Orange County NC Website
57 <br />D.2 Conservation-Cluster Option <br />A conservation-cluster subdivision is one in which building lots are grouped together <br />through a transfer of allowable density within the subdivided tract provided the transfer <br />of density within the subdivision does not increase the average density in any overlay <br />zoning district. In aconservation-cluster subdivision designed with density transfer, lots <br />smaller than the minimum lot size permitted in the zoning district are allowed provided <br />such lots and subdivisions are developed in accordance with the following standards: <br />• Land saved through lot size reductions shall consist of designated Primary and/or <br />Secondary Conservation Areas. <br />• The total amount of land set aside as Primary and Secondary Conservation <br />Areas shall equal the sum of all reductions in minimum lot area and shall <br />comprise at least thirty-three percent (33%) of the total land area in the <br />subdivision. <br />• Both Primary and Secondary Conservation Areas shall be placed in undivided <br />preserves which adjoin housing areas that have been designed more compactly <br />to create larger conservation units that may be enjoyed by all residents of the <br />subdivision and, if possible, enjoyed visually by the general public.. Such <br />undivided open space shall be accessible to the largest number of lots within the <br />development. To achieve this, the majority of houselots should abut undivided <br />open space to provide residents with direct views and access. Safe and <br />convenient pedestrian access to the open space from all adjoining houselots <br />shall be provided, except in the case of farmland or other resource areas <br />vulnerable to human disturbance. The design must meet Section F Evaluation <br />Criteria which sets forth conservation area design characteristics. <br />• Where undivided open space is designated as separate non-contiguous parcels, <br />no parcel shall consist of less than three (3) acres in area, nor have alength-to- <br />width ratio in excess of 4:1, except such areas that are specifically designed for <br />neighborhood commons or greens; playfields; buffers adjacent to wetlands, <br />watercourses, and rural roads; wildlife corridors; or trail links. <br />• a buildable area of sufficient size to accommodate asingle-family detached <br />dwelling and customary accessory uses, including, but not limited to, storage <br />buildings and garages, patios and decks, lawns, and driveways. A septic system <br />and/or well site may be located in an open space area provided it does not <br />occupy more than one quarter of the conservation area nor any part of a Primary <br />Conservation Area. <br />• Provided the arrangement, design, and shape of cluster lots is such that lots <br />provide satisfactory and desirable sites for building, and contribute to the <br />preservation of designated Primary and/or Secondary Conservation Areas, <br />minimum lot area, lot width, and setback requirements as specified in Article <br />