Site Scale Planning for Sustainable Forestland Development Lands for Tomorrow June 29, 2011

1. Site Scale PlanningforSustainable Forestland DevelopmentLands for TomorrowJune 29, 2011

2. Four Levels ofSustainable Forestry Planning • Region • Green infrastructure • City/County • Tools to conserve the working landscape • Neighborhood • Conservation subdivision design • HOA/covenants/neighborhood associations • Site • Low Impact Development (LID)

3. Level 3: Neighborhood What Is Conservation Subdivision Design? • During planning process, the development on a parcel is rearranged to set aside as least half of the buildable land as open space • Same or even larger number of homes as conventional, but smaller lot sizes, more compact and clustered together

4. Level 3: Neighborhood What Are the Benefits of Conservation Subdivision Design? • Preserves rural character • Expands open space for a variety of uses • Retains important ecosystem functions of original natural features • Offers improved aesthetics and ties to area history • Creates privacy for residences • Enhances property values

5. Level 3: Neighborhood How Does Conservation Subdivision Design Relate to Sustainable Forestland Development? • Forest fragmentation is a significant issue • Design process provides opportunities to locate and map important forest resources • Resulting subdivision retains a greater percentage of contiguous forest, maintaining original wildlife habitat and ecosystem functions like stormwater management and local climate control

6. Level 3: Neighborhood • How Does a Conservation Subdivision Differ from a Conventional One? Undeveloped Conventional Design Conservation Design

7. Level 3: NeighborhoodConventional Subdivision

8. Level 3: NeighborhoodConservation Subdivision

9. Level 3: NeighborhoodOptions for Open Space in a Conservation Subdivision • Cultural preservation • Natural preservation • Community land functions • Commercial applications

10. Level 3: Neighborhood Open Space Options:Cultural Preservation Lakeland Green Lakeland, TN • Ancient woodland footpath used by Native Americans • Discovered during on-site walk • Small-lot design allowed flexibility to design around this feature

11. Level 3: Neighborhood Open Space Options:Natural Preservation Centerville Tallahassee, FL • Wiregrass and longleaf pine habitat retained on a subdivision • Preservation effort did not deter buyers: 86 of first 87 lots were sold on first day offered

12. Level 3: Neighborhood Open Space Options:Community Lands/Commercial Applications Farmstand Fields of St. Croix Lake Elmo, MN • Community-supported agriculture (CSA) run by farmers leasing land from home association • CSA members pay membership fee to collect weekly share of produce

13. Level 3: Neighborhood Open Space Options:Multiple GreenWay Conservation Subdivision near Lexington, VA • Eight acres of forest and wildlife habitat • Pasture and conservation land • Community gardens

14. Level 3: Neighborhood Keys to Conservation:Conservation Subdivision Design • Identify land for permanent protection in conservation areas • Primary conservation areas • Secondary conservation areas • Locate house sites in development area • Align streets and trails • Draw lot lines

16. Conservation Subdivision DesignStep 1, part 1Identify Primary Conservation Areas • Pre-identify areas on community-wide Map of Potential Conservation Lands • Conduct detailed site analysis to precisely locate features • Identify all constrained lands, e.g., wet, flood-prone, steep

17. Step 1, part 1 • Wetlands • Steep slope >25% • 100 year floodplain

18. Conservation Subdivision DesignStep 1, part 2 Identify Secondary Conservation Areas • Special features usually not protected under current code, but that enhance property value and are most vulnerable to change • E.g., mature woodlands, greenways and trails, river and stream corridors, prime farmland, hedgerows, individual trees or groups of trees, wildlife habitats/travel corridors, historic sites and structures, scenic viewshed

19. Step 1, part 2 • Meadows • Woods • Rock outcrop • Stone walls and hedgerows • Historic cemetery and ruins

20. Conservation Subdivision DesignStep 1, part 3 Designate Potential Development Area • Taking into consideration the findings from parts 1 and 2 of Step 1, draw boundaries around remaining areas appropriate for development

21. Step 1, part 3 Potential development area avoids most important natural and historical features identified earlier

22. Conservation Subdivision Design Step 2Locate House Sites in Development Area • Situate houses for best views of open space • Maximum number of houses possible depends on density permitted within zoning district, shown on a Yield Plan

23. Step 2 Parcel’s maximum allowable number of houses sited within the potential development area

24. Conservation Subdivision Design Step 3Align Streets and Trails • Add streets to serve houses in potential development area • Add informal trails throughout other areas of parcel

25. Step 3 • Streets connect houses • Trail network extends into conservation areas

26. Conservation Subdivision Design Step 4Draw Lot Lines • Draw lot lines around houses in development area

27. Step 4 Lot lines added

28. Level 4: SiteLow Impact Development (LID) • EPA’s definition: “Land development that works with nature to manage stormwater as close to its source as possible” • Preserves and recreates natural landscape features for functional and attractive drainage • Treats stormwater as a resource instead of as a waste product

29. Level 4: SiteLow Impact Development (LID) Conventional development alters the natural flow of water through a site • Impervious surfaces (e.g., asphalt ,rooftops) replace absorbent and porous surfaces (e.g., trees, grasslands) • Stormwater drains off highly-developed sites more quickly, reducing groundwater and causing flooding

30. Level 4: SiteLow Impact Development (LID)

31. Level 4: SiteLow Impact Development (LID) LID Practices • Bioretention • Stormwater ponds • Constructed wetlands • Filtration • Infiltration • Conveyance and open channels

32. Level 4: SiteLow Impact Development (LID)

33. Level 4: SiteLow Impact Development (LID) • Most LID is located on private property, so maintaining its effectiveness is the responsibility of property owners or homeowners’ associations • Maintenance can include: mowing grass swales, remulching/revegetating water retention areas, and vacuuming permeable pavement

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