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Commission approves subdivision design changes, lowers minimum lot-size threshold for wells
Summary
The planning commission approved changes to subdivision design standards, lowering the minimum lot-size threshold for private well-and-septic from 10 to 5 acres and adding a 2.5-acre tier for central water with onsite septic; commissioners also struck a large-development mixed-housing mandate and discussed aquifer protections.
Elbert County’s Planning Commission voted to approve targeted revisions to subdivision design standards intended to allow smaller rural lots and provide more flexible infrastructure options.
The commission approved edits to article 11 that lower the minimum lot size that requires central water and sewer. Under the adopted changes, private well-and-septic will be allowed on lots of 5 acres or greater in certain contexts, and the commission added an intermediate tier (2.5 acres) intended to permit central water with onsite septic for smaller clustered developments. Commissioners also agreed to remove a proposed requirement that developments of 320 dwelling units or more must include multiple housing types, saying the market should inform housing mix.
Staff explained the change responds to developers’ concerns that the existing 10-acre threshold makes some desirable 'in-between' developments financially infeasible because central sewers raise project costs. "There are examples of other neighborhoods that have, you know, two or three acre lots... it's not necessarily feasible to do central water and central sewer for that size lots," staff said when outlining options.
Commissioners discussed whether lowering thresholds would increase pressure on specific aquifers (upper and lower Dawson) and asked that the county attorney review proposed language that would restrict which aquifers could be used and require dedications or restrictive covenants to protect groundwater supplies.
The commission also reviewed open-space rules and cash-in-lieu options and asked staff to preserve enforcement mechanisms (stop-work orders, conditions of approval) as part of follow-up work. The article 11 changes were approved in a recorded voice vote after a motion to adopt the amendments as described by staff.
Commissioners directed staff to coordinate further legal review on water-rights and aquifer-dedication language and to prepare ordinance language for BOCC consideration.
