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Zoning Buildout AnalysisThe following Build Out Analysis was just completed by Community Planning and Environmental Associates, our planning consulant, as requested by the Conprehensive Planning Steering Committee. The purpose of a Build Out Analysis is to make the best possible estimate of what Charlton could become if all buildable land in Charlton were developed. By conducting such a study we can see what could possibly happen -- in essence a worst case scenario -- and, if we do not like it, to make sure our town takes the necessary preventative measures to ensure it does not become a reality. The analysis makes some assumptions that may or may not ever happen, such as all current land-oweners selling every bit of their buildable land for residential purposes. The study does take into account wet lands, soils, slopes greater than 15 degrees, and the probable land area needed for infrastructure, like roads. It accounts for the current zoning laws, such as two areas minimum per residential lot and 200' frontages. 2000 Charlton census data is used for the average family size and 20 students per teacher is used which may or may not be correct. It is important to recognize that this is a planning tool. It is not 100% accurate because some assumptions must go into the computation and some things just cannot be predicted with certainty. However, it has been proven, through use in many other towns, to be a useful planning tool by helping better understand what factors effect buildout, what the range of possibilities are, and what the possible consequences could be of not taking appropriate action in a timely fashion.
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| Tax Parcel Boundries | We start with the Tax Parcel data available from Saratoga County. Other layers from the GIS database are also used, such as Roads, water features, wetlands, soils, and topography. We add extra information to the Property data throughout the process. The first step is to identify the existing uses for each parcel. |
| Identify Existing Residential Uses | Existing residential uses are identified by using the Property Class code found in the table accompanying the GIS parcel layer. Generally, any property with a property class code in the 200 range is a residential use. Some commercial uses, such as mobile home parks and apartment buildings are also residential uses. These are shown on the Existing Residential Use map using a small green dot at the center of the parcel. |
| Zoning Determines Potential Density | The Zoning layer determines what density is allowed in each district. Charlton allows 2 acre parcels for residential uses in all of its zoning districts. There are also restrictions regarding on-site septic systems that were also taken into consideration for the final calculations. |
| Identify Buildable Lots | The fully built parcels are identified by using the Property Class code found in the table accompanying the GIS parcel layer, and comparing it with the total acreage of the parcel. Generally, any residential property on a 4 acre or smaller parcel was removed first. Further inspection using the Aerial Photographs identified many more parcels that were developed in a way that would not allow further subdivision. Houses placed in the middle of a large lot would be one example. Any non-residential uses were also removed. |
| Identify Environmental Constraint | The next step was to identify any environmental features that would prevent development. 100 foot buffers were placed around all water features, DEC, and Federal wetlands. 100 year flood hazard zone, hydric soils, and slopes over 15% were also identified. |
| Combined Constraints | All of these constrained areas were then merged into a single layer, and subtracted from the buildable area of the previously identified buildable lots. |
| Developable Areas | The result of all of these operations is a developable area layer. This is the
layer that the final computation is made on. The formula used is:
((Remaining Buildable area x 0.85) / Zoning Density) - Any Existing
Residential Uses The 0.85 is used to allow for new roads, and any other infrastructure needs. |
| Potential New Residential Uses | The final map shows the potential buildout for the entire town based on current zoning regulations. Each red dot represents one new residence, and is placed randomly within the developable area of the property. There are 3,662 new residences shown on this map. |
| Some Statistics for the Town |
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| Some Statistics from the Buildout |
(5,105 including current households) (13,988 including current population) |
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