HomeMy WebLinkAboutDAIS Final Report, Volume 1March 30, 2000
COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE
Department of Planning & Community Development
401 Mclntire Road, Room 218
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902-4596
(804) 296 - 5823
Fax (804) 972 - 4035
Mr. Charles Martin, Chair
Albemarle County Board of Supervisors
Albemarle County Office Building
401 Mclntire Road
Charlottesville, VA 22902
Dear Chairman Martin:
On behalf of the Development Areas Initiatives Steering Committee, DISC, we are pleased to
transmit our Final Report on the Development Areas. We hope that the information and
guidelines set forth by this report will assist the Board in its efforts to direct growth into the
Development Areas without compromising the "quality of life" in any one of the Development
Areas. As outlined in the Executive Summary, the Final Report is in three volumes. Volume 1
contains Part I of the Final Report, The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the
Development Areas. This part articulates the "vision" for a new pattern or form of development
in the Development Areas. Volume 2 contains Part II, Recommendations for Policy and
Regulatory Changes and Part III. Results of the DISC Workshop: Implementation Strategies.
Volume 3 contains the "supporting" documents produced by our consultant, Torti Gallas and
Partners. CHK, Inc. and the DISC Interim Report, February 1999. Although each part of the
Final Report is a discrete document, we hope the Board will see the relevance of all components
of the Final Report and move towards their adoption in the very near future.
A great many people have contributed to the contents of this report. Above all, we wish to
acknowledge the life of David Tice. Without David's early leadership, this process would never
have gotten "off the ground." As the first chair of this committee, D~tvid charted the direction of
our work and established criteria for the selection of our consultant. Second, the cooperation and
genuine commitment exhibited by Elaine Echols, Sr. Planner for the County has been
extraordinary and truly appreciated. Simply put, this committee's work would not have come to
fruition without her. Third, we would like to thank our consultant, Neal Payton of Torti-Gallis.
CHK. Without Neal's expertise in architecture, architectural history and urban design, we would
not have "broken out of the box" and envisioned a new paradigm for development. In addition
to these principal players, we would like to thank David Benish, ChiefofPlarming and
Community Development for his historical perspective and technical understanding of existing
County policies and regulations. Likewise, Wayne Cilimberg, Director of Plauning and
Community Development and Greg Kamptner, Assistant County Attorney and Ginnie
McDonald, formerly of the Housing Office provided ongoing guidance and technical assistance,
Lee Catlin was invaluable in helping up .plan and facilitate the January 29, 2000 workshop. We
would also like to thank each of the County department heads and staff members and Paul Shoop
of the Albemarle County Service Authority (ACSA) for lending their agency's perspective. We
also wish to acknowledge the staff of the Sutherland, Burley and Jack Jouett middle schools for
the use of their facilities during our public meetings and charrettes. We would also like to thank
you Mr. Chairman and Mr. David Bowerman for taking part in our deliberations, offering
guidance and sacrificing your already precious time.
Next on our list are the DISC members themselves. It has been an arduous three years of
constant deliberations and decision-making. That a 22-member citizen committee tenaciously
grappled with a seemingly endless array of complex, interrelated issues for so long goes "above
and beyond the call of duty," We would like to commend them all for their diligence and good
work. In particular, Steve Runkle of the Kessler Group contributed the use of the Glenmore
Community Building for an earlier workshop in August of 1998. Beth Meyer and Bruce Dotson
both of the University of Virginia, contributed their considerable expertise in the planning and
execution of the January 2000 workshop. Sherry Buttrick of the Sustainability Council, provided
insight and direction in the formulation of "sustainability indicators" for the Neighborhood
Model.
Finally, we wish to acknowledge the memory of David Tice. Many of you may recall that David
often began our meetings and charrettes with a pertinent saying from the past. In the spirit of
David Tice, we wish to close with a quote for the Enlightenment political philosopher and
statesman, Edmund Burke.
"The temporary possessors and life-renters in the commonwealth, unmindful of what they
have received from their ancestors, inevitably become unmindful of what is due to their
posterity."
The Final Report on the Development Areas is a painstakingly thorough expression of what we,
the Development Initiatives Steering Committee, believe to be due to our posterity. It is now up
to the Board of Supervisors to take what the DISC has accomplished over these past three years,
and use it to chart a prudent course for the future of Albemarle County. We have appreciated the
opportunity to serve Albemarle County in that endeavor.
Sincerely, .
Kathleen M. Galvin, U-chair
KMG
Eric Strucko, co-chair
Executive Summary March 30, 2000
Development Area Initiatives Steering Committee (DISC)
THE FINAL REPORT
Purpose of the Final Report
This Final Report establishes the rationale for changing the form of development in
Albemarle County so that it can ultimately accommodate the densities outlined by the
Comprehensive Plan. It is also intended to serve as a guide for citizen groups, county
staff and future consultants on how to master plan the County's Development Areas.
Finally, the specific recommendations included in this Final Report provide a set of
design guidelines for future development and redevelopment.
Contents of the Final Report
This Final Report is in three volumes. The contents of each volume are:
Volume 1
Part I. The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas.
Volume 2
Part II. Recommendations for Policy and Regulatory Changes.
Part III. Results of the DISC Workshop: Implementation Strategies.
Volume 3
Supporting Documents and the DISC Interim Report, February 1999.
Volume 4, Sustainability Indicators (Part IV) and Marketing Strategies (Part V), will be
appended to this Final Report, once a formal presentation of the first three parts of the
Final Report has been made to the Board of Supervisors.
VOLUME 1
Part I. The Neighborhood Model:
Building Block for the Development Areas
The Neighborhood Model is a discrete document which outlines a new "vision" for
development in Albemarle County and details a set' of guidelines to achieve that vision in
each of the Development Areas. The contents are as follows.
Section 1 :Introduction
In order for Albemarle County to preserve its rural areas and accommodate future
population growth in its designated growth areas (i.e. the stated goals of the
Comprehensive Plan) a new form of development that is ultimately more compact, is
required. The designated growth areas (herein referred to as the Development Areas) will
not succeed as repositories for growth, however, if they do not offer a high quality of life
for a broad spectrum of the population. As expressed by the DISC Interim Report
(February 1999), "The form of development strongly influences the desirability of more
dense places. Consequently, short-term efforts by the County will be concentrated on
changing the form of development; long term efforts will promote the densities in the
Comprehensive Plan. The principle vehicle for effecting this change in development
practice for undeveloped sites and places where development has already occurred will
be the Neighborhood Model." The Neighborhood Model outlines the principles and
methods for achieving this goal for the Development Areas.
Section 2:Guiding Principles for a New Form of Development
Conventional development uses large tracts of land for typically single-use purposes.
The resulting settlement pattern, commonly referred to as "suburban sprawl," is
characterized by low residential densities, large building footprints, structures rarely
exceeding two stories and segregated land uses, accessible only by private automobile.
The product type and price range further distinguishes one residential development from
another. Under this scenario, the land available to accommodate projected population
growth (inclusive of home sites, places of employment and commercial/retail districts)
will more than likely be "built-out" before the year 2015. Pressure to develop the rural
areas will increase, traffic will become more congested and communities will grow more
insular. In contrast, the Neighborhood Model offers a more compact, vertical and diverse
form of development. The new guiding pnnciples of this form are:
1. Pedestrian orientation.
2. Safe, attractive and convenient streets and paths
3. Interconnected neighborhood streets and regional transportation networks
4. Parks and open space.
5. Neighborhood centers.
6. Buildings and spaces of human scale.
7. Relegated parking.
8. Mixture of land uses.
9. Mixture of housing types and affordability.
10. Redevelopment rather than abandonment.
11. Site planning that respects terrain.
12. Clear edges between the rural areas and the built environment.
Section 3:Fitting the Pieces Together-The Transect
A new method of conceptualizing and planning the built environment is required in order
to accommodate these new principles of development. That new conceptual framework
regards the neighborhood as the fundamental building block of the Development Area.
The neighborhood, in turn, is described via "the transect." By definition, the "transect" is
a cross-section of a neighborhood which identifies a "continuum" of densities and uses
within that neighborhood. The neighborhood center marks the area of highest intensity
whereas the edge marks the outer boundary of a neighborhood often characterized by a
lower intensity of development. The edge of any neighborhood is either distinctly rural
or another neighborhood (be it County or City.) The distance from center to edge is ¼
mile or a 5-minute walk (the ideal amount of time for walking from one destination to
another.) By extension, the ideal size of a neighborhood is a circle with a ¼ mile radius.
The "transect" offers a systematic approach for determining appropriate land use and
density for any given parcel in any given neighborhood, in accordance with the principles
of the Neighborhood Model.
Section 4:Building a Master Plan.
The eight steps to building a Master Plan for a Development Area are:
· Establishing a community visioning process.
· Assembling a group of stakeholders to develop the Master Plan.
· Identifying existing conditions and features.
· Identifying existing neighborhoods by locating centers.
· Assessing relationships between developed and undeveloped parcels.
· Determining desirable uses for undeveloped parcels.
· Creating a Development Area Master Plan.
· Providing implementation strategies.
As described in Section 3, the "transect" is a fundamental tool in this process. The first
task in applying the "transect" is identifying the neighborhood center of an actual
geographic area. Although the center is the area of greatest intensity, the literal center
could be a park or civic plaza, framed by buildings. It is during the master planning
process that the degree of land-use mixing and density for any given category along the
"transect" (as it is applied to an actual place) is determined. It is also during the master
planning process that issues of concurrency are addressed (i.e. road improvements and
construction, school construction, expansion of service delivery relative to increased
development, etc.).
Section 5:Design Approaches.
This section provides a catalogue of design strategies which achieve the principles of the
Neighborhood Model for streets, open space, neighborhood centers, building scale and
orientation, parking, land use mixing, affordable housing, redevelopment, sensitive site
planning and edges. The options provided are not exhaustive. Developers and others in
the community are encouraged to suggest additional ways that individual projects can
similarly meet the objectives of the Neighborhood Model.
Section 6:The Neighborhood Model Applied.
The Neighborhood Model envisions a coherent set of neighborhoods within each
Development Area. However, unique site conditions in the County will pose challenges
during implementation. The Towers Land Trust site in the Community of Hollymead.,
provided the opportunity to test the credibility of the Neighborhood Model. During a
public design workshop (i.e. a charrette), the "transect" (Section 3), elements of the
master planning process (Section 4) and several design approaches (Section 5) were
applied to this actual geographic area. The results of this public workshop (illustrated in
Section 6) reflect the effort of over 100 community participants.
Section 7:Strategies for Implementation.
This section outlines the consultant's general recommendations for implementing the
Neighborhood Model. The remaining two parts of the Final Report address many of these
issues in more detail.
VOLUME 2
Part II. Recommendations for Policy and Regulatory Changes
Existing policies, subdivision and zoning ordinances in Albemarle County, inhibit and in
many ways prohibit the type of development envisioned by the Neighborhood Model.
This statement also holds true for policies and regulations of other agencies in the
Commonwealth, most notably the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT.) A
"neighborhood" option which incorporates the principles of the Neighborhood Model is
therefore, simply not available to the consumer within the County. This part of the Final
Report addresses the need to change existing public policy, subdivision .and zoning
ordinances and agency regulations so that the Neighborhood Model form of development
is strongly encouraged, not simply allowed. Because of the speed with which the County
is growing, DISC believes these changes should take effect as soon as possible.
While staff is working on these policy and regulatory changes, the County should begin
the master planning process. As Master Plans are created, the County and its citizens
should carefully consider concurrency issues and the implications of making "by right"
land use designations compatible with a transect-based method of land use planning.
County staffwill be better able to assess the magnitude of change required to bring
existing zoning ordinances into conformity with the Neighborhood Model, once the
planning process is underway and the first Master Plan has been completed.
Part III. DISC Workshop Results: Implementation Strategies
On Saturday, January 29, 2000, DISC met for a full-day, facilitated workshop. The intent
of the workshop was twofold. The first goal was to strategize implementation measures
for both the master planning process and the development principles envisioned by
Neighborhood Model before master plans were completed. Among the many strategies
endorsed by DISC was the formation of a citizen committee (DISC II) to oversee the
implementation of Master Plans and revisions to County ordinances. In addition, the
Board of Supervisors would have to actively negotiate with the Richmond VDOT office
and lobby the General Assembly to change existing street standards.
The second goal was to resolve contextual policy issues not specifically addressed by the
consultant. It should be noted that three broad policy issues have loomed large throughout
DISC's deliberations; Rural Area Protection, Development Area Boundaries and
Affordable Housing. The relevance of these interrelated issues to DISC's work was first
articulated by the consultant's Build-Out Analysis, Preliminary Report on Conflicts and
two Focus Group Reports and reiterated in the DISC Interim Report, February 1999. The
resolutions included within this section are the product of considerable debate in a highly
structured setting.
VOLUME 3
Supportin~ Documents & Interim Report
Throughout this three-year process, the consultant, Torti-Gallis. CHK provided DISC with
invaluable data and analysis. This information was used to formulate the Neighborhood
Model and identify major obstacles to its implementation. These documents include:
· . Conflicts Memo
· Summary Build-out Analysis
· Spreadsheets on the Build-out Analysis
· Focus Group Report 1
· Towers Charrette Report
· Pantops & Crozet Charrette Reports
· Focus Group Report 2
In addition to the supporting documents supplied by the consultant, this volume contains
the DISC Interim Report, February 1999. The Interim Report represents DISC's first
formal attempt to articulate critical policy positions and new principles for development.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
The DISC will formally disband on May 3, 2000. Between now and that date, the DISC
will continue to formulate two more parts (Parts IV and V) which will be appended to the
Final Report as Volume 4. Part IV, "Sustainability Indicators," will measure the degree
to which the Neighborhood Model is successfully implemented and how closely the ·
Model's principles align with the "Vision of Sustainability" as articulated by the Thomas
Jefferson Sustainability Council. Part V, the "Marketing Strategy" will outline steps to
promote the Neighborhood Model to the public and decision-makers and educate
practitioners, County administrators and planners on its application.
During the past three years, many diverse opinions were offered at the DISC meetings.
As the agendas and meeting minutes will attest, all of these issues were thoroughly
discussed and debated. Impassioned members articulated their concerns to the group;
however, at no time did the co-chairs have to resort to a formal vote in order to resolve an
impasse. The Final Report, therefore, reflects a myriad number of decisi.ohs reached by
consensus. It is a testament to the ability of a committee with competing interests to
resolve issues in the best interest of the community.
End of Executive Summary March 30, 2000
5
County of Albemarle
Department of Planning and Community Development
Development Area Initiatives Steering Committee (DISC)
THE.DEVELOPMENT AREA
INITIATIVES PROJECT
VOLUME 1 OF THE FINAL REPORT
Tm~ NEIGHBORHOOD MODEL:
BUILDING BLOCK FOR TI~E DEVELOPMENT AREAS
March 22, 2000
Torti Gallas and Panners. CHK, Inc.
Dodson Associates
Center for Watershed Protection
McGuire Woods Battle and Boothe, LLP
County of Albemarle
Department of Planning and Community Development
Development Area Initiatives Steering Cormnittee (DISC)
TI E NEIGItBORItOOD MODEL:
BUILDING BLOCK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AREAS
March 22, 2000
Torti Gallas And Parmers · CHK, Inc.
Dodson Associates
Center for Watershed Protection
McGuire Woods Battle and Boothe, LLP.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD MODEL:
BUILDING BLOCK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AREAS
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development. Areas
Table of Contents
Section 1
INTRODUCTION: Development Area Planning and DISC p.3
Section 2
BUILDING IN THE DEVELOPMENT AREAS: The Neighborhood Model p.7
Section 3
FITTING THE PIECES TOGETHER:The Transect Concept p.29
Section 4
BUILDING THE MASTER PLAN p.37
Section 5
DESIGN APPROACHES p.55
I. Pedestrian Orientation p. 56
2. Neighborhood Friendly Streets and Paths: Options for Thoroughfares p. 58
3. Interconnected Streets and Transportation Networks p. 68
4. Parks and Open Space p. 78
5. Neighborhood Centers p. 85
6. Buildings and Spaces of Human Scale p. 86
7. Relegated Parking p. 93
8. Mixture of Uses p. 96
9. Mixture of Housing Types and Affordability p. 98
10. Redevelopment Rather Than Abandonment p.108
11. Site Planning That Respects Terrain p. 112
12. Clear Edges p. 117
Section 6
THE NEIGHBORHOOD MODEL APPLIED: The Towers Land Trust Site p.120
Section 7
GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTATION p.130
Appendix
The Transect Applied p.133
Land Use p. 134
Net Density, Building Siting, Streets and Terrain p. 136
Glossary p.138
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Torti Gallas and Partners . CHK, Inc. Dodson Associates Center for Watershed Protection McGuire Woods Battle and Boothe, LLP
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
19
5. NEIGI-IBORIIOOD CENTERS
The Neighborhood Model proposes
an overall increase in density in the
Development Areas and requires
that each neighborhood have a
designated center. Along with this
density would be changes in
community design to minimize
incompatibilities and provide
significant amenities. The overall
effect shouM be an increase in
appeal and livability of the
Development Areas.
In keeping with the County's Land Use Plan, the
Neighborhood Model anticipates an increase in
density in the Development Areas from the current
level (less than 4 du/acre) to a range between 3-6 du/
acre (neighborhood density) and 6-34 du/acre
(urban density). In most cases, the center is to be a
core of activity. This high-intensity area. containing
a mixture of businesses, services, public facilities,
and employment, connects to residential areas and
attracts activities of all kinds. Nearby densities
should be high enough to support these uses.
A center may also take the form of park or
recreational area surrounded by residences. It
functions as a public place, a focal point, and a
destination from which activity emanates.
Figure 2:15 The Square tn
Crozet, Virginia.
Figure 2:16 Sketch of King
Farm Town Center in
Rockville, Maryland, an
example of planning with
The Neighborhood Model.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
20
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 2:17 Typical
Business Park Development.
The area is made up of what
have been termed, "single
family" office buildings.
Each building, surrounded
by parking, is an object,
detracting from the sense of
the whole.
Figure 2:18 Lucca. Italy is
typical of many European
cities. P is composed in a
manner exactly opposHe to
the typical business park
above. The space is the
object. It is "vessel-like':
Each building is an asset
because it contributes to the
definition of the space.
Without any one of its
buildings, the space (vessel)
wouM leak. These are the
types of places people want
to stay in long past quitting
'time. Indeed these are the
types of places people visit
on vacation.
6. BUILDINGS AND SPACES OF
HUMAN SCALE
The Neighborhood Model
emphasizes the creation of urban
"neighborhoods, "rather than
"independent buildings.' It
anticipates an urban form itt which
the interrelationships among
buildings, spaces, and landscaping
create a sense of place. This
shouM result in new built
environments that people simply
enjoy being in.
Places that people like to be in are built on a
"human scale." In other words, the
proportions relate to the size of the human
body. A person generally is comfortable
standing on a traditional main street, whereas
he can feel overwhelmed and vulnerable
beside a superstore. Large buildings can
nevertheless include features, such as
Figure 2:19 First Street in
Charlottesville demonstrates
that the model of "space as
object" is applicable to the
Piedmont area of Virginia.
A sense of enclosure created
by the proximity of
buildings and landscape to
the street, coupled with the
richness of the architecture
combine to create one of
the most charming
residential streets in
Virginia's Piedmont region.
Torti Gallas and Partners · CHK, Inc. Dodson Associates Center for Watershed Protection McGuire Woods Battle and Boothe, LLP
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
storefronts and porches, to add a human
scale. It is the interrelationship among
the elements that matters, such as the
distance between buildings as well as
their individual heights.
The urban design principles so evident
in traditional villages and towns are an
excellent model, with updating for
modem needs such as the automobile.
Two important principles are the sense of
place and 'sense of enclosure.
The Lawn of the University of Virginia,
the Downtown Mall, and the downtown
of Crozet, for example, all evoke a sense
of place, a feeling that they are unique
and memorable. They are enjoyable
places to be because of their form
A sense of enclosure is essential to
creating such livable spaces. People tend
to be most comfortable outdoors when
the space is defined. Streets, the primary
public open spaces, are like outdoor
rooms. This is why quaint European
villages are such a joy to experience
even when they are architecturally
simple. In contrast, American streets are
. typically wider than the buildings are tall.
Street trees or other elements, however,
can be used to help enclose the space and
restore a comfortable human scale. In fact,
much of the value added by the Neighborhood
Model stems from such improvements to the
character of streets and other spaces that make
up the public realm
Figure 2:20 defij This
street in Obidos, Portugal is
lined with the simplest of
whitewashed buildings. The
charm of the street comes
from its degree of enclo-
sure. lis gentle curvature.
and a distant view of the
city's boundary wall
beyond. While such narrow
streets would not work in an
American context, they offer
a lesson on the tremendous
importance of enclosure,
careful building alignment.
and on the concept of the
space being more stgnifi-
cant than any of the
individual buildings along
the street.
Figure 2:21 (far left) York.
Place on the Downtown
Mall in Charlottesville has a
residential density of 57du/
acre plus an additional
commercial density of 1.0
FAR fFloor Area Ratio.~.
While the combined FAR
(commercial plus residen-
tiao of approximatel, v 2.5
would be considered high by
current Albemarle Count),
standards, it is indeed this
density, combined with the
humane scale and
proportions of its detail, that
enables it to contribute the
Mall's sense of place. For a
discussion of FAR see page
97.
Figure 2:22 The
"Altamont" in downtown
Charlottesville has a net
density of 88 du/acre.
Nevertheless. it sits cornfort-
ably at the end of a
residential street of
considerably less density
providing an architectural
focal point at the street's
terminus.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Developmeht Areas
Figure 2:23 Typical
shopping mall surrounded
by parking lot:
Figure 2:24 Mizner Park in
Boca Raton. Florida.
Parallel parking is provided
for convenience and to slow
traffic. Structured parking
is provided behind the
building.
7. RELEGATED PARKING
The Neighborhood Model proposes
reassessing parking standards and
finding ways to make parking
areas less dominant from the street.
Such steps shouM improve the
visual character of the community
and make possible a more
functional and appealing
pedestrian environment.
Parking is critical to today's lifestyle. Generally,
however, parking areas are over-produced.
poorly sited, and unattractive. What is needed
is for the amount, location, and character of
parking to be reassessed. Standards set for the
largest shopping period of the year result in
park. lng spaces that are more often empty than
occupied. This is because conventional
development focuses solely on parking capacity.
The typical location of parking in front of
buildings ruins views and discourages
pedestrian access by isolating buildings far from
the main sidewalk and presenting a monotonous
and inhospitable space.
Disadvantages of Excess
Parking Areas
· raises cost to developers
· increases water pollution
· diminishes pedestrian
environment
· ' wastes.land -
Ways to Reduce Excess
Parking
· USe realistic parking
standards, which would
result in fewer spaces for
many uses, more spaces in
others.
· Place parking out of view.
· Fully use on-street parking.
· Encourage and allow
shared parking.
· 'Provide parking garages for
high-density areas.
Torti Gallas and Partners . CHK, Inc. Dodson Associates Center for Watershed Protection McGuire Woods Battle and Boothe, LLP
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
23
8. MIXTURE OF USES
The Neighborhood Model allows
and encourages compatible uses
side by side. This mixture is the
key to the walkability of the
neighborhood and to achieving the
desired densities.
Just as Older villages and towns contain a
mixture of uses, newer neighborhoods can
develop the same friendly blend of useful
services and close-in housing. Complementary
uses, such as those that have staggered hours
of operation, can make shared parking possible
and increase the efficiency of land use.
Conventional development of recent decades
rigorously separates' land uses. Zoning
categories specify certain uses and exclude all
others. Buffers and setbacks further increase the
separation.
The Neighborhood Model, in .contrast, plans for
compatible uses to be side by side. It is a
positive test to be able to live in close proximity
to work and to be able to walk to a store for a
loaf of. bread, a cup of coffee or a video.
Figure 2:25 This shopping
center could have been
designed as a town center
and connect to residential
neighborhoods, had it been
designed as part of a
network of thoroughfares.
Designed on a stem or
vascular system as it ts.
residents of the adjacent
communtty could never just
go buy a loaf of bread: the
chain link fence, 6-foot high
wall and drainage ditch
separating the land uses see
to that. Instead, they are
forced to make yet another
car trip, burdening already
overtaxed roads, and
necessitating a large sea of
asphalt parking in front of
the shops.
Figure 2:26 This shopping
center at the end ora
boulevard in Shaker
Heights, Ohio forms a
gateway to a residential
neighborhood. Uses can be
mixed by placing them in
close proximity and assuring
easy connection.
Figure 2:27 A new
apartment building in
Dallas with "loft" style
residential units over retail
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
24
' The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 2:28 `4 duplex unit
in Charleston, South
Carolina. Built for the
Housing Authority, it
resembles a typical
Charleston side porch house.
(Image from Good
Neighbors: Affordable
Family Housing)
Figure 2:29 (right) ,4 live~
work unit under construc-
tion in Kentlands.
Maryland. The ground
floor space is perfect for a
small professional office.
9. MIXTURE OF HOUSING TYPES
AND AFFORDABILITY WITH
DIGNITY
The Neighborhood Model proposes
mixing housing types within
developments and incorporating
affordable units throughout the
Development Areas. This
inclusion shouM enable all citizens
to share convenient access to
employment and to public
amenities.
As it separates uses, Albemarle County also
separates housing types. This practice is
commonplace throughout the country, but it has
negative effects on the commumty. Large-lot
single-family homes are built in one area, small-lot
single family homes are built in another area,
duplexes and townhouses are in a separate area,
and apartments are separate from all three of these
other housing types.
Whether the product of regulation or perceived
market forces, the results are the same:
homogeneous neighborhoods are created of
residents with similar incomes and similar ages.
This strategy needlessly separates different age
groups and income levels in a community. Worse
than that, it separates generations within families,
as they require specialized housing at different
points in a lifetime.
By contrast, traditional American neighborhoods
and towns provide a mix of housing types within
close proximity, often next door. Downtowns often
have housing and office space above a store.
Today, many traditional neighborhoods are
perceived as very desirable places to live and
resulting land values can be quite high. It is
possible to have a mix of uses in today'S market
and achieve diversity of housing within a highly
marketable development. Images such as those in
Figures 5:75 and 5:85 through 5:88 suggest how a
mix of housing types can be achieved.
Providing housing in a range of sizes arid styles
and prices makes sense especially as the nuclear
family (two parent, and children) no longer makes
up the majority of households. Housing options
need to fit the lifestyles and budgets of retirees,
single parents, and others.
