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Rye committee to model Conservation Land Development change, considers lowering minimum parcel from 20 to 10 acres
Summary
The Long Range Planning Committee agreed June 4 to pursue consultant-assisted modeling to evaluate a proposal to reduce the Conservation Land Development (CLD) minimum parcel size from 20 to 10 acres, citing prior difficulty attracting interest on larger parcels and concerns about yield and infrastructure on smaller sites.
The Long Range Planning Committee voted to pursue modeling and further study of proposed changes to Rye's Conservation Land Development (CLD) regulations, including reducing the minimum parcel size from 20 to 10 acres.
The committee said it would invite a consultant—first reaching out to Vanessa at Annie Ward, and if she is unavailable to contact Corey Colwell or the Bedford planning director—to run yield and economic-viability modeling on 10-acre parcels before forwarding draft changes to Rules and Regulations. Committee members noted earlier attempts to attract development interest on 20-acre CLD parcels were unsuccessful and raised questions about whether smaller parcels could economically accommodate the intended housing types.
Members discussed implementation challenges tied to smaller CLD parcels, including potential lot sizes, shared septic or other infrastructure arrangements, and the tradeoffs between conservation objectives and project feasibility. The committee did not adopt an ordinance change at the meeting; instead it approved scheduling a two-hour modeling session on June 23 or 24 and sending CLD model materials to consultants for review.
The committee emphasized that modeling results and consultant feedback would inform any formal proposal and that the group has time to develop a draft before the July 21 rule deadline, with the possibility of moving review to August 18 if needed.
