Greenfield Development: Overview
In a country as young and as expansive as the United States, large tracts of undeveloped land are still readily available in every part of the country. When previously undeveloped land is developed, this is known as a greenfield development.
Prescriptive steps towards implementation:
- Identify the area(s) within the community that qualify as Greenfield development sites and those that ought to remain preserved.
- Work with municipal staff and officials and the community to craft new Greenfield regulations designed to control development within the developable areas.
- Ensure that the new regulations control required open spaces, ensure a variety of housing products, require closely-connected commercial and office uses, provide complete streets including mechanisms for walking and bicycling and adequately connect the new development into the fabric of the existing community.
- Test proposed regulations by mock-designing a development from start to finish as if it were to be built according to the regulations, then analyzing whether the design meets the community’s goals.
- Use existing staff and officials to provide additional commentary and reports on the proposed regulations.
- Prepare staff and officials for the administration of the proposed regulations.
- Adopt proposed policy changes utilizing the standard process for the municipality.
RATIONALE
Greenfield development is an extremely attractive development option for several reasons. When a site is undeveloped it is really a clean slate and does not have any built obstacles in place to impede development. These developments also have the advantage of being able to be marketed as truly new, which often has a great appeal to potential residents, tenants or customers. Greenfield developments are also increasingly preserving undisturbed portions of the natural environment, which in turn provides a unique and appealing amenity for future users.
Greenfield development can often be the best examples of sustainability principles in action. Across the country, there are new Greenfield developments that incorporate sustainable programs and technologies, including lifecycle housing, complete streets, parks and open spaces, integrated retail and office, energy efficient buildings, innovative rainwater and stormwater facilities, sidewalks and trails and many other progressive features.
It is important however to ensure that Greenfield developments are not prioritized at the expense of investing into the fabric of existing communities. Greenfield developments can happen in isolation from other existing communities and when several of them are done it has the potential to lead to a version of Greenfield sprawl, with random developments taking place further and further out in areas of undeveloped land. Municipalities must work to form holistic and even regional strategies for growth that intentionally and strategically identify all areas of future growth – both infill and Greenfield – so that all future development occurs in a manner consistent with the community plan and vision.
EFFORT REQUIRED
The successful implementation of Greenfield development is the responsibility of both the municipality and the development community:
Municipality. Local governments must determine where undeveloped land is available for development and where undeveloped land is best preserved as undeveloped or allocated for open space. Where undeveloped land is designated for future development, it is critical for municipalities to understand that standards must be in place to ensure new development is in fact sustainable. Municipalities should put in place Greenfield Development standards that require preservation of open space, trees and on-site natural features, provision of a wide range of housing options, close-proximity to commercial and office, complete streets with sidewalks and landscaping and allocation of space for cyclists and pedestrians and an overall community design that is reflective of traditional communities.
Development Community. Local builders and developers pursuing Greenfield sites for development must know that they have a significantly greater responsibility for ensuring the creation of a sustainable community than they have when developing within the context of an existing community or development pattern. Fortunately for the development community, sustainable communities have become attractive commodities for which home buyers, tenants and customers are consistently willing to pay a premium. Often, however, sustainable development requires developers to do things differently than they are accustomed to, so there may be some learning pains. Ultimately, the effort is worthwhile when the end result is a development that is good for the environment (both natural and social) as well as good for the bottom line.
BENEFIT
- Greenfield sites can enable a ground-up approach that can incorporate more elements of sustainability than can development in existing development patterns.
- Greenfield sites can provide a natural beauty often not found elsewhere.
- When done well, newly created Greenfield developments can provide a significant marketing advantage for the developer.
RISKS
- If not built properly, Greenfield developments can lead to greater unsustainability in the form of loss of land and resources.
- If not effectively built into the fabric of the existing community, Greenfield development can lead to sprawl development patterns by extending isolated pockets of developments further and further out from the community.
- Creating a new community from the ground up requires substantial additional investment.
- Creating a new market where one does not currently exist entails significant market risk.
- Municipalities must have strong regulations governing where Greenfield development will be allowed or risk being forced to allow it everywhere.
ACTION AGENT(S)
Planning Department, Economic Development Department, Building Department, Mayor and Council/Commission, community organizations, development community
COST
Greenfield Development standards can be adopted and implemented either through the research efforts of existing municipal staff or through retention of professional services with a planning, design and/or LEED accredited professional. Professional services for developing Greenfield standards would be less than $15,000.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to measure energy efficiency. It provides a standard for environmentally sustainable construction.The ability or potential of a physical body to do work. The most common forms of energy are heat, light, mechanical (moving parts), and electrical.
