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Committee flags loophole in proposed five-year lot-splitting rule
Summary
Members debated whether the five-year limit on successive four-lot splits should reset by calendar or be owner-specific; staff warned certain tracking methods could allow more than four lots by sequencing splits across owners or dates.
The draft ordinance includes a five-year cycle that restricts the number of lots an owner may create before triggering subdivision review. Committee members debated which method to use: a rolling five-year lookback tied to the first division date or a fixed five-year reset tied to the ordinance adoption date.
Staff warned of a potential loophole: sequencing splits (for example, two sets of four-lot splits under different owners or by timing them across the reset boundary) could result in more lots than intended without triggering subdivision procedures. The group discussed placing the burden on applicants to provide prior lot dates on application forms and tasked staff to propose tracking options.
One member summarized the enforcement concern: "You could end up with 8 lots… 4 and 4, and you're doing within 2 years." The committee asked staff to draft application form language and a tracking approach for review at the next meeting.
