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U R B A N G R O W T H 7 CHAPTER Planned growth is essential for a community if it wants to be successful at managing new development, population and the economy among many other issues. The City of Laramie has multiple factors that make managing growth in and around the City challenging. Thus, it makes sense for Laramie to adopt a plan that manages its growth thereby better managing fiscal resources while meeting residents’ needs. The policies of this plan that address the community’s future growth are called growth management policies. EXPANSION VERSUS INFILL DEVELOPMENT Laramie The City is seeking to accommodate continued population growth in a variety of housing types as well as adding employment and increasing the tax base. Significant new development has continued at the north edge of the City, the recently approved Grand View Heights Subdivision in the Turner Tract, and Fall Creek in the south. Additionally, there have been many other subdivisions and multi‐family development projects in other parts of Laramie. Finally, numerous redevelopment opportunities are situated throughout the developed portions of the City, and there will be more in the future. Statistics on the Sprawling of America Over a 20-year period, the 100 largest urbanized areas sprawled out over an additional 14,545 square miles. That was more than nine million acres of natural habitats, farmland, and other rural space that were covered over by the asphalt, buildings, and subdivisions of suburbia. A major issue confronting Laramie has been the constraints provided by aging water distribution and sanitary sewage collection facilities. The City faces the challenge of upgrading existing infrastructure that has exceeded its useful life. As water and sewer lines age replacement will be required in the coming years. Topography and distance constraints add to the challenge of providing utility services beyond the northern ridgeline or in non‐contiguous areas. On the other hand, infill development is highly desirable because it requires a minimal extension of service. It also affords the advantage of being able to use maintenance and replacement funds to upgrade some parts of the system to provide for future growth. This reduces the competition for limited resources by getting double benefit from the expenditures. ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 7: URBAN GROWTH The City has several in‐town neighborhoods that have maintained their vitality over the years but are confronting issues related to structural obsolescence and competition with newly developing outlying areas. It is far better to encourage renewal of these areas than to let them deteriorate. Therefore, it is advisable for the community to begin identifying specific areas of older, established neighborhoods that are at risk for continued decline and disinvestment. Some of these areas include those immediately abutting the west side of the railroad tracks, adjacent to the north and south of Downtown, and portions of the tree area. Once the boundaries of these areas are defined, it must become a priority to upgrade the existing infrastructure. Thus, while growth may assume a very different form within the City then what we see today, management of growth will better serve the needs of citizens ‐ present and future. Smart Growth Goals: Neighborhood Livability - A central goal of smart growth is the quality of neighborhoods. They should be safe, convenient, attractive, and affordable. Sprawl development too often forces trade-offs between these goals. Some neighborhoods are safe, but not convenient. Others are convenient, but not affordable. Better Access, Less Traffic - One of the major downfalls of sprawl is traffic. By putting jobs, homes, and other destinations far apart and requiring a car for every trip, sprawl makes everyday tasks a chore. Smart growth’s emphasis on mixing land uses, clustering development, and providing multiple transportation choices helps us manage congestion, pollute less, and save energy. Those who want to drive can, but people who would rather not drive have choices. Albany County Nearly all of Albany County, excluding Laramie and other towns, is either natural, vacant, or in rural agricultural uses. Areas within a 0‐5 miles of the city limits are mostly developed with 1‐5 acre residential lots. Many of these developments are located south of Laramie and are served by the South of Laramie Water and Sewer District Albany County, except for areas south of Laramie in the and at 9‐Mile Water District, is not equipped to provide an urban or suburban level of infrastructure or public services to residents. Generally, if development were to leap into the rural areas of the County, any sewer and water lines extended to these areas would serve far fewer people per mile, and the costs of maintenance would increase. Along with water and sewer costs, school bus trips, police and fire emergency services, mail delivery, and many other governmental costs would also increase. Residents who are considering purchase of a home in a County subdivision need to be informed that the County is not prepared or financially capable of making investments for significant road improvements and other infrastructure components necessary to prematurely support increased density. Further major new and permanent commitments would need to be made on operations, maintenance, and personnel. Clearly, this would constrain County finances. MOVING TOWARD A GROWTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY The basics of a growth management strategy, currently called “smart growth” or “sustainable development,” have been known for forty or more years. The logical planning solution, first developed in the late 1960s and still valid today, is to identify an urban growth area. The planning framework involves four areas; the developed area, urban growth areas, development limitation areas, and agricultural areas. Developed Area The developed area has existing infrastructure. Planning issues are primarily infill