A flexible plan, in development
<br /> often consist of private owners sub- parlance,making the change, the county parlance, is a subdivision plan that
<br /> dividing their own property into wants to encourage developers to includes " at least ' 33 percent , . open
<br /> lay out -their complete plans all at space, while a conventional plan r.
<br /> lots to rent out to family members once, rather than , stretching out quires no open spaceAin its design,
<br /> and acquaintances, and "major" sub- construction over the course of
<br /> divisions subject to far more scru- years, said Gordon. Forcing large In the past, with the # power to de-
<br /> tiny and evaluation by county Igov- developers to submit to an in-depth, cide for themselves which plan to
<br /> ernment. deliberative review by . the Planning use, developers have more often
<br /> Board enables the county to discern than not chosen a conventional
<br /> The amendments were approved, how well the subdivision plan will plan, which inIt
<br /> creases the potential
<br /> said Commissioner Alice Gordon, fit in with the county ' s long-range returns on their investment by per-
<br /> to close a loophole used in the past plans for development, the com- mitting them to build more closely
<br /> by developers to .' get around the missioner added, together,
<br /> more stringent rules for major4sub-
<br /> . divisions , Before the amendments, "Usually; it ' s a better plan - if you "That ' s the way business has
<br /> a mere two-year period of review by do it all at once, said Gordon. been done for much too long, " said
<br /> the Planning Board meant that de- Jacobs,
<br /> velopers wishing to put up a sig- Commissioner Barry Jacobs, who .
<br /> nificant number of units could add in his year and a half in office has Jacobs said that the new regula-
<br /> them incrementally as "minor" sub- achieved something of a reputation tions would hopefully make for a
<br /> divisions — tracts of land divided for environmental protection and more pleasant landscape, and help
<br /> into no more than five lots — carefully mange$ commercial and the county 'to ' reserve more open
<br /> every two years ,. eventually adding residential development, agreed that space for .park land and recreation,
<br /> the same � number of units as in a the new regulations represented a things in short supply in - northern
<br /> major subdivision, said Gordon . big improvement. Orange County ,
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