Most communities have adopted subdivision and land development ordinances as part of their comprehensive plans.
An ordinance includes provisions for submitting and processing subdivision plats. A major advantage of subdivision ordinances is that they encourage flexibility, economy, and ingenuity in the use of land.
A subdivider is a person who buys undeveloped acreage and divides it into smaller lots for sale to individuals or developers or for the subdivider’s own use.
A developer (who also may be a subdivider) improves the land, constructs homes or other buildings on the lots, and sells them. In a new residential subdivision, developers usually pay the costs to provide new water, sewer, streets, curbs, and sidewalks. Developing is generally a much more extensive activity than subdividing.
Land development plan
Before the actual subdividing can begin, the subdivider must go through the process of land planning. The resulting land development plan must comply with the municipality’s comprehensive plan. Although comprehensive plans and zoning ordinances are not necessarily inflexible, a plan that requires them to be changed must undergo more complicated hearings.
Plats
From the land development and subdivision plans, the subdivider draws plats.
A plat is a detailed map that illustrates the geographic boundaries of individual lots. It shows the blocks, sections, streets, public easements, and monuments in the prospective subdivision. A plat also may include engineering data and restrictive covenants. The plats must be approved by the municipality before they can be recorded.
Once a plat is properly recorded, it may be used as an adequate description of real property. A developer is often required to submit an environmental impact report with the application for subdivision approval. This report explains what effect the proposed development will have on the surrounding area. Plat maps are increasingly available for viewing on the Internet.
Subdivision Plans
In plotting out a subdivision according to local planning and zoning controls, a subdivider usually determines the size as well as the location of the individual lots. The maximum or minimum size of a lot generally is regulated by local ordinances and must be considered carefully.
Most subdivisions are laid out by use of lots and blocks. An area of land is designated as a block, and the area making up this block is divided into lots.
Subdivision Density
Zoning controls often include minimum lot sizes and population density requirements for subdivisions, which restrict the average maximum number of houses per acre that may be built within a particular subdivision. This average is called gross density.
Clustering for open space
By slightly reducing lot sizes and clustering them around varying street patterns, a divider can house as many people in the same area as could be done using traditional subdividing plans but with substantially increased tracts of open space.
