A. Purpose: This section establishes the standards applicable to land in the public realm (publicly or privately owned) for civic gathering purposes, including civic spaces and civic buildings. These standards supplement the standards for each Form-Based Zone.
B. General Civic Space Type Standards:
1. Standards And Characteristics: Each civic space is described as to its purpose and intent along with standards and characteristics regarding general physical character, uses, size and location. Characteristics are considered standards unless stated otherwise.
2. Process: Civic spaces are delineated during the subdivision process (Title 15) and are finalized in the Neighborhood Plan (14-2H-1D). These areas shall comply with the future land use maps of the Comprehensive Plan.
3. Open Space Required: As required by Chapter 14-5K (Neighborhood Open Space Requirements), development sites are required to dedicate land to the City for public open space or pay a fee in-lieu to be determined with the City. Civic space may be privately or publicly owned. However, private civic space does not satisfy neighborhood open space obligations.
4. Public Access And Visibility: Public access and visibility are required along public parks, civic uses, and natural open spaces, including creeks and drainages and stormwater management areas as required through access easements granted during the subdivision process. Civic spaces shall be fronted by:
a. Single-loaded frontage streets (with development on one side and open space on the other);
b. Bike and pedestrian paths; or
c. Other methods of frontage that provide similar access and visibility to the open space allowed in the zone.
5. Building Frontage Along Or Adjacent To A Civic Space: The facades on building design sites attached to or across a street from a civic space shall be designed as a "front" on to the civic space, in compliance with Item 5 (Building Placement) and Item 8 (Frontages) of the zone.
6. Stormwater Management Through Civic Space: Civic spaces in Form-Based Zones should serve the additional purpose of helping to contribute to stormwater management of new development. This may be accomplished as follows:
a. Stormwater is to be directed to civic space(s).
b. Except for plazas, playgrounds, and passages, each civic space should accommodate stormwater while primarily being designed as a gathering space for people.
7. Commercial Uses And Civic Spaces: Commercial use of civic spaces may be allowed for Outdoor Service Areas (4-3-1).
8. Photos: All photos are illustrative, not regulatory.
C. Greenway:
1. Description: A linear space three (3) or more blocks in length for community gathering, bicycling, running, or strolling, defined by tree-lined streets typically forming a one-way couplet on its flanks and by the fronting buildings across the street. Versions of this civic space type have a street only on one side in response to site conditions that prevent the one-way couplet. Greenways serve an important role as a green connector between destinations.
T3NE | A |
T3NG | A |
T4NS | A |
T4MS | X |
Key: A = Allowed X = Not Allowed | |
2. General Character:
a. Formal or informal dominated by landscaping and trees with integral stormwater managment capacity.
b. Hardscape path.
c. Spatially defined by tree-lined streets and adjacent buildings.
d. Typical uses include passive recreation, walking/running, and formal or informal seating.
3. Standards:
a. Size: Min. three (3) continuous blocks in length.
b. Width: Fifty feet (50') min.
c. Shall be flanked by one-way streets on two (2) longest sides. This standard is not required where the greenway is adjacent to an existing arterial.
D. Green:
1. Description: A large space available for unstructured and limited amounts of structured recreation.
T3NE | A |
T3NG | A |
T4NS | A |
T4NM | A |
T4MS | X |
Key: A = Allowed X = Not Allowed | |
2. General Character:
a. Accessory structure(s): < 5,000 gsf; fountains, benches.
b. Informal or formal with integral stormwater management capacity.
c. Primarily planted areas with paths to and between recreation areas and civic buildings.
d. Spatially defined by tree-lined streets and adjacent buildings.
e. Typical uses include unstructured passive and active recreation, civic uses, and temporary commercial uses.
3. Standards:
a. Size: 300' x 300' min.
b. Streets required on at least two (2) sides of the green.
c. Facades on design sites attached to or across a street shall "front" on to the green.
