WW-07494     2000  

Subdividing the Countryside: You Don't Always Get What You Want

Copyright ©  2000  Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

Subdividing the Countryside: You Don't Always Get What You Want describes a county planning commission's dilemma regarding subdivision development in a local township. This decision case gives participants an opportunity to discuss the subdivision regulation process as well as the fiscal and environmental impacts of development in rapidly growing non-metro areas.

Contents:

• Introduction
• Hollybrook: Preliminary Plat Approval
• County Approval
• Final Plat Approval Dead-End Road
• Current Status of Hollybrook
• Next Steps: Revising the Plat Approval Process
• EXHIBIT A Preliminary Plat of Hillcrest
• EXHIBIT B Preliminary Plat of Hollybrook
• EXHIBIT C SUBDIVISION DEVELOPMENT: STONE TOWNSHIP, POWELL COUNTY

Introduction

The seven-member Powell County planning commission will soon be reviewing the preliminary plat for Hillcrest, a proposed 48-lot subdivision in a rural residential zoning district (see Exhibit A) located in Stone township. Major issues under consideration include: construction of streets; preservation of wetlands; impact of the large influx of development on drainage; cost of infrastructure; traffic congestion; wells and on-site septic systems. The planning commission is particularly concerned because of past problems with Hollybrook, an earlier subdivision development in Stone that produced less than satisfactory results.

Contents:

• Case Objectives
• Use of the Case
• Lesson Plan
• Materials needed
• General Principles of Case Teaching
• Discussion Questions
  
  1. What is the Powell County planning commission's situation? Is this a problem? Why?
  2. Which impacts of development did the planning commission fail to consider?
  3. Why was the county planning commission member concerned about the development of Hollybrook? Are these concerns justifiable? Why or why not?
  4. How can miscommunications such as those that resulted in the lack of an L-shaped turnaround be avoided?
  5. How can the township ensure quality control over the engineer who is hired by the developer?
  6. What steps should the Powell County planning commission take to resolve their dilemma?
•   I. Introduction
•  II. The Case Activity
• III. Conclusion
• Board Outline

Case Objectives

After participating in this decision case participants will:

1. Develop an awareness of some of the environmental and fiscal impacts from a subdivision development
2. Generate solutions to common dilemmas that arise when undergoing a subdivision development approval process
3. Clarify a county planning commission's relationship to all pertinent stakeholders involved in the subdivision process
4. Understand county and township planning authority

Developed by:

Dana Bourland, Graduate Student, Planning, Hubert Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota

Thomas Wegner, Extension Educator, University of Minnesota Extension Service

Catherine Willeford, Project Leader, Program for Decision Cases, College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Science, University of Minnesota

Acknowledgements:

We thank Rodney Elmstrand, Extension Educator, University of Minnesota Extension Service, for his case review and editorial assistance.

Produced by Communication and Educational Technology Services, University of Minnesota Extension.

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