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<br />Th~ Five Steps to a Hybrid Code
<br />
<br />By Arista Strungys, Alep
<br />
<br />Many communities across the country are showing new interest in using zoning
<br />regu.lation to better realize a desired building form.
<br />
<br />Zaning cades have always cantained the
<br />basic bulk relationships that create the three-
<br />dimensianal building envelape, such as mini-
<br />mum lat area, lat cave rage restrictians,
<br />required setbacks, and maximum height, but
<br />additianal design-ariented elements ta better
<br />refine that form have nat, traditianally, been
<br />part af the equatian. As a re.sult, many cam-
<br />munities are nat ~atisfied With the end result,
<br />whether it's manatonous residential subdivi-
<br />sians ar ailt-af-character infill develapment.
<br />Ta remedy this, same cammunitieshave
<br />laaked ta farm-based coding as a salutian. .
<br />Hawever, ta completely revise a tradi-
<br />tional zaning (ode, eSPecially ina fully built
<br />out community, inta a farm-based cade can
<br />rnay be akin ta tassingthe baby autwith the.
<br />bathwater. II'! many situatians, hybrid cades
<br />represent a viable alternative.
<br />A hybrid code combinestradit~analzon-
<br />ing cantrols with falin-based zaning tech-
<br />
<br />niques. Traditianal cantrols create a building
<br />envelape that daes nat speak directly ta the
<br />"farm" af new develapment. Where traditional
<br />cantrols establish. a three-dimensianal bax in
<br />which a property awner is allawed ta build,
<br />farm-based cedes, an the ather hand, cancen-
<br />trate an design. These cades maid and shape
<br />the three-dimensianal bax ta address isslles
<br />afcantext, scale, design, and character.
<br />Hawever, nat all cammunities need a "pure"
<br />farm-based code.
<br />In fact, farmany jurisdictians, the exist-.
<br />ing bulk cantrols warkjust fine. Because a
<br />farm-based cade requires an understanding af
<br />architectural standards and numerous inter-
<br />pretatians af design cantrals, same cammuni-
<br />ties lack the staff expertise ar capacity ta
<br />administer this type af cade. If current cade
<br />administratian is familiar and efficient, juris-
<br />dictians will need a campelling reasan ta.
<br />adapt a new code.
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<br />Instead, by integrating farm-based can-
<br />trols inta a traditianal zoning cade, the a cam-
<br />munity can pin paint the specific design ele-
<br />mentsdesired in new develapment, and it
<br />can achieve a similar autcame ta that af a
<br />form-basedcade without having ta start fram
<br />scratch. Wh~n dane carefully, incorporating
<br />form-based elements can .help refine and
<br />focus standard bulk requirements.
<br />
<br />WHY CREATE A HYBRID CODE?
<br />Traditionalzaniilg speaks more ta land-
<br />use campatibility than design, sa it may nat
<br />result in the desired physicalchqracter and
<br />scale far new devela.pment. In ather words,
<br />traditional zoning speaks to how much you
<br />can do, while farm-based controls add the
<br />element af how you can do it. When form-
<br />based controls are added, theioning regula-
<br />tians can better articulate what Is meant by,
<br />for example, keeping within the established
<br />scale, context, ar design traditians without
<br />having ta create an entirely new zaning cade.
<br />Propertya\^iners are mare willing to accept
<br />regulations that enhance thase they are famil-
<br />iar with and understand; rather than a com-
<br />pletely revised set of standards and new
<br />administrative procedures and reviews.
<br />This type of hybridizatian has a nurnber
<br />of benefits; Cade administratars are still wark-
<br />ing within a fam iliar framework, crafting farm-
<br />based elements that they understand and feel
<br />camfortable administering. Other zaning dis-
<br />tricts, where mare traditional bulk centrols
<br />have been working, do nat need ta be aver-
<br />hauled.ln many built out cammunities, the
<br />"place making" philasaphyaffarm-based
<br />zoning is unnecessary-a place is already
<br />"made," sa ta speak. In those instances, the
<br />form-based cantrols are usedto maintain the
<br />existing established character and guarantee
<br />that f)ew develap.ment fits in, adding a layer
<br />of-character preservation to the cade,
<br />Ha";'ever, the use and development af
<br />form-based techniques can also be a chal-
<br />lenge. The form-based cantrols must be easily
<br />
<br />ZONINGPRACTICE 5.08
<br />.AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION I page 2
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