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<br />Similarly; residential cluster develop-
<br />ment-also known ,as open space zoning-
<br />'became ~opular starting in the late 1980s as a
<br />, way to minimize cookie-cutter-style residential
<br />development in the urban fringe. Open space
<br />zoning began in Massachusetts in response to
<br />two-acre minimum-lot-size zoning with the ,
<br />idea of clustering houses on part of a site and
<br />keeping much of the site open for environ-
<br />mental protection and amenities. Yet, most
<br />cluster develop'ments were built at a distance
<br />from existing settlements, thus, adding to
<br />automobile dependen'ce.
<br />A distin&uishing feature between Europe
<br />and the United States is commercial strip
<br />
<br />sprawl, especially in rural areas. In the U.S.,
<br />strip sprawl is common along major arterials
<br />leading to and from a village; in Europe it is
<br />hardto find. Commercial strip sprawl draws
<br />tax base and economic activity away from the
<br />village aDd makes shoppers and businesses
<br />rely upon the automobile.
<br />To influence commercial development
<br />on the edge of the village, zoning can limit
<br />the square footage of new commercial build-
<br />ings. For example, to discourage big box
<br />stores, the town of Damariscotta, Maine,
<br />enacted a limit of 35,000 square feet for new
<br />commercial buildings and got five adjacent
<br />, towns to adopt similar ordinances. Zoning
<br />
<br />can also limit the number of curb cuts (drive-
<br />ways) and require setbacks with vegetation to
<br />create a green buffer between commercial
<br />businesses and the highway,.
<br />Some local governments have adopted
<br />fairly restrictive rural zoning to protect farm-
<br />land and permit very lIttle, residential develop-
<br />ment. Large minimum lot sizes of 40 acres or
<br />mor,e are common inthe Midwest Corn Belt,
<br />Oregon, and California. California and Oregon
<br />also use large-lot ioning of 80 or more acres
<br />to protect commercial forestland. But farm or
<br />forest zoning has often proven politically diffi-
<br />cult to do outside the West Coast and
<br />Midwest.
<br />Villages can control their own destinies
<br />through zoning, especially in those states
<br />where villages have extraterritorial jurisdiction
<br />and annexation authority. In states where
<br />counties nave zoning powers, incorporated
<br />villages are allowed to plan and zone land up
<br />to a mile or more beyond their boundaries.
<br />They can carefully plan and zone these extra-
<br />territorial areas and eventually annex part or
<br />all of them to promote the orderly expansion
<br />of the village. One way to manage the
<br />sequencing of development within an extra-
<br />territorial area is to use an agricultural holding
<br />zone or village holding zone. In orderto
<br />receive permission for a rezoning to residen-
<br />tial, commercial, or mixed use, an applicant
<br />would have to, show that the property is adja-
<br />cent to fairly dense development.
<br />A village growth boundary can be an
<br />effective way to coordinate zoning and infra-
<br />structure. A growth boundary involves an
<br />agreement between neighboring jurisdictions
<br />(a village and a county or a village anda town-
<br />ship) that identifies land needed for develop-
<br />ment over the next 20 years. In addition, the
<br />agreement states that infrastructure-espe-
<br />cially central sewer and water-will not be
<br />extended beyond the boundary unless both
<br />jurisdictions agree. The purpose of the growth
<br />boundary together with the village zoning is to,
<br />promote compact development that is
<br />cheaper and easier to service than sprawl.
<br />Within a growth boundary, local officials can
<br />grant developersbo,nus densities in return for,
<br />certain design features or infrastructure.
<br />
<br />
<br />Legend,
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<br />78
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<br />1 tndl eqw;l!l1.tioC reet
<br />
<br />THE ROLE OF RURAL ZONING AND VILLAGES IN
<br />GROWTH MANAGEMENT
<br />Rural zoning can playa key role in growth
<br />management on the edge of metropolitan
<br />areas. Zoning to protect farm, forest, or natu-
<br />
<br />ZONINGPRACTICE 11.08
<br />AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION I page 4
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