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Places to play: Stafford cluster developments must have recreation areas before the first homeowner moves in, under proposed rules

STAFFORD -- Stafford leaders nearly a year ago caused an uproar in the building trades when they tossed out all applications from developers that wanted to build "cluster" subdivisions in the county.

That move not only sparked lawsuits but also trigged an order from the Board of Supervisors to the county Planning Commission to redraw the map that shows where such clusters (where homes are built tightly together in an effort to preserve open space) would be permitted in the county. It was also tasked making new rules for clusters.

"That bomb fell on us," said Stafford County Aquia District Planning Commissioner Fillmore McPherson.

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