Small lots win residents’ approval if parks are nearby, survey finds

A study in central Texas indicates that pocket parks play a key role in making higher density palatable for homebuyers in a new urban community. The survey, “Buying New Urbanism,” found that small lot sizes, by themselves, face resistance in new urban development and conventional suburban development alike. However, homebuyers in a new urban community embrace small lots when there are small parks within the neighborhood. In a research paper for the Political Science Department at Texas State University-San Marcos, Dave C. Waugh surveyed residents of two recently developed residential communities in Kyle, a rapidly growing municipality 20 miles south of Austin. One was Plum Creek, the first full-scale Traditional Neighborhood Development in its part of Texas (see December 2000 New Urban News). Organized by Benchmark Land Development with the aim of producing an affordable new urban community, the 2,200-acre Plum Creek project includes townhouses and detached houses that had a median value last year of $144,330. The other community was Steeplechase, a conventional development whose houses had a median value of $116,620. At Plum Creek, most houses are closer to the street, on smaller lots, and facing narrower streets than those at Steeplechase. Many lots at Plum Creek are 35 by 120 feet or 45 by 100 feet, whereas Steeplechase’s standard lot is 60 by 120 feet. Rear-alley garages and traffic-calming measures such as roundabouts also distinguish Plum Creek. When Waugh conducted his survey, residents of neither the new urban development nor the conventional subdivision expressed a preference for small lots; however, Plum Creek homeowners voiced positive opinions about small lots “if parks were located nearby,” according to Waugh. Forty-four percent of Plum Creek residents — as opposed to 19 percent of Steeplechase residents — said that with a park nearby, small lots were acceptable. density support limited Waugh, who works for the City of San Marcos, said the limited support he found for higher density — except when small parks were mentioned — is “problematic” for new urban development. “Higher densities are a key characteristic of [new urban] developments,” he observed. Although Plum Creek is built more tightly than its conventional competitors, it may not be dense enough to make mass transit feasible. Moreover, the trend in Kyle, which has exploded from 5,400 inhabitants in 2000 to an estimated 14,000 today, is running against compactness. Among Kyle residents other than those in Plum Creek, “the common consensus seems to be that Plum Creek is too dense, made up of entirely of tiny lots and narrow, impassable streets,” Plum Creek Project Manager Peter French told New Urban News. “Kyle, like many other central Texas cities, has recently amended its subdivision zoning ordinance to increase the minimum lot size on new subdivisions,” he said. “Plum Creek is exempt from these changes, but local public policy is going the wrong way in terms of promoting mixed-use and sustainable development.” Despite nonresidents’ impressions that Plum Creek is too dense, “people also have the shared perception that it is the town’s most upscale development,” French said. Having lived in Plum Creek since June 2001, French believes that “the people who choose Plum Creek are excited about meeting and knowing their neighbors; they are excited about utilizing the amenities.” Waugh’s study aims to show how the preferences of new urban residents differ from those of conventional suburbanites. Among his findings: • Plum Creek residents expressed more appreciation of places to meet inside the neighborhood than did residents of the conventional development. Nearly three-quarters of Plum Creek residents supported the idea of a store within the neighborhood, whereas just over a third of Steeplechase residents liked that idea. • “Almost 60 percent of Plum Creek residents were agreeable to having places to live and work being located side by side.” At Steeplechase, less than 40 percent favored such a close mixture of residential and work uses. • Residents of the new urban development showed much more enthusiasm for traditional architectural styles than did residents of the conventional subdivision. The complete report is available at http://uweb.txstate.edu/~ps07/WaughARP1.pdf. Affordability and quantity Conventional suburban development patterns predominate in the fast-growing Austin, Texas, region. Yet Plum Creek, a 2,200-acre planned community based partly on new urban techniques, has ranked among the top five area developments in starts and sales, measured against more than 200 competitors, according to the Austin Business Journal. Since construction began in 1999, approximately 900 dwellings have been occupied. Benchmark Land Development sold five acres to a commercial developer that constructed Plum Creek Square, a collection of eight small office and retail buildings. “We are designing future neighborhood commercial areas and hoping to introduce live/work as a buffer between the single-family residents and commercial areas,” says Peter French, Plum Creek project manager. Eventually Plum Creek is expected to contain about 4,500 housing units. Among various housing products, sales are going well for a Pulte Homes fee-simple duplex that “enables a first-time homebuyer to live in a master-planned community for less than $100,000,” French reports. “The duplex lots are each 27.5 feet wide and feature detached garages.” DR Horton Homes is erecting houses on 35- to 50-foot lots. Legacy Homes is constructing houses on larger lots — the top price at Plum Creek is $325,000 — but will also be introducing cottages starting at 750 square feet and priced well under $100,000. u