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"'buffer adjacent to the right-of-way. Although the committee
<br />strongly recommended butyi~g all utility lines, the ordinance
<br /> did not formalize this. I
<br /> The plans encountered trouble as soon as the committee
<br /> released the report. Sanford officials voted not to ratify the
<br /> model legislation, arguing tha~ Lake Mary Boulevard was not an
<br /> important gateway for Sanfor}t. They decided that their existing
<br /> development standards were ~rong enough to guarantee quality
<br /> development along their porttons of the boulevard. Lake Mary
<br /> was undaunted. The city coufl~cll adopted the ordinance and
<br /> signed the agreement with th~ county. Planners and engineers
<br /> from the city and county spe~t months hammering out the
<br /> specifics. The project's first p~ase, already completed, focused
<br /> on the boulevard's western en}l. The city took on the
<br /> responsibility for burying utility lines. The second phase is
<br /> currently under construction..fi'he only problem so far is the
<br /> expense. After the first phase, ~he city found it necessary to cut
<br /> costs and eliminated utility b4rial for the second phase.
<br /> Portland. Portland, Maine[ has long been concerned with its
<br />· gateways. In 1964, a gateway .~tudy identified the major
<br /> entrances to the Portland penqnsula and created a valuable visual
<br /> record by fihning them. A 198,3 report, Gateways to Portland,
<br /> examined the city's primary g*[teways and made
<br /> recommendations for enhancing them. It identified three
<br /> gateway zones around the city~ The outermost, called the scenic
<br /> vista, offers panoramic glimps{s of the city from afar. Next is
<br /> the transition a,'ea, where the field of vision narrows and the
<br /> landscape takes on suburban c~aracter. Finally, the urban arrival
<br /> area, where rite view expands t~ reveal the Portland peninsula
<br /> and downtown skyline.
<br /> The report's recommendati~>ns served two different types of
<br /> goals; to create a dramatic ent~nce for travelers headed to the
<br /> dity and to improve the view f~om the interstate to make a
<br /> positive first impression on thc~se passing by. The city's
<br /> downtown urban design guidelines, published in 1991,
<br /> emphasize the importance of ~:reserving view corridors and
<br /> panoramic skyline views, scale ~enhancement, building
<br /> placement, and guiding development to reinforce each gateway's
<br /> unique character. They descril~e 12 different approaches, by air,
<br /> land, and sea, in terms of their!focus and the opportunities they
<br /> present. ~
<br /> Portland does not have a zo~ting overlay or a major public
<br />
<br />works program for implement.
<br />used its existing zoning regular
<br />combination of public and pti'
<br />posted signs that identify the 1
<br />raised public awareness. Then
<br />lit the city hall bell tower at m
<br />
<br />~g gateway goals. Instead, it has
<br />ons in tandem with a
<br />ate improvements. First, the city
<br />tteway routes for travelers. This
<br />~o enhance the skyline, Portland
<br />hr. Once the public saw the
<br />
<br />monumental effect of such a la ~dmark, civic pride took over.
<br />The spire of the Cathedral of tim Immaculate Conception and
<br />the tower of the Portland Obse~:vatory were lit. Both were
<br />privately funded improvement~. City arborist JeffTarling
<br />started a similar movement for ~lanting gateway trees. When
<br />the owner' of the local Oakhurs~ Dairy gave the city $2,000 to
<br />plant trees, Tarling approache~ him with an idea. The resulting
<br />Oakhurst Tree Challenge resul!ed in $20,000 worth of trees
<br />earmarked for a gateway. Tarlir~g plans to target a different
<br />gateway every year.
<br /> Portland's success will pay dividends for years to come.
<br />According to chief planner Ale~ Jaegerman, the planning board
<br />has sent a consistent message td developers and raised public
<br />expectattons for' gateway development. Gateway ~s a common
<br />word for membe,'s of the planning board," he says. "Instead of
<br />
<br />developing specific programs for gateways, we have gotten to
<br />the point where we are very aware of the importance of our
<br />gateways. We know a gatewa7 opportunity when we see one.
<br />So, when a developer walks in the door with a proposal for a
<br />project in a gateway, the board responds b7 encouraging quality
<br />design. It has been a success in that the gateway concepts have
<br />become common parlance in the workada7 world of the
<br />planning board."
<br /> Denver. When the new Denver International Airport was
<br />sited on a vast plain outside the city, planners took the
<br />opportunity to create a new district to serve as the entry
<br />corridor from the airport. The Gatewa7 Zone District embraces
<br />4,500 undeveloped acres adjacent to the airport 15 miles
<br />northeast of the central business district. Don Elliot, project
<br />manager at the Gatewa7 Stapleton Development Office, says
<br />the plan is unique because it is a comprehensive land-use plan
<br />that recognizes that millions of travelers will get their first
<br />impression of Denver as the7 pass through the district. "The
<br />gateway is the front door to Colorado as far as air passengers are
<br />concerned," he says. "It's the first parcel 7ou see when you get
<br />off the plane, leave the gate, and rent your car." The design
<br />standards in the zone district ord!nance guarantee that tourists
<br />leaving the airport will encounter not a wall of hotel towers and
<br />strip commercial buildings but unobstructed views of the
<br />Denver skyline and the Rocky Mountains.
<br /> The city' spent three 7ears negotiating with the 20
<br />landowners of the gatewa7 property and produced The Gateway
<br />Concept Plan in 1990. Three more 7ears of negotiations resulted
<br />in the Gateway Zone District Ordinance in July 1993.
<br />Additional guidelines and regulations were passed in Jul7 1994.
<br />The design standards go into great detail. They include a variety
<br />of measures from height limitations for view protection to
<br />provisions for public art. The city assures developers that high
<br />standards will protect their investments and ultimately enhance
<br />property values. The district also has its own streamlined permit
<br />and review process to ease the path to development.
<br /> The gateway is subdivided into pockets that allow a wide
<br />mix of uses, including: airport-related businesses; office,
<br />research, and light industrial; hotel; neighborhood commercial;
<br />and residential. The mix of uses in combination with a grid
<br />street pattern, bicycle paths, sidewalk and trail system, and mass
<br />transit is intended to reduce dependence on the autgmobile,
<br />placing 65,000 new residents within walking distance of
<br />employment centers. All the housing will be clear of the airport
<br />noise and safety zones. Hotel and office towers may not exceed
<br />150 feet or obstruct the view of the Rockies.
<br /> Denver has paid much attention to the new community's
<br />character. The residential neighborhoods will be anchored by a
<br />series of town squares. All neighborhood commercial uses will
<br />be sited on the squares so that residents and employees are a
<br />short walk from the grocery and dry cleaners. The hotels,
<br />offices, major retail, and residential towers are clustered in town
<br />centers. All these pockets are linked by parks, sidewalks, trails,
<br />and the grid pattern. Parks are also a prominent feature. In
<br />addition to the town squares,.the city has included a 90-acre
<br />park, a golf course, and a series of neighborhood parks. The
<br />design standards provide for :i minimum of 560 acres of public
<br />parkland when the gateway reaches full buildout.
<br />
<br />A Full Tool Bag
<br />All three examples used zoning standards to achieve gateway
<br />plans--one with existing zoning, one with an overlay, and
<br />one with a special district. It is worth noting that they
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