and redevelopment. Illustrated in Map 7.1, Developed Areas, is Laramie’s developed area. 7 - 2 L A R A M I E C O M P R E H E N S I V E P L A N ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 7: URBAN GROWTH Urban Growth Areas Land on the fringe of the developed area, or at infill locations, should be identified as the urban growth area1 where new development in urban patterns is to be encouraged for immediate or near‐term development. The urban growth area boundary limits zoning and infrastructure expansion. The size of the urban growth area should be on the order of 15 to 20 years of development potential. Ideally, the number of years should be determined in conjunction with a capital investment program for expanding infrastructure and municipal facilities. Smart Growth Goals Cont: Thriving Cities, Suburbs and Towns - Smart growth puts the needs of existing communities first. By guiding development to already built-up areas, money for investments in transportation, schools, libraries, and other public services can go to the communities where people live today. This is especially important for neighborhoods that have inadequate public services and low levels of private investment. It is also critical for preserving what makes so many places special— attractive buildings, historic districts, and cultural landmarks. Shown by Map 7.2, Urban Growth Area, is the suggested area for which future development should be focused. These areas shown, should be the areas where the City is planning expansions of roads, water, sewer, and the extension of public services. All improvements associated with development should be completed to full city standards and should be annexed at the time of development. The figure also provides for additional development of the airport area, where expansion of airport‐related and industrial uses have been proposed. The urban growth area can be modified as conditions change during the life of the plan. In the future, areas designated as rural growth areas may be changed to urban growth areas if it is determined that infrastructure improvements should be expanded to this area. The Monolith Ranch is another area that is directly linked to growth and a major asset for Laramie. Purchased by the City for its water rights, this area has other benefits it can offer. This area should be looked at as an area for trails expansion, open space, and possibly development, as a revenue source and as exchange land among many other benefits. Urban growth area boundaries should be evaluated and adjusted accordingly with each annual progress report. Development Limitation Areas In and around Laramie, there are several areas that are within the 100‐year floodplain, the Casper Aquifer protection area, along the highly‐valued ridgelines, adjacent to the Laramie River and its tributaries (Spring Creek, Pioneer Canal, and Soldier Creek), steep slopes in locations through the community, and other natural habitat and heavily vegetated areas that are important to the community for protection. The floodplains and other flood prone areas, in particular, are hazardous due to the potential for the loss of life and the loss or damage of property. Government’s responsibility for the public health and safety indicate that they should be protected. There are Federal standards that protect wetlands. Other resources, such as wellhead and aquifer recharge areas, are also deemed worthy of protection. These are areas where regulations should limit, and in some cases prohibit, development through applicable zoning restrictions, adoption of environmental performance standards, or even outright purchase. Shown in Map 7.3, Development Limitation Areas, are the primary areas for which protection is valued and warranted, for all identified areas. Areas identified on this map may warrant special conditions before or if this land is to be developed. Clustered conservation subdivisions are a type of land development that groups or clusters lots to allow conservation of resources and natural open space. 1 The growth area has also been known as a development district, urban growth area, urbanizing area, and other terms over the years. L A R A M I E C O M P R E H E N S I V E P L A N 7 - 3 ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 7: URBAN GROWTH Rural Growth Areas This area has been identified as not appropriate for future urban growth. Illustrated in Map 7.2, Growth Areas, is the Rural Growth Area for Laramie and Albany County. Development in these areas now as urban growth areas, or within the next 20 years, would be considered premature and sprawl inducing. Plans for growth in these areas need to be reviewed jointly with the guidelines of the Albany County comprehensive plan, this plan and any subsequent development standards jointly adopted by the city and Albany County. Such development would require inefficient utility and street extensions and would needlessly stretch the geographical requirements of other public facilities and services. Limiting the density and character of development in these areas will contribute to conserving view sheds into and out of the City; it will help to preserve the dramatic views of the mountains and reinforce the sense of Laramie as a freestanding community. Smart Growth Goals: Shared Benefits - Divisions by income and race have allowed some areas to prosper, while others languish. As basic needs, such as jobs, education, and health care become less plentiful in some communities, residents have diminishing opportunities to participate in their regional economy. Smart growth enables all residents to be beneficiaries of prosperity. The rural growth area should develop with a low density (1 home < 2.5 acres), a figure that discourages all but the rural estate and agricultural uses. Such development and uses are typically not served by urban utilities, so normal urban and suburban development is not feasible and less likely to occur. It would be more appropriate to consider these areas for: Continued agricultural or open space; Low density, residential development; Subdivisions