Lot area. The normal lot size required within the R-2 and R-3 Residential Districts may be reduced a maximum of 25% of the lot area required. The resulting overall density of tract, exclusive of street rights-of-way, wetlands, floodplains and areas with slopes of 15% or more, to be subdivided shall be no greater than the individual lot density to which the area was originally zoned.

Lot dimensions. Building setback, and all yard requirements may be reduced a maximum of 15% of the required dimensions. Width at building line may be reduced 15% provided that in no case will road frontage for a lot be less than 50 feet.

Common open space. The balance of any tract developed under this article (total tract minus platted lots, and street rights-of-way) resulting from lot size reductions as per Subsection A of this section, is permanently preserved as common open space.

The proposed subdivision must be a tract of land at least 25 acres in area.

The tract of land to be developed shall be in one ownership or shall be the subject of an application filed by the owners of the entire tract, and it shall be agreed that the tract shall be developed under single direction and in the manner approved.

The proposed development must be served by community or public water and community or sanitary sewer before the cluster concept may be applied.

The areas to be set aside or reserved for park, woodlands, conservation, playground, golf courses, tennis courts or other common open space purposes, such as the preservation of natural features, may be reserved for private use, in which case satisfactory arrangements shall be made, acceptable to the Township, for the maintenance of all such area.

The location, extent, and purpose of common land proposed to be set aside for common open space or for recreational use within any subdivision must be reviewed and approved by the Planning Commission before the provisions of this section apply. A private recreational use, such as a golf course or a swimming pool, whose use is limited to the owners or occupants of lots located within the development, may be approved as common land. Other uses or sites which may qualify as common land include historic buildings or sites, natural parks and parkway areas, landscaped parks, bridle paths, landscaped walkways, extensive areas with tree cover, and low land along streams or areas of rough terrain where such areas are extensive and have natural features worthy of preservation.

The land area to be set aside and dedicated for permanent preservation as common open space shall be so located and so shaped as to be suitable for the purposes intended, and consideration shall be given to the subsequent addition of contiguous portions of open space lands in adjacent tracts wherever practicable.

The proposed plan of development shall be submitted to the Township Planning Commission, the Township Park and Recreation Board, the Montgomery County Planning Commission and such other boards as the Board of Township Commissioners may deem necessary and/or expedient for review.

If a subdivision includes the proposal to dedicate to the Township land for park and open space use, under the cluster development approach, the subdivision must include by dedication, or by other reasonable means, the total park area, at the time of filing of the final subdivision plan on all, or any portion, of the tract or tracts.

If the open land is reserved for private use it shall be held in ownership by the owners of lots within the development and such other nearby landowners who may wish to become members of the corporation (in which case the open land may be restricted to members of said corporation as said corporation may itself decide). In the case of a corporation, the developer shall include in the deed to the owners of the building lots a beneficial right in the use of the common open land. If held in corporate ownership, the common open land shall be subject to taxation, assessed in equal shares upon the building lots comprising the corporation.

The maintenance of common land for private open space or recreational use shall be guaranteed by trust indenture approved by the Township and shall be filed with the Recorder of Deeds of Montgomery County simultaneously with the recording of the final plot of the subdivision. Such common land shall be set aside by deed restrictions for a minimum period of 99 years.

Underground utilities, including telephone and electric systems, are required within the limits of all cluster development districts. Appurtenances to these systems which can be effectively screened may be excepted from this requirement if the Planning Commission finds that such exemption will not violate the intent or character of the Cluster Development District.

Normal requirements of Chapter 310, Subdivision and Land Development, pertaining to sidewalks, curbs and street width may be waived if it can be demonstrated that adequate pedestrian circulation is provided within the open space areas and unique design features (i.e., cluster of lots about a common drive) preclude the necessity for normal street width and curb.

The application shall be accompanied by a general development plan showing the use or uses, dimensions and locations of proposed areas to be reserved for recreation, public uses such as schools and playgrounds, landscaping, and other open spaces and architectural drawings and sketches demonstrating the design and character of the proposed open space. Such other pertinent information shall be included as may be necessary to determine that the contemplated arrangement or use makes it desirable to apply regulations and requirements differing from those ordinarily applicable under this chapter.

Incorporated elements may include (but are not limited to) the following:

The developer is encouraged to obtain a trained and experienced land planner, registered architect and/or landscape architect to prepare plans for all cluster developments, to enable the most expeditious processing of such developments.