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� <br /> � Metropolitan Council <br /> Flexible Residential Development Ordinance Guidelines <br /> for the Diversified Rural Area <br /> August 2008 <br /> Background <br /> The 2030 Regional Development Framework (RDF)' indicates that land use patterns in Diversified Rural Area <br /> Communities "include a mix of a limited amount of large-lot residential and clustered housing with agriculture <br /> and other uses" (RDF p. 27). The RDF further states the communities in the Diversified Rural Area should <br /> preserve areas where post-2030 growth can be provided with cost-effective and efficient urban infrastructure and <br /> accommodate growth without prematurely requiring the provision of regional urban services. In addition, the <br /> 2030 Water Resources Management Policy Plan (WRMPP) identifies areas for post-2030 wastewater investment <br /> and service. These areas are described in the text of the document as well as illustrated in Appendix E on a map <br /> titled Regional Wastewater System Long-Term Service Areas. <br /> The existing regional wastewater treatment plants and the broader infrastructure efficiency of contiguous sewered <br /> development are predicated on a residential density" of three units per acre or greater (WRMPP p. 54). The <br /> Council's planning strategies for Diversified Rural Areas call far communities in those areas to have ]and use <br /> plans that "[a]ccomodate growth not to exceed forecasts and clustered development not to exceed 1 unit per 10 <br /> acres" (RDF p. 32). However, the results of a recent study of "flexible residential development ordinances" <br /> employed in Diversified Rural Area communities show that some communities have implemented ordinances that <br /> permit activities that are in conflict with metropolitan system plans.'° Density bonuses, large-lot development, and <br /> open space preservation ordinances sometimes permit residential development at densities that will severely limit <br /> the ability of some communities to achieve (in the future) the minimum density requirement of at least three units <br /> per net developable residential acre that is necessary for future cost-effective and efficient regional wastewater <br /> treatment services. <br /> The Council has developed guidelines for flexible residential development ordinances applied in communities in <br /> the Diversified Rural Area and identified as a Long-Term Service Area(LTSA) for regional wastewater services. <br /> These areas are essentially staging areas for future urbanization, and so development ordinances and land use <br /> patterns should reflect as much and not preclude future development on appropriate lands in those areas. A <br /> purpose of flexible residential development ordinances in these areas should be to preserve land for post-2030 <br /> growth and to accommodate the future extension of regional urban services. <br /> Communities should study and assess their landscapes to refine their development priorities. There may be areas <br /> within the community that contain an abundance of sensitive natural resources or that the community has <br /> identified as a greenway or conservation corridor. These areas may not be most suitable for future urbanization as <br /> the capability of the land to support development is low and constrained. In these cases, open space development <br /> or cluster development may be adapted to protect those resources to meet the community's goals. <br /> These guidelines are not intended to replace the work that has been done by numerous communities and <br /> organizations in developing flexible development ordinances. Rather, these guidelines are intended to be used <br /> along with those methods and standards for the varying types of flexible development ordinances. <br /> 1 <br />