within the 1‐mile planning area shall comply with development standards that have been jointly adopted by the city and Albany County. The development standards will be developed in concert with the Albany County comprehensive plan and may include improvements above those of present county standards such as paved streets, water and sewer distribution systems (private or public) dedication of easements, parks, trails, among many others. These standards must be in place to promote orderly and planned growth while assessing future impacts these developments will have in these areas. Periodic Expansion The urban growth area has a potential life of 20 years. The community needs to regularly revisit this area and add additional land. Expansion should take place well before the current growth area is 50 percent developed. The need should be assessed every five years and ideally, the growth area will be expanded to maintain a 20 year growth potential. The major issue becomes how the City and County implement the growth management strategy presented above. There will be major components. The first is a common designation of the developed areas and development of growth area. The second is the identification of the development limitation areas. These are accomplished on a map that serves as a guide to decision making on development for both the private sector and the various governmental bodies. There will be additional policies that are attached to each of these basic mapping elements that provide controls or incentives for the implementation of the plan. 7 - 4 L A R A M I E C O M P R E H E N S I V E P L A N ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 7: URBAN GROWTH Smart Growth Goals: Lower Costs, Lower Taxes - Opening up green space to new development means that the cost of new schools, roads, sewer lines, and water supplies will be borne by residents. Sprawl also means families have to own more cars and drive them further. This has made transportation the second highest category of household spending, just behind shelter. Taking advantage of existing infrastructure keeps taxes down. And where convenient transportation choices enable families to rely less on driving, there’s more money left over for other things, like buying a home or saving for college. Keeping “Open Space” Open - By focusing development in already built-up areas, smart growth preserves rapidly vanishing natural treasures. From forests and farms to wetlands and wildlife, smart growth lets us pass on to our children the landscapes we love. Communities are demanding more parks that are conveniently located and bring recreation within reach of more people. Also, protecting natural resources will provide healthier air and cleaner drinking water. - Source: Smart Growth America Effect on Development Pattern A growth management approach such as that outlined above is not designed or intended to restrict or limit community growth. In fact, to the contrary, its purpose is simply to direct development to areas that are most suitable and feasible given the existing pattern of use and ready availability of adequate infrastructure. The defined growth areas will accommodate a population of approximately 38,000 persons, which exceeds the target population of 33,830 so as to allow market flexibility. In addition, there are a variety of character types planned throughout the growth area that are designed to accommodate different neighborhood environments and a variety of housing types and price ranges. This program may be further refined and enhanced to include transfer of development rights or density, which would allow land owners in the peripheral areas to sell their rights and allowable density to developers within the growth area. While the most effective means for implementing growth management involves Albany County and is highly advocated by this plan, it may be accomplished by the City through other means. If the County is involved, it may be accomplished through an amendment of its zoning regulations, which would be based on an adopted land use plan and development policies. In lieu of the County’s participation, the transitional areas could be annexed into the City thereby allowing the City to enact its zoning authority. Alternatively, performance standards could be incorporated into the City’s subdivision regulations, in effect, conditioning approval and the receipt of urban infrastructure on the ability to meet certain standards. (e.g. infrastructure capacities). Lastly, the use of incentives such as density bonuses may be an effective means for compliance. GROWTH MANAGEMENT PROGRAM The mapping of Laramie into the four basic growth management areas is a critical step. The following are recommendations of how these areas should be applied to Laramie and its one‐mile planning jurisdiction. Developed Areas The primary objective in the developed areas is to promote infill and redevelopment. Infill development is new construction of open pockets of land surrounded by existing development, and individual lots or vacant properties. In some cases the vacant land may have had a prior use. In Laramie, redevelopment should take place in well established neighborhoods where there is an emerging pattern of decline and disinvestment. These areas are not exceedingly apparent as they are essentially on a lot‐by‐lot basis. Collectively over time there will be target areas that are ripe for reinvestment and redevelopment, either by the public or private sectors or both. In all these neighborhoods, water and sewer lines should have priority for upgrades to replace substandard facilities and coordinate with growth needs. Parks should be established and improved, and in areas where park deficiencies exist, additional parkland should be secured and improved early in the redevelopment period. Park areas may be one or two assembled lots or possibly larger tracts that are identified concurrent with the redevelopment process. L A R A M I E C O M P R E H E N S I V E P L A N 7 - 5 ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 7: URBAN