Places to play: Stafford cluster developments must have recreation areas before the first homeowner moves in, under proposed rules

STAFFORD — Stafford leaders nearly a year ago caused an uproar in the building trades when they tossed out all applications from developers that wanted to build “cluster” subdivisions in the county.

That move not only sparked lawsuits but also trigged an order from the Board of Supervisors to the county Planning Commission to redraw the map that shows where such clusters (where homes are built tightly together in an effort to preserve open space) would be permitted in the county. It was also tasked making new rules for clusters.

“That bomb fell on us,” said Stafford County Aquia District Planning Commissioner Fillmore McPherson.

His fellow commissioners have taken two stabs a drawing a new map, which, if the final version is approved, will cut in half the available land on which cluster developments may be built. The second, most-recent map allows for about 10 percent more land for cluster development than what the first map had.

When they stopped the cluster development process last year for a full review, Stafford leaders said such developments are packing in too new many residents, ruining the rural character of the county, driving up congestion on area roads, as well as the need for more public services.

Under new guidelines now under review the Planning Commission, those new residents who might move into a newly-constructed cluster development would have a place to play. For developments with 10 or more homes, before the first resident moves in, the developer must have 10,000 square feet of recreational open space, for every 10 home lots, ready to go.

And, more than just open space, the “developer or homeowners association, in consultation with the with the [Stafford County] Director of Parks and Recreation shall determine the types of recreational amenities provided.

In other words, county officials will have a say.

“We’re trying to force the issue to make more family-friendly developments, and before you know it, all the new developments in the county will be that way,” said Garrisonville District Planning Commissioner Barton Randall.

Planning Commissioners also want the recreational facilities to be within 1,000 feet of the homes, so residents can walk — not drive — there. Commissioners envision gazebos, trails, playground equipment, or tennis courts in the open areas, just to name a few ideas.

Another important change, commissioners say, is a “reverse frontage” requirement which will require new homes to be built facing away from roads classified by the Virginia Department of Transportation as a primary, collector, or arterial road.

The new recommendations come after eight meetings of a specially-formed cluster subcommittee, which contained members of the Planning Commission and county planners and began work in October 2018.

The full Planning Commission heard the recommendations for the first time on Wednesday, Jan. 9 but took no action. Commissioners could take up the measure again on February 13, according to county spokesman Andrew Spence.