E. Plaza:
1. Description: A community-wide focal point primarily for civic purposes and commercial activities.
T3NE | X |
T3NG | X |
T4NS | X |
T4NM | X |
T4MS | A |
Key: A = Allowed X = Not Allowed | |
2. General Character:
a. Accessory structure(s): < 1,500 gsf; fountains, benches.
b. Formal; urban.
c. Hardscaped and planted areas in formal patterns.
d. Spatially defined by buildings and tree-lined streets.
e. Typical adjacent uses include civic uses and commercial uses in support of civic uses. Typical uses include civic uses and passive recreation.
3. Standards:
a. Size: 100' x 100' min.
b. Streets required on two (2) of the plaza's sides.
c. Facades on design sites attached to or across a street shall "front" on to the plaza.
F. Pocket Park/Plaza:
1. Description: A small-scale space, serving the immediate neighborhood, available for informal activities in close proximity to neighborhood residences, and civic purposes, intended as intimate spaces for seating or dining.
T3NE | A |
T3NG | A |
T4NS | A |
T4NM | A |
T4MS | A |
Key: A = Allowed X = Not Allowed | |
2. General Character:
a. Accessory structure(s): < 200 gsf.
b. Informal or formal, with integral stormwater managment capacity.
c. Combination of planted areas and hardscape.
d. Spatially defined by building frontages and adjacent street trees.
e. Walkways along edges or across space.
f . Typical adjacent uses include civic uses, commercial uses in support of civic uses, and residential uses. Typical uses include civic uses and passive recreation and outdoor seating.
3. Standards:
a. Size: 50' x 100' min.
G. Playground:
1. Description : A small-scale space designed and equipped for the recreation of children. These spaces serve as quiet, safe places protected from the street and typically in locations where children do not have to cross any major streets. An open shelter, play structures, or interactive art and fountains may be included. Playgrounds may be included within all other civic space types.
T3NE | A |
T3NG | A |
T4NS | A |
T4NM | A |
T4MS | A |
Key: A = Allowed X = Not Allowed | |
2. General Character:
a. Focused toward children.
b. Play structure, interactive art, and/or fountains.
c. Shade and seating provided.
d. May be fenced.
e. Spacially defined by trees with integral stormwater management capacity.
f. Typical uses include active and passive recreation and casual seating.
3. Standards:
a . Size: 40' x 60' min.
H. Community Garden:
1. Description: A small-scale space designed as a grouping of garden plots available to nearby residents for small-scale cultivation. Community gardens may be fenced and may include a small accessory structure for storage. Community gardens may be included within all other civic space types.
T3NE | A |
T3NG | A |
T4NS | A |
T4NM | A |
T4MS | A |
Key: A = Allowed X = Not Allowed | |
2. General Character:
a. Accessory Structures: < 2,000 gsf.
b. Plants beds (in-ground or raised).
c. Decorative fencing, when fencing is present.
d. Spacially defined by adjacent buildings and street trees.
e. Typical uses include food production, passive creation.
3. Standards:
a. Size: No minimum; within any design site as allowed by the zone.
b. See section 14-2H-3C-1 (Community Garden) for use standards.
I. Passage:
1. Description: A pedestrian pathway that extends from the public sidewalk into a civic space and/or across the block to another public sidewalk. The pathway is lined by non-residential shopfronts and/or residential ground floors and pedestrian entries as allowed by the zone.
T3NE | A |
T3NG | A |
T4NS | A |
T4NM | A |
T4MS | A |
Key: A = Allowed X = Not Allowed | |
2. General Character:
a. Formal, urban.
b. No accessory structure(s).
c. Combination of hardscape and landscape planters.
d. Spacially defined by building frontages.
e. Trees and shrubs in containers and/or planters.
f. Typical adjacent uses include civic uses and commercial uses in support of civic uses in T4MS or ground floor residential uses in T3NE, T3NG, T4NS, T4NM; movable seating and/or outdoor dining may be used in T4NM-O and T4MS.
3. Standards:
a. Size: 20' min. overall with 15' min. clear width between or through buildings.
b. Dooryards, porches, patios, and sidewalk dining not allowed to encroach into the minimum required width.
c. See sub-section 14-2H-9L (Passage) for additional standards.
d. Ground floor residential in T3NE, T3NG, T4NS, T4MS (side street only) and 60' min. from front of design site.
(Ord. 21-4866, 11-16-2021)