[Zoning Order §7.040, 4-2-2008]
Large lot and suburban development patterns in the Official
Master Plan shall be implemented by the following design standards.
They shall apply to the following zoning districts: "LR-2", "R-40",
"R-20", "R-10", "R-7", "PR-1", "PR-2", "NC-1", "CC-2", "PC", "PB"
and "NPI".
[Zoning Order §7.050, 4-2-2008]
A.
Residential Uses.
1.
Encourage the preservation or adaptive use of open space.
2.
Encourage maintenance of natural topography, substantial trees and
tree groupings, hedgerows and other existing landscape features.
3.
Encourage developments with mixtures of densities, lot sizes, housing
types and land uses.
4.
Encourage linking neighborhoods with safe, attractive pedestrian
connections both along the street and on open space greenways.
5.
Connect residences to each other and to neighborhood parks, schools,
public facilities and shops with direct pedestrian pathways.
6.
Encourage interconnectivity among neighborhoods to distribute traffic
evenly and avoid excessive traffic on any one (1) street and limit
traffic cutting-through from one neighborhood to another or from one
County-maintained road to another.
7.
Minimize cut-through traffic within a neighborhood by providing a
safe access configuration for internal and external traffic movement
and design streets with appropriate speeds based upon the intended
use, allowing for narrower widths and other traffic calming measures.
8.
Encourage parks and community facilities.
9.
Provide for varying front yard depths including allowance for increasing
the proportion of rear yard area to front yard area to provide for
privacy and to foster a more intimate and friendly neighborhood street.
B.
Non-Residential Uses.
1.
Facilitate efficient and attractive working conditions and provide
places for employees to socialize and enjoy recreation. For example,
development in the "PB" Planned Business Park District can be designed
to facilitate socialization for business and pleasure by including
restaurants, health clubs and other supportive uses that serve both
the employees in the district and the community as a whole.
2.
Improve business efficiency and competitiveness as well as personal
well-being among employees by locating business and personal services
within the "PB" District and provide for a high degree of walkability
between office buildings and these services.
3.
Facilitate pedestrian circulation among shops by encouraging appropriate
storefront windows, signs and lighting in building design. Encourage
the positioning of small local stores in front of big box stores to
create a continuous shopping environment.
4.
Encourage the design of commercial developments as a "district" rather
than a "strip", so that the groupings of businesses can be approached
from more places around the perimeter resulting in less congestion
and more accessibility, including pedestrians and bicyclists.
[Zoning Order §7.060, 4-2-2008]
A.
Residential
uses implementing the suburban and large lot development patterns
in the Official Master Plan (development proposals averaging two (2)
acre lot sizes or less) shall meet the following design standards.
1.
Street design.
a.
Streets shall be laid out so that any single block face does not
exceed one thousand five hundred (1,500) feet in length. Street layouts
that provide right-of-way connections to the edge of the development
adjacent to parcels of land that may develop in the future may be
required where physically feasible considering grade and location
so that this street pattern can be maintained, cut-through conflicts
can be reduced and traffic circulation can be increased.
b.
Cul-de-sacs should be used where topographical conditions or natural
features limit potential street connections. Alternative street layouts,
such as eyebrows or loop lanes, may be used as an alternative to cul-de-sacs.
c.
If sidewalks are proposed on one (1) or both sides of a street, sidewalks
should be separated from the street pavement by a planting strip with
a minimum width of:
[Zoning Order §7.070, 4-2-2008]
A.
Non-residential
uses implementing the suburban and large lot development patterns
in the Official Master Plan, not including industrial uses designed
in accordance with Division 6 of this Article, shall meet the following
design standards.
1.
Street design.
a.
Streets shall be laid out so that any single block face does not
exceed one thousand five hundred (1,500) feet.
b.
Block faces may exceed one thousand five hundred (1,500) feet where
internal drive aisles are provided to accommodate anticipated traffic.
Internal drive aisles shall mimic the landscaping, planting strip,
vehicle lane and curb cut design standards of the intersecting street.
c.
Curb cuts should be minimized. Alternative access points through
local alleys or on major local access or local access streets are
encouraged to avoid overloading any single access. Curb cuts and internal
drive aisles shall be separated by a minimum of one hundred twenty-five
(125) feet from one another or from intersecting street rights-of-way.
d.
Sidewalks adjoining the front of a building facade shall be a minimum
of eight (8) feet wide. Sidewalks separated three (3) or more feet
from building facades may be as narrow as five (5) feet wide. Sidewalks
should be provided along street rights-of-way.
e.
Street layouts should provide right-of-way connections to the edge
of the development to adjacent sites, so that street patterns can
be extended to future development, where topography allows and future
anticipated land uses would benefit.
2.
Building relationship to street.
a.
Building entrances and entrances to business services are encouraged
to face onto an existing street or major internal drive.
b.
Buildings are strongly encouraged to present their building fronts
with windows and provide employee and general public entrances on
an existing street or major internal drive.
c.
The open space requirement may be waived if an equally acceptable
open space is provided on an adjacent lot subject to appropriate deeds,
restrictions or easements or an equally acceptable open space, as
identified in Division 8 of this Article, is dedicated to the public
subject to County approval.
3.
Lot access, circulation and parking.
a.
To minimize curb cuts, vehicle and pedestrian connections between
adjacent lots should be used to eliminate the need for multiple curb
cuts along a street. Accesses through local alleys or major local
access or local access streets are encouraged.
b.
An internal circulation system shall provide designated pedestrian
connections between all buildings on the site and between the primary
entrance of all buildings and the right-of-way. Pedestrian connections
should be at least as frequent and direct as any vehicle access lanes.
c.
Parking areas with more than one hundred (100) spaces shall include
designated walkways, at least five (5) feet wide, connecting the parking
area with the building. One (1) designated walkway shall be installed
for every two hundred fifty (250) feet of building frontage on the
primary parking area. Locations where the designated walkways intersect
with vehicle travel lanes should be minimized. These locations should
have a paved surface differing from the vehicle travel lane, such
as pavers or textured and colored pavement.
4.
Relationship to adjacent property.
a.
In instances where lots are smaller than six thousand (6,000) square
feet or where buildings are less than fifty (50) feet from the right-of-way,
the pedestrian and vehicular connections provided by the streets will
be considered sufficient connections. In all other cases, alternatives,
such as cross access easements or pedestrian alleys, should be considered.
b.
In instances where uses of different intensity or different zoning districts abut, a buffer meeting the requirements of Article XIV should be provided. However, transitions should be designed to ensure that the uses are compatible and may include:
(1)
A perimeter masonry wall, landscaping or a combination of a
masonry wall and landscaping between three (3) to four (4) feet high
and including gates for pedestrian access in appropriate places;
(2)
Access roads, overflow parking, storm drainage facilities or
any other low intensity element of the site located near transition
areas including landscaping elements, berms or screening walls that
make the transitions to the less intense use; and
(3)
Four-sided architecture (designing all sides of the building
with similar architectural details, materials and colors to avoid
the appearance of a back side of any building), where rear of structure
is visible from a public view.
