Agenda - Planning Commission - 10/04/2012

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prohibited permitted ® Without carefully written standards, developers may use flag lots to avoid building new roads. approval of the pattern book addresses the value of the modulation in achieving a supe- rior design. While a single front yard setback makes sense in a large urban area, in a small hamlet or a traditional mixed use neighbor- hood decreasing setbacks as lots approach the center is one design technique to empha- size the pedestrian -oriented nature of the center. The modulation article should provide for approval of the pattern book -controlled modulation where it creates a desirable design, and the approval criteria should be limited to design considerations. When the regulations prohibit modulation to modify density, land use, and height, many com- mon concerns of citizens at conditional use hearings are taken off the table. Also, limiting modulation to interior lots ameliorates the concerns of citizens worried about impacts on the character of adjoining development. General Flexibility Permitting All Development Forms Euclidian zoning is very inflexible. Other ap- proaches like clustering, planned develop- ments, traditional neighborhood development, and mixed uses have all been found to be more desirable forms of development. In some states this finding is included in the statutes. Despite this, alternative development patterns are often forced to seek conditional approvals. In the 196os, when clustering and planned The modulation article should provide for approval of the pattern book -controlled modulation where it creates a desirable design, and the approval criteria should be limited to design considerations. bad developments were new and planners had no experience with them, the conditional approval made sense. But now it makes no sense for a better design form to have to go through a lengthy, costly, and uncertain process. Communities can provide general flexibility by adopting ordinances that are designed to allow a developer multiple ways of meeting the standards of a district. For resi- dential areas, all dwelling unit types should be permitted in the district subject to meeting density, open space, or design standards to protect the character of the district and to encourage traditional neighborhood, planned, and cluster developments. Permitting all dwelling units eliminates the exclusionary nature of many zoning districts. Development forms such as clustering, planned and tradi- tional neighborhood, and mixed use should be permitted as a matter of right. The zoning standards would still regulate district inten- sity through density, open space, use mix, scale, average and maximum height, and form requirements. These basic controls are essential to ensure the design intent or char- acter is met. Street width can be varied with general rules that address traffic volumes on the street, unit frontage, and parking needs. Quality should be addressed by sign and other controls that address quality of design by setting high standards that should not be modulated. Landscape can be addressed good ® With targeted Flexibility, communities can permit flag lots only in special cases, such as when a flag lot would eliminate lot access from a collector road. ZONINGPRACTICE 6.12 AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION (page 6