Agenda - Planning Commission - 10/06/1998

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SEPTEMBER 1998 I AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION I I I I Zoning, New Urbanist Development, and the Fort Collins Plan By Edward Ziegler and Greg Byrne The potential design benefits of new urbanist or traditional neighborhood development (TND) have been touted at land-use conferences throughout tf~e country and in the increasing body of literature devoted co the subject. The TND design concept, which is usually characterized by a more compact, higher-density mixed-use design, with a range of housing types and a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, is thought to have the potential to affect a major shift away from conventional low-denslty sprawl. Whether the TND design concept will actually have ii. ny significant impact on our automobile-dominated landscape and the existing sprawl pattern of development, however, still-- remains to be seen. According to a January 1998 report in New Urban News, for every dollar invested in TND projects, an approval process leaves much to be desired as a vehicle for integrated community planning. TND greenfield projects approved under this type of PUD rezoning are likely to be isolated and unintegrated pods of TND development surrounded by a sea of conventional sprawl. The Graham Company's experience with its Jordon Tract TND project in Mt. Pleasant, near Charleston, illustrates the pitfalls developers can face in this type of PUD rezoning process. After having been embroiled for several years in a PUD re'zoning fight with opponents to its TND project, the company finally received rezoning approval Even in communities that encourage TND development through PUD rezoning, few TND projects have been initiated and conventional suburban development still dominates the landscape. for a scaled-back version of'its project, only to face litigation with respect to the approved project. estimated $1,400 is still invested in conventional development. For these numbers to change dramatically, communities across the country will need to take a hard look at how zoning and ~._~~~~. development codes e~ther fruscrate or accommodate TND-designed projects. Inte~iews wire d~eJopers ~d pl~ners related to a su~ of new urb~ist pro'ec~ unden~en by. / . . ~e Roc~ Mount~n ~d Use Insnmte m late 1997 ~d ~ly 1998 provide a gener~ in&~tion chat e~sfing zoning ~d d~elopment ~d~ sd~ prohibit new urbanist development or strongly favor conventional low-density development in the regulatory approval procedures of the code. Exclusive-use zoning districts typically prevent a ~ mix of housing types and neighborhood retail uses and continue to require conventional forms of specialized and unintegrated pod and scrip development. In communities that allow new urbanist projects, interviews disclosed that TND projects usually Commercial have to be approved through a planned unit development development comparisons: (PUD) re'zoning, while conventional Iow-density development Fort Collins City Plan and Code. Convert is allowed by right throughout the community, commercial developments by adding new shops at the corners so Reports'suggest that developers perceive the PUD rezoning process as highly politicized, ad hoc, unpredictable, costly, and time consuming. The PUD process was described as embodying a,[l the integrity and coherence of Olympic judging in the former Soviet bloc countries. Given this perception of the PUD approval process, there should be little surprise in the fact that even in communities that encourage TND development through this type of PUD rezoning, such as Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, and Gainesville, Florida, few TND projects have been initiated and coflventional suburban development still dominates the landscape. Interviews also indicate that the PUD pedestrians can reach the store safely, adding second-floor uses, and constructing sidewalks. In Florida, which is considered a hotbed of new urbanist development, a number of communities have revised their zoning codes to encourage TND projects by adopting specific TND-oriented PUD districts. Interviews revealed that codes in Dade County, Orange County, and Jupiter still require rezoning for TND development. In these areas, conventional development reigns over the landscape and few TND proposals have been submitted for rezoning approval. As recently as early