Rather than having affordable housing "enclaves,"
the physical form of "affordable" housing can be
required to blend into the neighborhood and not
stand out, either for lack of qu,31ity or detail. Units
can be scattered throughout the neighborhood
rather than concentrated in one place. Such uses
as accessory apartments and "live/work" umts,
with aparlments above ground-floor shops, add
both affordable units and variety to the
neighborhood.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
10. REDEVELOPMENT RATI-IER
THAN ABANDONMENT
The Neighborhood Model
emphasizes re-using existing sites
and bm'Mings rather than
expanding the Development Area
boundaries into the Rural Areas to
obtain more "raw" land. This
strategy encourages greater
efficiency in the use of land and
infrastructure, relieving pressure on
the Rural Areas and maintaining
value of existing neighborhoods.
Significant portions of the Development Areas
are already developed today but, in time, may be
suitable for redevelopment or infill. These areas
represent additional lands over and above the
vacant developable areas. As land values
increase, abandoned or under-performing
shopping centers will offer oppommities for'
retrofit, transforming the entire site buildings,
parking lots, and roads into appealing human-
scale activity hubs.
'The Master Planning process offers the
opportunity to recognize and plan for the
transformation of such sites into new mixed-use
centers. Another important category for
redevelopment is undemsed or vacant pockets
of land. "Infilling" these gaps provides the
oppommity for more efficient use of land and
resources by filling in gaps in the community.
Benefits of redevelopment:
· Redevelopment of existing sites prevents
sprawl elsewhere.
· Abandonment promotes visual blight;
redevelopment cures visual blight.
· Utilities and roads are usually in place and can
cost the developer and the community less
than it would to provide extensions.
· Land is placed in a higher use, improving the
tax base.
· Often redevelopment areas include old
"centers" that can be revitalized, rather than
building new "centers"; this maintains
property values for the surrounding area and
adds vitality.
· Sites often contain parking areas large enough
to support more, mixed-use development.
· Redevelopment offers the opportunity to
transform large "sprawl" type development
into a new form in keeping with the
Neighborhood Model.
Figure 2:30 Areas in
Albemarle County, such as
this. are dominated by
surface parking lots and are
prime candidates for
redevelopment. Photo
courtesy of Elizabeth Meyer.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
26
Figure 2:32 View of
townhouse development for.
steeply sloping terrain.
Groupings of eight
townhouses are arranged to
form parking courts where
slopes made the provision of
rear alleys impossible. A
pedestrian stair is provided
as part of a garden sequence
in order to navigate terrain
much too grea~ for vehicular_
navigation. Access to the
upper areas by the disabled
is afforded by an alternative
thoroughfare network that
navigates a more gently
sloped area of the site.
11. SITE PLANNING THAT RESPECTS
TERRAIN
The Neighborhoo~l Model calls for
sensitivity to existing terrain
through Site design and architecture
that fits into grades. Where
significant regrading is necessary,
reconstructed slopes are called for
that are attractive, functional, and
easy to maintain. Minimizing
destruction of natural terrain will
help Albemarle County retain its
beautiful landscapes.
The topography of the Blue Ridge Mountains
and foothills poses specific challenges to
· applying the Neighborhood Model, but it also
holds opportunities. In fact, the natural changes
in topography can be the foundati.on for an
appealing built environment. Some steep sites
can be preserved as enclaves of green. On
others, clever development can create distinctive
and memorable building sites. When developing
on hillsides, however, care must be taken to
preserve prominent views f6r °thers to enjoy.
Figure 2:31 These homes sit majestically above the road
overlooking a neighbOrhood park.
The NeighbOrhood Model must recognize both
the constraints and the opportunities of the
topography of Albemarle County. The 1/4-mile,
five-minute walk must be adaptedin terms of
"uphill" and "downhill." Where difficult, steeply
sloping terrain will impact the distancg that can
be covered in five or ten minutes, the
Neighborhood Model should be reduced in area.
Pedestrian circulation in these areas requires
special consideration. Roads in mountainous
areas can become quite steep and especially
difficult to traverse even in good weather. A
good plan considering such sites will often
provide alternative paths for cirgulation that are
easier on the pedestrian and more direct.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
27
12. CLEAR EDGES
The Neighborhood Model proposes
maintaining the existing borders to
the Development Areas and having
distinctive edges between the
Development Areas and the Rural
Areas. This principle increases the
incentives to buiM the
Development Areas efficientl)i
while minimizing threats to the
Rural Areas.
Historically, towns and villages had discrete
boundaries, easily perceived on the landscape.
The clear edge between the urbanized areas and
the rural area beyond is now blurred. For
example, it is typical to apply a low-density
residential zoning as a "transition." Such
transitional areas rarely possess the physical
beauty and natural amenity of the rural areas
they replace, nor do they offer the amenines or
sense of community of the adjacent town.
Instead development takes place in a way that
creates neither "town" nor "country" and
certainly not a community. Such transitional
zoning is discouraged for the Development
Areas as contrary to the Neighborhood Model.
Figure 2:33 An aerial view
Oxford, England at the town
edge.
Figure 2:34 lqllage of
Stenton, Scotland. This is a
planned community with a
variety of housing sizes and
prices clustered around a
village green set within
rolling pastures. This
practice enables retention
of open space and
agricultural uses. This
village is consistent with the
Neighborhood Model.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Torti Gallas and Partners · CHK, Inc. Dodson Associates Center for Watershed Protection McGuire Woods Battle and Boothe, LLP
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
29'
Section 3
FITTING THE PIECES TOGETHER: '
The Transect Concept
The envisioned Neighborhood, as the fundamental umt of
planning, is a place where people can live, work, shop and play.
Its buildings, streets and public and private areas relate well to
one another by plan, not by happenstance. Most importantly,
the Neighborhood Model is sized so that an average person can
walk from its center to its edge in roughly five minutes. This
typically translates into a radius of 1/4 mile, or an area encom-
passing 150 acres.
Within this Neighborhood, densities are mixed, as are uses.
Generally, the most dense and the most active areas are at the
"Center," dominated primarily by high-intensity uses but also
containing some residential uses. Spreading out from the Center
to the "General Area" and then to the "Edge," development is
increasingly residential in'use and dispersed in density. In this
fashion, the neighborhood accommodates a range of develop-
ment types and intensities.
The Neighborhood Model draws from the design principles of
two models being successfully implemented throughout the
United States, Traditiona~ Neighborhood Development (TND)
and Transit-Oriented Development (TOD). It shares with these
two styles:
· the core-to-edge continuum of uses ("transect") as
the preferred land use model;
· emphasis on employment uses in close proximity to
residential uses;
· interconnection of streets and ability to walk to
other residential areas, commercial uses, and
employment centers; and
· the importance of neighborhood amenities such as
parks and mvic areas.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
3O
Figure 3:1.
The TND
TRADITIONAL NEIGHBORHOOD
DEVELOPMENTS (TNDs)
The Traditional Neighborhood Development
(TND) is characterized by street grids, a mixture of
uses, sidewalks, and parks within a walkable
distance. Called traditional because they draw from
the design of towns before World War II, the TND
~s compactly designed, with a Center, an Edge and
a GeneralArea that is predominently residential.
Buildings are close to the street, the streets have
sidewalks, and housing designs include porches
and other traditional elements. Downtown
Charlottesville exemplifies the original model for
TNDs.
TNDs are designed as an integral whole. They can
be designed independent of transit plans, although
transit, particularly bus service, can easily be
accommodated in the neighborhood center.
A TND can be developed as a single large project
on an independent, large site. Its features, however,
can also be appropriate for smaller infill sites in -."
built areas. Or, most relevant toAlbemarle
County's Development Areas, TNDs can form the
building blocks for a larger urban unit. In this case,
the common "Edge" of adjoining TNDs can form a
fourth area known as the Core. The Core has the
highest intensity and greatest flexibility of uses.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
The Neighborhood Model seeks to take some
these characteristics to change the form of
suburban development.
What Neighborhood Model Shares with TND:
· Interconnected streets
· Sidewalks
· Emphasis on public realm
· Narrow streets
· Parks central to design
· Houses close to the street
· Mixed uses and housing types
How Neighborhood Model Differs:
· Does not require grid of streets
· Does not set architectural design
Advantages of TNDs:
· Land use and transportation can be integrated
· Densities can match local market
· The neighborhood created is attractive and
livable
· The desired density for the Development Areas
can be accommodated
· The neighborhood has a sense of community
· TNDs can connect to adjoining sites and are
good building blocks
· Significant public amenities are created,
including attractive streetscapes and open
spaces
Disadvantages of TNDs:
· Densities may be too low to overcome the
overall pattern of sprawl.
· Sites large enough for a TND may be difficult to
find in locations compatible with the Compre-
hensive Plan.
· There may be a market reluctance to try the
mixed-use component.
· Architectural design standards would be
difficult to impose.
Figure3:2. The
Aggregation of the
TND.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 3:3. The TOD
modified to fit the
Neighborhood Model
from the original
diagram by Peter
Calthorpe.
TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT
NEIGHBORHOODS (TODs)
Similar to the TND, the TOD is characterized by
Edges, General Areas, Centers, street grids, and
sidewalks. Additionally, it makes transit the link
between individual neighborhood centers. TODs
are located and designed to maximize transit
ridership. The location of transit is established first
and new neighborhoods are planned around it. In
each neighborhood, housing is mostly within a
five-minute walk of the transit stop. The centers
are fixed along transit routes.
Densities must be high enough to support the
transit. TODs tend to be higher density than TNDs
and to have a greater intensity of uses at the
Center.
In Albemarle County, transit is provided by CTS
and ridership outside of the City is low. Changes
to bus schedules and sizes could possibly increase
ridership, but it will likely be several years before
the TOD model can be used effectively in the
County. Nevertheless, the Master Plans for each
. Development Area can usefully look ahead to a
TOD form.
What Neighborhood Model Shares with TOD:
.· Same features as TND.
· Potentially high density at the Core.
· Incorporates mass transit opportunities into the
Master Plan process.
How Neighborhood Model Differs:
· Does no[ dictate mass transit'stops or types.
The TOD Model
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
The TOD Aggregated
Figure 3:4 The TOD
aggregated.
Advantages of TODs:
· The TOD builds on the positive features of the
TND.
· Transit and neighborhoods are planned
simultaneously.
· Design works well for infill or retrofit where
transit is contemplated.
· It allows for and encourages a density that
removes reliance on the automobile.
Disadvantages of TODs
· Design based on transit goals may not meet
current market forces.
· Developers and financiers may be reluctant to
try unconventional design.
The Nbighborhood Model adapts the TND and
TOD concepts to the needs and conditions of
Albemarle County. Unlike the TOD, the Neigh-
borhood Model does not mandate minimum
densities at centers, which, in Albemarle County,
must be a function of environmental factors,
market forces, and availability of infrastructure.
The Neighborhood Model anticipates the
availability of transit at the neighborhood center,
although in the near term this would more likely
be a van service, with bus or light rail in the long
term. In contrast to the TND, the Neighborhood
Model does not specify an architectural style.
Another difference is that it incorporates a
strategy for addressing the hilly terrain of
Albemarle County.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
34
THE TRANSECT CONCEPT
The Neighborhood Model, as well as these two
styles, uses the concept of the 'q'ransect," or a
continuum of density and activity moving out fxom
a core. The Transect is a "cross-section" of the
ideal neighborhood. As the gtmcture within which
the development pieces fit, it is the basis for
detailed planning and design decisions within each
Neighborhood. For example, it can guide the
Master Planning process as well as zoning
decisions.
Figure (3.5) illustrates the Transect. This'drawing
shows how various development elements such
as density, use, building size, street design, lot
dimensions and siting, and formality of landscap-
ing reflect whether the project is in the center, in
the general area, or on the edge of the Neighbor-
hood.
The Transect, as defined in The Lexicon of the
New Urbanism, prepared by D/P-Z, Inc:, the
foremost architectural firm associated with the New
Urbanist movement, uses an urban-to-rural
continuum to appropriately site the elements of
cormnunity form. As a system ofclagsification, the
Transect has the potential to be a critical tool in the
generation ora Master Plan. Four categories are
relevant within Albemarle County's Development
Areas:
1) F_xlge,
2) GeneralArea,'
3) Center, and
4) Core.
--- A fifth category (Rural Area) lies beyond the
Development Areas.
The Core, the area of greatest intensity, deserves
special emphasis. A core represents even greate~
density and formal design than the Center. It can
lie at the junction of two neighborhoods, or at
major intersections, or be an existing hub. In the
case of Albemarle County, the City of Charlottes-
ville serves as a core for adjoining areas of the
County. Core areas are not appropriate for Villages
and may not even be appropriate in all Develop-
ment Areas.
Edges are formed where two neighborhoods abut,
where a neighborhood.abuts the City of Charlottes-
ville at a river or slope, and where the Development
Area meets the Rural Area. When the Edge is not
clearly defined, as with R-I zoning, the end result is
a sprawling development form~ Edges are further
described in Section 5.
Centers are nodes of activity..They are further
described throughout the document as well as in
Section 5. The distance from the Center to the
Edge of the transect is 1/4 mile. This distance
represents the ideal walk time from one destination
to another.
Table 7.1 (Appendix) describes the placement of
uses according to the Transect.
The transect describes the neighborhood, the mos~
important of the elements that make up a Develop-
ment Area. Other components are the district and
the corridor.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
A NEIGHBORHOOD WITHIN THE DESIGNATED DEVELOPMENTAREA
More Density
Primarily FlexibleUse
Larger Buildings
Boulevards
Most Buildings Attached
Aligned Frontages
Shallow Setbacks
Street Walls
Regional Institutions
Street & Alley Sections
Cross-block Passages
Rectilinear Paths
Wide Sidewalks
Aligned Tree Planting
Plazas & Squares
Less Density
Primarily Residential Use
Smaller Buildings
Highways and Parkways
Most Buildings Detached
Informal Frontages
Deep Setbacks
Fences
Local Gathering Places
· Road & Lane Sections
Paths & Trails
Curvilinear Paths
Narrow Sidewalks
Picturesque Landscaping
Parks & Meadows
RURAL AREA
OR EDGE OF
NEXT
NEIGHBORHOOD
Figure 3:5. Diagram of the Transect. Modified by' permission from the Lexicon of the New Urbanism,
Duany; Plater-Zyberk. Architects.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development rArea$
36
Figure 3:7 Plan of
Conventional Business Park
shows "single family" office
buildings scattered around
the landscape.
Neighborhood:
The neighborhood is the fundamental building
block. Each DevelopmentArea is anticipated to
contain several neighborhoods. The precise
number of neighborhoods will vary between
Development Areas depending on their size as well
as physical conditions unique to ,each Develop-
ment Area. Many neighborhoods will incorporate
areas that are already developed. Within or
adjacent to these developed areas, there may be
vacant or undemsed sites that can be redeveloped
to enhance the neighborhood. In other places,
neighborhoods will be designated in undeveloped,
"greenfield" areas of the Development Areas.
Figure 3:8 An alternate
Employment Center District
features office buildings in a
pattern consistent with the
Neighborhood Model.
mm mm :~m~jm' m.m~mm ~m !
mm ~K
These new neighborhoods will offer the opportu-
nity to use the Neighborhood Model as a founda-
tion.
District:
The district is an area containing specialized uses,
such as an airport or large-scale manufacnmng
facility, that cannot be accommodated appropri-
ately in a Neighborhood. The district is the
exception, not the role in the Development Areas.
Although sized and designed much like the
Neighborhood, districts do not have the range of
activities and housing that are offered in Neighbor-
hoods. Although districts generally will focus on a
particular use, there usually is a center area,
providing a location for transit and for supporting
business and retail uses. While primarily singular in
use, dislricts can sometimes contain compatible
uses at their Edge or Center areas. In most cases, it
should be interconnected with adjacent neighbor-
hoods. In some instances, however, a district may
need to be located a sufficient distance from the
neighborhoods in order to reduce impacts such as
traffic burdens or competition with local retail.
cores.
Corridors:
Corridors are the linear elements that connect
neighborhoods (and other sites such as districts)
to each other. Where corridors exist between
neighborhoods, the Neighborhood Model
envisions that they be conceived as civic elements.
Corridors can be man-made or natural and serve
transportation requirements or exist as open space.
Open space corridors combine natural features
such as rivers and stream valleys with man-made
elements such as parks and golf courses to provide
a significant infrastructure of open space through-
out the Development Area. Greenways can even
link separate neighborhoods together through a
series of hiking and biking trails. Transportation
corridors include light rail lines, bus corridors,
parkways, highways, and pedestrian and bicycle
trails.
Section 4, Master Planning, discusses how a plan
is developed to incorporate all of these elements
into each Development Area.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Section 4
BUILDING THE MASTER PLAN
The Neighborhood Model requires that a Master Plan be devel-
oped for each of the Development Areas. Created through a
collaborative effort, the Master Plan will define the vision for the
Development Area, establish how and when future development
will take place, and show where and how public infrastructure will
be provided. It should articulate design elements and architectural
features important to furore development of the area. This Master
Plan should incorporate the principles of the Neighborhood Model
in order to guide the development of attractive and sustainable
urban neighborhoods, communities, and villages that will maintain a
high quality of life in the County.
There are eight steps to building a Master Plan:
1. Conduct a Community Visioning process to develop goals
and visions for the Development Area.
2. Assemble a group 0fresidents, pr0perts; owners, County
officials, community leaders, developers and lenders who
will develop the Master Plan based on the vision of the
community.
3. Identify existing conditions and features, including
mapping the natural and man-made landscape.
4. Identify existing neighborhoods and locate the neighbor-
hood Centers.
5. Review and assess relationships of existing neighborhoods
to the undeveloped properties and properties available for
redevelopment.
6. Decide what is desired for the undeveloped properties and
the Development Area.
7. Create a detailed Development Area Master Plan.
8. Provide implementation strategies.
Figure 4:1. A
collaborative effort
characterized the two
"design workshops"
sponsored by DISC to
create hypothetical
Master Plans for the
Towers Property (See
Section 6) and
Pantops.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community DeveloPment
38
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
STEP ONE: THE COMMUNITY VISIONING
PROCESS
The Commtmity Visioning Process is the lust step
to knowing what residents and property owners
want for their DevelopmentArea. There are many
participatory methods of helping participants
articulate their visions for a cot~aiitmity. The
method chosen must reflect a process that is
collaborative, participatory, proactive, and goal
oriented. It must be representative of all of the
stakeholders in each Development Area and it
should rely on the Development Area goals already.
expressed in the Land Use Plan of the County
rather than "starting from scratch." Design and
facilitation assistance should be provided to the
coi~ni~ittee. For example, the "charrette" or "design
workshop" was used very effectively by the DISC
in the Towers Property, Crozet, and Pantops
studies developed in 1998. These workshops are
documented in reports available fi.om the Depart-
ment of Planning and Community Development.
Other participatory planning and design tools are
also available
STEPTWO: ASSEMBLE AGROUPOF
RESIDENTS, PROPERTY OWNERS,
COUNTY OFFICIALS, AND COMMUNITY
LEADERS WHO WILL DEVELOP THE
MASTER PLAN BASED UPON TIlE COM-
MUNITY VISION.
The group' developing the plan should be
committed community residents and property
owners from the Development Area assisted by
professional planners and designers. Essential to
the success of the process is the commitment of
other community leaders who are familiar with the
County's land use policies and overall County
issues, Participation by the Supervisor and the
Planning Commissioner who represent the
Development Area is advantageous to the
process. County staff from the Engineering
Department, the Zoning Department, the Schools
Division, and Fire and Rescue should assist the
committee along with representatives of VDOT.
The group should commit to participate for a
minimum of one year to develop the plan.
STEP THREE: IDENTLFYEXISTING CONDI-
TIONS AND FEATURES
Step Three is the identification of existing condi-
tions and features. Base maps should be provided
to the Committee that show natural features, such
as slopes, streams, forested areas~ floodpla~ and
wetlands. The base maps should also show
existing constructed features, such as streets,
schools, major areas of civic interest, commercial
developments, and employment centers. Planned
infrastructure improvements should be mapped as
well as existing zoning and Comprehensive Plan
designations. Familiarization of the area through
site visits will enhance the committee's knowledge
of the Development Area.
' Natural'features: Natural features include both
areas that are undevelopable by statute, such as
wetlands and floodplains, as well as other signifi-
cant areas such as forested areas, slopes greater
than 25% and significant stream valleys, as
identified on the County's Open Space Plan.
Significant viewsheds also should be identified at
this time. Enough detail should be provided so
that the committee can understand and choose the
features that are essential to the quality of the life
in the Development Area and the features that may
be modified to help achieve the vision for the
Development Area.
As part of understanding and analyzing the
importance of the natural features, the coii,,x~ittee
should'explore the area on foot. Perennial and
intermittent streams and the quality of these
riparian areas should be noted. The committee
should record the locations of deciduous and pine
forests. They should note those areas of excep-
tional physical beauty that should be preserved,
including swales, meadows, or significant stands of
trees. They should note the areas that would be
difficult to develop, including significant stream
valleys and slopes.
After exploring the undeveloped parts of the
Development Area, the committee should develop
a priority list indicating the areas that should be
preserved and the areas that could be modified to
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
39
Park with
athletic fields
Shopping
center
Rivanna
River
State Farm
facility
US 250 East
Figure 4:2. Natural
Features Map..4reas of
Dark grey indicate
flood plains. Lighter
grey areas indicate
slopes of 25% or
greater.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
help achieve the other goals .for the Development
Areas. While the County promotes a higher level
of environmental preservation in its Rural Areas, it
does not desire to ignore critical environmental
features in the Development Areas: Indeed
these features can and should be preserved and
made into amenities serving the 'residents and
businesses nearby. These features also help
provide the unique identity of neighborhoods.
Existing and Planned Facilities and Infrastruc-
ture:
Existing and planned facilities and infrastructure
include roads and road improvements, water and
sewer lines, schools, parks, libraries, police and
fire stations, and the like. The County?s current
plans for improvements should also be shown.
Later in the process, after completing the
proposed Master Plan, a new map indicating
proposed improvements to the existing infra-
structure can be completed.
Existing Zoning and Comprehensive Plan
Design.ations:
Maps should be provided of existing zoning and
Comprehensive Plan designations. The zoning
maps indicate current regulations in place for
properties and should be available as references.
The zoning designations are not set in stone but
will need to be analyzed when implementation
strategies are developed for the Master Plans. It
is anticipated that the zoning designations will
change after the Master Plan process occurs.
Therefore, it is important to know what the
existing designations are and what it will mean to
change these designations.
The Comprehensive Plan designations represent
the work of citizens and County elected and
appointed officials as part of the 1996 Compre-
hensive Plan rewrite. They are the starting point
for the creation of more detailedDevelopment
Area Plans. The goal of the Master Planning
process is to modify and refine these maps to
reflect anticipated uses that would support the
Neighborhood Model.
STEP FOUR: IDENTIFY THE EXISTING
NEIGHBORHOODS AND LOCATE THE
NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS.
In order for a community to plan what it wants
for the furore, it must know what it has and
clearly articulate its most valuable.features. At.
this point, the committee creating the Develop-
ment Area plans will have identified its most
important natural features. Step Four calls for
identifying valuable built features, including
existing neighborhoods, shopping centers, civic
centers, areas of employment, and parks. Using
this map of built features and their own knowl-
edge of the Development Area, the committee
then can delineate neighborhoods and locate the
"Centers."
As described in the Transect in Chapter 3,
"Centers" are focal points. They are places
where people congregate, work, and play.
Existing centers may be parks, shopping areas,
places of assembly, promontories, and employ-
ment centers. Centers may be areas with known
redevelopment potential, such as abandoned
shopping centers, railroad stations, or other
prominent features. Centers are also places that
have a combination of any of these features in
close proximity to one another.
After locating the Centers, the Committee's task
is to find the corresponding neighborhood to the
Center. To start the process, the committee
should draw a circle around the neighborhood
center with a radius of IA mile (a five-minute
walk) to ½ mile (when the circle surrounds a rail
stop). It is important to note that the circle will
not be a "perfect" ring. It will be shaped by the
existing physical features, such as roads and
buildings. It also will be shaped by natural
features, such as rivers and ridge lines.
-The resulting delineation ora neighborhood will
include many developed areas as well as
undeveloped properties. In fact, one goal of the
Master Planning process is to integrate the
Neighborhood Model with existing developed
areas. For undeveloped areas in which no
center is present, drawing a circle with a 1/4 to 1/
2 mile radius is important for the next step.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
STEPFIVE: REVIEWAND ASSESS RELA-
TIONSHIPS OF EXISTING NEIGHBOR~
HOODS TO THE UNDEVELOPED PROPER-
TIES AND PROPERTIES AVAILABLE FOR
REDEVELOPMENT.
Once thc existing cemers have been located and
the ~lvc-minute walk zones identified, relation-
ships of undeveloped areas to developed areas
will start to emerge. At this juncture, the
"transect" is applied to the circles. As stated
earlier, the Center is the focal point for the
neighborhood. Ideally, it is where a mix of uses
and .the highest density and intensity of
development would occur, although a Center
could also be a park or natural area where people
congregate. Outside the center is the General
Area where the uses are mixed but are primarily
residential. Beyond the General Area is the
Edge, where lower-density residential uses
Occur.
The transect sets a continuum of density
working out from a high-density center. The
transect will not always result in a neat circle
because it will need to reflect the particular
circumstances on the ground. For example, some
neighborhoods might have no Edge zone or only
a limited one, either because they abut other
neighborhoOds or they have environmental
features that would preclude Edge designation.
An Edge may abut a neighborhood in the City of
Charlottesville or it may abut the R_ivanna River
or it may lie next to an existing high-density
commercial area.
Applying the transect to the Development Area
helps to identify the relationships that future
development will have to existing neighbor-
hoods and physical features. For instance, if a
small undeveloped parcel sits between a center
and a low-density residential area, the future use
of the small undeveloped parcel might be a
medium-density residential and mixed-use area or
a General Area. Where an underused shopping
center might exist, the future use of this shop-
ping center might be proposed as a high-density
m/xed-use development surrounded by lower-
density residential uses.
Once the transect has been applied and relation-
ships start to emerge, the committee will create
the Development Opportunities Map. This Map
contains the circles that show potential for new
neighborhoods based on the Neighborhood
Model. The majority of circles will. have a 1/4-
mile radius (a 5-minute walk from center to edge)
and will be located according to existing
development patterns or terrain.
