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Cook County staff proposes Residential Open Space Overlay to encourage clustered, lower‑cost homes; short‑term rentals would be barred
Summary
Planning staff presented a draft Residential Open Space Overlay (ROSO) to permit clustered subdivisions with 50% permanent open space, allow up to two‑times density in FAR2/FAR3 zones close to roads, require shared infrastructure options, and prohibit short‑term rentals; staff plans legal notice and a May 14 Planning Commission public hearing.
Neva Maxwell, Cook County planning and zoning administrator, presented a proposed Residential Open Space Overlay (ROSO) intended to make smaller, clustered homes more feasible while preserving open land and limiting conversions to short‑term rentals.
Under the proposal staff described, an open‑space subdivision approach would require at least 50% of a parent parcel be maintained as undeveloped open space while clustering residential lots on the remainder. The overlay would be limited to existing FAR2 and FAR3 zone districts (10‑acre and 5‑acre minimums) and to parcels with ready access to state, county or township roads; shoreland areas would be excluded to avoid DNR complications.
Key features described by Maxwell include: permitting clustered lots as small as about 0.25 acre and a maximum lot size of about 2 acres; a suggested maximum lot coverage of 30 percent; allowance for shared septic and well systems with a required common‑interest community or HOA structure (transcript references Minnesota statute “5 15” for CICs); and a prohibition on short‑term rentals inside the overlay while allowing long‑term rentals. Maxwell said she plans to increase the density multiplier in the formal proposal to a two‑times cap and will publish a legal notice for Planning Commission public hearing on May 14.
Maxwell told the board the overlay is intended as an opt‑in rezone: no parcel will change zoning unless the owner applies for rezoning and proceeds through the public rezone and platting process. She emphasized the rezone and preliminary plat stages both require public hearings and technical review, including wetlands lineations and site‑specific suitability checks. Commissioners asked about valuation, HOA structure and wildfire/defensible‑space issues; staff said she will consult the assessor and refine provisions before the May hearing.
Maxwell also noted existing local examples of clustered development (Woodland Foothills) and said the overlay aims to keep development near roads, reduce per‑lot infrastructure costs, and attract builders by improving project economics. Planning staff will circulate a more detailed map and packet prior to the Planning Commission public hearing.
