Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Land Use Tables

Much of the regulation in the proposed zoning ordinance relies on the classification of either land use or intensity. The first component of this, land use, is conveyed in three tables. The first is an overview of the zoning districts.

Several districts from the existing code are renamed in the proposed ordinance. One example of this is the former RA district becoming Agricultural Open (AO). Other districts have been replaced to fit more closely with the Vision 2020 plan. Residential Estate (R-E), Residential Low Density (R-L), Residential Medium Density (R-M), and Residential High Density (R-H) are examples of such districts. Some districts have been split to provide increased land use precision. Under the proposed code, the existing B-1 district would become Retail/Office Low Intensity (C-L), Retail/Office Medium Intensity (C-M), and Retail/Office High Intensity (C-H) to accomplish this purpose. In addition, new districts are proposed. Town Center (both TC-1 and TC-2) are examples of these additions. Lastly, several districts will be retained with few if any alterations other than name or minor text changes. Single Family Manufactured Home (HM-SF), Manufactured Home Park (MH-P), General Industrial (GI), and Light Industrial/Business Park (LI-BP) are examples of these small changes.

All existing Planned Development Districts (PDD) will remain in force and unchanged under the proposed ordinance. These are primarily found in residential neighborhoods such as Rosebrook. Existing deed restrictions will remain in place, as these instruments are not regulated by the City or zoning.

Under the proposed code, land use will be regulated through a Use Table. This table centralizes the list of permitted uses in a more user friendly format. The table (presented here in two parts) shows the various districts along the top row. Each use is listed vertically in the left-hand column. To read the table, find the cell which lines up with the desired use and zoning district. Uses which are permitted by right are labeled with a "P." Uses which are permitted with conditions are also listed. The basic conditioned are included in the cell itself. If these conditions are met, no Conditional Use Permit (CUP) will be required. Uses which are labeled with a "-" are not permitted.

An example for how to read the code would be Auction Sales in the AO district. As shown on the table, this use would be permitted when such sales relate directly to agricultural activities. Another example, Automotive Related Services are not permitted in the AO district.

As supported in the Vision 2020 Plan and discussed in the public involvement of this program, the concept of mixed-use districts is proposed. The primary mixed-use districts will be the two Town Center Districts (TC-1, and TC-2). These districts will have a high degree of mixing, both within the same site as well as within the same building. Other districts will also permit some mixed use. For example, Residential High Density (R-H) will allow for some commercial uses within residential buildings. The district also provides for some complementary commercial uses as single use developments. Mixed-use provisions also allow for upper story multi-family to be incorporated into commercial buildings within all Retail/Office districts.







2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Would "The Market" be an agricultural landuse since they sell produce and farm goods?

BPS Christopher said...

Chuck, The Market would be classified as a retail use. But it is a good question. In fact it came up during a public meeting.