Draft UDO would change conservation‑subdivision and open‑space rules; residents and developers voice competing concerns

A central element of the proposed UDO is a revised conservation‑subdivision framework intended to preserve larger contiguous natural open space while allowing clustering of lots. Consultant Sean Scoopmire told commissioners the change would "preserve enough open space natural area and also end up with lot sizes that were satisfactory and that matched the districts that you were looking at." He explained that the draft counts certain wetlands, buffers and floodplains toward required open space in conservation subdivisions to encourage preservation of those natural areas.

Developers’ representatives at the public outreach sessions said larger minimum lot widths could make projects harder to build economically; engineers told consultants lot widths drive road and infrastructure costs. Residents, including Janine Clifton, countered that open‑space rules should prevent developers from counting unusable parcels (wetlands or narrow strips) as the required open space. "Site analysis and preliminary plats are one of the county’s only tools for catching grading and clear‑cutting problems before they happen," a resident told commissioners. Consultants responded that design and location standards and maintenance expectations (generally by an HOA) will be written into the draft to reduce the risk that open space becomes an unusable leftover.