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<br />
<br />ranging from industrial and employment land uses and the
<br />preservation of natural resources to suburban sprawl and
<br />affordable housing. The discussions led this group to establish
<br />four committees focusing on the issues deemed most
<br />important.,-transportation, land use, environment and natural
<br />resources, and economic development.
<br />The committees consist of 90 members total, including
<br />developers, architects, environmental activists, citizens,
<br />neighborhood activists, business leaders, educators, attorneys,
<br />and county government staff. Collectively, they are responsible
<br />for determining what projects within the four issue areas merit
<br />closer examination to determine the needs of each community.
<br />To ensure that each committee's goals would be addressed, they
<br />decided to use a community form strategy, in which they
<br />divided the various parts of the community into form districts.
<br />According to the definition in the introduction to the plan,
<br />community form strategy is "the way the community fits
<br />together, the physical shape and pattern of development in each
<br />community" in Jefferson County. As a whole, each community
<br />will be characterized by a specific element and designated into a
<br />form district. Each designation is based on the neighborhood's
<br />character and current land use. For example, neighborhoods such
<br />as Anchorage and Audubon Park are characterized by their
<br />natural features, whereas downtown Louisville is characterized by
<br />mixed uses such as business, commercial, and cultural. The idea
<br />behind form districts is to preserve the character unique to each
<br />of these communities while creating new livable communities
<br />and improving the existing services for future growth.
<br />Based on their land use, a total of 12 districts (Regional
<br />Marketplace Center, Suburban Marketplace Corridor,
<br />Traditional Marketplace Corridor, and the Downtown,
<br />Neighborhood, Traditional Neighborhood, Village, Town
<br />Center, Suburban Marketplace, Suburban Workplace, Campus,
<br />and Natural Resource districts) were identified, defined, and
<br />given guidelines for development. Two others are still being
<br />studied for inclusion in the plan.
<br />The proposal in the Cornerstone 2020 plan will place
<br />specific regulations on future development in each of these
<br />districts based on the type of land use and neighborhood
<br />character each form district possesses. For example, the
<br />Downtown District will be characterized as the county's
<br />economic and cultural center, whereas the Neighborhood and
<br />Traditional Neighborhood districts will be defined by their
<br />residential areas and public facilities. Other districts such as the
<br />Suburban Workplace and Traditional Workplace, differentiated
<br />by their large-scale industrial and employment centers, will
<br />continue to promote this type of development.
<br />Though this process has been considered an innovative
<br />alternative to traditional vision planning, it does have critics.
<br />Citizens, politicians, and developers have not agreed on many
<br />
<br />Zoning Nrws is a monthly newsletter published by the American Planning Association.
<br />Subscriptions arc available for $50 (U.S.) and $65 (foreign). Frank S. So. Executive Direcror;
<br />William R. Klein. Director of Research.
<br />Zoning N<ws is produced at APA. Jim Schwab. Edi,or; Chris Burke. Fay Dolnick. Michelle
<br />Gregory. Sanjay Jeer. Megan Lewis. Doug Marrin. Marya Morris. Marrin Roupe. Laura
<br />Thompson. Reporters; Cynthia Cheski, Assistant Editor; Lisa Banon. Design and Production.
<br />Cop)'righ, @1997 b)' American Planning Association. 122 S. Michigan Ave.. Suite 1600.
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<br />components of the plan. Neighborhood residents and
<br />environmental activists have accused some developers of
<br />pursuing personal business interests, being insensitive to
<br />environmental concerns, and threatening the standard of living
<br />in the county. They fear that developers will take advantage of
<br />certain districts designated for commercial uses by building
<br />excessive business capacity, creating more traffic congestion an4
<br />pollution. This argument is based on the premise that form ;
<br />districts negate citizens' property rights by grouping entire :
<br />neighborhoods into a specific district and allowing developme~t
<br />as long as it is in accordancewith. the character of the i
<br />neighborhood. They believe that once a neighborhood has beert
<br />designated as a particular form district, the residents will have
<br />only minimal input in deciding what is built.
<br />Some developers share their concerns, maintaining that,
<br />although the form district concept is good, it may negatively
<br />affect zoning because of the way it groups communities and
<br />neighborhoods. Other arguments against form districts have
<br />focused on elements such as the proposal to create more
<br />"transportation-friendly" public streets in residential neighbor-
<br />hoods, allowing for bike and joggingJanes. E>evelopers were
<br />quick to point our that tax dollars set aside for this development
<br />were wasteful because most counry residents travel by car.
<br />Christopher Burke
<br />
<br />ZOIY/HGRf!J2orts
<br />
<br />Holding Our Ground:
<br />Protecting America's
<br />Farms and Farmland
<br />
<br />Tom Daniels and Deborah Bowers. Island Press, Box 7. Dept.
<br />2A[J, Covelo, CA 95428.1997.420 pp. $34.95.
<br />The challenge of protecting farmland and open space from
<br />increasing development pressures has reached a new level for
<br />planners, farmers, and citizens throughout the countty. This
<br />handbook enables those involved in farmland protection to
<br />gather a solid understanding of the problem and construct
<br />workable solutions. It offers an.excellem summation of
<br />farmland preservation techniques, with case studies and model
<br />ordinances providing the necessaty tools for implementing
<br />successful farmland protection strategies. Laura Thompson
<br />
<br />Farming on the Edge
<br />
<br />A. Ann Sorensen, Richard P. Greene, and Karen Russ. American
<br />Farmland Trust, Publications Dept., 1920 N St., NW, Suite 400,
<br />Washington, DC 20036. March 1997. 80 pp. $15 plus $5
<br />shipping and handling per. report/map. Also available online,
<br />including order forms, at wwwfarmland.org.
<br />The American Farmland Trust's 17 years of work in
<br />focusing policy analysis on the problem of farmland
<br />conversion to urban uses is by now common knowledge
<br />among planners. This latest report details the farmland losses
<br />in what AFT considers the 20 metropolitan areas with the
<br />most rapid urban sprawl into prime or unique farmland,
<br />complete with national, state, and regional maps. A
<br />concluding policy discussion lays out national, state, and
<br />local policy considerations and'research and information
<br />needs in formulating effective responses to the problem.
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