In the past 4 years, up to 16,000 acres were developed for single-family homes in the SuAsCo watershed. Unchecked development could eclipse the proposed greenways network by consuming key parcels. To match future development more closely with the proposed greenways, municipalities could use a zoning tool known as conservation cluster zoning. With a smaller minimum lot size, more land could be set aside as open space. Like other zoning classifications, the conservation cluster is a regulatory framework crafted and approved at the local level.
Municipalities differ in their cluster zoning requirements.
The basic incentive for developers to use a conservation cluster is that they are permitted to increase their density of development. In some circumstances, the developer can build more units in a cluster development than would be allowed by the underlying zoning. In reviewing cluster developments, it is important to see how the proposed protected open space in the development relates to other protected lands in the community or protects the natural resources on the site. Poorly conceived cluster developments result in highly fragmented slivers of open lands that are of little ecological value. Setting aside a consolidated portion of the site for protected open space or matching the open space to neighboring parcels of protected land furnishes a higher benefit to both wildlife and people.