Drawling The Line On New Development

"In 1991, Orange County drew a map of which areas it would be willing to provide such services as county-supplied water, sewers and roads. But there's another chunk of developable land outside the urban service area. The county left future commissioners a land "bank" of 14,801 acres, just in case the county later wanted to enlarge the boundaries of the original service area. The bank, though, has been drawn down: There are only 1,922 acres left. No new acreage will be added to the bank until 2007, at the earliest. And there are already more developments than there is land." Still, the county is tightening rules on developing outside urban service boundaries. Late last year, county commissioners agreed to hold the line on the existing boundaries -- and refrain from opening more land outside the boundaries to development for the next six years. "The urban service area has been functioning as it was intended," argues Stricklin -- concentrating development of infrastructure and decreasing urban sprawl.