The Design Guidelines documents provide an opportunity to visually illustrate the desired way of development. Although the zoning provisions provide a legislative intent to regulate the development, it is not easy for users to understand these large and complicated documents or easily visualize the desired outcome. The Design Guidelines are not a substitute for zoning regulations; rather, they present a framework for site development, building form, streetscape, and architectural and landscape character to further the legislative intent and to ensure that community character and identity are not undermined by inconsistent development.
The guidelines are advisory in nature and are usually provided as additional detail, context and direction on recommended development practices. Compliance with design guidelines is usually encouraged; as it clarifies the desired outcome, it can dramatically improve the speed of the application process. The document may contain some mandatory parameters and requirements that must be met, usually when directly illustrating zoning requirements. Well-developed documents clearly specify the difference between the “guidelines” and the “standards”. The interpretation of design guidelines and standards is usually responsibility of the municipal appointed design review committee, commission, or board (usually Planning Board). Since it is important to recognize that each parcel, site plan and proposed development is unique, the review boards exercise discretion in applying guidelines to achieve the stated intent of the zoning legislation.
Form-Based Zoning is the most effective way to regulate the development and its physical form. FBC is a zoning code, requires rather than guides, has the power to define a complete public realm and it doesn’t use land use as the prevailing regulation. However, not very many municipalities are inclined to switch their working documents. The process is costly and it takes time and resources to gather community input, define, develop, refine and adopt a document. However, it is a process that at the end provides a documents with clear and predictable development standards.
I find that there is a way to still provide a decent tool and take a step forward while testing the ground and the process, by creating a good design guideline document. which provides a working framework similar to FBC.
Such well developed design guideline document will address the lot configuration and circulation, access management, streetscape, building massing and sustainability measures, while also including the desired architectural strategies.
