The Town of Round Hill held a public meeting on Oct. 26 to introduce the idea of adopting a "cluster" option for the Town's R-2 zoning district. The meeting was moderated by the Town's new planner and zoning administrator, Sarah Etro.

Etro explained at the outset of the meeting that the cluster option would require a zoning ordinance revision and that at its Oct. 21 meeting the Town Council adopted a motion of intent to amend the R-2 zoning district and instructed the Planning Commission to draft a proposed ordinance. The intent of tonight's meeting was for the Planning Commission to hear initial public comment on the cluster option before setting to work on drafting the ordinance.

The idea of a cluster option was initiated by developers of the Darling property, which sits on the east side of Town, north of Loudoun Street, west of Evening Star Drive and east of Bridge Street. The property is approximately 7 acres, part of which is floodplain.

Mayor Frank Etro explained that the Town considers this property to be a crucial part of the Town's eastern "gateway," or entrance into town. The goal of the cluster option as applied to this property would be to preserve the field in front of the house, facing Loudoun Street, as open space. This would be in keeping with the Town's policies stressing the protection of gateways and focusing on natural and/or historic elements, as well as protecting the environmental features of the floodplain.

The Town has been working with Darling to develop a plan that would preserve the view of the field while allowing Darling to still maximize yield on his property. The property is currently zoned R-2, which allows up to two houses per acre with a minimum lot size of 20,000 square feet.  The proposed cluster option would allow approximately two houses per acre, but the lots would be smaller and closer together to create a large open area elsewhere on the property; in this case the open area would be between the historic house and Loudoun Street.

The Town zoning currently does not allow clustering; consequently, the Planning Commission has now been tasked with developing an ordinance that would define a cluster option. Both Mayor Etro and Planner Sarah Etro stressed that while this option would be developed with the Darling property in mind, once an ordinance is in place it may be applied to other properties in the Town's R-2 district that meet the ordinance's criteria.

The Planning Commission will now schedule workshops, which the public is welcome to attend, to start defining what those criteria will be. The Planning Commission may consider establishing historical or environmental factors that must be present in order for a property to be considered for the cluster option. It may also define a minimum property size for the cluster option to be applicable, and can stipulate what uses are allowed on that property.

In response to a question, Sarah Etro listed some of the advantages of clustering other than preservation of open space. These advantages include a reduction in pavement (less roads and sidewalks), a reduction in the area utilities (electrical, water, sewer) must be extended to, and the possibility that smaller lots would encourage a diversity in home sizes available in Town.

Numerous concerns were raised during the meeting by Town citizens, many of whom own homes on Mulberry or Bridge Streets, close to the Darling property, and would be the most immediately affected by development there. Issues discussed include:

• How would open space created through clustering be guaranteed to remain open space in perpetuity? Would the open space be deeded to the Town as parkland or held open through legal easements without the ability to dissolve the easement in future years?
• Would there be a "bonus" density with clustering? By exercising the cluster option, would a developer be allowed to build more homes on the property than would be allowed "by-right"?
• The idea that small lot sizes puts the burden on the Town to provide more recreation space for residents who do not have usable back yards
• What precedent does this set? Which other lots in Town might be eligible for this option?
• Would the open space be usable by Town residents?
• Under what circumstances would a property be deemed eligible for the cluster option?
• Would buffers (trees/open space) be required?