Balanced Land Use Strategies Using Density and Design to Achieve Your Community’s Goals.

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Balanced Land Use Strategies

Using Density and Design to Achieve Your Community’s Goals

VISUAL PREFERENCE SURVEY

• It comes back to balance & a place for everything in your community.

• Which do people like… what about those photos do they like?

1.6 Units/Acre

Grosse Pointe, MI

Images: Lincoln Institute

3.8 Units/Acre

Holdenville, Oklahoma

10.2 Units/Acre

Sandusky, Ohio

11.2 Units/Acre

Hamtramck, MI

15.2 Units/Acre

Shaker Heights, Ohio

19.2 Units/Acre

Shaker Heights, Ohio

Visualizing Density

Density: 10 units/ac Density: 10 units/ac

Which has higher density?

Density: 1.9 units/ac Density: 3.2 units/ac

Setting Your Goals

• Where do you want development and conservation to occur?

• What type of development do you want, and what would you like it to look like?

• At what density is development most appropriate in any given area of your community?

How To Reach YOUR Goals

• What decisions can you make about land use?– County– Township– Municipality

• What aspects of land use can you impact?– Location– Type– Density

• Design

– Pattern (compact vs dispersed)

Putting Development into Context

Balancing Land Use

• Planning for the location of development• Mix of uses and densities• Not a limit on development, but a direction of

where and how.• To work with these strategies, density must be

understood.

History of Density

• Aversion to density stems from historic overcrowding of the working class poor.

• Housing reforms & building codes typically led to a desire for more space.

Source: NAHB

Blaming Density

• Density itself was not to blame, but the association with density took root.

• Poverty, poor sanitation, and poor health care were at the center of the problem.

• Today, areas with the highest density have the highest property values.– Washington DC, Philadelphia, Manhattan

• Density does not determine value

Source: NAHB

DESIGN DENSITY VALUE

What is Value?

• Aesthetics, Beauty, Visual Interest• Feeling of light, air, space• Property Value• Value to homeowner• Value to community• Value to character• Being “shoulder-to-shoulder”

“Growing” CommunitiesUS Census Population 1950 – 1,389,582

US Census Population 2002 – 1,393,978

Cuyahoga Co Land Use Maps – Cuyahoga Co Planning Commission

The Modern Household

Density as a Solution

• Density is not THE solution, it is A solution• Without design considerations, any density

can be problematic for value

Crossings at Gresham Station, Gresham Oregon.

Farmland lossDade County, Florida.

Regardless of Density, Design Matters

Density: 11.7 units/ac Density: 11.7 units/ac

Density as a Solution

• A variety of densities are important for any community – it isn’t just about higher density.

• Higher density supports commercial ventures and houses employees and patrons.

• Balance of density protects rural landscapes and working farmlands.

• Several tools are available to help communities do both.

Levels of Density

Locating Density

Land Use Tools

Setting Your Goals

• Where do you want development and conservation to occur?

• What type of development do you want, and what would you like it to look like?

• At what density is development most appropriate in any given area of your community?

How To Reach YOUR Goals

• What decisions can you make about land use?– County– Township– Municipality

• What aspects of land use can you impact?– Location– Type– Density

• Design

– Pattern (compact vs dispersed)

Strategies for Balanced Land UseUrban Suburban Rural

Compact Development

Conservation Development

Farmland Preservation

Transfer of Development Rights

Historic Protection

Scenic Protection

Compact DevelopmentHistoric Preservation

AccessibilityLocal character

Compact Development Issues

• Mix of Uses• Incorporate a hierarchy of scales• Traditional street design (blocks, setbacks)• Pedestrian-friendly walking distances• Provides for civic spaces• Shared parking & specific parking calculations• Design guidelines to set local character

Compact Development Recommendations

• Locate compact development as part of a Comprehensive Planning Process

• Look for ways to incorporate multiple uses• Develop specific planning concepts for

individual districts or neighborhoods• Develop street design and parking strategy

that incorporates a range of transportation options.

• Develop design guidelines.

Conservation Development

•40-50% Permanent Open Space•Quality Open Space•Resource Protection•Appropriate Development Intensity

Conventional Conservation Development

Conservation Development Issues

• Based on “neutral density”• Water and wastewater must be addressed• Public vs private roads• Linkage of open spaces• Wetlands, floodplains, and streamside

setbacks need discussed in the code• Perimeter distances must be considered• Balancing of incentives with disincentives

Conservation Development Recommendations

• Permanent protection of open space should be provided for

• Not meant for protection of large tracts of land, but for critical areas

• Connectivity of open space and critical resource protection is important

• Minimum project size should be considered• At least 40% open space and a maximum of

10-20% density bonus should be allowed

Historic Protection

Historic Protection Issues

• Inventory and classification of existing sites can be critical to future protection

• Design guidelines should be established to preserve character of the site

• Commission may be necessary to oversee the application process

• Public relations and education may be necessary

Historic Protection Recommendations

• Historic protection should be provided for through a comprehensive planning process

• Inventory, evaluation, and prioritization of historic sites should be done

• Site boundaries, design guidelines, variance procedures, and violation guidelines should be addressed in zoning.

Scenic Protection

Scenic Protection Issues

• Scenic protection impacts scenic enjoyment, tourism, and property values

• Designation of areas should be a part of comprehensive planning process

• A reviewing body may be needed to act as an enforcer of specified guidelines

Scenic Protection Recommendations

• Designated areas should be addressed through a comprehensive planning process

• Protection should be applied through zoning provisions

• Regulations should include design, setbacks, enforcement, and penalties

Agricultural Lands Protection

Ag Lands Protection Issues

• Best as part of a comprehensive plan, well before development pressure reaches an area

• Primary and secondary areas for protection can be identified

• Zoning codes vary widely in their provisions, for a county or township, they should not attempt to regulate agricultural purposes

• Tools include Agricultural Districts, CAUV, and Agricultural Security Areas

Ag Lands Protection Recommendations

• Thorough public education and involvement is important to designating lands

• Including other tools, such as TDR, should be used to help with agricultural lands protection

• Purchase of development rights and agricultural easements can be important to protecting ag lands.

Transfer of Development Rights

Market-based technique that encourages the voluntary transfer of growth from places

where a community would like to see little or no development, called sending areas, to places where increased development is

considered appropriate, called receiving areas.

TDR Issues

• Conservation easement is placed on the sending areas to limit or prohibit future development of the site.

• Unlike Conservation Development, the value of protected areas can be realized through sale of the development rights

• TDR only works where a viable market exists• Rights could be transferred as floor area, lot

coverage, or structures per area

TDR Recommendations

• Sending areas should focus on key resources, much as conservation development would

• Size of sending & receiving areas impacts ability to create viable market &realize environmental benefits

• A TDR bank may be necessary to allow for the exchange of development rights between areas over a more flexible schedule

• It will not stop growth all together, and may be successful in comm./industrial settings first

Northeast Ohio Regions

Conservation Development Zone Rural

Preservation Zone

Compact Development – Urban Core & First Suburbs

Historic Preservation Zone

Natural Resources/ Scenic Preservation

Images: EcoCity Cleveland

Balanced Land Use Strategies Using Density and Design to Achieve Your Community’s Goals.

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