Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Subdivision Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board raises buildability standards for large rural lots; increases secondary‑access threshold and park guarantees
Summary
The board approved changes to subdivision and development review that exempt streetlights on large rural lots, raise the threshold for required secondary access from 25 to 50 lots, require minimum upland/net usable acreage on lots of five acres or larger, and add park construction and bonding requirements tied to certificates of occupancy.
The Planning & Zoning Board on June 3 recommended approval of proposed amendments to Chapter 29 (Subdivision and Development Review) that change several standards for new subdivisions, particularly in rural areas.
County planning staff said the amendments are intended mostly to clarify and modernize code language, and to address several recurring development‑review issues. Among the substantive changes staff highlighted: the requirement for streetlights will be waived for residential subdivisions with lots of at least 5 acres that do not require internal roadways; the threshold that triggers a required secondary access will increase from 25 lots to 50 lots; lots of 5 acres or greater must include a net usable upland area equal to the minimum lot size of the zoning district and may not count stormwater facilities toward that minimum; and neighborhood parks associated with subdivisions must be constructed, inspected and fully operational before issuance of the 26th certificate of occupancy for the development.
Holly Coyle, county planning staff, said the net usable area rule is aimed at ensuring purchasers of larger rural lots can rely on a minimum amount of dry, buildable land: “lots 5 acres or greater in size shall have a net usable area that is free of ponds, wetlands.” Board members asked multiple questions about how the rule applies: staff clarified the rule applies to newly created subdivision lots (not to existing lots of record) and that stormwater ponds can be located in the subdivision but may not be counted toward a lot’s minimum upland requirement.
The board also approved a requirement that developers post a construction bond equal to 15% of the cost to fully develop a neighborhood park, to guarantee delivery of park facilities prior to occupancy milestones.
The board’s recommendation to approve the Chapter 29 amendments carried unanimously. The changes were presented as consistent with the county comprehensive plan’s policies on land development and are now scheduled to be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners.
