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report recommended tha<the county relax parking standards for
<br />some office uses and pern}it an additional 1.2 million square
<br />feet before requiring anvidditional long-term parking facilities.
<br />'Ihc report also found tha~ the 'C-O d,stnct d,d not encourage
<br />enough residential develobment to meet the plan's expectations.
<br /> In addition to major oiffice and residential uses, transit-
<br />oriented development areas arc beginning to attract commercial
<br />and retail uses that are aD!pical for pedestrian-scale
<br />environments. For example. San Diego's Mission \:alley
<br />contains a 1,0,O00-squarS-foot d~scount retail development.
<br />Arlington County has a si~milar proposal by Home Depot under
<br />review for its Clarendon station area. The demand for such
<br />retail uses is fueled b)' theihigh rcside,~tial components in such
<br />developments. Zoning co~e provisions should be flexible
<br />enough to allow for such jingle-use developments along with
<br />thc traditional compact n~)xed-use model.
<br /> Edt,cational uses such a* colleges, u,~iversities, and trade schools
<br />arc also attrac,ed to transit-oriented developments. In their efforts
<br />to attract students from ac¢oss the metropolitan region, these
<br />ins, itutions see the benefits ,n ucating near trans,t l'ac~ ~ties.
<br />Arlington Connty's hoard of supemisors approved a 750,000-
<br />square-foot proposal for a ~ate university to support 10,000 full-
<br />and part-time students in the Virginia Square Metro station area.
<br />This varricular proposal w~is anticipated and did fit within the
<br />adopted plan for the area: Other commun,nes w~th leans,t-oriented
<br />development areas should 4nticipate similar uses.
<br /> Government uses and other community facilities are actively
<br />pursued in transit-orienteO development areas that include
<br />redevelopment and revitalization goals. In the Fruitvale transit
<br />area ~n Oa 'kland, Cahforn{a, the local communtt$--mclud,ng
<br />the Spanish-Speaking Uni~ Council--embarked on a
<br />redevelopment mission that made the transit station area the
<br />primaD, focus. Plan optiofis currently under review include a
<br />regional cultural center t&.house a branch of the San Francisco-
<br />based Mexican museum a~d a library of Latin American
<br />literature. In addition to s?eet-front commercial uses
<br />immediately adjacent to th.e station, plans include an open
<br />plaza, elderly housing, an4 office space for the National Council
<br />on Aging. The communit~ is aiming for an overall effect ora
<br />"24-hour-a-day" presence,t,
<br /> John Rennels of BAR~s Propers' Division, who is working
<br />with the Fruitvale community, says the community is expressing
<br />its need for a "sense of pla{:e" and "security." That security, he
<br />says, comes "not from su~eillance cameras and more police, but
<br />from a feeling of sense of ~lace and communiu, that is created
<br />by the presence of people lind activity around the station area."
<br />
<br /> .
<br />Zo.ing News is a monthly nev,,slette, r published by the American Planning
<br />Association. Subscriptions are avail,~ble for $45 (U.S.) and $54 {foreign).
<br />Michael B. Barker, Executive Director: Frank S. $o, Deputy Executive Director;
<br />William R. Klein. Director of Rese{rch.
<br />Zoni.g Newt is produced at APA. J[rn Schwab, Editor: Michael Barrette. Dan BJver,
<br />Sarah Bohlen, Fa)' Dotnick, Michel!e Gregory. Sanjay Jeer. Kevin Krizek, Marya
<br />Morris. Jcssica Rio. Reporters: Cynjhia Cheski, Assis~anl Editor: Lisa Barton, Design
<br />and Production,
<br />
<br />Cop],'right 01994 by American Plarjning Association, 1313
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<br />Massachusetts Ave.. N.W.. WashJn~lon. DC 20036.
<br />All ri~h~s reservec[. No parl of this I~ublication may be reproduced or utilized in any
<br />form ~or by ant' means, electronic o~mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
<br />or by any info~mation s~orage and r~trleval system, without pe~rnisslon in writing
<br />from the American Planning Association.
<br />Prin~ed on recycled paper, including ~0-70% recycled fiber
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<br />4
<br />
<br /> Other supporting uses that the zoning district regulations
<br />must accommodate include the spillover of such nontraditional
<br />uses such as cookie and flower vendors, egg roll carts, and fruit
<br />stands from the immediate station site to other parts of the
<br />transit-oriented development areas.
<br />
<br />Downtown D6j& Vu
<br />Issues related to past pedestrian-oriented development patterns
<br />surrounding the downtowns and main streets of most
<br />communities seem to be playing themselves out again in the 1990s
<br />around transit stations. The densities, complexiD,, and types of
<br />uses proposed often surpass those of traditional downtown
<br />developments. The resulting challenge for zoning is to integrate
<br />neighborhood-scale retail uses with office and commercial uses
<br />that are regional in scope, coupled with access and parking
<br />standards that accommodate the commuter. Planners need to draw
<br />on these lessons from the past in order to be effective in guiding
<br />transit-oriented development in the 1990s.
<br />
<br />ux v 6Reports
<br />
<br />Model Land Use By-law
<br />Nova Scotia Department of Municipa/ Affairs, Municipal
<br />PlamH,g Division, ?. O. Box' 216, Halifax', Nova Scotia, Canada
<br />B3J 2M4..hdy ]993. 236pp. $12.84 Canadian.
<br /> Covering a wide varieu, of potential zoning topics, this model
<br />ordinance was developed for use by municipalities in Nova
<br />Scotia and is thus oriented to Canadian laws and needs.
<br />Nonetheless, for its style, content, and depth of material,
<br />American planners and zoning officials ma), find it intriguing
<br />for comparison. Man), of its definitions and design guidelines,
<br />which emphasize a "plain English" sD'lc, may also prove useful.
<br />
<br />Achieving "Consistency"
<br />Under the Planning Act
<br />of 1992
<br />
<br />Inferjurisdictional
<br />Coordination for
<br />Comprehensive Planning
<br />Ma~. land Office of Planning, 30] W. Preswn St., Room ] ~0],
<br />Baltimore, MD 2J20]. April a~dJune ]994, respectively. 36pp.
<br />and 72pp., respective])*. $2 each.
<br /> The first of these two volumes deals with an issue that has
<br />vexed planning from the outset: Just what does it mean for
<br />zoning to be consistent with an adopted comprehensive plan? A
<br />brief histor)! in an appendix illustrates the evolving legal
<br />interpretation of this requirement, both in the Man,land
<br />context and more broadly, while the document itself seeks to
<br />provide common-sense guidance on implementation. As urban
<br />sprawl has led to an emphasis in some states on growth
<br />management, the topic of the second volume has assumed
<br />increasing importance. Fortunately, this book]et provides
<br />examples of plan language to cover a wide array of possible
<br />modes of cooperation between adjacent or overlapping
<br />jurisdictions facing such common regional problems as
<br />transportation, resource protection, and annexation.
<br />
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