Chapter 16.18 CLUSTERED DEVELOPMENT

Chapter 16.18
CLUSTERED DEVELOPMENT

Sections:

16.18.010 Clustered development encouraged.

(1) Clustered development is encouraged to: preserve the open feel of Lewis County’s rural lands; promote the long-term protection of resource lands; limit the impacts from development on hydrologic patterns, critical areas and habitat; reduce the number of public road access points; and promote more cost-effective and service-efficient development on rural and resource lands.

(a) Clustered developments are allowed in:

(i) Portions of urban growth areas that allow residences and are regulated by Lewis County.

(ii) LAMIRDs and rural lands where residences are allowed.

(iii) Agricultural resource lands.

(b) The minimum lot size for clustered lots shall be determined by the health and septic standards of the county; provided, that, in the agricultural resource land zone, the maximum size of smaller, clustered lots may not exceed two acres in size, unless otherwise required by Chapter 8.40 LCC. All relevant public health setbacks must be addressed as part of a clustered development.

(i) Clustered subdivisions may only occur through the subdivision or short subdivision process (per Chapter 16.05 or 16.10 LCC).

(ii) Clustered building lots shall occur at the same base density as the underlying zoning (i.e., a 20-acre lot with five-acre minimum lot sizes may be developed with three small lots and one larger lot), unless bonus densities are used (per LCC 16.18.030).

(A) Areas of a site that are devoted to critical areas, roads or stormwater facilities shall not influence the calculation of density.

(B) When a development is proposed across two separate zones, the total number of lots that are allowed may include the development capacity of each area. In these instances, the development may transfer the capacity from one zone (on one portion of the site) to another; provided, that the transfer does not occur from a rural zone to a resource land zone, or a zone of higher allowed density to a zone of less.

(C) No more than eight units may be located in any single cluster when a development is proposed on agricultural resource land. At least 1,320 feet of agricultural land must be present between the clusters on an agricultural resource land development site.

(D) No more than 20 units may be located in any single cluster when a development is proposed within a rural land zone. At least 600 feet, or a clearly defined visual break created by vegetation or topography, shall be provided between the clusters on rural lands.

(iii) Building lots shall be sited and designed to limit impacts to valuable or unique natural features, including critical areas and prime agricultural soils, and shall be compatible with the physical constraints of the site to the fullest extent possible.

(iv) Setbacks shall be required as follows:

(A) The underlying zoning setbacks shall be required from the exterior boundaries of the development cluster. No internal setbacks shall be required, except as required by the International Building Code or International Residential Code and any applicable critical area standards.

(B) Where a clustered development is proposed adjacent to a site with a resource land designation, the smaller lots and the development site on the larger remainder parcel shall meet the setbacks specified in:

(I) LCC 17.30.500 for forest resource land.

(II) LCC 17.30.660 for agricultural resource land.

(III) LCC 17.30.810 for mineral resource land.

(C) When the cluster is proposed on agricultural resource land within the agricultural resource land zone, the setback in LCC 17.30.660 shall be measured from the edge of the cluster of the smaller lots, and the home site on the larger remainder parcel, to the nearest adjacent parcel that: is not part of the development site; and is designated for resource use.

(v) All roads within and that provide access to the development shall conform to public works road standards for public and private roads.

(vi) Standards for the larger lot to be created through the clustered subdivision process are presented in LCC 16.18.020. [Ord. 1283 §4, 2017]

16.18.020 Large remainder parcel.

For the purposes of this chapter, a large lot created through the clustered subdivision process shall be subject to the following provisions:

(1) The lot must be identified with a separate lot number.

(2) The lot must contain a developable site that can accommodate features such as an appropriate access point, a building site and adequate water and septic locations.

(3) The lot must be configured to contain, to the greatest degree feasible, a contiguous area of open space, agricultural area or resource land that is shaped so as to promote the protection of critical areas, habitat, or the long-term use of the area as resource land. Larger remainder lots may not be narrow strips of land that are interspersed between residential uses.

(4) Roads, utilities, and other development impacts should be sited in a manner that limits long-term impacts to the large remainder lot, especially when the area is meant to be utilized to retain critical areas, habitat, or a resource use.

(5) The lot may not be further subdivided for residential use once the full density of the development has been reached, unless the comprehensive plan and/or zoning code is amended consistent with the Growth Management Act to permit additional density. [Ord. 1283 §4, 2017]

16.18.030 Density bonus.

(1) A density bonus may be allowed for a clustered development when the development places a large portion of the larger remainder parcel within a natural resource or open space easement that will not be developed with additional homesites in the future. The density bonus shall be calculated as follows:

(a) Where at least 50 percent of the size of the original development parcel is set aside within the easement, a bonus density of 25 percent of the total allowed units may be permitted. For example, a development with four allowed units shall be allowed to develop five total housing units.

(b) Where at least 75 percent of the size of the original parcel is set aside within the easement, the development shall be allowed to construct an additional 50 percent of the allowed units.

(2) No density bonus shall be allowed for developments on agricultural resource lands.

(3) Calculation of the density bonus shall be based entirely on the size of the easement on the larger remainder parcel. Where easements cross multiple properties, only the amount of land on the larger remainder parcel shall be included in the calculation of the bonus density. [Ord. 1283 §4, 2017]

16.18.040 Performance standards.

Clustered developments shall:

(1) Be designed to preserve large areas of resource land, critical areas, and lands that promote rural character or resource land use.

(2) Locate the development cluster away from resource lands and critical areas, and provide adequate buffers between clusters, resource lands and critical areas.

(3) Limit the size and density of the built area to prevent the need for urban levels of service.

(4) If in resource lands, be designed to promote continued, long-term successful commercial use of such lands. [Ord. 1283 §4, 2017]