An example of a Development Opportunities
Map for the Pantops Area is shown on the
following page (Figure 4.3). The existing
neighborhoods, their centers, and existing
features are all shown on the map. This map
reflects places where redevelopment can occur,
infill can take place, neighborhoods can be
extended onto greenfield sites within the
Development Areas, and transit can be added to
enhance the development of the neighborhood.
Sometimes the transect cannot be applied to ~i
neighborhood because of an existing use that
does not support residential uses. In this case,
instead of a neighborhood, a "special district"
will be formed. The Charlottesville/Albemarle
Airport, for example, may be designated as a
"special district" and therefore would not have a
5-minute walk zone for residences.
With existing neighborhoods, the transect will
rarely be reflected in its ideal form. The value of
placing the transect on the existing neighbor-
hood is to see what is important to the quality of
life in the neighborhoods and help propose
relationships of undeveloped properties within
the circles to the existing neighborhoods. The
flexibility of the "special district" as well as the
variety of types of centers will allow a number of
tmique mrcumstances in a Development Area to
be accommodated. All of these issues can be
expressed on the Development Opportunities
Map.
STEP SIX: DECIDE WHAT IS DESIRED FOR
THE UNDEVELOPED PROPERTIES AND
THE DEVELOPMENTAREA.
Now the true "planning" begins. The group will
have to discuss options for the undeveloped
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
~2
Redevelopment - Renovation
existing retail space infill of empty
parcels and the establishment of a
town green will reunite an otherwise
disjointed area.
Greenfield -
creating a new
neighborhood
utilizing area
topography .and
circulation
Classic Infill Neighborhood
infill of a an existing neighborhood
with an extension along the natural
ridge and a new focus to the
waterfront.
Greenfield
Neighborhood
TOD Infill - this neighborhood is
centered on a rail station at the end of a
proposed rail extension. A rail station
is known to draw on a larger area, a 1 (
minute walking radius.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
44
properties and come to consensus on how the
developed and undeveloped properties should
relate to one another. For example, what are the
important characteristics of existing neighbor-
hoods that should be preserved? Where are the
places that should be enhanced as focal points
or centers of civic activity? How should existing
and future neighborhoods be connected? What
types of corridors should be retained and
improved? Where should natural features be
saved and where are places that those features
may be modified? What should the Edges look
like? what density of development can reason-
ably be accommodated given the existing
neighborhood and the infrastructure improve-
ments needed to support new development?
What is the maximum population that the
Development Area can and should support?
What design features are important to the
Development Area?
These questions should be debated in the
framework of the Neighborhood Model, keeping
in mind the 12 principles expressed in Section 2
and the Transect concept explained in Section 3.
The group also should consult Section 5, which
presents specific design approaches that meet
these principles.
The result should be a draft framework for how
the Development Area should be developed. It
might show, for example, decisions that refine the
D4velopment Opportunities Map. It also. might
contain preliminary Development Area Statistics,
proposing units of residential, retail, office, and
other uses that can be accommodated (see
example Figure 4:1 from the Pantops study). The
result might be a bubble map expressing pro-
posed ideas for the Development Area.
r STEP SEVEN: CREATE AND DETAILA
DEVELOPMENT AREAMASTER PLAN.
Using the Development Opportunities Map as a
base, the detailing of the Plan can begin. The
level of detail for the Master Plan will depend on
the group formulating the plan. For some
Development Areas it may be appropriate to
provide details of block layout; locate specific
sites for civic, institutional, or religious build-
ings; and designate street and sidewalk types.
For other Development Areas, general planning
recommendations, perhaps working from the
design approaches given in Section 5, may be
enough.
The Development Area Master Plan should.
show the proposed land use or density for the
Area, according to the transect, as well as other
features such as open space preservation, road,
'sidewalk, and path improvements, and facilities
improvements. Subplans, such as a Develop-
ment Area Land Use Plan, a Development Area
Open Space Plan, and Development Area
Circulation Plan, and Development Guidelines
will provide detail for the Master Plan. Addi-
'tional subplans can detail features such as block
layout, right-of-way lines, sidewalks, street trees,
and lot frontages. The level of detail will depend
on the time the committee wishes to devote to
the plan, how far out the committee is able to see
into the future and the level of commitment of
the stakeholders in the process. Figure 4:11
illustrates a potential buildout of part of the
Pantops area after a Master Plan following the
Neighborhood Model.
Development Area Land Use Plan
The Land Use subplan for the Development Area
should be based on the Comprehensive Plan's
recommended land use. It will show the pro-
posed land use and density according to the
transect. Most of the neighborhoods desig-
nated should not have special districts or
specialized uses. Exceptions might be districts
that acknowledge the unique nature of particular
locations for meeting the distinct needs of
certain uses. As an example, the TOD shown on
the Pantops map might have a special employ-
ment district sandwiched between the rail stop
and the interstate to take advantage of the
junction of transit fOr employees and transporta-
tion access for shipping goods.
Infrastructure
Translating the Development Area Land Use
Plan into statistics, as shown in Table 4:1 (page
48), will be beneficial for infrastructure planning.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
The statistics indicate the minimum and maximum
number of dwelling units and square footage of
commercial and industrial uses that the Develop-
ment Area can support. These statistics can
help determine the capacities of existing facilities
and services, and identify additional services
that might be need.ed. The facilities and services
should be planned in advance and efforts made
to have development occur concurrent with
them. A list of proposed infrastructure improve-
ments should accompany the Development Area
Master Plan.
Open Space Plan
Another subplan, the Development Area Open
Space Plan should highlight proposed public
and private greenspaces. It defines the natural
corridors to be preserved and/or enhanced, and
buffers to be retained or created. It illustrates
the relationship of these buffers and natural
corridors to the open space system of the
Development Area as a whole. The plan also
should show the location of other open spaces
such as small neighborhood centers, civic
spaces, and parks., Importantly, this plan lays
out a vision for a greenspace system and
identifies lands that will be necessary for the
County to acquire or at least to reserve as the
opportunity permits. In short, it requires the
designation of certain lands to be left undevel-
oped. Also of importance, the Open Space Plan
provides the basis for an integrated system of
open spaces, both natural and bu. ilt, ranging
from greenways to squares, and from school
yards to pocket parks. Figure 4:5 shows an Open
Space Plan for the Pantops Development Area. '
A Civic Space Plan may be desired for the
Development Area. It would show school and
library sites and public facilities ofpronnnence.
Such a plan can help preserve suitable spaces
for these public uses, even if no program for
these spaces currently exists. This subplan may
be combined with the Open Space Plan.
Circulation Plan
Another subplan, the Circulation Plan, should
indicate present and proposed transit opportuni-
ties, major thoroughfares and connecting
corridors, bikeways, and trails. Attention should
be paid to existing corridors that will require
improvements as well as new thoroughfares
connecting neighborhood to neighborhood or to
major corridors. Figure 4:6 shows a Circulation
Plan for the Pantops Development Area.
Development Guidelines
The Design Approaches, outlined in Section 5 of
this document, provide examples of patterns and
guidelines that conform to the principles of the
Neighborhood Model. Some of the guidelines
will be incorporated into overall zoning ordi-
nance changes that help to change the form of
development in the Development Areas. Others
will be used in the creation of each Development
Area's design guidelines. The guidelines will
provide information to future developers on the
quality of neW development in accordance with a
Master Plan. They will assure property develop-
ers, County officials and residents that future
development in individual parcels will be
consistent with the Neighborhood Model.
The comrmttee creating the Master Plan may
wish to produce a plan illustrating a hypothetical
buildout of the Development Area using the
Development Guidelines (See Figures 4:8 and
4: I 1). This plan would provide examples of
housirlg and building types, appearance of
centers, lot lines within blocks and roof plans of
buildings to illustrate preferred development
styles for residents and builders alike.
STEPEIGHT: PROVIDE IMPLEMENTATION
STRATEGIES.
Having determined what exists and what should
be, the question becomes, "How do we get
there?" An implementation strategy addresses
these issues with a series of documents includ-
ing any recommended zoning changes and
capital improvement needs.
The Master Plan process envisions zoning and
subdivision changes to facilitate a changed form
of development and entirely new zoning catego-
ries in the Development Areas. Ideally, any
options that are created can be made "by right"
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The NeighborhOod Model: Building Block fOr the Developmen~ Areas
46
Figure 4:5
Open Space
Plan for
Pantops
Open Space
' ~,.:~' ~\',.,.". ~
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Key / /
· · · Existing Arteriallmproved
to a Boulevard
I I I Existing Road lmproved to
an Avenue
l' am .1 New Avenue
~ New Commercial Street
~ :~-~v~ .... New Drive
· , Figure 4:6.
, ? ~ Circulation Plan
highlighting
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
48
to speed up the development process for
proposals that are in conformity with the
Development Area Master Plan. This strategy is
very important to the success of the Neighbor-
hood Model. A developer is much more likelyto
create a new neighborhood with characteristics
desired by the community if he can do so "by
right," than if he has to rezone the property.
However, issues of concurrency of infrastructure
and facilities must be balanced with the level of
"by right" development.
Concurrency may require an initial public and
private investment up-front to achieve middle
and long-term savings. This situation is counter-
balanced by better public service delivery and
higher quality of life for all.
TheCapital Improvements Plan (CIP), produced
annually by the County, prioritizes the capital
spending of the County. The Development Area
Master Plan should play a significant role in
developing the list of possible projects and
prioritizing the most urgent. Of particular
importance is the development ofa CIP that
provides concurrence between the construction
of public facilities and the buildout of neighbor-
hood plans.
Table 4:1 Development Area Statistics for the Pantops Development Area Plan.
Residential Residential RetailArea OfficeArea Research and
Units Units (sqft) (sqft) Development
minimum maximum (sqft)
Neighborhood Edge Zone 303 units 505 units 0 0 0
Lowest Density
Neighborhood General Zone 1,060 units 2,756 units 283,140 0 0
Moderate Density
Neighborhood Center Zone 258 units 860 units 326,700 473,715 0
High Density
Core Zone 546 units 546 units 52272 686,070 0
Very High Density
Employment District 0 1365 units 0 0 2,776,950
Research and Development
TOTAL 2,167 units 5,486 units
(POP. +/- (POP. +/-
4,549) 12,634)
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Illustrated Buildout of the Development Area
On the pages that follow, two plans have been illustrated for the Pantops Development Area.
One represents a conventional suburban development pattern permitted by current Zoning
and Subdivision regulations. The other plan corresponds to the Neighborhood Model and the
Land Use Plan in Figure 4:4.
The Conventional Plan
The Conventional Plan proposes
commercial and light industrial
development across most of the
Pantops area. Along 250-East, low
density commercial space, in the form
of "big box" retailers and "strip"
shopping centers, dominates. Com-
mercial densities of approximately 0.25
FAR are typical. Areas to the south, (in
the Monticello viewshed) and the east
(the gateway to Charlottesville) are
illustrated with one-to two-story office
or light industrial buildings on
individually designed sites, which are
disconnected from their surroundings
(See Figure 2:17 for an example of such
a place). No usable public open space
.is preserved, except for those areas
within the stream valleys. Wooded
areas are preserved only where they
occur in unbuildable areas (i.e., flood
plains or on steep slopes).
In keeping with the complete separa-
tion of uses demanded by existing
zoning and by market convention,
residential areas are provided north of
250, away from employment activities and
shopping. Discrete areas are provided for each
housing type (i.e., apartments at a density of 18
du/acre and large lot single family detached
homes at a density of 2 du/acre). Although this
housing segregation recognizes prevailing
market wisdom, it does little to promote pedes-
trian activity. Indeed, because of the great
distances and difficult terrain between activities,
~t makes walking next to impossible and discour-
ages various forms of mass transit.
In the conventional plan, Pantops has been
designed to maximaze the ease of access for
automobile traffic. Each office building, retail
center and multi-family housing complex is
dominated by parking lots. Even where attempts
are made to make these spaces "pedestrian
friendly," by adding brick pavers to sidewalks or
planting trees, the visual dominance of asphalt
makes it unlikely that these areas will ever assume
the character of a traditional town center, like
Downtown Charlottesville.
Figure ~:7. The
Conventional Plan
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
5O
Figure 4:& The
Neighborhood Model Plan
!
The Neighborhood Model Plan
The alternative plan, developed according to the
Neighborhood Model, is designed as a series of
linked neighborhoods (see the Land Use Plan for
Pantops, Figure 4:4). Each neighborhood has a
Center, characterized by a public space aligned
by buildings three-to four-stories in. height.
Emphasis is placed on the i~edestrian experience
of getting to these spaces and to the parks
(framed by buildings) that align the swales and
stream valley tributaries of the Rivanna River.
The network of streets (inclusive of all existing
collectors and arterials, as well as new neighbor-
hood streets) allows multiple routes to any
destination.
Another important distinction between the two
plans, is the placement of buildings on the lot
and block. In the plan according
to the Neighborhood Model,
buildings sit adjacent to the r.ight
of way, which frames the space of
the street. Parking is relegated to
the rear- mid-block and, in some
cases, where commercial density
exceeds 0.5 FAR, it is accommo-
dated in garages. In the conven-
tional plan, buildings sit in the
middle of lots surrounded by
parking, disconnected from
neighboring buildings.
Building types and functions are
intermixed throughout the
neighborhoods depicted in this
plan, thereby assuring an efficient
use of infrastructure. In such a
plan, it is possible for employees
to choose to live near their
workplace and walk or bicycle to
work.. Transit service can be
provided easily and efficiently as
well. Walking to neighborhood services and
shops whether from work or home is also
possible. Such arrangements have proven to be
attractive to employees of high-tech companies
in cities and towns such as Palo Alto and
downtown San Jose, California, as well as in the
Addison neighborhood of Dallas.
The overall densities in this plan are consider-
ably higher than the conventional plan and
approach the higher end of the Comprehensive
Plan. Commercial densities range from 0.4 FAR to
2.0 FAR, while residential densities between 12
da/acre and 40 da/acre are the norm. This will
allow the gradual transformation of existing
shopping centers into town centers. Because
existing street and driveway patterns have been
maintained, this transformation can take place in
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development- Areas
Figure 4:9 Jet'ial view of Pantops
Area as it presently exists. While
not yet as developed as the Route
29 North corridor, a pattern of
automobile oriented conventional
suburban development hat already
begun to make its mark on the
area. Individual "pad" sites and
large parking lots serving retail
· "strip" centers" sit with no
relationship to each other or to the
natural landscape. However, just
beyond the developed area the
landscape still possesses
tremendous character, a ~£unction
of its rolling terrain and proximity
to the river.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 4:10 Aerial view of Pantops
Area after conventional
development. The character of the
Pantops area is virtually destroyed
in order to provide separate
parking areas ,for each individual
commercial parcel. Route 250 has
become a typical suburban arterial
lined with individual strip shopping
centers, Access to the Rivanna
River. is virtually denied, indeed it
has become an afterthought, while
regrading has destroyed much of
the unique character of the area.
While small amounts of green space
remain, they add up ro little. These
green spaces are merely remnants
of undeveloped land. This kind of
low density "sprawl" is essentially
allowed "by right" in the
Development Areas.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 4:11 .~erial view of Pantops
Area after development with
principles of the Neighborhood
Model, The same quantity of
development illustrated in Figure
4:10 is provided in less than half
the land area. The resulting higher
density development is actually
more pedestrian friendly and more
Hveable than the conventional low
density development depicted in
4:10. Moreover, a substantial
portion of the landscape is
preserved. Important in this regard
is the treatment along Route 250.
where a tree lined boulevard with
frontage road is deployed (See
Figures 5:5 - 5.'7) allowing this
major access road into the city to
provide a civilized experience. It is
also interesting to note the addition
of small urban parks in spaces once
dominated by parking lots.
Redevelopment of existing
shopping centers in with a higher
density of development makes such
amenity possible (See Figures 5:91
- 5:104)
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
phases and does not require the complete
demolition of existing shopping centers. In
addition, when these commercial and residential
densities are accommodated in three-to five-
story buildings aligned along the frontage roads
proposed for 250-East, and are linked to an urban
design plan, they will go a long way in helping to
remake this arterial highway into a grand
boulevard.
Such grandeur is warranted as Pantops occupies
a significant portion of the view from Monticello.
As such, it offers the first glimpse of the
metropolitan area for many visitors. Increas-
ingly, the view from this majestic hilltop is an
unsightly one, as great expanses of parking and
large flat roofs dominate the landscape. The
Neighborhood Model offers a counter image,
that of a compact city in the valley, where a clear
distinction exists between town and country. A
contained, well ordered urban landscape
punctuated and surrounded by green is surely a
view that would offer first time visitors and
residents alike, a very positive impression of the
Charlottesville/Albemarle region.
Benefits of "Density By Design"
As pointed out in both the County's Compre~
hensive Plan, as well as in a document prepared
for the DISC entitled, "Summary of the Buildout
Analysis," maintaining the Development Area
Boundaries through 2015 will require develop-
ment at substantially higher densities than is
currently being achieved. While some view that
as a necessary price to pay, the differences
between the two illustrated plans suggest that
increased densities can prove to be a benefit. As
has already been noted, by absorbing the
demand for new development, this increase in
density has the potential of preserving hundreds
of acres of agricultural land and unspoiled
forested areas. What hasn't always been'as
obvious is that density itself affords numerous
amenities (both man-made and natural). En-
hanced property values and tax revenues,
efficient transit service, pedestrian and bicycle
friendly streets and boulevards, accessible
public spaces and parks, the ability to walk to
shops, cafes and even to work can be derived
from the Neighborhood Model if it is applied in
this fashion. A more detailed analysis of the
Neighborhood Model can be found on pages
128 and 129.
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Section 5
DESIGNAPPROACHES
This section provides specific design approaches that
achieve the general concepts expressed in Section 2 and
Section 3, These options are not exhaustive; developers
and others in the community can suggest additional ways
that individual projects can similarly meet the objectives of
the Neighborhood Model. Likewise, the Master Plans for '
individual Development Areas are anticipated to experiment
with combinations of these patterns and identify additional
scenerios that might be appropriate in the Development
Areas. This section follows the same order as the twelve
principles:
1. Pedestrian Orientation
2. Neighborhood Friendly Streets and Paths
3. InterconneCted Streets and Transportation Networks
4. Parks and Open Space
5. Neighborhood Centers
6. Buildings and Spaces of Human Scale
7. Relegated Parking
8. Mixture of Uses
9. Mixture of Housing Types and Affordability
10. Redevelopment Rather than Abandonment
11. Site Planning that Respects Terrain
12. Clear Edges
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
1. PEDESTRIAN-ORIENTED NEIGHBORHOODS
The following techniques are offered to achieve the goal of having pedestrian-oriented
neighborhoods that let residents walk to work, to friends' homes, to parks, to shopping, and to
cultural centers. Other sections in this chapter also relate to creating a good pedestrian
environment, particularly #2, #3, #6, #8, and #9.
Figure 5:1 (righO A
concrete sidewalk placed
between a tree planting
strip and the street in a
neighborhood of single
family houses
Figure 5:2 (righ0 A
sidewalk of brick pavers
fronting an infill develop-
ment of townhouses in Old
Town Alexandria, Virginia
Figure 5:3 (righO Interlock-
ing pavers at a botanical
garden will last far longer
than asphalt in such high
traffic recreational areas.
Sidewalks
Definition: A sidewalk is a paved footpath, usually of concrete, parallel to a vehicular thoroughfare.
Sidewalks should be provided along all vehicular thoroughfares except high-speed, limited access
highways.
Features of Sidewalks
· Sidewalks should typically be separated from the roadway by a planting strip, except in
commercial areas.
· Sidewalks should typically be provided on
both sides of a street, except where there is
no development along one side of the street
or where topography or vegetation pre-
cludes provision.
· In lower density residential areas, sidewalks
should be wide enough to accommodate
two people walking side by side (at least 4
feet)
· In commercial areas, sidewalks should
include the space commonly required for the
planting strip and be at least 9 feet in width.
In higher density areas, sidewalks should be
15 to 18 feet in width.
· Pedestrian crossings of roads should be
provided at grade, wherever possible, in
marked pedestrian crossings to continue the
paths across the street. Pedestrian bridges
over roads should be avoided except at
limited access highways. For safety
reasons, pedestrian tunnels under roadways
should be avoided.
Appropriate at: All areas.
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57
Paths (Pedestrian and Bicycle)
Definition: An off-road pedestrian and bicycle
way, usually traversing a park or traveling along a
greenspace corridor (greenway). Paths may also
be used to connect neighborhoods together where
a vehicular thoroughfare is either impractical or
unwarranted. Pedestrian paths can also serve as
"Nature Trails," when designed accordingly.
Features of Paths
· If intended for bicycle use, paths should be
paved
· Paths can accommodate both bicyclists and
pedestrians. However, in high use situations,
it may be necessary to provide for the
separation of the two groups, either with paint
striping or with other means
· Paths through wetlands may have to be raised upon a boardwalk depending on local environmental
regulations
· Paths should connect directly with the sidewalk network at the urban edges
Appropriate at: Edge Zones and any large Open Space such as a Meadow, School Yard, Commons or
Green.
Figure 5:4
Blocks
Definition: Development design using blocks instead of the conventional cul-de-sac pattern provides
many opportunities for a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood. By providing multiple routes to each
destination for cars and pedestrians, vehicular traffic on any one route is reduced enhancing the feeling
of safety for. the pedestrian, while making for a more interesting walking experience.
Features of Blocks
· Blocks surround a small area with sidewalks.
· Blocks provide more destinations and route options, thereby generating more interest in walking
and jogging
· Blocks require interconnecting streets which fit the Neighborhood Model, but also act to calm
traffic.
· Block sizes should be shorter in Center and Core areas (200 to 300 feet) and transition to longer
lengths in General (300 to 400 feet) and Edge areas (400 to 600 feet). Recent studies in Northern
California have shown a link between block size and pedestrian activity with smaller blocks, 300 to
400 feet in length, being the more conducive to pedestrians. Montgomery County, Maryland now
utilizes block size as one of its variables when rating its streets according their pedestrian friendli-
ness {a measure used in traffic modeling). Outlined in Part 9 of this Section, the following items are
features of blocks:
Appropriate at: All areas.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Developmedt Areas
58
2. NEIGHBORHOOD FRIENDLY STREETS AND PATHS:
OPTIONS FOR THOROUGHFARES
To achieve the goal of having neighborhood friendly streets and paths, the relationship of
streets to neighborhoods m. ust be considered. In Virginia Counties using VDOT subdivision
street standards, traffic engineering typically deals wi~h capacity of roads. With the Neighbor-
hood Model, the character and appearance of the street as well as the design speed and
capacity must be factored into street design. Character and appearance are determined by
streetscape elements, building front conditions and building use, and form. Capacity and
design speeds are determined by local street design standards.
Streetscape elements are ~mportant to neighbor-
hood design. Trees, usually planted in grassy
strips of land between the curb and the sidewalk,
provide a softened appearance to streets and
enhance the quality of the walk for pedestrians.
Trees also provide a barrier between the
pedestrian and a moving car Where sidewalks
abut a curb, trees can be planted adjacent to the
sidewalk in the front yard to help create a similar
effect.
The Neighborhood Model proposes that many
street interconnections will be made; which
should allow for narrower road widths than are
currently used. Narrower road widths and on-
street parking help to reduce travel speeds on
roads, which make neighborhoods safer.
Taking into account a variety of design speeds
and locations within the road network structure,
the following template has been developed.
Important to this template is that the nomencla-
ture has been changed. Terms such as "collec-
tor'' and "arterial" have been removed from the
vocabulary as they denote only capacity. These
words are replaced with definitions of different
types of roads, which have characteristics
relating to both capacity and character. Part A,
of this section includes streets that fall within
neighborhoods and extend from neighborhood
to neighborhood. They are arranged from
highest volume and width to lowest.
Highways are outside of individual neighbor-
hoods and are required for high speed regiOnal
traffic. They are represented in Part B of this
section.
Figure 5:5 Massachussetts
Avenue in the Spring Valley
area of Washington. DC is an
exatnple of a Boulevard.
described on the facing page.
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A. Neighborhood Thoroughfares
Figure 5:6
Boulevard
Definition: A boulevard is a multi-lane thoroughfare separated by
several medians. Taken fr~m the Latin word, "bulwark," which
means the wall surrounding ancient European cities, boulevards are
"grand avenues" built in the space left behind when the European
walls were torn down. A boulevard would transform a highway on
the Edge of a Development Area into an urban street in a General
Area or Center.
Features of Boulevards:
· Design speeds of boulevards should be 35 mph.
· The side medians separate slower traffic and parking activity at
the edges from the through-traffic in the center lanes. This
arrangement creates an alternative to the "strip highway," by
allowing building frontages, sidewalks, and pedestrian activity
right at the edge of the right of way.
Appropriate locations: Centers and where a "seam" is created
between adjacent neighborhoods
Figure 5:7
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
60
Parkway
Definition: A parkway is
a rural version ora
boulevard. It is a long-
distance thoroughfare,
traversing rural areas and
Edges. It can link
neighborhoods to each
other.
Features of Parkways:
Parkways are
appropriate for travel
at 35 mph.
· Slower movement
service lanes
adjacent to Parkways
allow residences to
be sited along the
road.
· Where service lanes
are used, residences
are provided a buffer
to the higher speed
travel way.
The main road
should be kept
relatively free of
intersections.
Intersections should
occur primarily with
the service lanes.
Appropriate location:
Edges
Figure 5:8
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Avenue or Residential
Boulevard
Definition:
An avenue or residential (small)
.boulevard has center medians that
break the thoroughfare into
discrete channels of movement.
Features of Avenues or Residential
Boulevards:
· In Centers, the median may be
wide enough to hold monu-
ments (see Monument Avenue
in Richmond, Virginia).
· In GeneralAreas, medians may
be planted formally with trees
or landscaped informally, to
create the appearance of a
linear park.
Appropriate locations:
Centers and General Areas
Figure 5:9
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Drive
Definition: A drive is a
bucolic roadway that defines
the edge between an
urbanized and undeveloped
area, as along a stream valley,
park, promontory or at the
edge between the
Development Areas and the
Rural Areas. It does not
have curb and gutter. A
pedestrian path or sidewalk
parallels the roadway but is
not immediately adjacent to
it.
Features of Drives:
· A drive is appropriate for
design speeds of 25 mph
within a Development
Area and 35 mph outside
a Development Area.
· A drive may be split with
a center median. It may
vary owing to the terrain
or other landscaping.
· It may be asymmetrical;
one side of the drive
may have an urban
character and the other
may look more like a
parkway.
Appropriate location:
Edges
Figure 5:10
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Figure 5:11
Main Street
(Commercial Street)
Definition: A main street or commercial
street accommodates two-way traffic and
parallel parking. Diagonal parking may be
allowed and is appropriate for commercial
buildings with ground-floor retail space.