GROWTH Neighborhood revitalization requires, at a minimum, an intensive five‐year effort to initialize, program, and sustain. If this is done, only ongoing management and administration efforts should be needed by the City after five years. A redevelopment priority assessment should be completed to encourage neighborhoods to begin action ahead of designation to reinvest on their own. Such designation may be encouraged through a neighborhood‐based planning initiative, seed money for an improvement project, or declaration of an improvement district. As recommended in Chapter 3, Community Character, the downtown area is in need of reinvestment. The area, while still economically strong as a retail and entertainment area, is in need of internal design improvements, conservation policies for existing buildings, and areas designated for infill and possible minor expansion. Urban Growth Areas The development growth area has been defined to provide for all of the City’s anticipated growth for the next 20 years. The development capacity of this area for the Year 2025 is a population of approximately 38,000 people (38,704 according to the land use model), or 17,337 dwelling units. This exceeds the target population of 33,830 persons (refer to Chapter 2, Conditions and Outlook) to allow sufficient market flexibility. The urban growth area contains land for both residential and non‐residential development. The residential need is based on the land use modeling of the alternative future scenarios described in Chapter 3, Community Character. These alternatives were generated by a series of small groups through future planning workshops in February 2006. Some of the urban growth area for Laramie falls outside of the city limits. It is essential that this area develop with predetermined standards that match or closely compare to existing city standards. Improvements standards for sewer, water, roads, lot size, parks, schools, utilities among many other items must be considered as these areas develop. Annexation of these areas is also likely at the time of development. Growth should proceed but only under the recommendations found in this plan. It will be essential to incorporate the finding found in other chapters of this plan as well as maps in determining where and how urban growth should occur. Properties located in the Urban Growth Areas still must conform to other restrictions or conditions that may be found in other chapters such as the Parks and Recreation Chapter and on maps such as Map 7.3, Development Limitation Areas. Development Limitation Areas Development Limitation Areas can be found on Map 7.3, Development Limitation Areas. Areas identified as development limitation areas may warrant special conditions before or if this land is to be developed. One type of development limitation area consists of floodplains along the Laramie River and Spring Creek, wetlands and natural habitats, ridgelines to the north and east, and the aquifer protection area. These are areas that should remain largely undeveloped with the exception of some limited recreational uses, greenways and limited development. In 7 - 6 L A R A M I E C O M P R E H E N S I V E P L A N ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 7: URBAN GROWTH addition, soil studies and mitigation measures should be taken to ensure that the lands in this area are able to support proposed uses. While there are Federal regulations that apply to the floodplain, it is important to regulate and control floodplains locally. Flooding takes a toll on property and sometimes on life. The primary goal is to ensure that flood damage and loss of property is absolutely minimized. Some low‐impact recreational uses in areas that are not damaged by occasional flooding are also permitted, provided the flooding or water tables are such that the facilities are normally usable even in wet conditions. Filling of floodplains should be prohibited, except for road crossings of a river or stream where the road is needed to provide a network of major roads or to provide access to otherwise isolated properties that do not have access to other roads except by the crossing. The floodplain should not be used as routing for roads to avoid the higher condemnation costs on dry land. Residential uses should not be located and should be discouraged in the floodplain nor should on‐site sewer systems be located there. The filling of house pads to elevate the homes above the floodplain simply place homes in a dangerous condition. With roads underwater, people are isolated and cut off from emergency services in the event of fire or health crisis. Further, the 100‐year flood is simply a frequency of flooding measure, and greater floods occur. Similarly, although not officially mapped through a letter of map amendment or revision of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps, there is evidence that the 100‐year floodplain is increasing as areas are developed and paved forcing more water into the streams. There is one other resource that is subject to flooding, which is known as drainage way soils. These are soils that form along streams and are listed as having seasonal water tables where the water is at or above the land surface. This is an area that should be used for stormwater management. Water naturally flows here, and development on these properties should be designed to use these areas to control the flow of stormwater off site. The subdivision regulations should be amended to maintain the pre‐development storage capacity in addition to detaining/retaining the excess water created by development as currently required. The second type of Development Limitation Areas consists of lands that comprise the ridge (parallel to Reynolds) at the northern edge of Laramie’s current City Limits (often mentioned by residents as a priority) as well as several other ridgelines that traverse the edge of the Jacoby Golf Course and extend in a southerly direction across State Highway 30. Lands occupying the ridge slopes are difficult and extremely costly to provide street, utility, and