Breaking Ground: Planning and Building in Priority Growth Districts Jeremy Stone
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Yale University EliScholar – A Digital Platform for Scholarly Publishing at Yale Forestry & Environmental Studies Publications School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Series 2005 Breaking Ground: Planning and Building in Priority Growth Districts Jeremy Stone Joshua Rinesmith Sue Huot John R. Nolan Follow this and additional works at: https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/fes-pubs Part of the Environmental Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Stone, Jeremy; Rinesmith, Joshua; Huot, Sue; and Nolan, John R., "Breaking Ground: Planning and Building in Priority Growth Districts" (2005). Forestry & Environmental Studies Publications Series. 21. https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/fes-pubs/21 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at EliScholar – A Digital Platform for Scholarly Publishing at Yale. It has been accepted for inclusion in Forestry & Environmental Studies Publications Series by an authorized administrator of EliScholar – A Digital Platform for Scholarly Publishing at Yale. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Breaking Ground: Planning and Building in Priority Growth Districts A Guide for Local Leaders Jeremy Stone, EDITOR Joshua Rinesmith and Sue Huot, ASSISTANT EDITORS John R. Nolon, SENIOR EDITOR Jessica A. Bacher, PROJECT COORDINATOR Land Use Law Center, Pace University School of Law Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies 2005 3 Breaking Ground: Planning and Building in Priority Growth Districts A Guide for Local Leaders Jeremy Stone, EDITOR Joshua Rinesmith and Sue Huot, ASSISTANT EDITORS John R. Nolan, SENIOR EDITOR Jessica A. Bacher, PROJECT COORDINATOR Land Use Law Center, Pace University School of Law executive summary The need to control sprawl, encourage Smart Growth, and create more livable neighborhoods that instill a sense of community through traditional neighborhood design, are topics in the forefront of national discussions about community planning and development. There is an innovative land use technique that can be used by communities to manage and define future growth in a way that creates more livable places, places that are environmentally, socially, and fiscally sound. Specifically, a community may designate mixed-use Priority Growth Districts, or PGDs, which direct development to selected locations and also specify a design that is attractive to the community’s current and future residents. This report provides the necessary tools and describes the steps that a community may take to designate Priority Growth Districts and reap their many benefits. The PGD concept discussed here is particularly suited for outlying suburban and exurban counties, where the rate of growth is significant but there is still a rural character that can be preserved. Growth in these areas may result from the actions of transportation agencies, which make outlying communities more accessible, from housing shortages in areas near job centers, or from the changing housing needs of current residents. The pressure to provide new homes can best be addressed through the identification of PGDs where roadways and other infrastructure either exist or can be accommodated. This report draws examples primarily from Dutchess and Orange counties in New York State, but the principles and techniques discussed here are applicable in various locations. yale school of forestry & environmental studies 5 acknowledgements The Land Use Law Center gratefully recognizes the generous financial support of WCI Spectrum Communities, which made the research, writing, and printing of this publication possible. The following contributed material to this report: John Collins, President, John Collins Engineers, PC Syrette Dym, AICP, Senior Vice President, Saccardi & Schiff, Inc. Paul Gallay, Esq., Executive Director, Westchester Land Trust Jeff Kane, AICP, Director of Land Development, Lawler, Matusky & Skelly Engineers, LLP Bruce R. Lozito, AICP, Development Consultant; Law Student, Pace University School of Law Kevin McManus, Vice President, Planning and Development, WCI Spectrum Communities Mark P. Miller, Esq., Veneziano & Associates Josh Rinesmith, Law Student, Intern, Land Use Law Center, Pace University School of Law John J. Saccardi, AICP, Principal, Saccardi & Schiff, Inc. Russ Slayback, CPG, Chairman, Leggette, Brashears & Graham, Inc. Jeremy Stone, Law Student, Intern, Land Use Law Center, Pace University School of Law The following served as readers for this report: Matthew A. Bavoso, Associate, McCullough, Goldberger & Staudt, LLP Paul Gratzel, Vice President – Finance and Operations, LeylandAlliance LLC Gerald N. Jacobowitz, Partner, Jacobowitz and Gubits, LLP Howard