Parks and Recreation System Master Plan Update (2016) parks_and_recreation_system_master_plan_update_oct | Page 184

population increase by the year 2020 were to be housed in new subdivisions, multiplied by a
dedication requirement of 10 acres per thousand population (the local parkland standard), the
dedication requirement would generate 600 acres of parkland (or equivalent value in-lieu fees).
If Louisville were to explore park dedication and/or fee in lieu of requirements,
consideration should be given to including a credit for the provision of private recreational
facilities such as neighborhood association parks, tennis clubs, or swimming pools.
Clustering
Louisville has a Conservation Subdivision development Regulation which was introduced
in 2008 “… to meet the community’s need for flexibility in development of subdivisions without
sacrificing standards for a safe, healthy environment and orderly growth.”³ This regulation
includes specific reference to clustering, a site planning approach where units are grouped on
the most developable portions of a tract allowing other areas to remain undeveloped. Under the
clustering approach, the dedicated open space could be held in private ownership or transferred
to another entity such as the County. As an example, this technique could be widely used for
parcels which include portions of proposed greenways. Development would occur in areas set
back from the top of the valley sides, with the steep slopes and floodplain dedicated to the
County, a land trust, or held in private ownership with appropriate conservation and public
access easements.
Sensitive Lands regulations
Many communities regulate to restrict development on sensitive lands such as steep
slopes. These local regulations operate in addition to federal and state regulations which restrict
development in sensitive areas such as wetlands or endangered species habitat. Louisville has a
very limited restriction on development of steep slopes that applies to the Rural Residential
zoning district. A more comprehensive and rigorous set of local development controls would
help guide development away from locations where negative environmental impacts are likely
to occur.
Another approach with benefits for open space preservation defines the “net
developable acreage” of any given parcel of land to be the gross acreage minus the acreage
which is protected by any sensitive lands regulations (e.g., steep slopes and wetlands). The
underlying zoning is applied only to the reduced net developable acreage, thereby reducing the
total number of units permitted.
Open Space Dedications
In addition to restricting development on sensitive lands such as steep slopes, some
local communities require the dedication or protection of additional lands as open space. The
basis of this approach is that open space is required to protect the environmental health and
livability of the community.
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