9.2. SR 02-16-2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Understanding Planned Unit Development A planned unit development (PUD) is a large, integrated development adhering to a comprehensive plan and located on a single tract of land or on two or more tracts of land that may be separated only l by a street of other right-of-way. PUD is a form of development that, although conceived decades ago, can be used today to advance a number of important smart growth and sustainability objectives. PUD has a number of distinct advantages over conventional lot -by -lot development. Properly written and administered, PUD can offer a degree of flexibility that allows creativity in land planning, site design, and the protection of environmentally sensitive lands not possible with conventional subdivision and a land development practices. Moreover, properly applied, PUD is capable of mixing residential and nonresidential land uses, providing broader housing choices, allowing more compact development, Showcasing n 720 -acre regional permanently preserving common open space, reducing vehicle trips, and providing pedestrian and multi-purpose public park, pedestri- bicycle facilities. In exchange for design flexibility, developers are better able to provide amenities and on -friendly design, and n 7500+acre infrastructure improvements, and find it easier to accommodate environmental and scenic attributes. wetland system, the Buckwolter PUD PUD is particularly useful when applied to large developments approved in phases over a number of and the BuckwalterPlace urban cen- years, such as master planned communities. PUDs are typically approved by the local legislative ter in Bluffton, South Carolina pro body (city council, board of supervisors, county commissioners) after a comprehensive review and mote multiple aspects of sustainable recommendation by the planning board or commission, which normally includes a public hearing. development. Communities considering adoption of a PUD ordinance should be mindful that while planning boards and commissions are given a good deal of discretionary power in acting on PUDs, appropriate standards are essential. Moreover, a delicate balance must be found between the desire to be flexible in order to take into account unique site characteristics and the need to spell out concrete standards and criteria. WHY PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT IS POPULAR PUD has grown increasingly popular, in part because standard subdivision and zoning ordinances have serious limitations. Many older vintage zoning ordinances prohibit mixed use. Single family, multifamily, and nonresidential uses are often not allowed in the same zoning district. Older conventional ordinances also contain uniform site development standards that tend to produce monotonous outcomes. Subdivision control ordinances deal with narrow concerns, such as street, curb, and sidewalk standards and lot and block layout. The lack of meaningful amounts of well- placed, accessible open space and recreational amenities is another shortfall of conventional development controls. TYPES OF PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT Planned unit developments can take many forms, ranging from modest residential developments where housing units are clustered and open space is provided, to mixed use master planned communities that cover thousands of acres. Simple Residential Cluster. Simple cluster subdivisions allow smaller lots on some parts of the site in exchange for permanently preserved common open space elsewhere on the site. Planning boards or commissions normally require the open space to be configured in a manner to protect sensitive natural features such as streams and riparian areas, vernal pools, ponds, and lakes, and to take into account hazard areas and areas of steep slope. Communities may either limit the gross density of the tract to what would be permitted under American Planning Association conventional zoning, or may choose to offer a density bonus allowing more units than would other - Making Great Communities Happen A Publication of the American Planning Association I PASQuickNotes/Vo.22