other public services. Areas at the top of the ridges are considered sensitive because any development that occurs there will loom over the remainder of the City and harm the highly valued views of these ridgelines. Any development at the top of the ridgelines, if it must occur, should be set back or heavily camouflaged by vegetation such as trees and bushes and further though proper color selection so as to mitigate to the maximum practicable extent any negative impacts on the community and its residents. The third development limitation area type consists of the western flank of the Laramie Range, abutting the far eastern edge of the study area, which is comprised primarily of L A R A M I E C O M P R E H E N S I V E P L A N 7 - 7 ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 7: URBAN GROWTH exposed Casper formation. The protection area of the Casper Aquifer is highly sensitive and warrants a high level of protection. While some of this area is federally owned, there are significant areas closer to town that appear to be available for development. As with ridge top development, provisions should be made for either acquisition, extremely low density development, clustering in appropriate and less sensitive areas, or camouflage mitigation provisions. Planning provisions and recommendations as to the protection of this area are outlined in Chapter 3, Community Character. Rural Growth Areas Smart Growth Goals: Shared Benefits - Divisions by income and race have allowed some areas to prosper, while others languish. As basic needs, such as jobs, education, and health care become less plentiful in some communities, residents have diminishing opportunities to participate in their regional economy. Smart growth enables all residents to be beneficiaries of prosperity. These land areas are excluded from urban development for the immediate future. Reviews should be conducted to determine whether additions to the urban growth areas need to be made, thereby reducing the amount of land in the rural growth areas. The reason for not allowing urban development is to avoid premature development of land that results in higher costs to government for service and infrastructure and can lead to difficulties in providing services to these areas at a later time. The rural growth area should develop with a low density, a figure that discourages all but the rural estate and agricultural uses. Such development and uses are typically not served by urban utilities, so normal urban and suburban development is not feasible and less likely to occur. It would be more appropriate to consider these areas for: Continued agricultural or open space; Low density, residential development; LEVELS OF SERVICE Local governmental service should be quantified as meeting an expressed level of service. This is a familiar concept on roads where the level of service (LOS) relates to the degree of congestion. The same concept can hold true for other service types. With sewer this is basically a two‐level condition: public and on‐site sewers. Water service is based on normal water supply pressure and whether there is sufficient hydrant pressure and capacity for firefighting. As mentioned in Chapter 4, Parks and Recreation; standards for parks are based on acres per thousand people, for different types of parks. Fire and emergency services have response time criteria, which for fire is also combined with water service conditions. With a two‐stage level of service approach in mind, developed areas and urban growth areas should be given uniform levels of service with one possible exception: In the Downtown, University, 3rd Street, and Grand Avenue commercial corridor areas, a higher tolerance (lower service level) for congestion on roads can be permitted. If these areas meet their appropriate economic roles, more congestion is understandable. Goals of increasing the vitality of these areas, particularly the Downtown, will by necessity result in congestion, which is not a sign of decreased living standards, but of a healthy high‐density commercial and residential area. The rural growth areas are not intended for urban development during the next 20 years and a good portion of them are unlikely to be developed even further into the future. 7 - 8 L A R A M I E C O M P R E H E N S I V E P L A N ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 7: URBAN GROWTH Because of this, the level of urban services should be held to the lowest possible level. The level of service may include modified standards since city standards would not be warranted based on the density or intensity of uses. URBAN GROWTH GOALS AND ACTION STATEMENTS In this section the goals and action statements for each element of the plan are set forth. The goals and action statements are to be used as a starting point to achieve the overall vision of this plan. Displayed in Map 7.2, Growth Areas, are each of the above described areas. This illustration is consistent with Map 3.2, Future Land Use, both of which, together, will guide decisions relating to the pattern, type, and character of future development of the Laramie one‐mile planning area. The following are policies to assist in the decision‐making process. Redevelopment Goals and Action Statements 1. Neighborhoods at the periphery of the Downtown and University should continue neighborhood enhancement efforts. These enhancements could include redevelopment of these areas. 2. Areas designated for redevelopment should be studied to determine maintenance and replacement needs including upgrades for water and sewer services that will serve the expected future growth. 3. Improve parks standards level of service where current levels are inadequate. 4. Maintain and improve sidewalks in the initial redevelopment effort through the use of the shared sidewalk replacement program, facilitated by the engineering department. 5. Increase residential population in the Downtown through changes to the current zoning regulations to encourage mixed use buildings and upper floor rental or condominium units. 