Features of Main Streets:
· Main streets have raised curbs and
closed storm drainage.
* Sidewalks are adjacent to curbs at a
maximum width of 10- 18 feet.
· Trees can block views to storefronts
and are therefore not always desir-
able. When used, they should be in
planters and have clear trunks and
high canopies. A single species
should be used and a series should be
planted in alignment.
e Street furniture is desirable.
Appropriate location:
Centers
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
64
Neighborhood Street or Road
Definition: A neighborhood street or road is
a local slow-movement thoroughfare. A
neighborhood street is urban in character
and a road is rural in character.
Features of Streets
· Streets have an "urban" cross section
which includes curb, gutter, street trees,
and sidewalks.
· Streets are used to establish an "urban
form" which supports densities of 3
dwelling units per acre or greater.
· Parallel parking is allowed along the
shoulder of streets.
· Building fronts are aligned with small
setbacks.
· Drainage system is closed.
Appropriate location:
Edge, General Areas and Centers
Features of Roads:
· Roads use a "rural" cross-section
which includes open drainage ditches
and no curbs.
· Paths instead of sidewalks are used
adjacent to the drainage ditches.
· Setbacks can be irregular.
· Roads are used to characterize a more
"rural form" and are used in areas with
very low traffic volume~
· Roads are the "exception" rather than
the rule in the Development Areas.
Appropriate location:
Edges with densi~ of less than 3 dwelling
units per acre
Figure 5:12
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 5:13
Figure 5:14
Way (Small Street also known as a Queuing Street)
Definition: A way is narrower than a street or road; it is designed for "yield" movements
Features of Ways
· Ways are designed for very slow traffic movement - 15 mph.
· They may be one- or two-way.
· They are never striped.
· One car must pull over to allow for oncoming traffic to pass.
· Ways are appropriate for minor neighborhood streets; however, they should extend for no more
than two to three continuous blocks before ending at a T-intersection.
Appropriate location:
Edges and General Areas; at Centers on a limited basis
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 5:15
Alley
Definition: An alley is a narrow access at the rear
of lots providing for service areas, access to
parking and utility easements. Alleys
accommodate yield movement.
Features of Commercial Alleys:
· commercial alleys have no sidewalks and
little landscaping.
· They must be paved to accommodate trucks
and dumpsters.
· Inverted crowns provide for center drainage
in alleys.
Appropriate locations:
Centers
Features of Residential Alleys:
· Residential alleys have no sidewalks.
· They should accommodate low-lying
landscaping.
· The paved area needs to be 10 - 14 feet in
width with a right-of-way of 20 - 24 feet in
order to accommodate utility easements.
Garages and fences may be built at the right-
of-way line.
Surface can be paved or, in low density
areas, gravel.
Appropriate location:
Edges and General Areas
Figure 5:16
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B. Other Thoroughfares
Figure 5:17
Features:
· Highways should be kept relatively free of intersections, driveways, and
adjacent buildings.
· Highways should be buffered from adjacent development by a landscape strip.
· As a highway approaches a Center area, it can transform into a boulevard.
· A variation ora highway is a Parkway.
Appropriate location:
Edge, General Areas, and Centers. Acts as corridor to connect neighborhoods.
Highway
Definition: Highways, as
existing long-distance corridors
designed .for rapid-spqed, high-
volume, traffic flow, serve more
than the Development Areas.
Within the Development Areas,
the Neighborhood Model calls
for them to be altered to become
more neighborhood-friendly
streets such as boulevards.
Examples are U.S. Route 29 and
U.S. Route 250. Where develop-
ment does not exist along them,
they act as highways as
described below.
Figure 5:18 (below) Diagram of
highway treatment along 29 north
adjacent to "Towers Land Trust"
property in Hollymeade. See pages
120-127. At major intersections (like
Profit Road) the highway transforms
to a Boulevard to create neigborhood
center or core area. fan example of a
roadway intersection neighborhood)
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
68
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
3. INTERCONNECTED STREETS AND TRANSPORTATION
NETWORKS
There are a number of different approaches to interconnect streets in neighborhoods and Develop-
ment Areas. Interconnections provide different routes for automobile traffic. Other transportation
options help to reduce reliance on the automobile.
The first set of options, "Interconnected Streets," shows "ghd" streets in their "pure" form. The different
options are not mutually exclusive, though, and can be combined. The list of permutations is infinite and
the road design in each neighborhood must be carefully considered to fred the pattern or patterns that work
best with existing development, density desired by the County, and terrain.
The second subsection describes "Other Transportation Networks." These options encourage travel by
means other than the automobile.
INTERCONNECTED STREETS
Figure 5:19
The Rectilinear Grid Pattern
Definition: The rectilinear grid pattern is a street system providing maximum road connec-
tions and some road hierarchy. It represents the classic grid street pattern used in many
street systems laid out at the turn of the century.
Features:
· It may have park spaces interspersed at regular intervals or more randomly.
· Some streets may terminate at T-intersections, especially in General Areas and Edges.
· Sidewalks serve as pedestrian paths,
Advantages:
· The rectilinear pattern is easy to build upon.
· It allows for and promotes a v. ariety of lot types within an easily managed menu of
options.
· A hierarchy of thoroughfares can provide opportunities for architectural treatment of
buildings at comers.
Alleys are loaded on both sides, providing efficiency in infrastructure.
· Straight thoroughfares actually enhance the character of rolling terrain.
· The pattern is easily expandable.
Disadvantages:
· Unless it is interrupted periodically, it can be monotonous, such as exists in Manhattan.
· It does not work well on steeply sloping terrain in cold climates.
· It must be seriously deformed to accommodate environmental features or existing
ravines.
Appropriate locations: General and Edges where terrain is sloped
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The Diamond Grid Pattern
Definition: The diamond grid pattern is a grid street system characterized by interconnec-
tions at angles.
Features:
· It works well with steep grades.
· At extreme grades, a discontinuous pattern may be justified.
· Sidewalks serve as pedestrian paths.
Advantages:
· Street angles can be determined by maximum allowable grade, so it works well on
sloped terrain.
· A variety of lot sizes are possible.
· Minimal disruption can be made to sloping terrain, while a grid of streets can prevail.
· The pattern can produce spectacular and dramatic "hill towns."
Disadvantages:
· The Diamond Grid results in awkward intersections that are not in conformity with
VDOT standards.
· Alleys may be difficult to accommodate.
· Some lots may be awkward in shape and in terrain, making building difficult and
expensive.
· Siting of buildings relative to streets is difficult. Effort must be made to avoid the look
of houses seeming to sit high above the street or houses falling down the ravine.
Appropriate locations: General and Edges where terrain is sloped
Figure 5:20
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
7O
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 5:21
The Picturesque Landscape (Olmstedian) Pattern
Definition: Inspired byAmerican landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted's plan
for Riverside, Illinois, the Picturesque Landscape pattern is a loose and warped grid
able to respond easily to terrain and natural conditions.
Features:
· It works well with steep grades.
· Sidewalks serve as pedestrian paths.
Advantages:
· It is highly responsive to terrain.
· It absorbs any and all environmental interruptions.
· The monotony of the grid is broken by deflected vistas.
· It provides for even dispersal of traffic throughout the network.
Disadvantages:
· The inefficient use of the block makes it appropriate only for single-family
detached houses.
· It can be very disorienting to motorists, making it easy for them to get lost.
· There is no hierarchy of streets intrinsic to the concept.
· Lot sizes cannot be controlled.
· When used too often, this pattern can become monotonous.
Appropriate locations: Edges
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The Rural Village Pattern
Definition: The Rural Village pattern is a loose network of streets that resembles a
slightly twisted and discontinuous grid street pattern with varying block sizes.
Features:
.e It provides a series of interconnections that are loosely organized rather than
systematic.
· T-intersections are commonplace, as are intersections at 85 degree angles.
· Sidewalks serve as pedestrian paths.
Advantages:
· It follows existing roads on the land which normally result from natural features.
* It easily absorbs disruptions caused by environmental conditions or existing
development.
* It is responsive to terrain, including the occasional steep slope.
* Monotony is eliminated by deflected and terminated vistas.
· A street hierarchy provides opportunities for higher design speeds and long routes
for through traffic.
* The street network provides for even dispersal of traffic.
Disadvantages:
· The network produces inefficient block sizes resulting in leftover and unbuildable
spaces.
· Building lots-sometimes are larger than is appropriate.
There is an uncontrollable variety of blocks.
· It may provide too many intersections or intersections at angles too acute for VDOT
standards.
· It is difficult to design because it is responsive to existing development and road
patterns
· The network is not easily expanded.
Appropriate locations:. Centers, General Areas, and Edges.
Figure 5:22
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 5:23
The Curvilinear Grid Pattern
Definition: The curvilinear grid pattern is a modified grid that provides fewer connec-
tions than the Rectilinear and Diamond Grid and more easily adapts to the terrain.
Features:
· Thoroughfares are curved and run parallel to the topography to accommodate
moderately sloped terrain.
· Sidewalks serve as pedestrian paths.
· Additional paths (with stairways and ramps) may be included mid-block where
grades prevent.vehicular access.
Advantages:
· Curvilinear streets can be designed to closely follow terrain.
· A variety of lots can be accommodated and designed.
· A hierarchy of thoroughfares can provide for architectural treatments on comers
for higher design sPeeds.
· Alleys are loaded on both sides, providing efficiency in infrastructure.
· Curving streets can provide another way to create visual interest.
· The system is easily expandable.
Disadvantages:
· Curvilinear blocks provide more challenging lots for townhouses and are more
difficult to plat.
· It may reduce the character of sloping terrain by paralleling it.
· It may needlessly create asyrmnetrical streets with uphill and downhill houses and
expensive retaining walls.
Appropriate locations: GeneralAreas and Edges where terrain is moderately sloped;
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The Spiderweb or Star Pattern
Definition: The Spiderweb Pattern is a grid pattern of streets radiating from a
center and interconnected mostly at right angles. It is a geometrically pure pattern
with a central focus and derives from the Italian Renaissance notion of the Ideal
City.
Features:
· It radiates from central monument areas.
· It provides for a hierarchy of streets.
· It can be found in several U.S. Cites, particularly John Nolen's plans for
Marieraont, Ohio and Kingsport, Tennessee.
Advantages:
. Diagonal streets may be positioned to respond tO ridges and swales of terrain.
* Traffic is dispersed evenly through the network.
e Sidewalks serve as pedestrian paths.
· The monotony of the grid can be interrupted by deflected vistas.
· Diagonal streets can create hierarchy for through traffic.
Disadvantages:
· The street system can be disorienting and difficult for drivers to use.
· It requires many special buildings, particularly at the cemer, in order to achieve
spatial definition.
· It creates formalized central space which may be too grand for many neighbor-
hoods.
Appropriate locations: Center and GeneralAreas. It can extend into Edges but
should adjust its form to natural conditions.
Figure 5:24
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
74
Figure 5:25
The Stem Pattern
Definition: The stem pattern is characterized by a series of cul-de-sac streets feeding
onto collector streets and arterials. It is the pattern that characterizes much of the
conventional development in Albemarle County.
Features:
· It is a completely hierarchical system, but it limits choices to any destination.
· It provides for a maximum number of lots on discontinuous streets.
· Where it was perfected in Radburn, New Jersey, it offered a secondary system of
pedestrian paths, behind each stem of houses to separate pedestrian from vehicular
traffic.
Advantages:
· It is responsive to steep terrain, even the occasional steep slope.
· It provides a controllable variety of blocks and lots.
· It easily absorbs disruptions caused by environmental conditions or existing
development.
· It conforms to the existing VDOT hierarchy of streets, terminology, and standards.
Disadvantages:
· Traffic congestion is caused by the absence of an interconnected network.
· Longer average vehicles m/les traveled result from backtracking.
· A complete separation of land uses and housing types is inizinsic to the pattern.
· The street hierarchy results in major collector roads lined with rear-facing lots,
usually as separate entry drives.
Separate pedestrian paths are rarely provided because of the assumption that
residents can walk in the street for recreation.
High design speeds and wide roadways lead to excessive speed.
Figure 5:26 The stent pattern
in the Hollymead area. near
the Towers site.
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OTHER TRANSPORTATION NETWORKS
Bike Lanes and Routes
Definition: Abike lane is a marked lane of a
roadway for the exclusive use of cyclists. A bike
route is a signed or unsigned area of any low-
volume thoroughfare where cyclists feel comfort-
able sharing the roadway with automobiles.
Features:
· A bikeway is part ora safe, convenient, well
marked and easily understood network that
may include both on- and off-road routes.
· The local thoroughfare network should
supply the vast majority of low-volume, low-
speed routes for cyclists dkectly on the
pavement, allowing cycling to daily activities.
In the rare instances where abutting cul-de-
sacs are developed they should have a cycle-
path connection. A continuous local street system parallel to arterial streets is a preferred option
for cyclists rather than providing cycle lanes or separate paths on arterial roads.
On thoroughfares with projected traffic volumes of more than 3,000 vehicle trips per day (serving
over 300 residences) and near schools where long-distance commuter and recreational cycling are
tmdertaken, lanes should be marked specifically for bicycles.
Appropriate location: Edges, General Areas, and Centers
Figure 5:27
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Bus Routes, Vans, and Light Rail
Bus Routes
Definition: A bus route is a travel path for regularly scheduled multi-passenger vehicles. Operating
generally on existing roads, routes are readily identifiable by being well marked with convenient stops
and frequent service. Buses may operate regionally approximating Light Rail when using dedicated
lanes within the highway system. Bus routes are relatively inexpensive systems that may be phased in
small increments.
Features:
· Bus route designs should be considered during the making of the Development Area Master Plans.
Bus routes can be designed to link neighborhood centers together as well as to provide linkage to
Core areas, employment centers, and future light rail stops.
· Bus routes should be located on boulevards, avenues, parkways, and commercial streets.
· Thoroughfares designed with bus routes should have appropriate widths and turning radii.
· Bus stops should be located conveniently at 900 -~ 1200 foot intervals to balance accessibility with
running nme.
· Bus stops should be located at potential destinations including schools, neighborhood Centers,
future light rail stations, the Airport, recreational areas, major retail areas, and employment centers.
· Bus stops should have visual surveillance from surrounding areas. Where possible, they should
provide a place m sit. shade, and shelter from the rain and snow. Waiting for a bus should be a
comfortable activity.
Appropriatelocations: Edge, GeneralAreas, and Centers
Van or Jitney Service
Definition: A van or jimey js a small multi-passenger vehicle mrming on shared lanes within the
general thoroughfare system.
Features:
· Vans and jitneys travel at low speeds.
· They follow a short looped route and can be made available for door-to-door service through
telephone requests.
· They can provide a feeder system to other types of mass transit.
· Vans and j~meys are the least expensive transit option and they can be phased in small increments
prior to providing a full bus route.
· They can travel on virtually all streets because of their small size.
Appropriate locations: Edge, GeneralAreas~ and Centers
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Light Rail
Definition: Light rail includes multi-passenger
vehicles that mn on tracks, sometimes located
within the vehicular thoroughfare system and
sometimes within a railroad right-of-way. Light
rail cars are designed for both low and medium
speeds and can have half-mile (neighborhood)
intervals within an urban fabric and stops at two-
mile intervals in rural areas. The term"light rail"
also includes trolleys and street cars.
Features:
· Light rail design should be considered
during the making of a Development Area
Master Plan and detailed neighborhood
plans. Even if current densities do not
support light rail, providing space in
boulevard medians and other rights-of-way
will not preclude provision of light rail in the
future.
Appropriate locations: Centers and Employment
Districts
1 MILE
1/2 MILE
LIGHTRAIL BUS
ONE
Figure 5:28
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
4. Parks and Open Space
In the Neighborhood Model, parks and open space are considered part of the public realm.
The quality, character and location of open space must be considered as much as quantity. An
~ntegral part of neighborhoods and corridors, open space is much more than merely a percent-
age of total area developed.
Seen in this light, parks and open space should
be understood on a civic and environmental
scale. At one end of the scale are the large
environmental preserves and natural features
identified early in the Master Planning process.
These features include significant woodlands,
stream valleys and floodplains, springs, wet-
lands, and other systems of steep slopes. At the
other end of the scale are the small civic plazas,
village squares, playgrounds, pocket parks and
neighborhood greens. These spaces are at the
centers of neighborhoods. In between these
ends of the spectrum are areas like Schoolyards,
Commons, Meadows, and stream valley parks.
The parks and open space options in this section
are not mutually exclusive. In fact, a mixture of
types is appropriate to serve different functions
within the Neighborhood and the Development
Area. These options are presented in order, from
the most natural to the most formal, from large to
small, from active to passive. All can play a role
in establishing the public realm of a neighbor-
hood.
Regarding ownership, the Neighborhood Model
suggests that some parks and open space will be
publicly owned and others will be privately
owned. While the County may take ownership of
many of these public spaces, it is doubtful that
the County will wish to own all of them. It is also
likely that individual neighborhood associations
will wish to own and maintain small neighbor-
hood spaces as well as environmentally sensitive
land. While all of the parks and open space
options are meant to "appear" public, many will
remain in private hands. The larger, regional park
needs, established during the Master Planning
process will likely be met through County
acquisition, development, and maintenance.
Figure 5:29 ~It Celebration.
Florida. the requirement to
provide a stormwater
management facility
becomes an opportunity to
provide an open space
amenity within a boulevard
median.
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The Greenway
Definition: A greenway is a corridor of open space that
follows a natural feature such as a stream valley,
floodplain, or swale. It may also follow the path of an
abandoned road or railroad bed. It usually contains a
path for p6destrians or bicyclists.
Features:
· It should extend between villages and neighbor-
hoods as well as through them, connecting the
countryside to urban parks and squares.
· It should lead to destinations.
· It should have visual supervision from buildings.
At narrower areas, buildings should front the
greenway, which should be framed by thorough-
fares. At wider areas, buildings may back onto it.
Where privacy is desired, screening should be
provided at rear yards.
Figure 5:30
Landscaping should be appropriate to the location. More formal landscaping would be expected
within neighborhoods; more natural landscaping would be expected between neighborhoods.
Appropriate locations: Edges (such as when the Development Area is defined by a natural feature),
General Areas (probably as a.tributary of a larger greenway), and Centers (as a terminus)
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 5:32
The Commons
Definition: The Commons is a public park of 2 - 5 acres that is
clearly defined, possibly irregular in shape, and available for c~vic
gatherings and unstructured recreation. A mix of residential,
commercial, and civic buildings front on all sides.
Features:
· Its landscape consists primarily of grassy areas, paved or
unpaved walks, and informally planted shade trees.
· A Commons may be designed around an existing natural feature such as a wetland or pond, a stand
of mature trees or even a knoll or swale. It may s~t upon slopes as steep as 20%.
· A Commons may incorporate defined recreation areas such as playing fields or playgrounds. A
Commons could incorporate a small outdoor theater.
· Commons are surrounded primarily by retail and civic uses on the ground floor; however, residen-
tial uses clustered together also would be appropriate.
· A Commons may incorporate stormwater retention. In such situations, side slopes should be no
greater than 5%.
Figure 5:33
Appropriate locations: Cemers and GeneralAreas
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The Heath or Meadow
Definition: A heath or meadow is a public space for unstructured recreation.
were once under cultivation prior to becoming part o£ a Development Area.
Meadows and heaths
Features:
· Heaths or meadows can be preserved on a developed site by clustering development in one
portion of the site and leaving a portion of the land undeveloped.
· Landscaping is usually informal and consists of native plants and grasses that require minimal
maintenance.
· Heaths and meadows may be linked to Greenways, Greens, or be placed adjacent to
Schoolyards.
Appropriate locations: Edges, particularly as a common area between neighborhoods
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 5:35
The Square
Definition: The Square is a public space usually no larger
than a block at the intersection of significant thoroughfares
used primarily for civic purposes. Buildings front it on all
sides.
Features:
· Its landscape consists of lawns, paved walks, trees, and
civic buildings. All of these are formally disposed and
require regular maintenance.
· Squares are relatively flat with slopes no greater than
6%.
· On occasion, a square may abut Greens or a Greenway.
It may provide a civic terminus to a natural feature.
· Squares may be surrounded by commercial or residential
uses on the ground floor.
Appropriate locations: GeneralAreas that are primarily
residential in character and Centers where commercial
character is on the ground floor.
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Figure 5:38
The Pocket Park
Definition: Apocket park is a
small Green shaped to absorb an
idiosyncrasy in the road pattern.
The Pocket Park gives to the
public realm space that a
conventional suburban develop-
ment would have privatized or
placed into someone's backyard.
Features:
· A Pocket Park's shape vanes, but it is always less than
1/2 block in length.
· It is enclosed on only one or two sides by a thorough-
fare. The other sides may have only a public sidewalk.
· Landscape features of a Pocket Park will vary.
· Maintenance is performed privately if owned by a
Homeowners Association. If the space fronts on a
major thoroughfare, it is maintained publicly.
Appropriate locations: GeneralAreas and Edges
Figure 5:39 A small
pocket park in Kentlands.
Maryland
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: .Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 5:40
The Eyebrow
Definition: An Eyebrow is a green space created by the
splitting of a street. The space becomes an occupiable area
with one-way traffic on each side.
Features:
· The Eyebrow often accommodates a natural feature such
as steep terrain or a significant tree.
· It may require special approval by VDOT.
· Landscape features may vary.
· Maintenance is performed privately by a Homeowners
Association or a Management Company, if within a rental
property.
Appropriate locations: General Areas and Edges
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5. Neighborhood Centers
Centers are the core of a neighborhood and can be anything from a high-density mixed-use
area to a school, park, or major employment nucleus. Exi sting centers are identified through
the Master Planning process described in Section 4. Several different types of centers are
illustrated below:
Approaches for the creation and retention of centers are described throughout this document. Most
importantly, the Center is a civic or public destination. As such, their appearance should be a major
part of their .function and sidewalks and paths as' well as streets should lead to these places.
Figure 5:42 (left) The Town
Square in South Riding,
Loudoun County, Virginia. It
is civic space bounded by a
"Town Hall" (a communi(y
building) and a variety of
residential structures.
Figure 5:43 (righO
Rendering of proposed green
in Pikesville, Maryland. The
space features offices over
retail. Across the street.
condomtnium residences
complete the space and
provide for the activities of
living, working and
shopping.
Figure 5:44 Another
example of apartments
over retail including a
mix of low and mid-rise
units. This project
known as Mizner Park
in Boca Raton, Florida,
has proven to be
enormously successful
and is a popular
gathering spot for
residents from as far
away as 50 miles. It ts
a real town center.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
86
6. Buildings and Spaces of Human Scale
The following design approaches address how to create an urban form that functions well for
pedestrians and contributes to making livable and appealing neighborhoods.
Building Heights
In general, heights of buildings should be greatest at the Centers and diminish through the General
Area to the Edges. Heights of buildings at the Center should relate to the rest of the neighborhood. As
previously stated, building proportions should relate to the size of the human body. This means that
the combined height and width (mass) of buildings should not be overwhelming. Larger buildings can
use techniques that reduce their perceived mass. For example, a change in material, or texture above the
first or second floor can help to reinforce the base (scaled to a human) while diminishing the portion
above. This technique is used at the old Monticello Hotel on Court Square in Downtown Charlottes-
ville. Other techniques include the use of cornice lines above the second or third floor or setbacks at
the same location. Most important is the level and quality of &taft at the first and second floor, the
areas most within the view of the pedestrian.
Spatial Enclosure Ratio of 1:2 as
defined by Buildings. Existing street
widths can be used to determine
setbacks.
Figure 5:45
Face to face Dimension
Spatial Enclosure Ratio of 1:2 as
defined by Street Trees
Figure 5:46
Yard Street [Yard
Right-of-Way
Face to face Dimension
Building
Height
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Spatial Enclosure
The Neighborhood Model suggests that, rather than regulating building heights m a neighborhood,
the degree of spatial enclosure should be regulated. This method focuses on the relationships of
buildings to roads widths. Generally, spatial enclosure is determined by building height and tree
canopy. Setbacks or building recess lines allow larger buildings with a similar degree of enclosure.
Figure 5:47
Street
Spatial Enclosure Ratio of 1:3 as
defined by Buildings. This ratio is
the maximum that should be used
without street trees.
Figure 5:48
Face to face Dimension
Spatial Enclosure Ratio of 1:2
using Building Recesses. The 1:2
ratio is not affect.ed by building
height because a recess at the
second story is used.
~//~t ......... ~2~-2-~f "~,- .... ~'~:"~ ..... "~ : ....: ?,---) .....
Right-of-Way
Figure 5:49
Spatial Enclosure Ratio of 1:6
as defined by Street Trees.
A 1:6 ratio is the absolute
maximum spatial enclosure which
should be used. In this wide
space, street n-ees should be used
to reduce the perceived width of
the street.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
88
ARCHITECTURAL TREATMENTS WITH FRONT YARDS
Zoning ordinances regulate front yards, or front setbacks. The front setback line is the minimum
distance from the right-of-way line that a building can be constructed. The Neighborhood Model
suggests that deep front yards and setbacks take eyes away from the street and create generally a
less-inviting streetscape than shallow front yards. To achieve more spatial enclosure, shallow front
yards and different facade treatments in the front yard can be used. Suggested front y~rds and
architectural treatments are presented below. Additional designs, can be proposed as developers and
the County become more comfortable with the concept. Consideration should also be given to
replacing the minimum front yard requirement with a maximum"build-to" line. To help understand
the techniques illustrated below, the following definition will be useful:
Front Fafade "Build-to" Line: The front facade build-to line is the line in which the primary mass
of the front faqade should be set. It is measured from the edge of the right-of-way. The larger the
primary mass of the front faqade, the greater the front yard should be. This line should be consistent
within a block, unless it is intentionally varied to achieve a more picturesque effect and/or avoid
unusual site conditions. It may vary within an Edge, General Area, or Center. Porches and bay
windows should be able to project from the front faqade into the area between the primary mass of
the building and the street.
Figure 5:50
Front facade build-to line
0-10 feet
Shop Front
Definition: A Shop Front is one primarily designed to
promote retail activity. Pedestrians can walk right to the
edge of the building if they choose in order to "window
shop."
Location of front faqade build-to line: The front
faqade build-to line is at or near the edge of the right-of-
way. The entrance to the building is at the grade of the
sidewalk.
Features:
· It is commonly used for retail buildings and live/
work umts.
· It can accommodate an awning or cantilevered
signage.
