Article: Open space 'rule': 50% plus

It's become the unwritten rule in Orange County: Developers of big communities have to earmark at least half of their land as open space before they can build a single home.

That goes for everyone from the oil companies in North County to the former cattle ranchers of South County. No longer can they maximize their land by filling it up with businesses and houses, even if the demand is there. They've got to contend with competing demands.

Environmentalists and, in some places, the federal government, want to protect endangered animals and plants. Residents say traffic is bad enough already and clamor for fewer homes in new developments.

The issue of open space versus new development is ...

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