PRINCIPLE NO. 12 Relax Setback & Frontage Distances
Relax side yard setbacks and allow narrower frontages to reduce total road length in the community.
Relax front setback requirements to minimize driveway lengths.
Notes:
Many current subdivision codes have very strict requirements that govern lot geometry, including setbacks and lot shape. These criteria constrain site planners from designing open space or cluster developments that can reduce impervious cover. Smaller front and side setbacks, often essential for open space designs, are typically not permitted or require a zoning variance which may be difficult to obtain.
Relaxing setback requirements allows developers to create attractive, compact lots that are marketable and livable. Concerns that fire could spread easily from one home to another and the potential for housing too close to the street to limit sight distance for drivers are also common reasons cited against relaxed setbacks. In fact, typical requirements allow detach housing to be as close at 5 feet without specific fire protection measures and with the development of fire retardant materials and the use of fire walls, large setbacks are unnecessary. Street design criteria rarely consider site and lot conditions when developing road layouts. According to AASHTO (1994), potential sight distance impairments can be avoided if visual obstructions are placed at least 1.5 feet or more from the curb, which is substantially less than the 30' front setback required by many communities.