Kaufman, Executive Vice President, LeylandAlliance LLC Susan Newman, Project Coordinator, Ginsburg Development LLC Tim Vilinskis, 3V Development Corporation yale school of forestry & environmental studies breaking ground: planning and building ina priority guide for growth local districtsleaderrs 7 Table of Contents chapter one: the priority growth district concept 11 Overview 11 Background and Planning Foundation 11 Potential Benefits of Smart Growth and PGDs 14 Priority Growth Districts Defined 15 Case Study Illustrations 17 LaGrange Town Center 17 Warwick Grove, Warwick 18 Four Corners, East Fishkill 18 Piority Growth District Principles 20 Identified Community Needs and Benefits 27 Settlement Patterns and Demographic Conditions 28 Added Benefits of Incentive Zoning 29 Developer Benefits 30 Developer Certainty And Streamlined Approvals 30 Market Diversity 31 Meeting Societal Needs 31 chapter two: zoning and planning 33 Introduction 33 The Comprehensive Plan 33 Step One: Identify Critical Issues 34 Step Two: Set Goals 35 Step Three: Establish Objectives 36 Step Four: Develop Planning Strategies 36 Step Five: Devise An Implementation Plan 37 Implementation Tools 38 Zoning and Land Use Regulations 38 Priority Growth District 38 Floating Priority Growth District 39 Priority Growth District Overlay Zone 41 Additional Provisions 42 Incentive Zoning 42 Transfer of Development Rights 44 Cluster Development 46 Waiver Provision 47 yale school of forestry & environmental studies 8 breaking ground: planning and building in priority growth districts chapter three: site selection 49 Introduction 49 Net Buildable Acreage and Project Density 49 Net Buildable Acreage 50 Areas Targeted For Preservation 50 Unusable Lands 51 Exterior Project Setback or Buffers 53 Project Density 53 Proximate Land Uses 53 Infrastructure 54 Transportation 54 Water and Sewage Systems 54 Economic Viability 57 chapter four: site planning 59 Introduction 59 Overall Layout and Site Design 59 Residential Uses 61 Overall Site Layout and Design for Residential Uses 61 Individual Lot Design for Residential Uses 66 Commercial Center Development 67 Architecture and Design Themes 68 Roadway Design for Pedestrians, Bicyclists, and Motor Vehicles 70 Traditional Roadway Specifications 70 Traffic Calming Measures Available in PGDs 71 Pedestrian—Bicycle Activity 73 Grid Design vs. Cul-de-sac 73 Land Conservation as a Complement to Development 74 chapter five: how to work with developers 77 Why Would a Municipality Want to Work with a Developer? 77 What Does a Developer Need to Achieve an Economically Viable Development? 77 Location 78 Appropriate Density 78 The Land Plan 79 Community Components 80 Architecture 80 What Tools and Techniques Does the Municipality Have for Working with the Developer? 81 Financial Incentives 81 Land Assemblage 81 Streamlining the Process 82 yale school of forestry & environmental studies breaking ground: planning and building in priority growth districts 9 chapter six: new york state case studies 85 Four Corners: East Fishkill, New York 85 Town Center: LaGrange, New York 92 Warwick Grove: Warwick, New York 97 chapter seven: priority growth district projects in other states 103 Introduction 103 Case Study: Kentlands: Gaithersburg, Maryland 104 Case Study: I’On: Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina 108 Case Study: Alachua County, Florida 112 Case Study: Sun Prairie, Wisconsin 115 Additional Case Studies 119 Alabama New Jersey California New Mexico Colorado North Carolina Florida Oregon Georgia South Carolina Louisiana Tennessee Maryland Texas Massachusetts Virginia Michigan Washington glossary of land use terms 135 appendix: transportation corporation and water/sewage districts 137 yale school of forestry & environmental studies the priority growth district concept 11 The Priority Growth District Concept overview This report describes an innovative land use technique that can be used by communities to manage and define future growth in a way that creates more livable places, places that are environmentally, socially, and fiscally sound. Specifically, a community may designate mixed-use Priority Growth Districts, or PGDs, which direct development to selected locations and also specify a design that is attractive to the community’s current and future residents. This report provides the necessary tools and describes the steps that a community may take to designate Priority Growth Districts and reap their many benefits. The PGD concept discussed here is particularly suited for outlying suburban and exurban counties, where the rate of growth is significant but there is still a rural character that can be preserved. Growth in these areas may result from the actions of transportation agencies that make outlying communities more accessible, housing shortages in areas near job centers, and the changing housing needs of current