LandChoices: Clustering homes-balance development and growth with conservation

Land Choices: Changing Development in America

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Rural Lands

Benefits To: Landowners, Planners, Developers, Neighbors, Realtors, Residents

Advantages of Conservation Subdivision for Municipalities and Planners

Conservation subdivisions when designated as a "By-Right Permitted Use" are a no-cost way to preserve clean water and rural character in your community.

New!
Top 10 ways to preserve land and water in your community.

Protecting 2,000 Acres at No Cost
Hamburg Township in Livingston County, Michigan implemented conservation subdivisions and has protected nearly 2,000 acres at no cost to the communtiy, a land value of at least $40 million.

Download a Free Ordinance, Test Yours
Download a free conservation subdivision ordinance and test your exisiting ordinance at our website DownloadTheOrdinance.org

New Booklet, Free Download
Growing Greener, Conservation by Design (PDF)
(14 pages) (Courtesy Natural Lands Trust)

This is NOT Clustering
Learn more

Large Lot Zoning is not the Answer
Learn more

FAQ'S (Frequently Asked Questions)
Learn more

Our campaign to take conservation subdivisons mainstream: Supersize My Backyard^TM

Books

Rural By Design, Maintaining Small Town Character Growing Greener, Putting Conservation into Local Plans and Ordinances

Turning M&M's into homes with Randall
Intelligent Design: Green space is priceless in subdivisions that work with nature (PDF)

All About Conservation Subdivisions
"Ever wonder why the vast majority of subdivisions look so much alike...?" asks Randall Arendt.
"A Constructive Critique of Outmoded Subdivision Ordinance Provisions"

Putting it in Your Codes
Growing Greener: Putting Conservation into Local Codes: (PDF) Courtesy www.greenerprospects.com

The Economics
Conservation subdivisions are fair to developers and landowners in your community. Below is from The Economics of Conservation Subdivisions (PDF):

"The results show that lots in conservation subdivisions carry a premium, are less expensive to build, and sell more quickly than lots in conventional subdivisions."

"Together, the results show that conservation subdivisions are more profitable to developers than conventional subdivisions."

"That lots in conservation subdivisions sold in about half the time as lots in conventional subdivisions must be advantageous to the cash flow of developers."

"These numbers translate into premiums for lots in conservation subdivisions ranging from $13,000 to $18,000 per acre over lots in conventional subdivisions."

Video Clip

Randall Arendt:
The benefits of
conservation subdivisions

Resources
Design Guidebook
48-page booklet Smart Development for Quality Communities
Courtesy Randall Arendt

Randall Arendt
Read how Randall Arendt is
helping one town implement conservation development.

Conservation Design
with New Urbanism

Green Road Design Part 1 (PDF)

Green Road Design Part 2 (PDF)

Cultivating Natural and Cultural Landscapes through Conservation Subdivision Design (PDF)

All about conservation design subdivisions (PDF)

To read portable document files (PDF), click below

Photo courtesy Traverse Magazine