· It is not appropriate for residential use
Appropriate locations: Centers
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ArcadeFront
Definition: An Arcade Front appears where a building
encrOaches into the right-of-way above the first floor, and
supported by coltunns encloses the space of the sidewalk
within a colonnade.
Location of front fagade build-to line: The front fafade
build-to line is within the right-of-way. The building is
recessed on the first floor to allow for a sidewalk. The
second story is located over the sidewalk. The sidewalk
should be completely absorbed within the arcade to
prevent pedestrians from bypassing it. The entrance to the
building is at the property line.
Features:
· It tends to be more useful in hotter climates, but may
be used sparingly in Centers.
· It is appropriate for retail use and for civic buildings.
· It requires an easement for private use of the right-of-way.
· It is not appropriate for residential use.
Appropriate locations: Centers
stre~ [ min.
right-of-way
Figure 5:51
Stoop Front
Definition: A Stoop Front is the most urban front yard acceptable for ground floor residential use. A
small staircase, "stoop," provides access to the first floor
of the residence: Privacy from pedestrians walking by the
house is assured by raising the first floor, while the stoop
provides an ."outdoor seat" for the resident.
Location of front fagade build-to line: The front fafade
build-to line is 0 - 10 feet from the right-of-way. The
entrance to the building is at least 3 feet higher than the
grade &the sidewalk to assure visual privacy for windows.
Features:
· It can accommodate ground-floor residential uses
including single family homes, rowhouses, and
apartment buildings.
* The Stoop Front may be intermingled with the Shop
Front.
e When set back 0 - 5 feet, it is also a useful frontage for
"side yard" houses which are also known as "Charles-
ton houses" (Charleston houses are entered off of a
side garden).
Appropriate locations: Centers
ro
build-to llne
~ 5-10 £eet
Figure 5:52
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Dooryard Front
Definition: A dooryard front allows a paved or land-
scaped surface between the right of way line and front
facade line. The uphill side is the side which is uphill from
the street. The downhill side is the side downhill from the
street.
Appropriate locations: Centers
Uphill Side
Location of front fagade build-to line: The front facade
build-to line is 10 - 15 feet from the edge of the right-of-
way. The entrance to the building is several feet higher
than at the grade of the sidewalk.
rig t-o - y 10-15 feet
Features:
Figure 5:53
It provides an elevated lawn, garden, or terrace in the area between the street and the door.
It is effectively used for retail businesses.
It can also be used for ground floor residences in single family houses, townhouses, or apartment
buildings.
In areas of steeply sloping terrain, it may be set as high as 4 feet above the sidewalk to absorb
some of the grade.
The terrace can be used as an outdoor eating area off of a caf6 or restaurant.
Where the front lawn acts as a terrace, with a minimum of 8 feet in depth, it may be covered to make
it a porch (as it does on 1st Street in Charlottesville).
Downhill Side
Location of front fagade build-to line: The front fagade
buil,d-to line is 10- 15 feet from the edge of thc right-of-
way and Js lower than the grade of thc sidewalk. This
area provides for a sunken "light court" between the
sidewalk and the building. The entrance to the building is
several feet higher than at the grade of the sidewalk.
Features:
It provides an accessible basement area in the front
which may be used for a residence or basement
apartment.
· Live/work units also work well in the upper levels
with office or retail space in the basement level.
· It contains an elevated lawn, garden, or terrace in the
area between the street and the door.
· In areas of steeply sloping terrain, it may be used to
absorb some of the downhill grade.
· It may be used opposite thc Door Frontage - Uphill
Side.
street
right-of-way .
Figure 5:54
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Porch and Fence Front
Definition: A porch and fence front is designed to promote
social interaction between pedestrians and residents of
individual houses without compromising the privacy of those
same' residents. It is typically found in American neighbor-
hoods built between 1890 and 1940.
Location of front faqade build-to line: The front faqade build-
to line is t 5 - 25 feet from the edge of the right-of-way.
Features:
· It provides an at-grade or moderately sloping lawn,
garden, or terrace in the area between the street and the
door.
· Porches are encouraged to project within the area
between the front faqade build-to line and the street.
A fence, wall, or hedge can be placed at the right-of-way line to demarcate the yard. When used,
walls and hedges should be set back 1 - 2 feet to accommodate footings and roots.
Porches should be at least 8 feet wide in order tO be useful. They may be 1 - 2 stories in height.
Appropriate locations: GeneralAreas and Edges
Figure 5:55
Common Lawn Front
Definition: A common lawn front is the most rural front possible in the Neighborhood Model. The
house is perceived as an object within space, and not as a container of space as in the other front yard
conditions.
Location of front faqade build-to line: The front faqade build-to line is 25 - 40 feet from the edge of the
right-of-way. When the btiild-to line reaches 40 feet, a
front porch is not necessary since conversation from the
fronting sidewalk is unlikely.
Features:
e
Appropriate locations: Edges
It provides a lawn, garden, or terrace in the area
between the street and the door.
It is suitable for "estate lots" or infill lots on highly
trafficked roads since the larger setback provides a
buffer from the traffic.
It may be used on lots that have tree buffers.
Fence line
Figure 5:56
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figu~'e 5:57 Corner house at
Kentlands, Mary'land. An
accessory structure with its
own entry ts seemingly
"grafted" onto the side to
front the side street. It aligns
with adjacent structures
along the street.
Side Yards
In a neighborhood, side yards separate buildings
from each other. Generally, the farther "out"
according to the transect, the greater the building
separation. In Centers, buildings will be closer
together, sometimes giving the appearance of a
"downtown." At Edges, houses will be set
farther apart. The required distance between
buildings is determined by the Building Code
with emphasis given to fire safety. In General
Areas and Edges, consideration of sideyard
standards and landscaping must be given to
promote visual privacy in homes.
At street comers two important principles should
be retained:
1. Side yards should allow for buildings to be
set close to the street without interfering with
sight distances for vehicles.
2. The buildings should be constructed with
consideration of the views from the public street.
· On the comer of two major streets, a building
"front" could be constructed on both streets
m provide a pleasing architectural feature,
rather than having the appearance of being
"sliced off."
· On the comer of a major street and a minor
street, consideration should be given to
wrapping porches around the side and
extending the length of the building.
· On a comer of a major street and a rmnor
street, an ancillary structure could be added
so that it appears to front the side street ~as
well.
· Side yard setbacks on comer lots should be
consistent with the front yard setbacks of
other buildings on the street on which the
side yard is located. In other
words, if a comer house with
a porch and fence front has a
side yard with stoop fronts,
than the side yard of this
example house should match
the stoop front in size and
will be considerably smaller
than the front yard of the
house.
See also Lot Types (in #9
Mixture of Housing Types).
Figure 5:58 Corner house
at Celebration in Orlando.
Florida. A wrap around
porch assures an active
facade on both the front
and the side of the house
facing the side street.
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7. RELEGATED PARKING
There are many ways to relegate parking in a development. Some of the ways deal with
design of parking areas and other ways deal with parking requirements and locations. This
section offers eleven ways to deal with design of parking areas and diminish needs for parking
spaces.
1. Locate parking areas behind and to the sides
of large structures.
Parking areas in communities are generally large,
impervious asphalt enclaves set between streets
and commercial or employment centers. To de-
emphasize the parking area and emphasize the
importance of the building, parking areas can be
placed in the back and to the sides of develop-
ment.
2. Locate residential parking behind the
principle line of the front faqade or along an
alley.
Garages placed in front of houses dominate the
fagade, make casual conversations with pass~
ersby almost impossible, and remove eyes from
the street. Conversely, garages located behind
the principle line of the house or in an alley
enable windows, doors, and porches to be
located closer to the street. The result is a more
attractive streetscape and better visibility of
activity in the street. The garage or parking pad
should be set at least 20 feet behind the principle
line of the front fagade to allow cars to be out of
the sidewalk. The exception to this situation is
where grades are steep and a garage ~s placed in
front of the house and turned sideways so that
the appearance of the building rather than the
garage door dominates the front.
Figure 5:59 Typical
parking arrangements
place buildings as
objects surrounded by
parking.
Figure 5:60 Preferred
arrangement places
shops along the main
street and parking in
the rear.
Figure 5:61 (left). These
garage fronted houses in
Fairfax County. Hrginia
present a rather unfriendly
front to the house and a
hostile environment for the
pedestrian. Note that the
front yards are almost
entirely paved.
Figure 5:62 (righO. By
contrast, recessing the
garages behind the houses
and using a shared driveway
(designed as a "Hollywood
drive") presents a much
more humane environment
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
94
Figure 5:63 View of mixed
use center with on-street
parking.
3. Encourage the use and provision of parking
garages.
In high-density and high-intensity areas, such as
Centers, parking garages can accommodate
parking in a vertical rather than horizontal
manner. In multifamily residential developments,
parking can be accommodated as tuck-under
parking where densities permit.
Use of parking garages reduces the total amount
of paved area, which allows for a site plan that is
more pedestrian-friendly. It also allows for an
increase in density, which may be appropriate.
Because parking garages can cost four to five
times as much per space to construct as surface
parking spaces, parking structures may need
incentives. Incentives to consider include:
· Exemption from calculation of total gross
floor area of the parking structure
· The calculation of structured parking as an
improvement equal in value to surface
parking for purposes of tax assessment
· Tax credits
· Establishment of a public parking authority
to finance, operate, and profit from the
construction of garages
* Joint venture agreements on redevelopment
projects where the County acts as a
development panner responsible for the
construction of parking structures, site
acquisition, and clearance
4. Allow stand-alone parking lots or garages
At present, parking for a use must be located On
the same property as the use. Allowing for
stand-alone parking lots would provide better
opportunities for shared parking as well as a
more efficient land use. Parking lots of a
significant size should be designed in a grid,
approximately the size of a typical block, so that
retrofitting is possible should redevelopment be
warranted. Additionally, they should have
defined pedestrian crosswalks and be land-
scaped heavily.
5. Consider increasing the distance from which
a use can be separated from its associated
parking.
Albemarle County requires that all parking
spaces for mulfifamily developments be within
100 feet of the front door. It requires that parking
spaces be no greater than 500 feet from the lot to
the front door of commercial or industrial uses.
'Consideration should be given to increasing this
distance.
6. Count on-street parking toward parking
requirements.
A new streetscape proposed by the Neighbor-
hood Model allows for more on-street parking.
Allowing on-street parking to count as required
parking helps to reduce the additional asphalt
needed for parking areas. In retail businesses,
on-street parking is sometimes referred to as
"teaser" parking. It calms or slows oncoming
traffic and provides a buffer for pedestrians.
Signage directs motorists to additional parking
areas in the rear.
In residential areas, on-street parking is also
desirable. A prevalent concern of on-street
parking is that children will dart out from
between parked cars and into the path of an
oncoming vehicle. In actuality, cars parked on
the street help to slow traffic. A relatively narrow
street with parked cars acts as a natural traffic-
'calming element and in the end acts to create a
safer condition.
7. Reduce parking requirements to coincide
with common usage rather than peak usage
In a shopping center of 100,000 square feet, the
parking reqmrement to serve peak usage requires
5 sPaces / 1000 square feet, resulting in 500
parking spaces. A reduction to 4 spaces/1000
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square feet would save 100 spaces and reflect an
average (rather than peak) requirement for a
shopping center. At a cost of $2000/space, this
represents a saving of $200,000, as well as a
savings of land and stormwater containment.
8. Increase the opportunities for shared
parking.
Shared parking acknowledges that different
activities and functions require parking at
different times of thc day or different days of the
week. For example, office space is used primarily
on weekdays, while churches are used most
heavily on Sunday mornings. Increasing thc
opportunities for shared parking would reduce
the amount of paved area to be provided in thc
Development Areas. Albemarle County already
provides opportunities for shared parking
through special permission from the Planning
Commission. Shared parking formulas arc
available from thc Urban Land Institute (ULI)
and may be adapted for Albemarle County.
Increasing the ease with which shared parking is
obtained also could be beneficial.
9. Provide reduced parking requirements
where employers use Transportation
Demand Management (TDM).
Employers and developers of office structures
and retail developments can be provided
reductions in parking requirements if they
develop a plan to reduce the amount of single-
occupancy vehicles arriving each day. Such
programs as incentives for employees to walk;
bike, carpool, or use tr~insit may count as part of
a TDM arrangement. All of these alternatives are
more likely with the Neighborhood Model.
Tclecommuting may also be counted toward a
reduction in required parking.
10. Develop Centers around bus transit corri-
dors.
Studies have shown that a 10% vehicle trip
reduction can be achieved by locating mixed-usc
commercial and light industrial development in a
manner that includes residential uses within a 1/4
mile (5-minute) walk of a bus transit stop.
Suc. cessful trip reduction is achieved when at
least 30% of the floor area of mixed-neighbor-
hood centers around bus corridors and thc FAR
of thc commercial development equals 2.0. In
such scenarios, commercial uses include retail
and non-retail uses. The connections between
commercial uses, residences, and transit stops
must be direct and safe. Secure bicycle parking
must also be provided at heavily used bus stops
and at places of employment. Even with no bus
service, a 7% reduction in vehicle trips can be
achieved using the model outlined. Such
reductions not only decrease parking require-
ments but also reduce traffic congestion and
save money on road construction and mainte-
nance.
11, Allow for use of non-asphalt surfaces for a
portion of the required parking.
In parking lots at the Edge or GeneralAreas or in
single-use districts, consideration should be
given to providing a percentage of the parking as
pervious surface. Use of gravel, grass pavers, or
other pervious materials should be allowed
where the.soils allow infiltration of stormwater.
Allowing non-asphalt surfaces to count as a
portion of required parking can provide for a
more attractive alternative as well as reduce
runoff.
Communi ,ty Description of Program
Olympia, WA Allows reduction in concert with public (bus) transportation.
Loudoun County, VA Allows reduction of up to 20% of the required parking for any use, building
or complex within 1000 feet of any regularly scheduled bus stop.
Hartford. CT Reduces minimum required parking in return for developer carpool and
(bus) transit encouragements.
Orlando, FL Allows payment which support a TDM program in lieu of on site program.
Montgomery County, MD Requires TDM program as part of site plan approval.
Table 5:1 Sample of
Communities that Reduce
Parking in Conjunction with
Transit or TDM
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
8. MIXTURE OF USES
It is common practice in Albemarle County and throughout the nation to separate uses from.
one another. Incompatibilities between uses was the primary reason why zoning regulations
were initially conceived. In its extreme, however, walking or bicycling to work has now
become almost impossible and people are realizing that uses are not inherently incompatible
with one another. Quite the opposite can be true. It is the way in which uses are conducted
that creates ~mpacts and many of these impacts can be mitigated to allow for mixed commer-
cial, residential, and even light industrial uses ~n close proximity. Images in Figures 5:44 and
5:64 show how mixed-use developments can thrive.
The following approaches are offered to allow for
mixed uses in Albemarle CounW:
Modify the Zoning Ordinance to allow for
and encourage mixed uses in residential and
commercial areas.
*t present, the ability to have a true mixture of
uses is. limited to a few "planned" districts in the
County. The percentages of commercial use in a
planned residential district and residential use in
a planned commercial district are low. A modified
zoning ordinance should allow for greater mixture
of uses.
Figure 5:64 An example
of apartments over retail
shops in Addison Texas.
Consider the aspects of commercial and
light industrial uses that are problematic to
residential uses and develop performance
standards so that light, noise, odors, and
traffic can be mitigated for the residents
nearby.
The Zoning Ordinance requires landscaping and
buffers to be placed between parking areas and
It has newly adopted lighting
residential uses.
standards that
prevent glare
and spillover.
These stan-
dards should
be reconsid-
ered in light of
the neighbor-
hood model
and perhaps
reconstituted.
Impacts of
traffic and
noise from '
trucks should
also be
considered
when dealing
with mixed
uses.
Figure 5:65
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3. .MloWfor Higher Floor Area Ratios (FARs)
Commercial density is measured as the total
gross flOor area of a structure (area per floor
times the number of floors) divided by the total
area of a site. This number is called the Floor
Area Ratio, or FAR. Increasing the FAR for a
development allows for more building area on a
lot. Figure 4:55 shows three different FARs and
the location for parking in relation to those
buildings.
The biggest detriment to achieving higher FARs
is the size of the parking lot required to serve the
intended activities. Thus, while commercial
densities are specified in the Zoning Ordinance,
they are determined just as much by land values
and the expectations of the commercial real
estate industry. Allowing for higher FARs will
require changes to the parking standards and
regulations in the County.
0.3 FAR
0.5 FAR
1.0 FAR
FAR
Figures 5.66 and 5:67
Figures 5.68 and 5:69
Figures 5. 70 and 5:71
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
9. MIXED HOUSING TYPES AND AFFORDABILITY
MIXED HOUSING TYPES
Mixing housing types successfully requires first understanding how housing translates into
density (dwelling units per acre). The Land Use Plan for the County describes two general
categories of density: Neighborhood Density contains a recommended range of 3 - 6 dwelling
units per acre. Urban Density contains a recommended range of 6 - 34 dwelling units per
acre. These two types of density generally translate into housing types. Conventional subur-
ban housing develops in a range from 2 - 4 dwelling units per acre. Six units per acre usually
includes small single-family homes and duplexes or two unit attached housing. Over 6 units
per acre usually connotes townhouses, garden apartments, and high density apartments.
Figures 5:72 - 5:74 show some of these typical housing types.
To increase density to support expanding populations in the Development Areas and achieve a
better mix of housing, the following'approaches are suggested on the next page:
Figure 5:72 Six units per
acre is considered a small-
lot single family house.
Figure 5:73 9 to 14 units
per acre suggests town-
houses.
Figure 5. 74 20 units per
acre and above implies
multi-family housing.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block fc
~entAreas
Mix housing types within the same
development.
Townhouse
with
Most new residential developments
contain a single type of housing. Single Affordable
family residential subdivisions generally unit
have little variation in lot size or housing Small
type along a street or cul-de-sac. Mixing townhouse
lot sizes and housing sizes along the same Manor
street and in the same block adds physical House.
variety to a street and increases density.
Rather than segregate incomes, it allows Multi-
for a mixture of incomes within blocks of a
development.
Provide more opportunities for variety of Blocks,
Lots, and Fronts.
Blocks play an important role in the creation of
lots and pedestrian friendly environments. They
accommodate a range of building types and
densities and have the ability to support a variety
of uses. Several different types of blocks are
described and illustrated on the pages that
follow.
Single
family on
50' lot
Single family
40' lot,
detached
garage
)lex.
attached
garage
detached garage
Figure 5.75 At King Farm
in Rockviile. Md. each block
has a min. of 3 housing types
within it.
Figure 5.76 At ~ndcrest, a
new community in Silver
Spring, Maryland, single
family houses, duplexes and
townhouses all share the
view of a neighborhood
green.
Figure 5. 77 An
example of four
different' units and unit
sizes arranged to
resemble a family farm
compound suggests
how creative
approaches can be
employed at all scales.
Figure 5. 78 At Harbor
Town. a new commun,ty in
Memphis. Tennessee. a
typical street features a
garden apartment building
next to "shot gun" houses
[exceilent starter homes),
which are in turn, next to
small lot single family
houses, in this case. "zero
lot line houses."
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
100
BLOCK TYPES
Figure 5:79 The Elongated Block
The Elongated Block
Definition: An elongated block is a rectangular
block which is generally twice as long as it is
deep. It contains a central T-shaped alley.
Features:
· While its width is generally about 220 feet
wide, its length can var)., from 200 - 600 feet.
· Depth of lots can also vary.
· It allows for an infinite variety of lot widths
within a block and flexibility to readjust the
product to the marketplace.
· The alley may be placed off-center resulting
in lots of different depths on either side.
· Land uses and densities may be changed
across alleys (as opposed to thoroughfares).
· Blocks may be bent.
Varying the Block Length: The length of the
block can be adjusted to accommodate commer-
cial and pedestrian needs. It should be
· Shorter towards the Center (200- 300 feet in
length)
· Longer toward the GeneralArea (300- 400
feet in length)
Longer still at th~ Edge (400 - 600 feet ~n
length)
Varying the BlockDepth: Block depth depends
on the intended activity and requiremems for
parking
· For low-density residential uses, such as
single-family detached units and attached
units, a block depth of 220 feet from r.o.w.
line to r.o.w, line provides for 100-foot-deep
lots and 20 feet of width for an alley.
· For townhouse and multifamily"plex" units
with "rock under" parking, the lot depth
need only be 70 feet. If like units are back-
to-back, the block depth Can be reduced to
160 feet.
· Commercial blocks and blocks accommodat-
ing multifamily buildings with parking lots
should be sized to accommodate an expected
parking load. Commercial blocks are usually
double the depth of a residential block;
however, this dimension should be refined
for the use.
· Blocks that change function, land use and
density across alleys should be sized
according m the requirements of each land
use and density. This will result in alleys
that are off-center within the block, which is
appropriate.
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The Irregular Block
Definition: An irregular block is one whose
rectangular shape is varied and curved to provide
different length and width. The block size is not
prescribed.
Features:
· It has unlimited variations.
· It allows for changes in terrain.
· It is also known as the "organic" block
because it was originally created by the
subdivision of land located between well-
used paths. It achieves a picturesque effect
while negotiating sloping terrain and
irregular property lines.
· Frontages of adjacent blocks need not be
parallel.
· In the case of excessive block depth, it is
possible to use a Close to provide an open
center.
l~etail Use
Irregular
Block
(with pocket
park)
Multiple uses on a
block
Single Family
Lots
Multifamily
-- Elongated Block
-- End Grain
Townhouse Lots
Neighborhood
Green
Regular Block
Irregular Block
(with center
open)
Figure 5:80 A plan for a
neighborhood combining
regular and irregular blocks.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 5:81 LOT TYPES: ESTATE LOTS, COTTAGE LOTS AND VILLAGE LOTS
Side Street
Side Street Build-to Li~
Shared Driveway
VILLAGE LOT
ESTATE LOT-~---~-
Recessed Garage
COTTAGE LOT
Figure S:S2 LOT TYPES: LIVE/WORK LOTS, TOWNHOUSE LOTS AND
DUPLEX LOTS
gi~ //~-- ~ End grain
DUPLEX LOT
)WNHOUSE
Side Street with Parking LOT
Hollywood Drive
/ WORK
LOTS
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Figure 5:83
Side Street
parking
LOT TYPES:
MULTIFAMILY LOTS AND PLEX LOTS
Rear !
Enclosing Fence or Wall
T i,P_'l ex
-- "1 i~VER 2"
LOT
Figure 5:84 LOT TYPES: COMMERCIAL LOTS
Pad sites in front of "Big Box Retail"
Freestanding
Commercial
Structures
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
104
Lot Features by Type
Lot Type
Width
Depth
Garage and
Parking
Can Back Up To:
Min. Side Yard:
**Max Width of
Primary Facade:
CottageLot
40'-50'*
100-120'
Alley loaded
attached or
detached.
Consider
"Hollywood
Drives."
All lot types.
0' on one side.
10' on the other
side.
32'
Estate Lot
70 '-90'
_>110'
Alley or front
access.
If front access, then
garage must be
recessed (as m
Village Lots
Cottage Lot (when
estate lot is alley
loaded)
Village Lot
Estate Lot
5' min for structures
less than 2
stories
15'mkn for
structures
2 stories or
higher
40'
Lot
25'-40'*'
90-110'
Alley access
-a~ached or
detached
All but
Estate lots
Adjoined on
one side 5'
setbacks**
32'
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
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As determined by
parking requirement.
Min. of 150ft
In rear - can be
accessed from alley,
side street or front
driveway
Multifamily Lots
Duplex Lots
Townhouse Lots
Live/work Lots
Cottage Lots
Commercial Lots
Commercial
N/A
Minimum 130'
determined by
parking
requirements.
Surface or structure
behind building
preferred. Some side
parking is allowed.
Townhouse Lots
Live/work Lots
Plex Lots
Con-nercial Lots
* Add 8' to all side street lots.
** If Fire Suppression is provided. (sprinkler).
Lead walks are required at all houses.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
106
Figures 5:85 & 5:86 North
Village, a redeveloped
community in Alexandria.
Virginia features affordable.
~tultifamily units with the
look of large single family
homes. Some of these units'
residents receive public
assistance with funding.
Figures 5:87 & 5:88
Wyndcrest. in Montgomery
Count); MaG'land gracefully'
demonstrates a creative
approach to mixed income.
Plan courtesy of D/P-Z
Architects and Town
Planners
AFFORDABILITY
There are several different approaches to providing affordable housing in the Development
Areas and these options are described below:
1. Scatter affordable housing throughout a
neighborhood rather than concentrating it
in enclaves
A mix of diverse housing, including affordable
housing is shown in Figure 5:85 and 5:87 which
shows it is possible to provide diversity within a
highly marketable development. The illustrations
ofWyndcrest, a contemporary development in
Sandy Spring, Maryland, contained single family
houses selling at over $300,000 in 1996 with
subsidized townhouses at 480,000 and a number
of products in-between. Wyndcrest was highly
successful both from the point of view of the
developer as well as from a community design
perspective.
e
Make affordable housing look like all the
other housing with the only difference being
in size
It is important that affordable housing look like
market rate housing. Not only does this provide
a dignified presence on the street, but it avoids
the stigma often associated with housing
developments that are clearly "affordable." This
"blending in" helps maintain overall property
values and allows for a variety of uses and
reuses over time. In a proposal for several blocks
known as "North Village" in Alexandria, market
rate townhouses are intermingled with apart-
ments in "manor houses." These manor houses
are essentially buildings that look like large city
houses. Each manor house contains from 6 - 7.
units, many of which are subsidized. Viewing the
ensemble from the street, it is impossible to tell
that subsidized or affordable housing is located
within the block.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 5:89 This new
residence in the Orchard
Village neighborhood of
Chattanooga, Tennessee is
part of a dignified group of
affordable housing. The
density is 6.8 units per acre.
(Image from Good Neigh-
bors: Affordable Family
Housing)
3. Encourage the construction of accessory
apartments in ancillary structures
While this method will never be the primary
source for the production of affordable housing,
it does offer a "natural" method of providing
units for certain consumers. University students
and young professionals, in particular, often find
this type of housing quite amenable, providing
an additional revenue stream for owners (See
Figure 5:90).
Figure 5:90
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
108
Figure 5:91 Original
~hopping center.
Figure 4:92 Stage 1: New
sidewalks and street trees
are added in addition to the
upper level apartments.
Curbside parking is allowed.
