Agenda - Planning Commission - 05/05/2005

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In determin!ng (he boundaries of the site vis~L planners should consider the conditions surroundin~ the site in the area required for publfr ,mtice, which sometimes are properties next section includes §eneral items for plan- ners [o record during a site visit, Existing land uses on the site and in the surroundin~ area. The American Planning sions allow users to have precise control over land-use classifications. The planner should map land uses using symbols su~th, as ~z-F" for single-family resi- immediately adioinin§ and confronting' the site. Some communities require that for vari- ance, conditional use, subdivision approval, and other special land-use permit applica- tions, rmrification must be by mail (o all parcels within too to 500 feet of the outer bf)ur~dary of the site or a certain number of parcfds nearest [o ~he land 5ubfect to the 4pp¢catiun, whichever i5 d3e ~reatest number o¢ p,~rcel5. Fnr facilities servin~ part of a ce~f()ll, such 85 shoppM~ centers, a tarter ,~crde,/e d bi3-plcture context. WHAT TO RECORD t. ocal development re§utations typically iden- ~ih/,i number of factors ~o address during' the dev¢!u)Dment review process, which (he plan- nec ;tumid de(ermifle before the site visit. The Association's Land-Based Classification Standards, found on the APA website at www.planning,or§./Ibcs/, is a classification system that uniformly portrays land uses (see sidebar on pa§e 5). This system updates the Standard Land-Use Coding Manual published jointly in t965 by the Federal Bureau of Public Roads and the UrBan Renewal Administration, which, for many years, provided the standard approach for characterizing land uses. LfiC5 provides a consistent model for dassifyin§ land uses based on certain charac- teristics. The model extends the notion of classifying tarld uses by refinin§ traditional use categories .into multiple dimensions, such as activities, functions, buddin§ types, site development character, and ownership con- straints. Each.dimension has a set of cate- gories and sui:Kategories. Multiple dimem dences, "l-F" for duplexes, %" for commercial or retail uses, "1" for industrial uses, "[nst." for institutional uses, and sb forth. Field notes can provide detailed information about individual uses for incorporation into the written report. Digital photographs of the site are useful in the report or in a PowerPoint presentation to the reviewing body, Take the photos from several ' vantage points: facing into the site from the north, south, east, and west of the property, Topa~raphy and vegetation. Topography', vegetation, and other natural features are sub- sets of site development character. They.are important in terms of the value for preserva- tion and reinforcement versus alteration or removal. The planner should walk the site, and usinB'a contour map, assess the charac- ter of its natural features as part of the site notes. 1'he planner should consult floodplain ZONING PRACTICE AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIAflON 1 page 3 ' 97