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Another is Columbia Pil<e, where Arlington
<br />Counry, Virginia, officials seel<to revitalize an
<br />aging commercial corridor that has seen little
<br />development over the past 4o years. Even
<br />under the current strong marl<et conditions,
<br />redevelopment under existing zoning has
<br />proven virtually impossible.
<br />In St. Lucie Counry, Florida, 28 square
<br />miles (72 sq I<m) on the outsl<irts of Fort
<br />Pierce have been planned by counry officials
<br />for several new towns and villages. A new
<br />form-based code has just been adopted to
<br />ensure that the towns and villages are built
<br />with traditional neighborhoods while the sur-
<br />rounding countryside is preserved for agricul-
<br />ture and habitat restoration.
<br />Municipal officials in Petaluma, California,
<br />have created a new vision for Central Peta-
<br />luma, which has been dominated by freight
<br />transport along the Petaluma River and rail
<br />lines. A new form-based code has replaced
<br />the city's conventional zoning for the entire
<br />area and promotes narrower streets, wider
<br />sidewallcs, and minimum building heights
<br />to create urban character near the historic
<br />downtown.
<br />Advantages
<br />More user friendly than conventional zoning,
<br />form-based codes are written in plain English
<br />and mal<e liberal use of matrices, diagrams,
<br />and other illustrations.
<br />Form-based codes are written to fulfill a
<br />specific physical vision for a place. Which
<br />neighborhood patterns should be retained
<br />and protected? Which are obsolete and
<br />should be replaced? These decisions need to
<br />be based on a broad public consensus.
<br />This "upfronY' agreement on the desired
<br />future, often reached through a public participa-
<br />tion charrette or some othervisioning method,
<br />allows for the creation of precise and objective
<br />codes that can remove much ofthe politics and
<br />uncertainry from the approval process.
<br />A code with clear and concise rules can
<br />deliver predictabiliry for both the developer
<br />and the communiry. For fundamental issues
<br />about the creation of public spaces, such as
<br />avoiding blanl< walls or parl<ing lots along
<br />sidewallcs, the rules are very strict. Other is-
<br />sues are truly less important for urban form,
<br />such as micromanagement of parl<ing or of
<br />what uses can tal<e place in each building
<br />St. Lucie Count�
<br />WAVES OF DEVELOPMENT dCl"O55 F�01"Idd
<br />are rendering many communities unrecog-
<br />nizable. As the wave began to displace
<br />valuable agricultural lands on the outslcirts
<br />of Fort Pierce in St Lucie County, it collided
<br />with local residents who understood the
<br />damage inherent in poorly planned, widely
<br />dispersed development.
<br />After growth was temporarily stopped,
<br />residents began to realize it was the form
<br />of new development-not growth itself-
<br />that was their real concem.
<br />Assisted by the Treasure Coast Regional
<br />Planning Council, the community and
<br />county officials agreed on a master plan for
<br />28 square miles (72 sq Icm) of farmland.
<br />This plan included several new towns and
<br />villages surrounded by countryside that
<br />would be preserved for agriculture and
<br />habitat restoration. A central bacicbone
<br />system for water management would
<br />Central Petaluma
<br />CITY OFFICIALS IN PETALUMA, Califor-
<br />nia, have created a new vision for Central
<br />Petaluma, a 400-acre (162-ha) area adja-
<br />cent to Petaluma's historic downtown.
<br />This plan would extend the form and
<br />character of the pedestrian-oriented down-
<br />town into an area historically occupied by
<br />industrial uses that depended on a river-
<br />based economy and transport system that
<br />no longer exists.
<br />With other parts of Petaluma already
<br />built out, this area represented a unique
<br />opportunity for new development that
<br />could complement the historic downtown
<br />and connect it to the river.
<br />Central Petaluma will contain a range of
<br />residential and commercial uses that can
<br />coexist in proximity to one another to
<br />create a lively urban environment. The his-
<br />toric Petaluma Depot would be restored for
<br />passenger service and become the bus
<br />transit center while the river itself becomes
<br />the fows of civic life.
<br />A new form-based code, based on the
<br />model SmartCode, has replaced the city's
<br />conventional zoning for the entire area. Dif-
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<br />Concept forTowns/Villages/Countryside plan in
<br />St. Lucie County.
<br />replace the current system of straight-line
<br />agriwltural canals that overdrain the land
<br />and pollute the Indian River Lagoon.
<br />A new form-based code has just been
<br />adopted to ensure that the towns and vil-
<br />lages are built with traditional neighbor-
<br />hoods while the surrounding countryside is
<br />permanently preserved through the transfer
<br />of development rights.
<br />First Street warehouses in
<br />central Petaluma in January
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<br />First Street condos and warehouses �
<br />in July zoo6.
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<br />ferent sections of the site are coded for
<br />varying densities, minimum and maximum
<br />building heights, parlcing areas, and per-
<br />centages of frontage types. The code clearly
<br />describes new streets, open spaces, roads,
<br />and even structures facing the river. Of
<br />greatest importance, the new code allows
<br />for the mixing of stores, homes, and worlc-
<br />places as found in the historic downtown.
<br />SEPTEMBER 2006 URBAN LAND
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