The Metro Council would have the final word over the development of cluster subdivisions under a change to the city-parish zoning code being recommended by Planning Director Frank Duke.
Currently, only the Planning Commission must sign off on cluster subdivisions, a dense type of development often used in rural areas that seemingly circumvents existing zoning designations.
Duke, however, thinks such a substantive land use change should amount to a rezoning classification and should therefore go before the Metro Council for final approval, as is the case with planned unit developments and traditional neighborhood developments.
“I am recommending that you delete the provision for cluster subdivisions from the Unified Development Code,” he says. “I think the Metro Council ought to have a say-so in it, and it should not simply be a Planning Commission decision but a rezoning.”
Duke’s recommendation comes after his office spent more than seven months revising the existing cluster ordinance. He says the revision addresses some concerns he had with the ordinance but didn’t fix what is the fundamental flaw with the law.
The Planning Commission would have taken up the revised ordinance at its meeting tonight. Instead, the matter has been deferred until the March 20 meeting.
The Planning Commission began looking at the cluster subdivision ordinance last year, after controversy erupted over a planned cluster subdivision called Timber Ridge, which was ultimately defeated by the Planning Commission. It wasn’t the first controversy over a proposed cluster subdivision, which allows developers to build to the density of one unit per acre but cluster the homes to a certain part of the property at roughly four homes per acre while leaving the rest as undevelopable property.
Duke says he hopes the proposed changes will alleviate future controversies over such developments.
“After giving it a lot of thought I think the Metro Council should be able to weigh in on this,” he says.
The Planning Commission meets at 5 p.m. in the Metro Council chambers.
—Stephanie Riegel