Figure 5:93 Stage 2: New
traditional streets are
provided with the addition
of a new mixed use
building. Illustrations
courtesy of the New Jersey
Office of State Planning
1 0. REDEVELOPMENT RATHER THAN ABANDONMENT
The main opportunities for redevelopment of land exist with existing commercial properties.
The main highways into the County, such as Route 29 North and Route 250 East have been
developed as "strip" commercial centers. Parking lots, service stations, fast food restaurants,
shopping centers, motels, and offices are all laid out for easy automobile access. Buildings are
separated from the street by parking lots.
There are few walkways from the entrances of the
commercial buildings to the sidewalks and
sidewalks to adjacent properties are almost nonz
existent. This "strip" configUration creates lOng
distances between businesses and makes it
nearly impossible to visit multiple establishments
on foot. High traffic speeds on abutting high-
ways without de£med areas defined with sUrfaces
and landscaping create an environment that is
potentially dangerous for the pedestrian. The
Neighborhood Model seeks to reverse this
pattern of development by suggesting ways to
redevelop properties.
Redevelopment opportunities for commercial
areas exist because of County policies to keep
the Development Area boundaries firm. They
also exist because of opportunities for financing
that are different for non-income-producing
properties. Unlike homebuyers who hope their
house will last a lifetime and beyond, most
commercial property owners expect no more than
20 - 30 years of life for their investment in income-
producing buildings. After that period, signifi-
cant renovations or complete rebuilding is called
for. This practice allows for redevelopment as
leases expire and amortizations and tax write-offs
are complete.
Ten strategies are suggested below and illus-
trated in Figures 5:91 through 5:98.
1. Change the facade
2. Add upper level apartments or offices
3. Modify the parking lot to make streets
4. Add sidewalks and street trees
5. Add curbside parking
6. Orient the buildings to the newly created
streets
7. Add green space
8. Add a bus stop or transfer station
9. Add a parking garage
10. Provide a community meeting place
In the photo-simulation to the left, a vacant retail
strip center facing a vast parking lot is trans-
formed into a vibrant mixed-use environment in a
two-stage redevelopment process.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
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Figure 5:94 Existing Site PI'an of Eastover Shopping
Center. It is dominated by a parking lot, which is rarely
more than half full.
Figure 5:95 Proposed Site Plan of Eastover Shopping
Center after redevelopment. Images courtesy of Neal I.
Payton
Wetlands are restored
behind shopping center.
An opemng allows access
to the wetlands
New neighborhood green
New bus transfer station
parking
Drive Narrowed and
Aligned with Storefronts /
Housing or Office space
above.
townhouses take
advantage of park amenity
road allows intercon-
nection with surrounding
neighborhood
In another example, the Eastover Shopping
Center in Prince Georges County, Maryland, was
proposed for a redevelopment with new streets
that allow for connections to existing residential
neighborhoods and newly restored wetlands.
Coupled with infill atop some of the parking,
these changes allow the shopping center to
become more of a neighborhood Center. The
provision of a bus transfer station, a village green
and a community hall, in addition to a mix of
housing and offices above newly constructed
commercial blocks all contribute to the vitality of
the redeveloped site. These features help
integrate the shopping center into the larger
community.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
110
Figure 5:99 (RighO New
Seabury Shopping Center
in Mashpee Massachusetts
~65 miles south of Boston)
was mostly vacant.
Figure 5:100 Renamed
Mashpee Commons. new
retail is oriented, to the street
ritself newly created) on
street "teaser" parking
provides a buffer between
pedestrians and vehicular
traJ'fic street trees and
benches add amenity' to the
environment.
Mashpee Commons (Figures 5:99
through 5:101), in Cape Code, Massa-
chusetts, is on the site of and incorpo-
rates an abandoned K-Mart. In
Mountain View, California (Figures 5:102
through 5:104) a shopping mall was
demolished to create smalMot single-
family homes, apartments, townhouses,
and a retail center.
Intensification and redevelopment must
be balanced with a strong sensitivity to
protecting existing neighborhoods and
recognition that additional developmem
is not appropriate in every setting.
Protecting existing neighborhoods,
though, does not necessarily mean
separating them physically from other
uses. Rather, the scale of redevelop-
ment and the nature of uses should
appropriately transition to adjacent
neighborhoods.
Figure 5:101 A bank at
the development's most
prominenz interesection
evokes the tradition of
corner banks on Main
Street. Images from The
New Urbanism: Toward
an Architecture of
Community.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the DeveloPment Areas
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Figure 5:102 Existing site plan of
the "Crossings" in Mountain View.
California showing the location of
the failed shopping mall.
Figure 5:103 Site plan for the
redevelopment of the "Crossings"
18 acre site with small single family
homes and townhouses. 5% of the
homes are moderately priced as per
developer agreement. Densities range
from 21 to 40 units per acre.
Figure 5:104 View of lst of the single
family homes completed.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
112
Figure 5:105 ,4 statr
provides a pedestrian path
s)~stem between two streets.
11. SITE PLANNING THAT RESPECTS TERRAIN
Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Albemarle County is blessed with mountains, streams
and valleys that provide spectacular views and make it a place of beauty and tranquility. In
the Development Areas, those same mountains, streams, and valleys provide character but
also present significant challenges for development. The following recommendations are
offered for building 6n slopes in the Development Areas:
regrading
Thoroughfares and Road Networks can
accommodate narrower roads
An open space buffer can be created
between the edge of a neighborhood as seen
from peruneter streets to absorb some of the
grade.
Building on Slopes
On slopes of 0 - 10%:
· Most building can occur easily without
major regrading
· On Cottage Lots (40 feet wide) and smaller,
retaining walls may be necessary with grades
above 7%
· The louver slope gradations can accommo-
date wider roads and boulevards
On slopes of 10 - 15%:
· Moderate grading may be needed to support
developmem
· On Village Lots (60 feet wide) and smaller,
retaining walls may be necessary at grades
above 10%
· The moderate slope gradation can accommo-
date mostly narrow and some wider roads
On slopes 25% and greater:
· Extreme care should be taken when building
on slopes of 25% so slopes that are even
steeper than 25% are not created
· Development on steep slopes should be
considered with regard to its imp.acts on
significant systems of slopes as identified on
the County's Open Space Plan and the
Master Plan for the Development Area
· Generally, development on steep slopes
should take place at the low end of the
density range
· Viewshed impacts should be considered
when designing buildings on steep slopes
DISC recognizes that not all steep slopes should
be preserved from development in the Develop-
ment Areas. Significant features identified for
preservation in the Open Space Plan, as well as
other environmentally sensitive areas, should be
mapped during the Master Planning process. As
described in Section 4, the first map created
should identify particular areas of steep slopes,
forested land, streams, and stream valleys to be
preserved to enhance the quality of life in the
Development Areas.
On slopes 15 - 25%:
· More care with grading is needed so that
extremely steep slopes are not created by
Steeply sloped areas, vegetated lands, and
stream valleys that are of less significance to the
character and quality of life in the Development
Areas will be identified during the Master Plan
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the 'l~!.,~e~,;A;r~ps, · ,
process and made available for development. It is
the grading and reconstruction of the slopes that
affect neighborhood and environmental quality,
such as the health of streams. Simply put,
reconstructed slopes should be stable, safe,
easily vegetated (where vegetation is used
instead of retaining walls) easily maintained, and
attractive. The following approaches are offei~ed
for reconstruction of slopes: :
Grading and Reconstructing Slopes
· "Feather" cut-and-fill slopes back into
existing grades to create a smooth and
natural appearance
· When reconstructing slopes, minimize use of
2:1 slopes. Opt for 3:1 slopes and 4:1 slopes
that are easier to walk on, easier to establish
and maintain with vegetation, easier to
accommodate steps, and which are more
visually pleasing. On residential streets, 2:1
slopes at the edge of front yards may be
necessary in order to achieve the front yard
conditions outlined earlier in this section.
Such slopes should be heavily landscaped
for visual quality and ease of maintenance.
· Break up expanses of slope through "bench-
rog" and changes in vegetation.
· Where 2:1 slopes cannot be avoided, use
them sparingly and plant vegetative material
that is easy to establish and maintain. Grass
should not be used as the primary vegetative.
cover On 2:1 slopes because 6fthe difficul-
ties and dangers of mowing these steep
slopes.
· Where "feathered" grading would result in
extra site disruption and destruction of
existing vegetative cover, small retaining
walls on stepped terraces are preferable to
unnaturally steep slopes
· Where retaining walls are used, they should
be small and benched rather than large and
imposing. Where retaining walls front a
public street or sidewalk the material with
which they are faced assumes great signifi:
cance.
· Pay attention to safety when regrading
slopes. Regrading from a property line that
creates a steep slope can be hazardous for a
neighboring property owner.
Be careful when adding a fence to the top of
a retaining wall. It will look even taller than it
is and a smaller more benched wall may be
more appropriate. To avoid height inconsis-
tencies and promote safety, which is
essential to use of retaining walls, consider
putting a freestanding fence inside a
retaining wall. Use planters as decorative
walls and break up retaining walls with small
benched sections.
Steep Slopes and Drainage
Drainage is a key problem when building on and
reconstructing slopes. The following sugges-
tions are offered to help minimize drainage
problems:
· Diversion is the key to successful slope
drainage and stable grading. Surface runoff
must be intercepted and diverted.
· Swales or trench drains should be used at
the top of such slopes to divert drainage
around any buildings downhill
· Attention should be paid to material used to
break up flow in drainage ditches. Rip-rap
solutions, although practical, can be
unattractive. Other options including using
biofilters and lining. Paving can be used but
is. often unattractive. It is better to mimic
natural slopes and channels so that rip-rap,
concrete, and liners are not necessary.
· Properly planned and installed drainage
structures should be used to avoid "gully-
ing'' and drainage problems to downhill
properties
· Major fills are engineered structures and
should be treated as such. Diversion swales
should be included at the head and toe of all
regraded slopes to avoid "slumping"
· Correct shaping and placement of cut-and-fill
volumes is critical to avoid slippage
· Low fills should be placed in separate
benched areas
· High fills should have both an interception
gutter at their head and a heel drain with the
top of the fill pitched gently back towards
the interception gutter
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
114
Figure 5:106 Roads
running parallel to the
terratn.
Figure 5:107 Roads
running perpendicular to
the terrain.
Retaining Vegetation
Where grading is required, preserve mature
native vegetatiOn wherever possible
· Treat native vegetation as a design and
marketing asset
· Protect it from compaction or injury during
construction
· Retain native vegetation to blend new
development into the site and limit erosion,
slipping, and runoff from the site
Streets; Roads, and Lots on Steep
Terrain
The following recommendations are made for
constructing roads on sloping
terrain:
· Roads should be narrow
· Pavement width should be minimal to slow
traffic and encourage pedestrians
· Narrow roads are necessary to accommodate
steep Slopes; there is often not enough room
in a sloped area for a wide road
· In the steepest conditions, single loading the
outermost street on the inside allows
residences to front the roads along the
edges of Neighborhoods.
Roads placed parallel to the contours
· Roads parallel to the contours are best used
where slopes are greater than 12 - 15%
· Parallel roads require extensive grading but
allow easy access to units and open views
outward
· Although parallel roads make lot develop-
ment easier, they tend to be less interesting
visually because they minimize the effect
that rolling terrain has on creating character
and diversity within a neighborhood.
· Use of retaining walls may be required at
front yards and at rear alleys which dimin-
ishes opportunities for neighbor to neighbor
interacnon
· Roads parallel to the contours can be longer
which causes more disturbance
· Parallel roads can cause access problems if
used on too steep of terrain
Roads placed perpendicular to the contours
· Roads perpendicular to the contours can
minirmze the amount of grading needed but
can cause difficult access problems and limit
views
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These roads tend to have considerable
character as houses step up the hill
· While retaining walls may be required
between adjacent houses in this model,
social interaction across streets and alleys is
considerably easier than along streets
running parallel to the terrain
· Use of these roads requires more flexibility in
housing types and locations of garages"
End treatments for roads on steeply sloping land
· Greens and Closes should provide end
treatments for streets on steeply sloping
land
· Closes should always be linked laterally at
the earliest opportunity (See Figure 5:108)
Profile for roads on steeply sloping land
· As steeply sloping land should support low-
density development, a rural profile may be
appropriate for roadways in such areas.
· The rural profile roadway provides for grass
infiltration swales. This profile, however,
cannot be too steep; otherwise, the swale
will lose its infiltration properties.
· A rural profile road has a narrower profile
than an urban road. Generally, the grading
profile is the same.
Building Siting
The following approaches to siting buildings on
steep terrain are offered: .
· Buildings should be sized and located to
capitalize on views without negatively
impacting views from afar
· The crest of the hill and the top of the slope,
sometimes referred to as a "military crest"
may be used or created to preserve or
enhance views
· When views are from below, extreme care
should be taken to avoid breaking the crest
of the hill with the tops of buildings
· If breaking the crest of the hill is unavoid-
able, retaining a screen of existing mature
trees throughout the new development will
help to obgcure the view
· Buildings should fit in to the existing grade
and step down the slope ratherthan mass
grading for building and parking slabs.
Figure 5:108
DEVELOPMENT RURALAREA
AREA
Figure 5:109 A "military crest" at the top
of the hill is left vacant; buildings are
placed on the development side so that
roofs are not visible to the other side.
r'
Figure 5:110 These
townhouses are stacked to
bette~ utilize the
topography. "Uphill" units
enter two stories above
"downhill" units.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
116
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 5:111 These garden
apartments have been
designed to use the
topography to their
.advantage. They sit' on the
hill so as to allow parking
underneath, in the back. and
street level entry in the front.
Image taken from Site
Planning and Community
Design for Great
Neighborhoods by Frederick
D. Jarvis.
Building foundations can be used as
retaining walls to further minimize environ-
mental impacts
Figure 5:112 Terraces and stepped retaining walls,
surround a "big-box" retailer on Route 29 North in
Albemarle County. While more amenable than a solid
wall or an enormous berm. it still presents an inhospitable
view from the road.
Terraced parking lots, small-scale frontage
buildings, and rooftop parking are all dex~ices
which may allow even a "big box" retailer to
sit more comfortably on Albemarle County's
hilly terrain
I Road !t
Figure 5:113 Section of typical site along arterial road in Albemarle County. Such sites are often developed with "big-box" retailers.
Conventional "flat"
parking lot
"Big
Box".
....... ~ / Engineered slope graded
....... ........ ' ......... L .... ~ ~ .... , ..ca, ~,_ ~ at 2:1 (a 50% slope)
Original hill profile ~ ~ ~
Roac~r i :
Figure 5:114 Section of typical site after conventional devlopment with "big-box" retailers.
"Terraced" parking lot
Rooftop parking takes ~ ~ . Mixed use buildings
advantage of grade and~ "Big Box" ~ / along frontage road
reduces parkmg lot ~ .... I- __. / / absorb grade and
gradingY ~'~- '- ~ ------ --~- ~ ~ (.~,~ create boulevard
.~ Original hill profile )
Road
Figure 5:115 Section of typical site with "big box" retailer after alternative development corresponding to the Neighborhood Model
and closely sited on sloping terrain. Cut and fill is minimized and buildings and their parking lots act to retain earth and absorb
grade. Parking on the roof is an added expense Jbr retail developers, but offers considerable grading benefits while reducing
impervious surface and minimizing walking distance.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the rDevelopment Areas
1
12, CLEAR EDGES FOR THE DEVELOPMENTAREAS
Development Area Edges are places of transition between the Development Areas and the
Rural' Areas. The Master Planning exercise should assess the need for both sides of the
edges and propose appropriate Edge treatments. More often than not, treatments will be
applicable to the neighborhood Edges although there are areas where treatments are needed
in the General Areas as well.
In Sections 2 and 3, Edges were defined and
"transitional zoning" using the R-1 zoning district
inAlbemafle County was discouraged. This
section offers several alternatives to the
"blended edge" concept that so frequently is
associated with sprawl
Buffered Edges
A buffered edge is an undeveloped vegetative
strip that adjoins the boundary between the
Development Area and the Rural Area. It is
appropriate where an Edge adjoins a river or
stream, a thoroughfare, a power line, or a swale.
Edges along River or Streams that form the
DevelopmentArea Boundar3'
· Where the Rivanna River or one of its tributaries
such as Powell Creek form the edge of a Develop-
ment Area, buffers between the watercourse and
the developed area will help to form a Greenway.
As described in this Section on Parks and Open
Space, Greenways provide environmental as well
as recreational and civic benefit (See Section 6:
The Neighborhood Model Applied). Where a
street is provided adjacent to a watercourse, it ~s
preferred that a Parkway form the edge of the
developed area with private residences restricted
to the opposite side of these thoroughfares. This
technique allows the buffer area to be available
as a public amenity. While this treatment deals
primarily with Edges between the Development
Area and the Rural Area, it is also available
between the City of Charlottesville and a
Development Area where the boundary is a river
or stream. An urban river park may allow for the
corresponding developed area to be a General
Area rather than an Edge.
Figure 5:116 The residential
edge of a proposed
neighborhood. Houses front
a road that parallels a
stream valley and its buffers.
Figure 5:117 A three zone
urban stream buffer
modified to accommo-
date a frontage road.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
118
Figure 5:118 Alternate 1: A landscaped
and wooded buffer screens new
development from existing road.
Figure 5:119 Ahernate 2: Development
affronting an adjacent thoroughfare as
applied to Towers Land Trust Site.
Edges along Thoroughfares
As shown in Alternative 1, a buffered edge may
be used along a thoroughfare in places where the
surrounding community is concerned about
encroachment of a Development Area beyond its
current boundaries. In this instance, a wooded or
landscape buffer of 50 - 100 feet should be placed
along the roadway inside the Development Area.
If a wooded buffer is used, houses may back
onto this boundary. As the Development Areas
are already limited in size and this buffer will
reduce their net buildable area, this solution is
not to be used casually, but only where the
neighboring community requires it.
Edges along Power Lines
Easements exist along power lines in all areas. In
the Development Areas, where an Edge exists
along a power line, a 50-foot wooded buffer
between the easement and the developable area
of a building lot should be provided, meaning the
potential edge ora building is at least 50 feet from
the power line easement.
Edges along Swales
Swales are natural drainage areas that make up
open space corridors, as described in subsection
3. They are the most advantageous areas for
groundwater recharge. As such, swales at the
Edges of Development Areas should be left
undisturbed or augmented with riparian
plantings.
Unbuffered Edges
Edges along Thoroughfares
As indicated above, thoroughfares may have
buffered or unbuffered Edges. An unbuffered
Edge, illustrated as Alternative 2 in Figure 5:119,
shows development up to and fronting on the
bounding thoroughfare. An unbuffered Edge
creates an obvious distinction or "hard" edge
between a Development Area and a Rural Area.
This treatment may be appropriate for highly
trafficked roadways or where a Development
Area may be expanded, if it is ever to be ex-
panded. Wherever this solution is used, it is
'rorti Gallas and Partners .'CHK, Inc. Dodson Associates Center for Watershed Protection McGuire Woods Battle and Boothe, LLP
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the ,Development Areas
important that no residences "back up" onto
these roadways. Where development abuts a
roadway, it acts as a front door to the community
from the outside.
Edges along Ridges
Where a Development Area boundary is a ridge
line, care should be taken to keep development
just below that ridge line. In this way, the terrain
acts as a natural screen from the Rural Areas.
This treatment is sometimes knOwn as a military
crest (See Figure 5:109).
The City of Charlottesville
Where the City of Charlottesville abuts the
Development Areas and a watercourse is not the
boundary, neighborhOods adjacent to the City
should be considered in light of their ability to
join with other neighborhoods. At these
adjacencies, the County's neighborhoods may be
designed without a clear edge. In other areas,
they may build on a Center in the City and thus
become a GeneralArea.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Developmerit Areas
120
Section 6
THE NEIGHBORHOOD MODEL APPLIED
The Towers Land Trust
The Neighborhood Model described throughout this
document provides the basis for planning at the scale of
an entire Development Area as illustrated in Section 3.
This model envisions a coherent set of neighborhoods,
within each Development Area. In essence, the areas
circumscribed by the five-minute walk represent the limits
of these neighborhoods. On the ground, there will be
unique site conditions that will create challenges for the
implementation of the Neighborhood Model. In this
regard, the following example will be useful. Designed
conceptually, at a Public Workshop held near the site, it
represents a synthesis of the ideas of over 100
participants from the community.
Towers Land Trust Example
The site, the "Towers Land Trust" sits in the
Community of Hollymead, east of Route 29 and
north of Proffit Road. It is bordered to the north by
the North Fork of the Rivarma River and to the east
by Pritchett Lane
The Land Use Component of the Comprehensive
Plan designates four separate uses for the property,
including moderate density residential (3-6 units
per acre), high density residential (6-32 units per
acre), regional service and office service. Each area
is assigned a discrete land use designation within
the overall site, with the latter three zones located
adjacent to Route 29. It is likely that in any P.U.D.
application made for this site, these discrete
Figure 6:l (aboveJ
Figure 6:2 (righ0
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Imm
designations would be considered some'what
flexible with some movement and intermixing of
land uses allowed.
Laced by stream valleys, the s~te is contrasted by
areas of wooded slopes and gently rolling
meadows. Current environmental regulation
prohibits buildings of any sort within the 100-
year flood plain, within 50 feet on either side ora
perennial stream and on slopes greater than 25%,
without special permission. The remaining land,
is available for development. Preservation of any
area that does not fall within the protected zones
is not required under existing regulation, though,
the County may require some additional tree
preservation.
Figure 6:3 (left) Plan of Towers
Land Trust site. Grey areas are
those identified as either flood
plains or steep slopes, and
cannot be built upon.
Total Area-Gross:
CUrrent Zoning
Program allowed
265.5 acres
RA (Rural .AreaS.'~i~ct
17: aCceSs~rYl ~pts
Runoff
as: a portion, of total rainfall
Infiltration
as aportion of, total rainfall
inches/year
Figure 6:4 Plan of Towers
Land Trust site showing land
use as per the Comprehen-
sive Plan Designation. Light
grey areas are classified as
Neighborhood Density: 3-6
d.u./ acre. Medium grey
areas are classified as Urban
Density: 6.01-34 d.u./acre.
Dark-medium grey is
classified as Office Service
and Darkest grey is classified
as Regional Service.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 6:5 Plan of
Conventional Suburban
Development under the
Comprehensive Plan
designation.
CONVENTIONAL PLAN
For the purposes of comparison, two plans have
been illustrated, one that represents a conventional
suburban pattern permitted by current Zoning and
Subdivision regulations, and another plan
corresponding to the Neighborhood Model.
The Conventional Plan
The Conventional Plan proposes spreading the
housing program evenly across the site using all
buildable areas. This practice necessitates a
substantial regrading of the site. Wooded areas are
preserved only xvhere they occur in flood plains or
on steep slopes, which are areas that are otherwise
unbuildable. NO public open space is preserved,
except for those areas within the stream valleys.
None of the site's original character, including
wooded areas and meadows, is preserved
Recognizing a variety of housing types and
builders in the County, discrete areas are provided
for each housing type including townhouses,
duplexes and single family detached homes. An
area along Route 29 is reserved for apartments or
condominiums, in accordance with the
Comprehensive Plan. This market segregation
recognizes prevailing wisdom, but does little to
encourage a sense of community across age and
income groups.
Affordable housing
can be provided, in
one of the town
house groupings, but
it is likely to appear
as "affordable" and
carry the usual
stigma.
The neighborhood
has been designed to
maxirrnze the ease of
access for
automobile traffic,
and the result is a
visual dominance of
the streets and
parking lots, and
minimal pedestrian
oppommities. While
there are two
community centers
that are within
walking distance,
sidewalks are not
provided within the
neighborhood. Each
single family house
and duplex is
dominated by a two-
car driveway
accessed t~om the
street. Some houses
have two car garages
dominate the facade.
The townhouses
front parking lots.
The conventional
suburban
thoroughfare network is a Stem Pattern
characterized by cul-de-sacs, collectors and
arterials. The result is increased travel distances,
over what a traditional pattern of streets would
require. This street pattern also causes overly busy
collector streets.
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l
!
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the .Degelopment;Areas
PLAN BASED ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD MODEL
The alternative plan, designed according to the
Neighborhood Model, is designed as two discrete
neighborhoods, each sized a dimension from center
to edge that is walkable in five-minutes (about 1/4-
mile). Each
neighborhood has a
Center, characterized
by a central green, a
mix of uses in
buildings surrounding
the Green including
small convenience
retail, with offices and
apax b~ents above.
Emphasis is placed on
the pedestrian
experience of getting
to these spaces and to
a small park at the head
ora trail leading down
to the Rivanna River.
Parking is provided
along the street and in
small parking lots
behind the mixed use
buildings. Private
parking for houses
occurs typically off of
rear lanes or alleys,
though driveways from
residential streets may
also be provided. The
network of streets
allows multiple routes
to any destination. A
connection to Pritchett
Lane allows existing
residents access to the
neighborhood Centers,
as do connections to
an adjacent mobile
home park
Housing types are
intermixed throughout
the neighborhoods
which assures a range
of incomes and age groups within close proxanity.
Overall densities are gradually reduced outward
from these Centers. The average width of a single
family lot is 60 feet wh/ch is narrower than current
norms in the County. Affordable housing can be
provided naturally with the inclusion of accessory
apartments. Other, larger affordable units can be
provided as part of this intermixing, provided these
units look like other market rate units, only smaller.
Th~ forested character of the site and some of the
meadow area, is preserved and used to create
greenbelts and areas of passive recreation, around
and between each of the neighborhoods, providing
them with defined boundaries. Uniting the two
neighborhoods is a site for an elementary school,
which provides the oppormmty for a majority of its
students being able to walk to school.
Two options are provided for detemaimng the
density of this model. Option I uses a residential
program based upon the aggregate housing mix in
Albemarle County averaged over the past four
years. Option 2 achieves a density just over 20%
above the Conventional Plan and is typical of TND
developments around the nation.
1
Figure 6:6 Alternative Plan
showing Traditional
Neighborhood Development
under the Comprbhensive
Plan designation.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
124
ANNOTATED SITE PLAN
(Based upon the Neighborhood Model)
Stream Valley Buffers: Along Rivanna River, a Neighborhood
Green fronts the Rivanna River valley allpwing public access
..... and views to this natural amenity. Houses front and sit on
uphill side of green or parkway at edge of the neighborhood.
nterconnected Streets: The neighborhood utilizes a hybrid of
grid and a curvilinear grid modified according to the
' terrain. Residential pockets are placed along developable ridges.
Development Area Edge: A"hard edge" is provided along
frontage road beyond a 100-feet "buffer" and parallel to
Pritchett Lane (the Development Area edge).
