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The Washington County Board of Commissioners last week preliminarily approved a land-use ordinance that will guide the future development of North Bethany.

But there was a catch.

In order to meet a deadline, and set the stage for development to potentially start next year, the ordinance – Ordinance 730 – was approved with a number of details still undecided.

The known details in the ordinance call for about 4,650 housing units to be built on 700 acres. That pencils out to 10 to 12 housing units per buildable acre, according to Desari Strader, the county commissioner for district 2, which covers North Bethany.

“While this is definitely influential in the development of North Bethany, I think it also sets a precedent for future growth in Washington County,” she said. “In order to keep prices down we need to be smarter about future growth, and that means more compact growth.

“The days of three-quarter-acre lots are over. I think you will see this new model play out in Bull Mountain as well as any other future unincorporated areas that are developed.”

Undetermined details include the size of setbacks, the specific alignment of roads and building variety and design standards.

One place-holder is the determination of how to weave the urban development into an agricultural fabric. The commission has proposed creating a transitional buffer zone, but wants to discuss it with stakeholders over the next year.

“This ordinance gives the development of North Bethany its primary structure,” said Mike Dahlstrom, program educator of the Washington County long-range planning division. “Now we just have to tie up some of the loose ends as we discuss with the stakeholders and start development.”

The team had to push for approval by the end of the month to meet the Nov. 1 deadline for ordinance approval in Washington County. Ordinances can be approved from March through October, a nine-month period that county staff calls ordinance season. The time frame is arranged to allow county commissioners time to prepare and follow up on approved ordinances.

The ordinance’s approval afforded the five commissioners a chance to vote on it before two of them – Strader and chairman Tom Brian – finish their terms in December.

“We were hoping everything would be nailed down by this time,” Dahlstrom said. “But just getting the approval … saves us of the risk of having to go through the entire process again next year with a completely different board.

“We owed this getting done not only to the board, but the developers and nearby residents as well.”

The final two hearings for the ordinance will take place during board meetings on Oct. 19 and Oct. 26. Then the board will focus on securing the $69 million needed to fund the public services for the project. This will go before the board as a resolution and order.

The county is proposing to pay for the services via a transportation system development charge and a County Service District. The system development charge – which would cost about $13,000 per single-family dwelling – can be approved by the board, but the County Service District would be subject to a county vote in May 2011.

County staff is confident that development could start next year in the parts of North Bethany where services exist.

“Development can start 30 days after the ordinance goes into effect,” Dahlstrom said. “Development can only occur in a few places, but that actually helps us. Once a few lots are developed, and those SDCs are paid, we can start building the roads and sewers into the development. This system allows us to supply public services at the same pace as development occurs.”