GROWTH MANAGEMENT

The Growth Management Cluster of ordinances addresses how a community defines areas most appropriate to accommodate growth and areas where resources will be protected. The first tool presented is an urban growth boundary. It is used to establish a boundary between the two areas. The placement of the urban growth boundary is determined by a community through a comprehensive planning process that accounts for population growth, and commercial and industrial growth within the long-term vision of the community. The Growth Management Cluster relates directly to the Neighborhood Design Cluster. The Growth Management Cluster defines zoning districts and programs outside of the urban growth boundary. The Neighborhood Design Cluster defines zoning districts and design standards inside of the urban growth boundary. Urban services will be provided to districts inside the growth boundary to promote dense development that maximizes the community’s investment in infrastructure. Districts and programs outside the urban growth boundary are directed at promoting industries that are dependent on land-based resources agriculture and forestry) and protecting natural resources important to the community.

Outside of the urban growth boundary, Model Community has defined two zoning districts and created two programs to manage growth and protect resources. The agricultural and forest protection zone encompasses those areas of Model Community that have historically supported agriculture and forestry and have soils and land suited to these uses. This zone restricts land use to production agriculture and forestry and the dwellings associated directly with these uses. Non-agriculture and non-forest related dwellings are restricted in order to prevent conflicts that inevitably arise when urban uses move into areas of active agriculture and forestry

The conservation subdivision zone is a residential zone communities may choose to use in rural areas. The district allows residential development to occur in clusters while permanently protecting large blocks of open space and natural areas. The district is not designed as a staging area for future urban development. Residents must understand the limitations of building in this zone, i.e. they will not receive urban services, such as public utilities, road expansions, street lighting, etc., in the future.

Two programs that can complement rural zoning districts are a Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program and Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program. In a PDR program, a landowner is paid to permanently restrict the future development of parcels. PDR programs are often targeted to permanently protecting agricultural lands and natural areas. In a TDR program, a landowner sells development rights to a private developer. The development rights are sold from areas designated to remain rural and transferred to areas that are designated for urban development.

Two additional ordinances are attached to the integrated growth management ordinance: a sample Orderly Annexation Agreement, and an example of the general provisions of a subdivision ordinance. An orderly annexation agreement is an agreement between two units of government about how the communities will grow. Instead of a city annexing land when there is a perceived need for increased tax base or whenever a landowner decides to develop, the city and the surrounding township can negotiate an orderly annexation agreement that defines what parcels will be annexed and when. As with urban growth boundaries, these agreements should be based on the projected population growth, and commercial and industrial needs of the two communities.

The subdivision ordinance demonstrates how a community can use the subdivision process to ensure that sustainable development goals are met in new development. A subdivision ordinance is often a lengthy ordinance including a number of procedural details, reporting requirements, and bonding requirements. The attached subdivision ordinance language focuses on how sustainable development goals can be met through the general provisions section of a typical subdivision ordinance.