Houses front onto this frontage road edge.
Each Neighborhood is limited in
size to the distance that is walkable (from center to
edge) in five-minutes described by this circle.
Playgrounds or open spaces should be located within a
two and one-half minute walk of every home.
Civic space: ANeighborhood Green ~ provided at
the center. This space as used as the locus of the
thoroughfare network.
Uses: A mix of uses including neighborhood retail, office and
residential uses is provided around the central civm space at
the neighborhood Center. Housing types are mixed throughout
the neighborhood. Consider the difference between a mixed-use
neighborhood such as this one and a conventional shopping
center cut off from surrounding neighborhoods.
Open Space: An existing meadow preserves public views and
provides a site for a new elementary school as well as enhances
the setting for new homes. Each house in the neighborhood is
within a five minute walk of an extensive open space system.
open space is preserved on steeply sloped terrain,
adjacent to stream valleys and in peripheral areas too far from
a Center to allow a walkable connection.
Figure 6:7
Site Planning: The neighborhood is designed beyond existing
land holdings in order to integrate the existing subdivision
within the neighborhood and to fully utilize the flatter Terrain
to provide for interconnect~vity.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 6:8.4erial view of site
before development. The
character of the site is a function.
not only of its roiling terrain and
proximity to the river, but the
natural "rooms" that are created
within the forested area.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 6:9 Aerial view of site after
Conventional Suburban
Development. The character of the
landscape is virtually destroyed in
order to allow generous yards and
setbacks. This kind of "sprawl" is
encouraged and even mandated by
current regulation and is perceived
to conform ro the reality of the
marketplace. Because what is being
sold here is privacy and exclusivity,
each new house takes precedence
over the importance of a value of
the neighborhood.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the D~elopment~,Areas
Figure 6:10 Aerial view of site after
development with principles of the
Neighborhood Model. By
concentrating the development in
two discrete neighborhoods, the site's
unique character is preserved.
Experiences in communities across
the United States with similar
demographics as Albemarle County
as well as data from local focus
groups suggests that there ts a
market for this kind of development.
This alternative development form
places emphasis on creating a
commumty, where each new home
adds to the vah~e of the
neighborhood without detracting
from the landscape.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
128
COMPARING THE PLANS
Infrastructure Comparison
· CONVENTIONAL PLAN
Areain Roads 949,000 square feet.
Ar~ain-Parking:.:.-i,.i=:= 543,000 !~
A~rea'in Drive~y~i ~.: ~ 251,000
TOTALi. PAVED AREA = l
'::.. : i~
1NEIGHBORHOOD MODEL
Area in- ROads
Area in Parki!!g:;
Area :in-AlieY~:
Cost for
Development
As shown in the table
above, infrastructure
costs on a per acre
basis are lower for
the Neighborhood
Model, and on a
per/unit basis are
substantially lower
as a result of the
increased density.
The inclusion of
alleys in the Neighborhood Model which does
represent an additional cost for the developer is
compensated by the elimination of a vast majority
of private driveway pavement. In fact the total area
of alley pavement in the Neighborhood Model plan
and driveways in the Conventional plan are
approximately equal.
There is a marginal increase in the cost of
providing utilities in the Neighborhood Model
resulting from the interconnected streets. TNs
cost however, is more than compensated by the
decrease in overall pavement made possible by
narrower street sections. Even withoUt the reduced
streets widths (which will be possible only if the
streets are private or changes can be achieved in
VDOT standards), additional savings will accrue
by the decrease in total land area disturbed, which
translates into reduced site clearing and grading
costs. Since the roadway network has greater
connectivity than the conventional road system of
cul de sacs and collectors, there is nearly the
elimination of costly collector streets (site
constraints prevent their complete elimination)
which, in any event, provide no saleable frontage.
In conventional development, in which a variety of
housing types are to be provided, phases of
development tend to be rather large in order to
accommodate ample building sites for each
separate housing type or market segment. The cost
to provide roads and utilities to each of these sites
is an expense that the developer must bear prior to
receiving much in the way of return on investment.
The smaller the first phase ofinfi'aslructure
construction, the better the developer's cash flow.
Interestingly, this first phase is considerably
smaller in the Model Development than in the
Conventional Plan because all market segments of
housing are accommodated within a single
neighborhood.. As a result the cost to provide'
infrastructure in the first phase is reduced.
The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation
has recently completed a study examining the Life
Cycle costs of Conventional Suburban
Development and Traditional Neighborhood
Development, characterized by the Model
Development shown here, The study concludes
that over a 75-year period, the higher densities of
the latter resulted in up to an 8% per unit savings
in infraslxucture maintenance and repair costs.
Fiscal Impacts to County
The greatest impact from residential development
on the County's operating budget is in the cost of
school construction and transportation. The
school site is smaller because it does not require as
many majorplaying fields. While additional lands
elsewhere will have to be acquired to provide
adequate recreation space, smaller and less
expensive parcels can be purchased. With upwards
of 50% of the Neighborhood Model's elementary
school children being able to walk or bike to
school, the County will realize additional savings
through reduced transportion costs. The
additional density in the NeighbOrhood Model
over the Conventional Development is unlikely to
generate any increase in student population, as the
difference is primarily the result of the inclusion of
accessory apartments and multifamily units which
are unlikely to result m many additional school age
children.
Further savings will result from a number of other
factors. The Neighborhood Model makes the
installation of a police substation viable which
allows for effective community policing. The area
can also be patrolled by bicycle rather than with a
patrol car. Life cycle costing reveals additional
savings in storm water management and sanitary
sewer maintenance.
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I
As private lawns in the Model Development are
significantly smaller, there will be an appreciable
savings of water consumption as a result of
reduced lawn sprinkling (as high as 35% by some
estimates).
A savings to VDOT's operating budget (a result
of fewer auto trips) is another benefit of the
Neighborho6d Model. Many trips can be
accomplished on foot, and still others can be
combined. Because this form of development
makes service by public transportation more viable,
it is reasonable to expect a decrease by 20% in auto
trips generated per day / per household, with a
similar reduction in Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT's)
between the conventional and alternative
development. The proximity of this site to the
University of Virginia Research Park at North Fork,
offers the pOtential of even greater reductions in
VMTs with the inclusion of a shuttle bus between
the two places. Incentives could be provided by
UVA for trip reductions (paid incentives not to
drive), a technique used successfully by Stanford
University which has successfully constructed 1.8
million square feet of research space without
generating any increased traffic. An added health
and immeasurable economic benefit is the
reduction in air pollution resulting fi.om fewer
vehicles on the road.
Environmental Impacts
As the chart to the left indicates, by allowing
interconnectivity and higher net density per
block, the Neighborhood Model, in addition to
providing for 20% more households achieves
better results on infiltration and storm water
runoff than conventional development. However,
statistics do not tell the entire story. Owing to
the enwronmental benefits just cited and the
larger buffers between the developed areas and
the streams on site, sediment deposited in
streams and rivers (both on and off site) from soil
erosion will be reduced considerably. Likewise
the undercutting of stream banks that results
fi.om the increased velocity of stormwater runoff
typical of conventional development will also be
reduced.
* The Neighborhood Model
does not specify a
percentqge of open space
required, as in conventional
zoning as that does not
necessarily result in the best
plan. In this case. the
increased open space results
from smaller lot sizes, and
desire to preserve the most
beautiful portions of the site
for public use.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
130
Section 7
GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTATION
This document is to be used as a guide for
planning the Development Areas. It provides
both a "sketch" for the Development Areas as
well as an outline of how to arrive at a more
refined vision tailored to each individual area. To
achieve implementation, several more steps must
be taken, as described below. While most of
these implementation measures are the responsi-
bility of County authorities, the most important
factor, community support, will be dependent on
the citizens of Albemarle County.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Steps for Implementing the Neighborhood
Model
1.Append the Neighborhood Model to Albemarle
County's Comprehensive Plan
.The Neighborhood Model should be made part
of the County's Comprehensive Plan. This will
clarify its status and make it an integral part of
the overall planning process. Once the model is
adopted as the direction in which the County
wants to take its Development Areas, other steps
fall into place.
2. Modify Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances
Many of the concepts and practices described in
this document mn afoul of current zoning and
subdivision regulations in Albemarle County.
This is not surprising. Albemarle County first
adopted its ordinances 30 years ago. They were
not contemplated for the more urban style of
development in the Neighborhood Model. The
ordinances were rewritten in 1980, but they still
generally reflect a rural county straggling with
growth issues. The County has attempted to
keep pace with various challenges presented by
rapid growth in the 1980s and 1990s. Most
amendments to the ordinances, however, have
been in reaction to specific issues, such as
architectural control in the entrance corridors
and watershed management. The ordinances
have not been reexamine'd to address macro
issues such as those raised by the .Neighbor-
hood Model.
As a result, the importance of developing
recommendations for fundamental changes to
the ordinances is recognized. This is the next
step for implementing the Neighborhood Model.
3. Fund and develop individual Master Plans for
the Development Areas.
The Neighborhood Model provides the frame-
work for the County to create functional and
appealing Development Areas that will attract
the desired proportion of new growth in the
region. The Master Plans are a critical step
because only through extensive advance work
will development in these areas take a form that
is both attractive enough to provide a high
quality of life and compact enough to use the
areas efficiently. This is especially important for
the "public realm" features such as street
networks and open space. Another important
aspect of the Master Planning process is the
involvement of citizens and property owners in
the design of their community. These citizens
will contribute their knowledge and desires and
in mm will gain a greater understanding of the
issues and options for responsible growth.
4. Create plans to build infrastructure.
Regulatory changes, while essential, are not the
only step required to ~chieve implementation of
the Neighborhood Model. Equally important will
be the County's strategy for building the
infrastructure needed for build out of the Master
Plans conceived under this model. Both
physical and fiscal planning challenges abound.
The County will have to arrive at a policy to
address the expectations of many of its citizens
for concurrency, or the provision of infrastruc-
ture simultaneous with new development.
5. Build support for the Neighborhood Model in
the community
Ultimately, achieving the vision of the Neighbor-
hood Model will depend upon the citizens of
Albemarle County. They will'have to participate
in the Master Planning process particularly when
it affects the Development Area in which they
reside or own a business. They will also have to
scrutinize new development proposals in light of
the vision put forward in this model. They will
have to speak out, not only in opposition to
proposals but perhaps more importantly in
support of those development proposals that
aim to implement the vision of the Neighborhood
Model. Without such community support, little
change can be expected.
Separate documents have been developed to
propose the specific changes necessary to
implement the Neighborhood Model. These
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Developmeht Areas
132
include, "Recomendations: Policy and Regula-
tory Changes - Part H of the Final Report. ~ and
"The DISC Workshop Report: Recommended
Implementation Strategies - Part III of the Final
Report."
The Neighborhood Model is' a critical step
towards achieving the County's vision of
vibrant, attractive Development Areas that will
both help preserve the rural character of the
Rural Areas and offer a high quality of life for all
of the County's citizens. It puts this vision in an
achievable form, by presenting a model of what
would work as a new pattern of development.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
APPENDIX
Table 7.1 The Transect Applied to: LAND USE
Table 7.2 The Transect Applied to: NET DENSITY,
SPATIAL ENCLOSURE, BUILDING SITING,
STREETS AND TERRAIN
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
134
' The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Table 7.1 The Transect Applied to: LAND USE
Residential' ~:', :i. Lodging Office i
Neighborhood Edge Restricted ~:~iRestri~fed !:=.ii i~.~:':}'' '? Restricted Restricted Office: Home
Use ii Re~identiai: ~' i~, · :: ~=,~ ~,~ Lodging: Guest , office permitted within
~. Detach6d!h~fi~:,i:!ii,:}'i!: ii': cottage permitted :: ancillary structure and
· pestled With:0ne!': :=?!i in ancillary ' additional parking must
~ otherd~lling::inan i~:~: structure. :.be provided.
Neighborhood Limited :: Limited ReSidential: ::i Limited Lodging: ;!i:Limited Office: H0mel '
General Use ;HO~eS~afid:i~o~,i':/ 'i:: Bed and breakfast !!;:~officepermitted on first'
hguses perrmtt~:i i::¢i; ~ inns are i'ifl°°r 0fpfincipl~:::i~i~: ': ·
:i ii~ce~s~w; fl~elli~; ::: permitted, i :~troche 0r in~illary
: ,permittedin ~q~:!i i bUi!ding. P~g.must
:: :, ~ i~= ~! i ~
Neighborhood Open Use :" Open Lodging: oPen OfficeiC~rate:
Center and Core 'i,:: ~nt buiidin~i:,: Hotels arc : offices and':i :/:i:
Zone 'hoUSes and ~roW::i i i:': ?: permitted. · .neighb°rh°°d ~ffi~es'are: ~
h6USes permitted.` :: ;i :per~aitted, parking .i :
AcCeSsorY:dwellings'! requirement maYbe'
:Pe~tted.:: i: :~: '= ~' i' redUced by Emplo3~er
Apartments.ab6Ve' . sponsored programs.
,.
Specialized Use - shall be permitted only by special use permits at designated districts.
Regional Retail - including "Big-Box" and others with parking lots in front of stores.
Gasoline Service Stations.
Industrial - emanating noise, vibration or smell beyond the boundary o£its site.
Prisons except as accessories to Police Stations.
Terminals for large scale transportation including airports.
Depots for large scalestorage or distribution of goods.
Scrap yards for the processing, storage, and disposal of waste materials, with the exception of
recycling collection centers.
Automotive sales, but not service and repair.
Golf Courses and other large open spaces including nurseries.
Drive through commercial uses where patrons remain in automobiles, except service stations.
Billboards.
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Retail/Entertainment
Restricted Retail: Comer
store permitted on first
floor at comer locations.
No more than one store
per 300 dwelling units.
Limited Retail: Child care,
coffee house and
neighborhood
convenience store
permitted at comer
locations. Parking
requirement is negotiated.
Open Retail: Shop from
stores are permitted.
Parking mimmum and
maximum requirement set
by County Ordinance.
Parking may be shared
between uses and between
adjoining sites.
Manufacturing/
Distribution
ManUfacturing:Not
manufacturing Permitted
neighborhoods (districts)..'
R&D encouraged in all -
center and core zones.
CivicUse
Restricted Civic
Uses: Schools are
encouraged.
Limited Civic
Uses: All civic
uses are permitted.
Open Civic Uses:
Schools not
permitted. Ali
other uses arc
permitted and
encouraged.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
136
Table 7.2
The Transect Applied to: NET DENSITY The Transect Applied to: SPATIALENCLOSURE
: i'i:Residential,.i :, :::i.~.i~ ':!:C°~eial':~:::i. ':' MaxHeight andwidth Notes:
Neighborhood Edge :'~we~i'::.: eP i; 52uifits?~:~'!~ :~ !i :i(~~iii~' 3 Floors Maxrafio 1:4 Spatial
:Densi0-:i ! acre:(smalllot:: :i~ :'~ti~¢): :~:: !:: Mmratio 1:6 enclosure by
11: '~ ? i~:.~;: i:;~ i::~:smg!e:famflY:.~II' ii:. tree canopy -
-. 5:::: i'?'?!: ;i ~;::. !ih~ilse~):=~ ? '!!ii::' .~?'} must be at a
Neighborhood jMedekate ::':! upi~i:[$:~u~tg/!ii~-i }':! =:~;~pto...0;~ , ~, ~ 3 1/2 Floors Maxmtio 1:3 When spatial
· :. i :: i-. ~:::~u~es:.~Wlu~:+~,c~. ? Note: Floor
!~;:? ~: !: :!:; i~i~ i~!; :~ 5!~) heights should enclosure by
~ i ~ i~ ~ be limited to
:. - '~ ~. ~: ', : ::~ ,,,~ ~' tree canopy
~: : -:.:.~: . .~ ,s:~ : :: : ~, ~ ~ ~ 14 ft. in order
,~ ~ ~:~ ~ ~ ...... . mustbe 1:2
~:, ~ ;~ ~ ;; :;~. prevent the
~ ~: ~ < ~ ~ except in
front
::. :: :';~: :~: ~ ~::::'?.~ ~ ".~ insertion of
;:<;:~'~ ~ .... mezzanines, of retail
~:~' ...... ~:' ~.~:~: :~':~ ?~' establish-
: ~:i];-:_?;~:.~3i,~j~ ~5.~:~. ments'
Neigh~rh~d High ~ Up:m36-uffitff , 'UPt6'I;OF~;:::?: 4Floors Maxrafio 1:2 When spatial
Center D;~i. a;~e(Mulff~ly. ' ,:::(~P:t°4 Sto~:~:~) M~ratio 1:4 enclos~e fills
~ . - b~l~gsupto'4' ']bufld~g~ S~red': belowl:3then
~: : [ series; s~ace : ~;0i reduced '":-: ~[:: enclosme by
; p~k~g) : par~g ~ .: . ~ee canopy
' . ~ ~ :" 'req~emen~):' : mustbe 1:2
except in front
of retail
establish-
ments.
Core,ne Ve~Hi~ Upm 60-mi~. ::':] ~ :]:: Dete~ed Maxmfio 1:2
DensiW acre (Mid-rise Up to 2.0 F~ :: by Co~ M~ ~tio 1:3
~~y (Mid hse
buildings- ~ b~l~gs -
s~cmred [ structured
: park~g) park~g) '..
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l
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
The Transect Applied to: BUILDING SITING STREETS TERRAIN
Ways
~!ex~:,'~: ;~,-:~:~;~ :~(onlyat :?~' . ..... -:' .::: Avenues
::'::::::'::::: :: :: :::::::::::: ~ :' :: 7 ::: -:Fmnta% ::: :':': ' ·: ::::': :~':/~'
:Co~age'Lots'. ,:: .: :Shop Fro~ge: : ~15' :: ~. - Main
,'mplex~B: :~:::':': : ~cade rr°dmge:: : Streets
' To~oUse Lo~ D~d Fron~ge/ '::. Ways (Li~ted
Live/W°rkL°ts'~ ' VPm:: ':" . ~ "~' Use)
pleXL°~ ::' ~:':: ' ~ D~d Fr°nt~ge/ . "' Avenues
Mul~famly~m D0~ : ~ Alleys
::~:..~.:':. :,::.:.'---: ,: : ,~StoopF(onmge . . : :
~ff~~~2~[J~eAll Co~erclal ~ Shop Frontage ~ . ~~~~~~eets ~B°ulevards
1
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
138
GLOSSARY
Accessory apartment A secondary living unit on
a residential lot, which can be rented out
by the owner of the house. Albemarle
County regulation currently permits
such apartments when they are
connected to the house, but prohibits
them when they occupy detached units
for example above detached garages.
Affordable Housing: Rental and "for purchase"
housing, which is decent, safe and
sanitary, and does not exceed 30% of
household income. Albemarle County
targets resources at the following three
income ranges having the greatest need
in 1999: Rental housing occupying 0-
80% of the median income and "for
purchase" housing at 50 - 80% of the
current median income.
Alternative Lot Widths: Site design which uses a
combination of narrow and wide lots to
offer a varied streetscape
Averagb daily traffic: ADT The average total
numbers of vehicles that traverse a road
on a typical day. For residential streets
of single family houses in Albemarle
County the ADT is calculated at 10 trips
per residence times the number of.
houses.
Bio.retention A water quality practice that uses
· landscaping and soils to treat urban
storm ~vater runoff by collecting it in
shallow depressions before filtering it
through a fabricated planting soil media.
Cul-de-sac: A local access street with a closed
circular end, which allows for vehicle
turnarounds. As a rule, Cul-de-sacs are
discouraged in the Neighborhood
Model.
Close: An alternative to the cul-de-sac supported
by the Neighborhood Model, the Close
is a one-way loop road encircling a
public space, fronted by residences or
shops on one side
Density,
Gross: The maximum number of dwelling
units allowed within a particular parcel
of land, expressed in terms of dwelling
units per acre. The recommended
densities of the Albemarle County
Comprehensive Plan are Gross
DEnsities.
Density, Net: The maximum number of dwelling
units possible within a particular parcel
of land after subtracting the non
developable areas, e.g., flood plains,
wetlands, steep slopes, forest preserves
collector roads, and other open spaces,
expressed in terms of dwelling units per
acre, net.
Density Bonus: A form of incentive offered m
property developers to provide some
combination of features consistent with
the Neighborhood Model. These
features may include: the conservation
of natural and open space areas, the
provision of affordable housing,
sidewalks and street trees, a design
characterized as a compact
netghborhood development, or some
combination of other features consistent
with the Neighborhood Model.
Density Compensation: Granting a credit for
higher density elsewhere on a site to
compensate for developable .land lost
due to environmental considerations.
Excess Parking: Parking spaces that are
constructed over and above the number
required or predicted based on the
parking demand ratio for a particular
land use or activity.
Frontage Requirements: A requirement in
Albemarle County subdivision
ordinance that mandates that each lot
within a particular zoning category have
a minimum length that fronts along the
street.
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!
Hollywood Drive: A one-lane driveway broken
into separate narrow paved areas for
each wheel with a strip of grass in
between.
Impervious cover: Any surface in the urban
landscape that cannot effectively
absorb or infiltrate rainfall. In suburban
areas, streets and parking lots are the
two most s~gnificant components of
impervious coven
Infill development: New construction on vacant
land within the Development Areas that
is surrounded or nearly surrounded ~by
existing development.
ITE Manual: Published by the Institute of
Traffic Engineers it is considered by
many jurisdictions, including VDOT, the
"Bible" for roadway standards
Market Segmentation: The housing industry
much like every other industry
producing consumable goods has
recognized that the housing market ~s
made up of a number of smaller markets
corresponding to affordability, family
size, location preferences and the like.
Land developers look to cater to many
of these niches, e.g., starter houses,
move-ups, empty nesters, etc., within a
typical development in order to provide
for multiple builders and a larger
customer base.
Minimum Lot Size: The minimum area of an
individual lot within a particular zoning
category as specified in the Zoning
Ordinance of Albemarle County.
Neighborhood: The building block for the
Development Areas, a neighborhood is
a rmxed-use, mixed-income area limited
by walking distance, not. by density.
The neighborhood is conceived to
fulfill ordinary human needs, including
those of transportation, employment
and shopping. The neighborhood is
served by a interconnected pattern of
transportation variously designed for
character and capacity creating a public
realm that is available to the pedestrian,
the bicyclist as well as the motor
vehicle.
Neighborhood Center Shops: An alternative to
the Shopping District they are designed
to be a part of a neighborhood
seamlessly integrated into the whole.
Generally they front thoroughfares and
have their parking in the rear. Often
they have other uses on upper floors.
Neighborhood Model: The guidelines that
describe the character of the
Neighborhood in Albemarle County as
defined in this document.
Network: A system of interconnected streets and
transportation options.
New Urbanism: A land development
methodology that gained popularity m
the early 1990's that aims to use the
techniques of neighborhood design
popular before the 1940's. It marrtes
these techniques to contemporary
technology, e.g., cars, rapid transit, etc.
The Neighborhood Model described
herein is consistent with the New
Urbanism. More information can be
obtained from the Congress for the New
Urbanism at their web site:
www. cnu.org.
Open Space: Land that is set aside for outdoor
enjoyment and preservation. See
Section 5: Parks and Open Space.
Pavement Width: The actual width of the
roadway. Reducing pavement widths ~n
residential and neighborhood
commercial areas from current VDOT
standards is an essential requirement of
the Neighborhood Model..
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
140
Parking Lane: A narrow curb lane often seven-to
eight-feet in width designed for parallel
"on-street" parking.
Parking demand: The number of parking spaces
actually used for a particular land use.
Parking, Off-street: Driveways or parking lots
within a property.
Parking, On-street: Parallel parking typical of
traditional towns and villages, which is
frequently not counted toward
satisfying the required number of
parking spaces for a residence or a
business. The Neighborhood Model
encourages on-street parking and the
counting of these spaces towards
meeting parking requirements.
Parking ratios: An expression of the required
parking spaces that must be provided
for a pamcular land use, often stated as
a ratio ofx spaces per y units in
residential calculations or x spaces per
1000 square feet in non-residential
calculations.
Parking, Shared: When two uses such as office
and retail have peak parking loads at
different times of the day or week, they
can often share their parking with each
other and take advantage of the
underutilized parking at one of the
facilities. This has the effect of reducing
the total mount of parking and allowing
higher densities or a reduction in
impervious cover.
Queuing street: A narrowed street which
contains a single travel lane and which
may occasionally reqmre an opposing
driver to pull over to allow an oncoming
vehicle to pass.
Redevelopment: The remodeling and
reconstruction of existing "strip
centers" and malls into denser, mixed
use neighborhoods featuring Town
Center shops, offices and residences.
Right-of-way~ The design area of a thoroughfare
that includes the pavement width and
outside vegetated areas, for sidewalk
and utilities.
RuralAreas. A zoning and land use classification
that describes the agricultural areas of
Albemarle County located outside of
the Development Areas.
Setback: See Yard
Shopping District:.A large area devoted
exclusively;to retail activity. This may
appear as a large shopping mall, or a
"strip center." The Neighborhood
Model digcourages such single-use
districts as they lack the vitality of real
towns and villages where a multitude of
activities can occur simultaneously.
Structured Parking: More commonly referred to
as parking garages, these are parking
facilities on multiple levels. Structured
parking, while more expensive than
surface parking reduces the land on a
given site that must be devoted to
parking to allow higher densities of
development and reduce the total land
coverage of a particular development.
Subdivision Ordinance: A set of local
requirements of Albemarle County that
govern the creation of new parcels for
development. It also specifies the
construction standards for roads,
drainage, utilities and other facilities to
serve the development.
Swale:
An open drainage channel or
depression explicitly designed to detain
and promote the filtration of storm water
nmoff..
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for,the Development Areas
3
Section l
INTRODUCTION
Dev. elopment Area Planning and DISC
Figure 1:1 l~ew of
Albemarle County,
l~rginia. Photo
courtesy' of Elizabeth
Meyers.
Planning for Growth in Albemarle County
Albemarle County has arrived at a critical moment in its history.
The natural beauty of its landscape, combined with the area's
depth of cultural resources, excellent schools, strong .economy,
and the charm of downtown Charlottesville, attracts increasing
nUmbers of new residents and businesses each year. However,
increasing large-lot land development in the rural and urban areas
of the County threatens to diminish many of the same qualities
that have made the County such an attractive place to live and
work. The pace of development combined with a low-density
suburban form of development has begun placing great strain on
roads, schools, and utilities. The demand for housing threatens
the scenic beauty and health of the County's urban andrural
areas.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
4
Figure 1:2 (below) Land Use
Designations according to
the Albemarle County'
Comprehensive Plan. 1995.
