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Controlling Strip Development <br />with Design Guidelines <br />By Ross A. Moldo/f, acv <br />Design guidelines are a relatively new tool for controlling the appearance <br />of development. <br />Many communities have regulations for the ar- <br />chitectural design of retail or big box buildings, <br />along with requirements for landscaping, sig- <br />nage, lighting, and other similar topics. Design <br />guidelines take these regulations a step further <br />by focusing on illustrations and photographs <br />to clarify what the desired type of develop- <br />ment looks like. Pictures eliminate much of the <br />guesswork about what a regulation means. A <br />visual depiction of a regulation is much easier <br />for staff, planning board members, and appli- <br />cants to understand. The great benefit of de- <br />sign guidelines is to allow alt parties involved <br />in the preparation or review of a development <br />proposal to see what is required or preferred <br />with photographs and illustrations, thereby <br />reducing wrong interpretations that can lead to <br />costly delays in the approval process. <br />The following article is based on a <br />presentation at the American Planning <br />Association's National Planning Conference <br />in Boston in April 2011. It highlights the <br />experiences of Salem, New Hampshire, and <br />Cape Cod, Massachusetts, using design <br />guidelines to control strip development. <br />SALEM, NEW HAMPSHIRE'S ROUTE 28 STRIP <br />Salem, New Hampshire, is a bedroom <br />community of3o,000 people located 32 <br />miles north of Boston. Salem is home to <br />Rockingham Racetrack (horse racing), <br />Canobie Lake Park (amusement park), <br />and a six -mile -long commercial strip along <br />NH Route 28 known as South and North <br />Broadway. Strip development as used here <br />is defined as a linear pattern of retail busi- <br />nesses and other uses along a road corridor <br />characterized by one -story commercial <br />buildings surrounded by parking lots, with a <br />DES1GN GUIDELINES <br />Saleflh NH. <br />October 010 <br />Town of Salem, New Hampshire <br />® The purpose of Salem's new design guidelines is to guide the appearance of new projects, <br />to illustrate and expand current design regulations, and to help applicants understand <br />what the town wants. The document includes chapters on site planning, architecture, <br />landscaping, lighting, and signage. <br />ZONINGPRACTICE <br />AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION IpQge 2 <br />