Mold-Help.org - The world's largest TOXIC MOLD website
  • Mold Basics
    • Mold Overview
    • Mold Symptoms
    • Mold Types & Images
    • Fungal Infections
  • Resources and Tools
    • Home Care
    • Health & Diet
    • Tips for Parents
    • Coping with Loss
    • Private Research
    • Legal Suggestions
    • Mold in the Bible
  • Mold News
    • Current Headlines
    • “Sick Buildings”
    • The Environment
    • Construction Industry
    • Govt. & Politics
    • The Workplace
    • Landlords & Tenants
    • Insurance Companies
    • Schools & Institutions
    • Strange Fungal Tales
    • Personal Mold Stories
    • Additional Articles
  • Agencies & Experts
  • About Mold-Help
    • Mold-Help News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
  • X
  • Facebook

County Looks To Get Housing Reg In Order. Cluster Zoning Promoted To End Cookie-Cutter Lots

October 3, 2004/in Construction Industry /by Contributor

by Lynn Burton, Staff Writer : August 5, 2002

In an effort to preserve open space and enhance wildlife habitat, Garfield County is considering a subdivision regulation change to allow cluster residential development on parcels smaller than two acres.

“We’ve got to break out of the mold of cookie cutter, two-acre lots in rural subdivision requests,” said Randy Russell, Garfield County’s senior long range planner.

“Taking a parcel that was previously agricultural, and carving that into slices to maximize the number of new lots ignores other values on the site and jeopardizes the historic agricultural infrastructure in the area,” he said.

Russell said the new regulations are primarily meant for parcels 40 to 80 acres in size in the agricultural/residential/rural density, residential limited, and agricultural/industrial zone districts. Most subdivisions that carve agricultural land into two-acre lots are in the Rifle, Silt and Battlement Mesa area.

“We’ve seen a real flurry of uninspired development proposals,” Russell said.

Garfield County’s minimum lot size is two acres. The only way to build on smaller lots is for the developer to submit a planned unit development (PUD) proposal, which can be expensive and time consuming.

“This proposal is for smaller developers, not well-heeled, deep-pocket developers,” Russell said.

Russell stressed the proposal is not down zoning, which reduces the amount of development that can occur on a parcel.

“The developer will get the same number of lots, and actually some additional lots, depending on the amount of open space preserved,” Russell said. “We’re still working on incentives, and that is why we’re going very public with this proposed change, to solicit all possible public input.”

The proposal allows for lots as small as a half acre where homes share sanitary disposal systems, and three-quarters of an acre where individual septic systems are proposed.

As for environmental concerns, Russell said there currently is a financial incentive for developers to maximize their number of lots without sensitivity to drainages, wetlands, views, existing vegetation, access points and potential amenities such as trails and open space.

The proposal would also address public safety issues.

“Despite clear direction to the contrary in county regulations, many proposals are offered in the sketch plan phase with minimal road development and proposals for dead end, cul de sac roads extending 1,000 feet or more into the subdivision,” Russell said. “This represents a fire hazard and emergency services concern.”

Existing regulations that allow for development on less than two acres require a site-specific, planned unit development that often includes several zone districts.

“PUDs were designed to allow for mixed use and are essentially a rezoning. Clustering of residential units represents only a concentration (of housing),” Russell said.

Russell has drafted a working paper to explain the subdivision changes. It is available at the Garfield County planning office and on the Garfield County website at www.garfield-county.com, under the building and planning section.

The planning department will accept comments on the subdivision proposal through Aug. 15. The planning and zoning commission will review the proposal on Wednesday, Sept. 11. Russell said he expects the proposal to go to the county commissioners in October and, if approved, it could become effective in November.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on X
  • Share on X
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/moldhelp-654x300.png 0 0 Contributor https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/moldhelp-654x300.png Contributor2004-10-03 21:02:262019-03-29 20:20:04County Looks To Get Housing Reg In Order. Cluster Zoning Promoted To End Cookie-Cutter Lots

Mold News

  • Current Headlines
  • "Sick Buildings"
  • The Environment
  • Construction Industry
  • Govt. & Politics
  • The Workplace
  • Landlords & Tenants
  • Insurance Companies
  • Schools & Institutions
  • Personal Mold Stories
  • Strange Fungal Tales
  • Additional Articles

Latest Posts

  • Michigan Family Finds Toxic Mold Inside Home
  • California Winter Storms: Water Damage and Mold Exposure Concerns in California
  • Office and Commercial Buildings at Risk for Mold after COVID-19 Closings
  • COVID-19 Symptoms May Include Loss of Taste and Smell
  • New Mold Detox Information on the Horizon
  • COVID-19 Courses of Action
  • Stachybotrys
  • Simple and Easy Ways to Prevent the Coronavirus
  • Your Air Conditioning Unit Helps Eliminate Mold
  • Construction Workers Are Learning to Control Dust and Debris

Search Our Site:

Need Help with Mold?

Are you being affected by mold or other mycotoxins in your environment? Our team and community has over 15 years experience and can provide guidance. You can reach us by submitting your contact or through our Facebook page.

Have a Story to Share?

We're looking for stories and input to expand our database and to add to the personal experiences we've received from the thousands of victims over the last 15. If mold has impacted your life, please take the time to share your story. Your information is confidential and will only be shared with your permission.

Seeking Mold Experts

Are you an expert in the treatment of mold-affected health illnesses, or a provider of services to victims of mycotoxin exposure? Submit your information for listing consideration in our Agencies & Experts resource database.

Additional Resources

  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap
  • Glossary of Terms
  • Survivor Resources
  • General Inquiries
  • Legal Disclaimer

© Copyright - Mold-Help Organization
  • X
  • Facebook
  • Mold Basics
  • Resources and Tools
  • Agencies & Experts
  • Mold News
  • About Mold-Help
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OKLearn more

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Accept settingsHide notification only