Agenda - Planning Commission - 02/01/2018

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corner store can be a boon to a neighbor- hood, creating a walkable alternative to a trip across the city. A large house can suc- cessfully accommodate more residents, so let's allow for continued upkeep of these historic forms by allowing more units within the existing building. Thinking about manag- ing scale and keeping it in context is key. A corner grocery in a fourplex is a successful scale, but so is a full grocery on the ground floor of a high rise. Let'sthink through these scale issues, and manage them more often with form controls and less through use restrictions. Ditching Cumulative Zoning It's long past time for us all to move away from cumulative (or cascading) zoning. Every district is nota consolidation of all the less intense uses plus some new more intense ones. We're smarter than that. Reducing or Eliminating Parking Requirements There's been a lot published on parking in recent years, but we're still requiring too much in most cases. See "Eliminating Parking Minimums" in the June zo17 issue of Zoning Practice (plan- ning.org/media/document/91259o5) and get your community in alignment. Improving Process If we plan well, with special regard to devel- opment form, we should be able to let loose of the exaction -filled, time-consuming processes for development review that have accreted over the years. Streamlining development review (and clarifying exac- tions and tax policy so that we don't have to mix the two) by allowing by -right devel- opment to the maximum extent possible is a key opportunity for simplification (see Zoning Practice, April 2016: planning.org/ media/document/91(30319). Where there are common approaches to a challenging issue, let's pre -approve them (this may include blanket encroachments for projecting signs, or preapproved site plans for housing of a certain type on a certain lot size). Preap- proved elements make investment easier. Let's also coordinate our triggers (when parking, lighting, landscaping, streetscap- ing, and other site elements must be SIMPLIFICATION TECHNIQUES, PROS AND CONS Technique Pro Con Managing uses Consolidation allows for easier change in use, which means quicker market responsiveness Many communities cannot politically avoid singling out uses for special treatment Imposing minimum elements of good form Ensures that buildings are in the right place Requires community agreement on what good form is applying scale Applying scale Allows for richer mixing of uses and housing types, reduces trips Scary to folks who have always lived in single - use, car -oriented places Ditching cumulative zoning Allows carefully tailoring districts to their intended forms and uses Moves away from traditional thinking about land use and land value Reducing or eliminating parking requirements Eliminates excess pavement, allows buildings to be closer together for walkability May require parking on adjacent public streets Improving process Reduces time (and therefore cost) of development approval May be perceived as reducing community input Enhancing the document Easier to read in plain English with illustrations May require skills (page layout and illustration) beyond those that local planners are trained in improved). Pre -thinking these issues to allow for ease of use and clarity is important assis- tance for the front-line plan reviewers (see Zoning Practice, May zo17: planning.org/ media/document/91oo319). And let's allow for reasonable nonconforming structures and sites to be expanded and improved. Allowing for phased development using the nonconforming rules is a vast improvement over planned development or other similar processes. While offering expedited review would seem a useful process for moving select projects through more quickly, any process improvements should be applied to all projects, not just those with the ability to pay higher fees. Enhancing the Document. The content of your regulations can be simplified without ever changing the policy behind them. No matter what, approach- ing your rules by writing in "plain English" and including tables and graphics that ease the use of the document is a key step (see Zoning Practice, January zo15: planning. org/media/document/9117686). Some com- munities have focused on the modularity of their codes. Denver, for example, duplicates material in each context, but as a user, you only need a smaller portion of the zoning book to understand the rules applied to your property. As computers become a more important part of development review, this ZONINGPRACTICE 1.18 AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION Ipage 6