6. Maintain and improve infrastructure within the developed area so as to enhance the sustainability and integrity of older neighborhoods and business areas. 7. Roads and other infrastructure should be maintained, replaced and required in accordance with a capital improvements program to maintain such facilities in a safe, sound, and efficient condition. Urban Growth Areas Goals and Action Statements 1. Extend water and sewer for all growth areas in a sequential manner concurrent with development. The timing of infrastructure improvements is reliant upon the rate of new development. 2. Provide plans for parks and recreation areas as well as police, fire and emergency management services and solid waste collection concurrent with new development. 3. Establish a capital improvements program or other means of providing needed infrastructure or services. This includes other capital facilities including police, fire/rescue services, library, schools, and parks. L A R A M I E C O M P R E H E N S I V E P L A N 7 - 9 ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 7: URBAN GROWTH 4. Provide for review of the Laramie Comprehensive Plan and updating every five years to ensure the development capacity is adequate. 5. Coordinate with Albany County to encourage preparation and implementation of a plan and standards that manage development within the one‐mile planning jurisdiction, consistent with the growth guidelines of this plan. Standards may include infrastructure such as streets, water and sewer along with services such as schools, police, fire, parks and trails. Standards in this area should be at a level of improvement high enough for eventual annexation. 6. Provide adequate land for 20 years of development, based upon a target population of 33,830 persons. This should include sites for all types of development, open space, recreation and public buildings among other land uses. 7. Contain higher intensity estate, suburban, and urban development within the defined urban growth area of the plan. 8. Determine which areas can be served by sewer in the distant future and which will be served by septic systems. The actual timing of service extension will depend upon the rate of new development and the build out of the defined growth areas. Defined areas will help determine the mean by which sewer will be treated. 9. Develop area plans similar to the Turner Tract Area Plan which outline best uses for an area, as well as helping develop integrated, mixed use, live‐work developments. 10. For areas outside the city limits but inside the 1 mile boundary higher development standards such as paved roads, water, sewer, dry lines, parks, trails or other improvements may be required. 11. Upon adoption of the Albany County comprehensive plan, the city shall consider amending the urban and rural growth areas to coincide with the Albany County comprehensive plan. Any future amendments to the urban and rural growth areas shall be coordinated and agreed to by both the county and the city. Development Limitation Areas Goals and Action Statements 1. Prohibit residential parcels less than 35 acres for development in the 100‐year floodplain except for water dependent uses and essential road crossings. 2. Regulate development within the aquifer protection zone so as to closely manage this water resource. Development should follow the Aquifer Protection Plan (APP) or any subsequent updates. All provisions of the APP should be followed. 3. Prohibit development in wetlands. If development is to occur where wetland are located mitigation measure should be taken to preserve wetlands on the property. Wetlands should be set aside as open space if development occurs. 4. Use existing drainage ways for storm water management such as retention, detention and conveyance. Such use of existing drainage ways shall not result in contamination of ground water or result in other significant environmental impacts. 5. Make clustering with minimum density and maximum open space a permitted use in all protection areas that are currently zoned residential. 7 - 10 L A R A M I E C O M P R E H E N S I V E P L A N ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 7: URBAN GROWTH 6. Provide educational information on the benefits of protecting the wide range of natural resources available to our community. Information on habitat, water, aquifer protection, night skies, air quality, open space among others should be developed. 7. Explore transfer of development rights for areas determined to be “sensitive.” This option can provide alternatives to development in specific areas while compensating for the loss in development. 8. Provide density bonuses for developers protecting and maintaining open space or sensitive habitat. Rural Growth Areas Goals and Action Statements 1. These areas should be restricted to agricultural or low density residential purposes only. Any development that occurs should maintain the primarily agricultural nature of the area. 2. Non‐agricultural related residential development should be in the form of subdivisions with extremely low densities and on‐site and water supply and waste treatment facilities. Emphasis should be placed on cluster development and preservation of open space. 3. Sewer and water services should not typically be extended into the rural growth areas unless the plan is amended by the City to re‐designate the land into the urban growth area. Minor improvements to any existing development should be limited to upgrade the benefit of the current users. 4. Agricultural Areas should be used to preserve the agricultural heritage of the community. 5. The Laramie Comprehensive Plan should be as consistent as possible with the County Comprehensive Plan in relation to rural growth. 6. Upon adoption of the Albany County comprehensive plan, the city shall consider amending the urban and rural growth areas to coincide with the Albany County comprehensive plan. Any future amendments to the urban and rural growth areas shall be coordinated and agreed to by both the county and the city. L A R A M I E C O M P R E H E N S I V E P L A N 7 - 11