York supervisors continue controversial zoning amendments debate to Sept. 16 after questions on cluster subdivisions, parking and buffers

The York County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 19 voted to continue the public hearing on proposed zoning amendments that would raise recreational-area requirements in planned developments and change performance standards for cluster subdivisions, temporarily pausing a planned reduction in the minimum acreage required to use cluster subdivision rules.

The board’s unanimous motion continued the public hearing to Sept. 16 so staff can return with more analysis of the cluster provisions — particularly the proposal to lower the minimum developable acreage to use cluster subdivision standards from 10 to 5 acres — and related concerns about parking, sidewalks, stormwater/permeable surfaces and transitional buffers.

Planning staff presented the package, ZT21125, as two linked sets of changes: one to add clarity and raise the required recreational area inside residential planned developments (PDR) from 10% to 15% of a development’s land area and to tighten what can be counted as recreation; the other to update performance standards for cluster (open‑space) subdivisions and to reduce the minimum acreage threshold for using cluster rules. Caitlin, a planning staff member who led the presentation, said the changes were intended to…