Fayette County

now has a zoning category designed to encourage preservation of green

space within new subdivisions.

But one county

commissioner thinks the provisions of the new ordinance are too strict

to do any good.

"You're

asking for 40 percent green space as opposed to the state's 20,"

said Commissioner Herb Frady during discussions of the proposal. "I

just don't see how anybody is going to use this."

Under the state

of Georgia's green space program, metropolitan counties are being encouraged

and enticed through a series of grants to set aside 20 percent of their

land area as permanent green space, and Fayette has elected to participate.

Establishing

"conservation subdivision" rules to allow developers more flexibility

on lot sizes in exchange for permanent green space contributions is one

of the steps strongly urged by the state program.

Commissioner

Linda Wells agreed with Frady that Fayette's rules are strict. "I

don't think people are going to be flocking up here to do this,"

she said, but added that in a few rare instances the category might be

useful.

Rules for the

category require that developers set aside 40 percent of the total property

as green space. In return, they can reduce the sizes of individual lots.

For instance, if the "conservation subdivision" rules were applied

to property zoned for two-acre lots, developers could make the lots as

small as one acre, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in development

costs.

But the total

number of lots would have to be the same as normally allowed under the

zoning, including allowances for streets and other infrastructure.

Open spaces

could be used only for passive recreation such as trails and paths, picnic

areas and horse stables for the use of subdivision residents only, and

any improvements would be limited.

The green space

would have to be owned by a mandatory home owners association or donated

to a land trust, a conservation organization or the county.

In addition

to the conservation category, commissioners last week also approved a

spate of minor changes to zoning ordinances and the county Comprehensive

Growth Management Plan tabled from their Oct. 25 meeting to give the group

more time to study the proposals.

The changes

bring the county's ordinances in line with new state and federal guidelines.

Commissioners

also approved a measure designed by senior planner Pete Frisina, aimed

at encouraging preservation of historic structures.

Frisina stressed

that the addition to the code would not require anything of the owners

of historic structures. What it will do is place a map showing where all

the historic buildings are into the county codes, and direct planning

and zoning employees to point out the presence of those structures when

developers come in for rezoning or development plan approval.

"We'll

make the developer aware of the structure and ask them to evaluate its

use in the development," he said, adding that the county will be

"willing to work with them," perhaps allowing variances from

ordinary development rules so the buildings can be saved.