Shaded regzons represent the
Development Area.
LECEND I"0I>~ AI,/EA LAND USE
Development Areas
Albemarle County has responded to this threat
by designating Development Areas -- places
intended for residential, commercial, and
industrial growth to occur. The Development
Areas are contrasted with the Rural Areas, which
are intended to remain rural in character. The
eleven designated Development Areas include
the seven urban neighborhoods that encircle and
are contiguous to the City of Charlottesville; the
three free-standing communities of Piney
Mountain, Hollymead, and Crozet that lie
beyond the Urban Neighborhoods; and the
village of Rivanna, also freestanding, but on a
significantly smaller scale and reduced density
than the communities.
Development Areas Initiative Steering
Committee (DISC)
The Development Areas Initiative Steering
Committee (DISC) was appointed in 1997 to
recommend changes in development patterns for
the Development Areas to retain the high quality
of life that County residents now enjoy. DISC,
made up of 23 citizens, was given the task of
finding a better way to grow - one that allows
for the Rural Areas to remain largely rural and the
~ix [~
urban areas to be more livable and more
attractive for all types of new and existing
residents.
To guide the process of enhancing the quality of
development in these designated areas, the
Board of Supervisors asked DISC to further
articulate the goals in the Land Use component
of the County's Comprehensive Plan for the
Development Areas. The goals from the
Comprehensive Plan are summarized below:
Goals for the Development Areas
Facilitate infiH development within the
Development Areas, including both
redevelopment of existing structures and
new development of vacant and
underutilized areas
Maximize the:'use of the' Development
Areas and minimize the expansion into the
Rural Areas.
· Establishflexible residential land use
densities for the Development Areas
Establish a mix of commercial, industrial,
open space, and public land uses in the
Development Areas to support County
residential needs
Plan and provide for necessary
infrastructure improvements that are
tmpediments to development of vacant
sites
DISC augmented the goals of the Land Use Plan
with the goals shown in the box on the next
page.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
5
Goals for Neighborhoods in the Development Areas
(developed by DISC)
The Development Areas Initiatives Study Co .n~nittee (DISC), augmenting the goals of the
Land Use Plan, developed the following goals or vision statements for what neighborhoods in
the Development Areas should be like.
· Centers - Neighborhoods within the
Development Areas will have centers or focal
points for congregating. These may include
schools, parks, religious buildings, civic
centers, or small commercial and social areas.
Such features will be an easy walk for most
residents in the neighborhood.
· Open Space- Each Development Area will
offer opportunities for public and private
outdoor recreational areas for active and
passive recreation.
· Network - A network of streets, bikeways,
pedestrian paths, and bus routes will connect
new neighborhoods as well as existing
residential areas and nonresidential districts.
· Mixed Uses - Neighborhoods will contain a
true mix of uses, including residences, shops,
and places of employment, as well as civic,
religious, and cultural institutions.
· Building Placement and Scale-
Consideration will be given to massing,
height, setbacks, and orientation of buildings
so that these characteristics enhance the
public realm. In particular, garages will be less
dominant at street view than houses.
· Alleys - Where topography pernuts, alleys
will provide rear access to parcels, allowing
for and facilitating the provision of garages
and utilities to the rear of houses.
· Relegated Parking - Parking for the
automobile will not result in an excessive
amount of paved area; parking on the street
will be the norm, and parking lots will be
-provided to the rear and/or, sides of buildings.
· Variety of Housing Types- Each
neighborhood will possess a variety of
housing types accommodating a range of
incomes. Affordable units will be dispersed
throughout the Neighborhood and will be'
visually indistinguishable from other units.
· Appealing Streetscapes-As the
fundamental element of public space within
the neighborhood, the street will make the
neighborhood inviting with street trees and
landscaping. Sidewalks or paths that connect
houses to each other and to centers and
common areas will be the norm. Walks will
connect sidewalks to front doors and main
entrances.
· Transportation Options- Convenient routes
for pedestrians, bicyclists, and buses and
other transit including light rail will augment
the street network. Public transit stops will be
located within each Development Area.
Walking to them will be safe and convenient.
Waiting for transit will be comfortable and a
normal part of activity in the Neighborhood
Center.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
6
The Neighborhood Model and Master
Planning
This document is the DISC report to the Board of
Supervisors. It recommends a change in the
form of urban development from what currently
exists. It recognizes that, if the Development
Areas are to be the primary areas receiving
residential growth, density must be increased to
at least the low end of the density scale that is
recommended in the Comprehensive Plan. To
achieve that density, the form of development
must change and that form must be more urban
and less suburban. The proposed form ts
described here as the Neighborhood Model.
Another key recommendation is that growth in
the Development Areas be guided by a master
planning process. Also included in this report
are descriptions of innovative design tools for
creating more urban livable neighborhoods. It is
hoped that the Board will adopt the
Neighborhood Model as the building block for
new development in the County and that, until
Master Plans are adopted for each Development
Area, this report will provide the necessary
guidance for approval of new land development.
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The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
7
Section 2
BUILDING IN THE DEVELOPMENTAREAS:
The Neighborhood Model
Figure 2:1 Mew
of Kentlands. a
new community
in Gaithersburg,
Maryland.
Changing the Form of Development
Achieving Albemarle County's dual goals of preserving its
rural area and creating livable communities in its designated
DevelOpment Areas will require a new form of development
that is ultimately, more urban.' If the countryside is to remmn
beautiful and productive, the bulk of new development must
locate inside the Development Areas. But these areas will not
attract the needed share of development unless they are
appealing and functional and offer a high quality of life for a
broad spectrum of the population. As expressed by the DISC
Interim Report (February, 1999), "The form of new
development strongly influences the desirability of more
dense places. Consequently, short-term efforts by the
County will be concentrated on changing the form of .
development; long term efforsts will promote the densities in
the Comprehensive Plan. The principle vehicle for effecting
this change in development practice for undeveloped sites
and places where development has already occurred will be
the Neigbhborhood Model." The Neighborhood Model is
proposed here as the building block for achieving this goal
for the Development Areas.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
8
Figure 2:2 (below)
Conventional Suburban
Development features
isolated buildings and
complete separation of
all activities and housing
types, requiring
automobile travel for
every errand. Diagram
modified from the
original in the document
entitled. A Better Way to
Grow. by The
Chesapeake Bay
Foundation. 1996.
Conventional Sprawl Development-Why It Doesn;t Work
Conventional development is the form of development most often used by Albemarle County
developers. It is almost mandatory by existing regulations, but its defining characteristics bring a host
of problems. It is increasingly clear that the whole of standard development is less than the sum of its
parts; in fact, often the parts don't even connect.
Conventional Development in
Albemarle County
a. Segregates land use
b. Segregates housing by size and price
c. Emphasizes independent buildings
d. Results in successive "pods" of
development, each project
unconnected to its neighbor
Discourages street connections
Requires large front and side yards
Uses a "rural road standard" of
pavement, shoulder, and ditches,
rather than urban standard of curb,
gutter, and sidewalk
Does not consider pedestrian needs
Promotes the development of ever
more new sites
Resulting Problems
a~ An automobile is needed to go anywhere.
b. Few opportunities exist for mixing of ages and incomes;
Grandparents can't live in the same neighborhood as the
grandchildren; there are few housing choices for retirees, the
elderly, unrelated singles, and single-parent families that make
up a growing proportion of households.
c. Sense of community is lacking; opportunities are lost for
creating efficient transportation networks.
d. Traffic snarls; walking or biking is difficult.
e. Promotes construction oflarger and larger arterials
f. Excessive amount of land is consumed for development;
contact with neighbors is unlikely; roads and utilities cost
g S~0 _r?water control made difficult; pedestrians have no safe
area to walk. - ....
h. Walkingisdiscour~ged.'"
i. Buildings and sites are abandoned; existing services and
utilities are underused.
Shoppir
Mai
Park
Views to
more of the
same
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The Neighborhood Model - What It Offers
The Neighborhood Model changes the form of development away from the current pattern of
sprawling, isolated buildings to a more compact and interconnected design. The differences are
described on the previous page and this one:
Characteristics of the
Neighborhood Model
1. Accommodates walkers, bikers, and
public transportation
2. Makes open space integral to overall
design
3. ~ Keeps buildings and spaces at a
human scale
4. Incorporates varying densities and
gradually allows for an overall
increase in density in the Develop-
ment Areas to meet the goals of the
Comprehensive Plan
5. Contains mixture of residential and
non-residential uses
6. Requires interconnected streets
within developments and between
developments
7. Moves parking out of sight
8. Mixes housing types and markets
9. Emphasizes re-use of sites
10. Adapts development to site terrain
11. Maintains a clear edge between
Development Areas and Rural Areas
12. Requires that each neighborhood
have a designated center wherein the
highest intensity of uses and density
could occur.
What the Neighborhood Model Offers
1. Mdbility is a reality for the elderly, the young, and those with
limited access to automobiles.
2. Everyone can walk to a public park, appremate preserved
natural areas, and enjoy public gathering places.
3. The neighborhood has a comfortable feel; people use the
public realm.
4. The full range of housing choices is offered within the
neighborhood.
5. Residents have convenient access to work, to services, and to
entertainment.
6. Pedestrians can walk easily to mahy destinations; traffic has
alternative routes; car trips are reduced in number and length.
7. Street views are attractive and pedestrian friendly.
8. A variety of ages and life styles are accommodated, as units of
modest size and price blend in with the dominant housing
type.
9. Utilities and services are provided cost effectively; older
shopping centers regain prominence; property values are
maintained in existing neighborhoods.
10 Natural topography is preserved.
11 Rural areas retain their integrity.
12. Each use attracts other complementary uses, bringing diverse
and continuous actiwty to the core.
Figure 2:3 (below) The
Neighborhood Model
accommodates the full range
of community' activities
within a compact, walkable
form. It also offers public
amenities and views of
preserved rural lands.
Diagram modified from the
original in the document
entitled. A Better Way to
Grow, by The Chesapeake
Bay Foundation. 1996.
View of Neighborhood
Rur l i l enter, wi
~..,-: ..... ' ':,,..~..:.. q
.. ble
Residences ? [:.- esmences
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
10
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 2:4 (lower left)
Redevelopment in downtown
Charlottesville at Queen
Charlotte Square. 36
~twelling units and 20 office
condominiums sit
comfortably' on a I acre
parcel. 82 parking spaces sit
on an outdoor parking deck
and within a garage. Photo
courtesy of Daggett and
Grigg Architects.
Figure 2:5 [lower right)
Plan of downtown
Charlottesville showing
Queen Charlotte Square (in
black2 The residential
density for this project is 33
du/acre If the commercial
area were developed as
condominiums, the
equivalent density would be
50alu~acre.. Plan courtesy of
Daggett and Grigg
Architects.
Why Change the Form: Density by Design
A certain level of density, particularly in the Center areas, is essential to deliver the sense of community and
the many amenities and cost efficiencies offered by the Neighborhood Model. In addition, only such a
density will maintain the possibility of preserving the rural areas as population continues to grow.
Tying Density to Quality of'Life
Residents often oppose increases in density,
believing it to diminish the privacy and exclusivity
sought in the conventional suburban model. But
density itself is not the problem In keeping with
the County's Land Use Plan, the Neighborhood
Model anticipates an increase in density in the
Development Areas from the current level (less
than 4du/acre) to a range between 3-6 alu/acre
(neighborhood density) and 6-34 du/acre (urban
density).
Design matters more than density. A well-designed
multi-mt project can fit in with neighboring
buildings and provide privacy and quality to
residents. In an urban or village-like setting, it also
can offer the convenience of parks, shops, schools,
services, and entertainment in walking distance.
The typical suburban dwelling, is set on a half-acre
of open lawn without a sidewalk and .20 minutes
from town. It can actually afford less privacy and a
lower quality of life.
Density also offers destinations. In an urban form,
a variety of uses can co-exist and feed off of each
other, providing many useful places to go in a small
area. Most of the advantages of commumty are
not available without critical mass, at least in the
center areas.
Urban Density Can
· provide capacity to absorb the bulk of new
residents
· make possible pedestrian-oriented
communities
· serve a broader population
· allow more efficient delivery of public services
Advantages of Well-Designed Density
· increased life-style choices (variety of
housing, shopping, Ixansportation)
· convenience (walking distance to sen, ices,
entertainment, and recreation)
· community life (opportunity for casual
meetings as well as events)
· amenities (frompublic services like parks, to
vibrant activity like neighborhood cafes)
· time savings (less time driving because of
shorter trips, combined errands, walking)
· potential savings in taxes
· ability to preserve rural areas
Therefore, the Neighborhood Model proposes an
overall increase in density in the Development
Areas over time. In order to achieve the densities
of the Land Use Plan, a greater mix of housing
types will have to occur. More attached housing
will be provided as apartments. Along with this
density there will be changes in community design
to sotten incompatibilities and provide significant
amenities. The overall effect should be an increase
in appeal and livability of the Development Areas.
Torti Gallas and Partners · CHK, Inc. Dodson Associates Center for Watershed Protection McGuh~.Woods Battle and~J~ffothe, LLP
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
the same e$pected
pattern similar tothe Neighborhood:MOdel willresult
~ savings:. :. F0reXample, reduced road lengthsand smallerparking areas will !eSul[ in.less:
pa~ed: sUfface~ ~hich ~siat~s into less stormwate[.~offa!!d:[eduSed soil er°si°~;;Sff~channeli~g aild
water POllution.::-: LeSS dege163ment.in 'the RUral Are~ Will mean a~saving ~fhundreds· Of ~cres'. 6f, farmland
and forest Cover,Whiie5a dec3ease in triPs;:generated i3~' h0useh°ldas a
will translate int° !les~Tuel c6iisumpti0ri and lair poliufi0n~! Furtherm0re},~
DeveloPment Ar~a~,~ be planned in Such aWay. as to reduce impacts: tC
while creating a highlevel of environmental amenity.
Myth 4: H~gher dens~ty results.in more crime · ' }
Reality: :An increasing body of literature asserts that the physical form of community plays a role in
reducing Ci-ime. The principles of Crime Preventi°n Through Environmental D~sign assert that Creating and
maintaining DefefisibI~:SPaces with ';~yes on ihe street'' are imPOrtant in reducing the kind oi'Crime:that
occumv~hen the natural superVision provided by human activity is absent. Also not sUrPrising, in Some
high density communities, vast anonymous parking lots reduce the chances of serendipit0us, encoumers
among neighb°i's~':These communities tend to experience far more incidents of crime than communities~:
where neighbors who interact can recognize who belongs and who is a stranger.
Myth :5: Higher density:results in a lower =standard ofdevelopment and a lower quality of life,
Reality: Higher:.density, with an improved form of development that is more "urban" in character brings
amenities to th~ DevelOpment Areas that would not be possible in a rural or suburban setting. Parks and
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
12
Principles of the Neighborhood Model
This vision of how the Development Areas should develop is the Neighborhood Model. Embodied in
the model are 12 principles, which emerged from the Land Use Plan and the goals for the Development
Areas (Section 1, p.5).
The following pages illustrate the 12 principles of the Neighborhood Model. Section 3 (the Transect)
presents the conceptual basis for how the pieces of development should fit together according to these
principles. Section 5 contains specific approaches for applying these principles.
Principles of the Neighborhood Model
1. Pedestrian Orientation
2. Neighborhood Friendly Streets and Paths
3. Interconnected Streets and Transportation Networks
4. Parks and 'Open Space
5. Neighborhood Centers
6. Buildings and Spaces of Human Scale
7. Relegated Parking
8. Mixture of Uses
9. Mixture of Housing Types andAffordability
10. Redevelopment Rather Than Abandonment
1 I. Site Planning That Respects Terrain
12. Clear Edges
Torti Gallas and Partners · CHK, Inc. Dodson Associates Center for Watershed Protection McGuire Woods Battle and Boothe, LLP
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
13
1. PEDESTRIAN ORIENTATION
The Neighborhood Model proposes
a walkable community, with
sidewalks and paths provided in
new development and a variety of
des~nations within a five-minute
walk for residents. Pedestrian
orientation requires a high degree
of coordination among the other
principles. All elements density,
building placement, street and path
connect~'ons, mixture of uses
must be designed with pedestrians
in mind. The result shouM be a
walkable community that
reinforces all of the other goals for
the neighborhood
Pedestrian orientation, by definition, is designing
neighborhoods at a human scale. Walking ~s
convenient only when all of the elements of
development fit the proper dimensions. A true test
ofwalkability is when children can safely walk or
bike to school or activities rather than being driven.
Another test is the ability of someone to walk to
work.
Providing sidewalks is only one part of the picture.
Streets must also be connected to offer various
routes. Density is needed to provide destinations.
Siting parking lots behind buildings gives
pedestrians a shorter and safer approach. Trees
along streets and in parking lots provide shade and
make walking comfortable. Mixedusesplace
meaningful destinations in walking distance. Paths
and open space make walking-safe and pleasant.
As the list below shows, the entire form of the
neighborhood determines whether people will fred
walking useful and pleasant.
What Pedestrians Need:
· Convenience and Safety- continuous
sidewalks and paths that are short and at
clearly defined crossings
· Destinations - mixture of uses with buildings
close to the sidewalk and to each other that are
reachable from a variety of routes
· Comfort- trees, shelters, and other
streetscape elements
Figure 2:6 (left) Sidewalks.
lined with residences and
wide enough to walk two
abreast such as this example
in Kentlands. Maryland.
invite pedestrian activity and
help to animate a
netghbohrood. While this
example features brick
paving, the Neighborhood
Model does not favor one
paving material over
another.
Figures 2:7
and 2:8 show a
narrowed
pavement width.
sidewalks
adjacent to the
street, street
trees and houses
closer to the
street in a photo
enhancement of
a conventional
suburban
neighborhood.
lllustrations
courtesy of the
Pennsylvania
State University,
Department of
Landscape
Architecture.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
14
Figure 2:9 Chevy Chase,
Maryland demonstrates
man), of the principles of
the Neighborhood Model as
it pertains to the making of
well-defined streets in an
American context. Any
number of elements,
including a row of street
trees, and a white picket
fence at the property line
defines the space of the
street. In addition, the
house is set close enough to
its front proper{y line so
that conversation between
passersby is possible when
people are seated on the
front porch.
NEIGHBORHOOD FRIENDLY
STREETS AND PATHS
The Neighborhood Model proposes
that road designs address character
and appearance as well as design
speed and capaci02. Specifically,
streets shouM 0 be narrower, 2)
include streetxcape elements such as
street trees. 3) provide paths for
pedestrians and bic))clists, 4) allow
better distribution of traffic, and 5)
accommodate potential public
transportation connections. These
changes wouM make transportation
routes work better for all citizens,
not just those in cars.
Roads make up the largest component of public
open space. Typically, traffic engineers have
designed roads based on capacity. Less
recognized is how much roads influence the
character of an area and how much they are a
setting for human activity.
Reducing required street widths has a'number of
advantages. Narrower pavement area can enhance
property values, provide public amenities, do less
environmental damage, and increase pedestrian
safety. Alleys, for example, greatly improve the
network without requiring wide pavement.
Providing just as good a network for bicyclists and
pedestrians makes long-term sense, particularly in
combination with planned public transportation
connections. Bike paths can be sited along roads
and also as part of greenways or othei' path
systems. Steep terrain for example, can make
pedestrian paths a sensible alternative to excessive
roadcuts.
Torti Gallas and Partners · CHK, Inc. Dodson Associates Center for Watershed Protection McGuire Woods Battle and Boothe, LLP
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Advantages of Reduced Road Width:
Reduced water pollution. Roadways are a major
contributor of erosion and water pollution and
narrower streets have less impervious surface. For
e .xample, reducing a typical street width by 10 feet
reduces impervious surface by 35 percent.
Enhanced Pedestrian Safety. Contras3' to popular
perception, most studies indicate that narrow
residential streets may be safer than wider ones.
Drivers tend to drive slower when streets are
narrower. Slower speeds give drivers more reaction
time to avoid accidents, and reduce the severity of
injury when there are accidents.
Reduced Cost. Reducing the street width by 10
feet would save $5,000 on a 300-foot road section.
Clearing and grading costs also would be less, as
would long-term maintenance.
Figure 2:10 lqew of
narrow street oJ"n~
townhomes in Kentlands,
Maryland.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
16
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Figure 2:11 These two
upper and lower
alternatives depict identical
densities and land uses.
However, the bottom half
provides inter~onnectivity
through a network of
thoroughfares minimizing
travel distances and the
burden on any one road,
while assuring discreet
locations for differing land
uses. The upper half relies
on a conventiona7 stem or
vascular system for
planning thoroughfares.
Used with permission,
Duany, Plater-Zyberk,
Architects.
0
INTERCONNECTED STREETS AND
TRANSPORTATION NETWORKS
The Neighborhood Model calls for
an interconnected network of streets
within new developments, and
connections with existing
development. This network is
essential to support the pedestrian
environment, mixed use
· deyelopments, and coinpact,
livable neighborhoods envisioned
for the Development Areas.
There are five types of transportation networks:
1) thoroughfares, 2) pedestrian paths, 3)
bikeways, 4) bus routes, and 5) light rail lines.
The primary network is the thoroughfares and in
many cases the other networks ~vill parallel the
roads.
Conventional suburban development uses a stem
pattern of streets. Like a tree, main
branches (arterials) lead to the trunk
but not to each other; stems go to the
branches (collector streets) but are
dead ends, with no other connections.
Travel is planned to be most efficient
from the outskirts to the center, but
. little attention is paid to traveling in
other directions. Often neighboring
development projects do not even
connect. With only a single route
available, traffic congestion leads to a
demand for increasingly wider arteries.
Under this system, the character of a
street can be changed dramatically, for
the worse, for residents who use it. As
more and more development occurs
along the road, the "open road" at the
leading edge of development gains
more and more traffic. It becomes
congested arterial that is incompatible
with the lifestyle envisioned by the
first residents. Bypasses merely start the
problem over again on a new site. These roads
are designed solely for cars, not for co-existing
with buildings, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
A network of thoroughfares, by contrast, is more
web-like, more adaptable, and therefore more
stable. Streets are interconnected within and
between developments, providing multiple
routes to any destination.
Of course, not all areas are finely connected
networks, because not all areas will be
developed to the same degree. Corridors serve
to link the discrete neighborhoods to each other
and to other sites. Corridors can be either man-
made transportation corridors (highways,
parkways, pedestrian and bike paths, bus
corridors, and light-rail corridors) or open-space
corridors that combine natural features such as
stream valleys and wetlands, with man-made
elements like parks, golf courses, and school
fields to provide a significant infrastructure of
open space throughout a Development Area.
Torti Gallas and Partners · CHK, Inc. Dodson Associates Center for Watershed Protection McGuire Woods Battle and Boothe, LLP
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
]?
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
18
Figure 2:12 Town Square,
New Bedford NewYork.
Figure 2:13 Residential
Square at the head of a
stream valley park.
Figure 2:14 A typical
apartment enclave in
Albemarle County: While it
is constructed to the latest
standards of zoning, it
contains no useable public
open or civic space. This
occurs despite the required
"green space" requirements
of the Zoning Ordinance.
Photo courtesy of Beth
Meyers.
4. PARKS AND OPEN SPACE
The Neighborhood Model proposes
making open space integral to
overall community design. This
should result in residents having
convenient access to parks, public
gathering places, and natural
views whether they are at home,
work, or play.
Open space includes recreational areas, public
gathering places, and natural and landscaped
areas. Commun/ties need open space of various
size and functions. In conventional development,
however, many areas, particularly of Iow-density
single-family housing, contain no open space or
recreational areas. Even when open space is
required as a ratio of housing units to land area,
often the open areas are poorly sited afterthoughts.
Treating open space as integral to the design of the
community opens the opportunity for providing all
of these types of open space efficiently and well.
Relating park areas to larger open space systems,
for example, or combining the efforts on adjacem
parcels, can result in better-sited and more
productive open space. Similarly, locating parks or
gathering places adjacent to major destinations can
enhance safety and usage.
Size and location of open space should reflect its
purpose. To provide recreation areas within
walking distance of all residents, for example, small
mira-parks should be frequently spaced in
residential areas. Similarly, in core areas, many
small gathering places are appropriate, such as
plazas or small courtyards, perhaps in addition to a
major site, such a "main" street that might serve as
the heart of the commumty. Landscaped areas can
be spots of beauty and of quiet enjoyment.
Important natural areas like s~ream corridors can be
set aside to protect environmentally sensitive areas
and provide places for recreation and enjoying the
outdoors.
~On a community level, green space can relate to the
underlying natural systems. This approach
provides the oppommity for simultaneously
meeting diverse goals such as stormwater
management, groundwater recharge, and habitat
protection.
The design and location of open space determines
how fully it will be used. For example, a public
space framed by building fronts, surrounded by
.neighborhood thoroughfares, and accessible to
nearby residents is inviting and safe. Such
principles of Crime Prevention Through
Environmental Design (CPTED) can improve siting
decisions, as can such criteria as locating parks
near paths or major destinations like schools and
other public facilities.
Torti Gallas and Partners - CHK, Inc. Dodson Associates Center for Watershed Protection McGuire Woods Battle and Boothe, LLP
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas
Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND):
A development that uses the
Neighborhood as its basic element and
the District as an exception. Traditional
Neighborhood Development and the
ordinances it inspires are a
rationalization of the vernacular pattern
of human settlement typical of
devdlopment throughout the United
States up until 1939.
Transect: A cross-section of a Neighborhood
containing a mix of activities and
reflecting a continuum of intensity of
uses.
Transit Oriented Design (TOD): A type of
development consistent with the
Neighborhood Model designed to
encourage and facilitate transit
ridership.
Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT):. This is a
measure of the total number of miles
driven by every automobile within a
study area within a specified time
period, on any given day. VMTs are one
the statistics used to measure the
required road capacity. Reducing
distances between residences and
shops and workplaces~ mixing uses and
adopting a network pattern for
thoroughfares reduces VMTs over
conventional suburban development.
Yard:
The space in front, behind or to the side
of a building. The Neighborhood Model
suggests specific front yard sizes
depending on the location of a building
site with respect to its position within
the transect. This is in contrast to
conventional zoning, in which setbacks
are usually assigned, independent of a
building's role in forming spaces.
Zero LotLine: The location of a structure on a
lot in such a manner that one or more
sides of the structure rest directly on a
lot line. This technique requires special
dispensation in Albemarle County, but
is common in traditional towns and
villages throughout Virginia and is
permitted by the Neighborhood Model.
County of Albemarle, Department of Planning and Community Development