P&Z Seeks To Increase Land Preserved Amid Development

By Andrew Gorosko

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members are formulating land use regulations intended to preserve significantly greater amounts of open space in new residential subdivisions than now required by the town’s land use rules.

The land conservation effort comes amid a period of continuing residential growth, during which much rural land has been consumed by development. The P&Z’s intent in creating the new regulations is preserving local rural character and natural resources.

David Hannon, the director of planning and transportation services for Harrall-Michalowski Associates, Inc, (HMA) of Hamden, the town’s planning consultant, presented the results of an HMA draft study on land preservation to P&Z members on May 1. That study is part of the P&Z’s ongoing revision to the Town Plan of Conservation and Development.

When they meet on May 29, P&Z members are expected to discuss implementing some regulatory mechanism to preserve greater amounts of open space in residential subdivisions.

During the past 20 years, approximately 14,000 acres of vacant land, representing 36 percent of the town’s total land area, were developed as residential subdivisions, according to HMA.

“The community character of areas developed was changed from ‘rural’ to ‘suburban,’ and the natural landscape and ecosystems of those areas was significantly altered as a result of the grading of 2,700 house lots and the construction of miles of subdivision roads and stormwater drainage facilities,” HMA notes.

The planning consultant points out that in connection with that subdivision-based growth, 1,100 acres, representing 2.8 percent of the town’s total land area, was designated as protected open space.

But HMA adds that many of the open space parcels that were created by the town’s existing subdivision process are physically too small to make significant contributions to the preservation of rural character or environmental conservation.

Currently, the P&Z requires that developers set aside at least ten percent of the land in a residential subdivision as designated open space, generally for passive forms of recreation such as hiking and nature study.

Mechanism

To protect more open space as the stock of undeveloped land dwindles, HMA recommends that the P&Z create a set of land use regulations for the “open space conservation subdivision (OSC).”

 Such OSC subdivisions would allow large amounts of open space to be preserved at no cost to the town, according to HMA. The amount of land preserved through the OSC development approach would represent far more acreage than the town is likely to have the financial means to acquire, HMA adds.

While the town’s current subdivision process preserves approximately ten percent of the land in subdivisions as open space, and OSC development approach “typically results in the preservation of at least 50 percent of the subdivision as protected open space,” according to HMA.

Such a municipal land use management tool would further the conservation and protection of a development site’s important features, including natural resources, historical and archaeological resources, scenic vistas, “greenway” connections, and general local rural character, according to the planning consultant.

HMA points out that using the OSC development approach allows a site to be developed for single-family detached housing at the same gross development density as is allowed under current zoning regulations. Under an OSC development scheme, the houses would be clustered on a site, on smaller building lots than are currently common, in order to preserve large amounts of open space land.

A key aspect of OSC development involves designing suitable wastewater disposal systems. In its report, HMA suggests a range of wastewater disposal designs, including community or large-scale septic systems for use by multiple dwellings. Locally, Riverview Condominiums, a 49-unit condominium complex near sand Hill Plaza, uses a large-scale community septic system for all 49 dwellings.

Conservation Opportunity

Using an OSC development approach, the P&Z could view each new residential subdivision application an opportunity to preserve a significant amount of open space, HMA states.   

HMA lists a variety of OSC development projects in Connecticut that could serve as models for future residential growth in Newtown.

These include the recently completed Great Oak Farms in Monroe, where 50 percent of the site was preserved as open space; Long Hill Farm in Guilford, a project that was completed almost 20 years ago; and multiple OSC subdivisions that currently are under construction in northern Guilford, conserving at least 50 percent of those sites as open space.

HMA points out that while the Newtown’s current subdivision process results in the creation of attractive suburban-style subdivisions, the process does not achieve the goal of maintaining local rural character.

The planning consultant described how the P&Z could implement an OSC approach to residential growth.

A developer would create alternate sketch plans describing how a given site could be developed –– one sketch depicting how the property might be developed as a conventional subdivision, and another drawing depicting the parcel as an OSC subdivision, where residences are clustered to maximize open space on the site.

Reviewing such alternate plans, the P&Z would assess the desirability of using an OSC development approach for the property, without having the developer spend significant money for land engineering. After the P&Z and developer have decided whether a conventional subdivision or an OSC subdivision is the best development approach, the appropriate engineering would be done.

 In its report, HMA uses the Cider Mill Farm residential subdivision, which is now under construction near Lower Paugussett State Forest in Sandy Hook, as an example to compare conventional subdivisions to OSC subdivisions.

During the past several years, the P&Z approved Cider Mill Farm in three construction phases as a conventional residential subdivision. The plans call for 52 house lots on 137 acres, including 21 acres of open space, representing the preservation of approximately 15 percent of the site.

Under an OSC design approach, depending on the particular design style employed, there would be 52 house lots on 137 acres, with the open space area ranging from 80 to 110 acres, representing the preservation of 60 percent to 80 percent of the site, according to HMA.

 The proportion of open space on a site would vary depending on whether a “suburban” style lot layout is chosen, or a “hamlet” style lot layout is used. The hamlet design would provide a greater amount of open space on the site.

In its report, HMA recommends that the P&Z formulate regulations for OSC development in town. The firm further recommends that the P&Z develop a municipal strategy concerning the ownership and management of the open space land that would be a product of OSC development.