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Council adopts zoning text amendment D917E, sets 20% minimum open space for new subdivisions
Summary
The council adopted text amendment D917E to restructure development rules so they apply to new subdivisions and set the minimum preserved open space at 20% (with 50% crediting for unbuildable land), changing 'sketch' plan terminology to 'schematic' and adopting staff’s consistency statement.
The council voted unanimously to adopt text amendment D917E, a new code section intended to apply strengthened requirements to new residential subdivisions. Staff explained the change creates a separate code section (D917E) so that new subdivision rules apply only to new development and not retroactively to existing private lots, addressing takings concerns raised during prior drafting.
A major point of debate had been the minimum open‑space requirement. Staff’s original recommendation and some subcommittee work favored a 20% preserved open‑space threshold; the planning board had earlier recommended keeping the existing 10%. After discussion the council selected 20% in the adopted language but clarified that the draft provides a 50% credit for unbuildable land (for example steep slopes or floodplain), meaning the effective preserved buildable area requirement may be functionally similar in some circumstances. The council also directed staff to continue refining the ordinance language; members stressed the D917E adoption is a restructuring step and not the final total of UDO changes planned.
Council amended instances of the word 'sketch' to 'schematic' in the ordinance text to align terminology across documents and adopted the staff’s statement of reasonableness and consistency with the amendment. Staff and planning board will continue follow‑up work to reconcile buildable‑land test language in future drafts.
The measure passed unanimously.
