Staff demonstrates resource-analysis mapping and a sample cluster layout

Nick, a town planner, gave a step-by-step demonstration of the draft code’s resource-analysis process using a roughly 27.93-acre parcel. He walked the board through five steps: identify the parcel, apply zoning rules to get a conventional site capacity, allocate roadway area, classify on-site resources (class 1, 2 and 3), and design a cluster subdivision to meet preservation targets and maximize yield.

Nick reported the demonstration parcel had approximately 27.93 acres with roadway access and a mix of woods, slopes, and an existing trail. Using a conventional-yield calculation (subtracting about 10% for roads), he estimated roughly 35 buildable lots and noted that accessory-dwelling-unit rules could double unit counts to about 70 units in a clustered layout. Nick said in his first iteration he was unable to reach the draft requirement to preserve 80% of class-2 lands, preserving about 15 of the required ~18 acres for class 2, but that refinements could bring the design into compliance.

Nick said the town is developing a web-based resource mapper to help applicants identify class 1/2/3 areas before undertaking a site-level analysis. Board members asked detailed questions about how continuity and functionality of preserved areas (for example, preserving only 40% of an existing trail) will be treated in review and whether the 40% parcel-wide rule could undermine trail continuity. Staff said these are precisely the kinds of trade-offs the resource analysis and future case-by-case deliberations are meant to surface.