The Planning Commission will review the plans for construction of a Rural Residential Village. The Planning Commission's review will consist of an evaluation of the locations, bulk and general design of buildings; the relationship of buildings to each other and to yards and other open spaces; the locations and widths of streets and private access drivers (when used); and the locations of pedestrian walkways, paved areas, landscape planting, exterior lighting, signs and other exterior landscape features. Such Village plans shall be developed in accordance with the criteria set forth in the following provisions.
(a) Rural Residential Villages shall be limited in area, oriented around a defined center as well as a formal network of open green areas, and have a delineated edge.
(1) Village centers are a common open space which may be a square, green, town commons or an important street intersection with a surrounding green area. These Village centers shall be designed for use, not merely viewing.
(2) Village edges may vary in character. Edges may include natural features, such as forests, meadows, flood plains, wetlands or steep slopes. Edges can also be man-made and include such elements as rurally designed infrastructure improvements or land designated for agriculture, including farms, orchards or nurseries. Edges can also be a system of parks or a golf course. Buffering shall be required as specified in Section 1288.05 and shall be a minimum of a fifty-foot natural planting buffer which shall be maintained between an RRV and other single-family property lines.
(b) Rural Residential Villages shall allow for homes to occupy a major portion of the defined private lot. Residents of each home shall have access to open green areas as well as the town square, commons or green. The design of each home shall emphasize front porches, reduce the impact of driveways and restrict the placement of garages to the rear of the property.
(c) In general, the design of Rural Residential Villages shall emphasize the public character of the streets, the aesthetic character of the front porch, the private character of the back yard and the service nature of private access drives (when used).
(d) Rural Residential Villages shall create architectural diversity among the homes while maintaining a design theme for each Village. Design themes shall be maintained by an established homeowner's association.
(e) Rural Residential Village street networks shall be configured to create blocks of appropriate building sites and to shorten pedestrian routes. The street networks are designed to keep local traffic off arterial roads and keep through traffic off local streets. An interconnecting street pattern provides multiple routes which effectively diffuse traffic congestion.
(1) Neighborhood streets of various types should be detailed to provide equitably for pedestrian safety and for automobile movement.
(2) The design of Villages using private access drives is encouraged. Private access drives serve in a variety of capacities, including auto parking and garage access, thus creating an improved streetscape for residents.
(Ord. 95-150. Passed 10-3-95.)