Opening up the landscape as subdivisions move out from the center of town is the goal of a new comprehensive plan under consideration in New Lenox, a planning consultant told village officials Wednesday.
Under the new plan, open space requirements for subdivision developers would range from 20 percent in closed-in areas to 50 percent on the rural fringe.
“Because of the unique way the world was made out here,” environmental features, such as streams, wetlands and wooded areas, mark the edges of areas suitable for more or less intense development, said consultant Chris Lannert, whose firm was hired to help update the town’s comprehensive plan.
Developers would be encouraged to adjust their designs to the environment, consultant Jeff Palmquist said.
The gradual increase in open space requirements can be used as a tool to guide development patterns.
The new open space requirements would have to be spelled out for developers, said Carrie Hansen, planning and development administrator. “We need to have a definition of what constitutes open space,” Hansen said.
