2. PCSR 09-13-2005 - Laserfiche WebLink

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n,nm- Based Zoning . Overview Sessions Workshops Special Events Hot Topics People . . Antef~ICtm P!Hnnitt~ l\gs()(;i~;tUon Aftd/rf,f! g'tl1tH ft*n:rrtht~UU}nf AikftP:~~rf _Saturday! Sunday I fvlonday I Tuesday ! Wednesday Form-Based Zoning Tuesday, April 27, 2004 By Megan Lewis, AICP Af-'A Senior Research Associate Many of the places thought of as "great" are areas that developed prior to the adoption of Euclidean zoning regulations. These places - representative examples are Chicago's Loop District and San Francisco - are the products of development that occurred based on an emphasis on physical form rather than on controlling uses. While the term "form-based codes" is around 1'12 years old, the concept of basing regulation on form has been around for a while, under a variety of names - performance zoning and district-based zoning being among the "ancestors" of form- based zoning. In contrast to conventional zoning codes, form-based codes are highly illustrated and involve a significant level of public participation. A panel of practitioners discussed how form-based zoning codes seek to recapture a development pattern that focuses on "form" before "function. n Because they separate uses into distinct districts, conventional zoning regulations often make it difficult to create mixed-use communities, a goal many planners pursue. This separation has also resulted in many instances In disconnecting planning and urban design, By presenting the principles and concepts in an illustrated form; form..based codes vvork to reconnect these tvvo areas and define a desirable form for an area. In addition to having a direct impact on shaping form, form-based codes involve a much more extensive public participation process than the development of a conventional code does. The charrette process is the primary mechanism for community participation and input. The goal is to have citizens be fully engaged and involved in the development process, so that the have ownership over it. It also re- emphasizes the focus on physical form of a place over the specific uses. While examples of Sonoma, Hercules, and Petaluma, Callfornia, were presented as places that have adopted form-based codes, rural areas have also embraced these codes. A prime example is VVoodford Country, Kentucky, where a proposed Wal-Mart spurred the community to underta Ite a charrette process and adopt a form-based code. In addition, "rust-belt" ciUes like Syracuse, New York; Saratoga Springs, New York; and Providence, Rhode Island, have also adopted form-based codes. Paul Crawford, FAICr, of Crawford IVJultari &.. Clark presented the following principles for form-based codes: 1.* Work from a defining spatia! pattern, such as the Transect or a system of neighborhoods, districts, and corridors iii De-emphasize land use in favor of building form and typology @ Emphasize mixed uses and mixed use housing it> Focus on the streetscape and the public realm @ Conduct a design-focused public participation process To create a form-based code, Cra\lvford suggested a five-step approach: http://www.planning.org/conferencecoverage/2004/tuesday/formbased.htm Page 1 of2 1/3/2005