PRSR 04-09-2003 ATTACHMENTS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Draft Land Use Plan-March 27, 2003 Low Density Residential Low Density Residential Area Overview Land designated as Low Density Residential follows existing land use policies and controls. This land use category is designed for residential development in areas that will not be served by municipal water and sanitary sewer system. Properties with individual wells and septic systems can develop at an overall density of one unit per 2-1/2 acres. Higher density can be achieved through the Open Space Preservation Plat regulations. Low Density Residential Land Use Objectives The planning process has led to the following objectives for the Low Density Residential area: • Provide opportunity for the development of private property in a manner that fits with the needs and objectives of the community. • Provide a variety of housing opportunities. • Create strong, safe and sustainable residential neighborhoods. • Support development with reliable private sewer and water systems. • Guide development to protect natural resources and features. • Design residential subdivisions that support community transportation objectives and plans. The proposed Land Use Plan is designed to achieve these objectives. Proposed Low Density Residential Land Use Description The proposed plan follows current directions in both policy and area. The proposed Land Use Plan varies from the current plan in one important distinction. Low Density Residential is intended to be a permanent land use and not a potential transition area. The proposed plan guides Low Density Residential only where this use is appropriate and desirable. Under the current plan, some growth areas outside of the urban service boundary are designated as Low Density Residential. Allowing a Low Density Residential pattern on land that should be served by municipal utilities will block the growth of the City. It is difficult and inefficient to install municipal sewer and water after a Low Density Residential pattern has been established. For this reason, some areas near or adjacent to the existing urban services area currently guided as Low Density Residential have been changed to Medium Density Residential in order to preserve the ability to extend sanitary sewer and water. Important natural feature areas can be found in the Low Density Residential designation. The approach used in the Rural Residential designation to protect these features does not fit well with increased intensities allowed in the Low Density Residential designation. This approach relies on the ability to grant density bonuses for actions that achieve public objectives. Additional density (greater than one unit per 2 '/z acres) served by private infrastructure is limited by the ability to maintain proper individual septic treatement systems. Requiring the dedication or other set aside of natural feature areas also creates economic issues. Under current regulations,these additional "public" areas would be available for development. These requirements reduce the existing income potential of a tract of land. Technological advancements in common septic systems continue to provide opportunities to develop low density housing patterns at greater densities. Proven technologies should be utilized in locations 4