Hello All,
I’m assembling a working list of clustering and PUD ordinances that do a good job balancing open space preservation with housing flexibility, and I’d love to pull from what’s already working elsewhere in the state.
Some context: Wasatch County has a significant amount of our land in WUI or other sensitive lands (most of the more appropriately developable land is within incorporated cities). We just adopted a new General Plan that leans on clustering, conservation lots, and TDR as primary growth-management tools to help facilitate growth while protecting the sensitive lands and avoiding sprawl.
Currently, the county has a couple of code sections built around density bonuses in exchange for regional park land or working agricultural preservation, but I would like to explore expanding that toolkit substantially.
If you have an ordinance you’re proud of, I’d appreciate:
- The code section or a link/PDF
- Roughly how long it’s been in use and examples of developments in your community that have been built using the ordinance.
- The specific mechanism you’d point to if someone asked “why does this one actually produce good outcomes instead of just checking a box?”
Especially interested in ordinances that pair clustering with:
- Ensuring any open space dedication is valuable (not just setting aside leftover land)
- Deed restrictions tied to affordability or agricultural use
- Home size maximums or similar design controls that keep clustered lots from just becoming smaller versions of standard sprawl
- Density bonus formulas that scale with genuine public benefit rather than flat percentages
Thanks in advance!
