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25 it <br /> Site Considerations <br /> 1) School Site and Minimum Acreage <br /> Traditionally, minimum acreage refers to usable, or developable, acreage. <br /> "Usable" or "developable" acreage refers to those portions of the site where a <br /> school district can construct something – examples include parking, playfields, <br /> buildings, retention ponds, and septic systems. Examples of areas that are not <br /> "usable" or "developable" might include mandated buffers, setbacks, slopes too <br /> steep to be effectively developed, rock outcroppings, wetlands or environmentally <br /> sensitive areas. <br /> School site sizes for non-traditional schools may be higher or lower than those <br /> outlined in the State Guidelines - for example, acreage may deviate from State <br /> Guidelines in order to : <br /> • Accommodate community use of the facility and multiuse recreational <br /> facilities such as soccer and softball fields. <br /> • Account for areas that cannot be built upon, such as steep slopes, <br /> wetlands, rights-of-way, easements, setbacks, buffers or poor soils <br /> • Meet requirement imposed by local ordinances – i.e. restrictions governing <br /> the ratio of land that can be disturbed within a development and the <br /> permitted amount of impervious service will affect the ultimate size of the <br /> site <br /> • Allow for on-site or off-site parking for staff, students, buses and visitors <br /> • Accommodate the expanding number of middle and high school athletic <br /> teams either on-site or off-site — i.e. an additional ten acres or more of <br /> land may be necessary to allow for an athletic stadium and associated <br /> spectator parking. <br /> However, other areas to consider in siting a new school include areas of <br /> population density, public transportation availability and walkability, natural <br /> geographic enhancements or barriers, road patterns, and existing or non-existing <br /> infrastructure such as water, sewer and roadways. School systems should <br /> actively pursue partnering agreements with the Towns and County Parks and <br /> Recreation Departments, private developers, and businesses in an effort to <br /> maximize joint use of facilities. Future projects should also include: <br /> ■ Xeriscaping and regulatory buffers <br /> ■ Use of synthetic turf for athletic fields or installation of irrigation <br /> systems. <br /> 12 <br />