Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: size of lots

[Rob Sandelin (robsan]

 Steve Melamut  asked:

>  What size lots have been used
>elsewhere in developments with detached housing?

At Sharingwood the lots vary from 1/4 to 1/3 acre or so.  In our area, 
we are required to have two drainfields of equal size, a primary and a 
secondary.  Current drainfield regulations require double-tank pressure 
systems which eliminate the need for a reserve drainfield but I'm sure 
the code will not reflect this anytime soon, if at all.  At Sharingwood 
lots are typically divided in thirds with one third being the house 
envelope, the middle third being the drainfeild and the last third 
being the reserve drainfield.  The reserve drainfield in most lots is 
undeveloped woods.  We have two lots which have remote drainfields, 
that is the drainfeilds are not adjacent to the buildings, and these 
lots are very small, something like 50 X40.

In the first phase of Sharingwood there was no planning how the houses 
interacted, and thus the houses are separate and have little connection 
other than the street.  In phase two, the lots will be 1/4 or so and 
much attention is being paid to how the houses relate to each other and 
gathering areas.  I do not think the size of the lot makes as much 
difference as the configurations of the lots in terms of how the houses 
relate to each other and common elements.  The difference between a 1/4 
and 1/3 acre lot could just mean bigger back yards.

Rob Sandelin
Sharingwood