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Date:	February 23, 2009
Release Date:	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Title:	2050 Smart Growth Group Presents Findings to Mayor & Public
Media Contact:	Michèle Van Haecke
Phone:	(928) 445-4482
eMail:	michelevanhaecke@msn.com

2050 Smart Growth Group Presents Findings to Mayor & Public

PRESCOTT, AZ- Chair of the Mayor's 2050 Smart Growth/Development Committee, CATALYST Principal Matthew B. Ackerman LEED-AP AIA presented his committee's final report to the 2050 Steering Committee and Mayor Wilson February on 2. The committee, composed of an all-volunteer group of concerned citizens interested in improving the quality of new development in the area, has been meeting bi-weekly since February of last year.

The final eleven-page document describes the committee's understanding of the problem, their recommendations for a solution, and a multi-pronged strategy for achieving a "Smart Growth" future for the City of Prescott. The report included suggestions for educational campaigns, as well as a brief description of potential public/private partnerships intended to stimulate new Smart Growth development.

At the heart of the committee's recommendations however, is the adoption of a "SmartCode", or similar "form-based" code, which would provide the legal framework necessary to allow such Smart Growth concepts as mixed-uses and clustered development, to be allowed by code. Under most conventional zoning codes, Smart Growth development concepts such as these would require a property developer to go through a time-intensive PAD (Planned Area Development), or similar variance process in order to achieve the necessary jurisdictional approvals.

2050 Vision Public Roll-Out
The Smart Growth Committee also participated in a public presentation roll-out of all the Mayor's 2050 Vision Committees, which was held at Prescott High School on February 22. Large format display panels, as well as smaller table-top displays were assembled by each of the 2050 Visioning groups such as Transportation, Mental Health, Economic Development, and Ambiance. Several hundred members of the public strolled through the high school's cafeteria throughout the day, to view the work, and to vote on which committee's recommendations they felt were the most vital for the City's future. Local and state dignitaries were also in attendance, including Mayor Jack Wilson, several Prescott City Council Members, as well as Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett.

In addition to the Committee's display setups, several committee's also prepared Powerpoint presentations of their final reports and recommendations. Smart Growth Chair Matt Ackerman made a presentation of his committee's work, and then fielded questions ranging from what incentives the City could use to encourage Smart Growth, to what next steps should be taken in order to adopt a form-based code.

Form-Based Codes vs. Conventional Codes
Form based codes differ from the more conventional use-based codes in that the precise development criteria needed to create vibrant, pedestrian-oriented communities are spelled out under form-based codes. For example, instead of using "setback" lines, which are primarily a response to projected automobile traffic, "build-to" lines are employed instead, helping to create genuinely walkable commercial shopping districts, as well as pedestrian and bike-friendly residential neighborhoods.

Form-based codes encourage a mix of uses, clustered buildings, sidewalk cafes, park and civic space allotments, as well as minimum requirements for planting and landscaping. The focus is on creating walkable communities with a distinct sense of place, rather than simply accommodating the needs of automobiles. Form-based codes support a variety of transportation options, as well as diverse housing, employment, and economic opportunities.

Smart Code and Design Guidelines
Smart Growth and SmartCodes are often confused with design guidelines. The SmartCode, as proposed by the Mayor's 2050 Smart Growth Committee, addresses building form, but does not prescribe architectural style, nor is it design guidelines. Successful SmartCodes adopted across the country have been primarily implemented as "parallel" development codes. Parallel codes are not intended to replace existing codes, nor are they mandatory. In order to foster SmartCode use, municipalities may employ a range of incentives to encourage developer participation (see "SmartCode Incentives" below).

Smart Growth Benefits
Smart Growth developments typically save builders significant money, as compact development is inherently more efficient to construct than typical single-use, underutilized suburban strip development. Municipalities also benefit in that the amount of infrastructure required to support Smart Growth developments are significantly less costly to construct and maintain.

Additionally, case study data suggests that developers and their investors in Smart Growth communities have benefited from consistently lower turnover and vacancy rates, higher property values, as well as higher lease/rental and resale rates, resulting in higher overall ROI (return on investment).

Smart Growth Principles

Mix Land Uses
Take Advantage of Compact Building Design
Create a Range of Housing Opportunities and Choices
Create Walkable Neighborhoods
Foster Distinctive, Attractive Communities with a Strong Sense of Place
Preserve Open Space, Farmland, Natural Beauty, and Critical Environmental Areas
Strengthen and Direct Development Towards Existing Communities
Provide a Variety of Transportation Choices
Make Development Decisions Predictable, Fair, and Cost Effective
Encourage Community and Stakeholder Collaboration in Development Decisions

Form-Based Code Advantages

Because they are prescriptive (they state what you want), rather than proscriptive (what you don't want), form-based codes (FBCs) can achieve a more predictable physical result. The elements controlled by FBCs are those that are most important to the shaping of a high quality built environment.
FBCs encourage public participation because they allow citizens to see just what will happen and where-leading to a higher comfort level about future planned development.
Because they can regulate development at the scale of an individual building or lot, FBCs encourage independent development by multiple property owners. This obviates the need for large land assemblies and the megaprojects that are frequently proposed for such parcels.
The built results of FBCs often reflect a diversity of architecture, materials, uses, and ownership that can only come from the actions of many independent players operating within a communally agreed-upon vision and legal framework.
FBCs work well in established communities because they effectively define and codify a neighborhood's existing "DNA." Vernacular building types can be easily replicated, promoting infill that is compatible with surrounding structures.
Non-professionals find FBCs easier to use than conventional zoning documents because they are much shorter, more concise, and organized for visual access and readability. This feature makes it easier for non-planners to determine whether compliance has been achieved.
FBCs obviate the need for design guidelines, which are difficult to apply consistently, offer too much room for subjective interpretation, and can be difficult to enforce. They also require less oversight by discretionary review bodies, fostering a less politicized planning process that could deliver huge savings in time and money and reduce the risk of takings challenges.
FBCs may prove to be more enforceable than design guidelines. The stated purpose of FBCs is the shaping of a high quality public realm, a presumed public good that promotes healthy civic interaction. For that reason compliance with the codes can be enforced, not on the basis of aesthetics but because a failure to comply would diminish the good that is sought. While enforceability of development regulations has not been a problem in new growth areas controlled by private covenants, such matters can be problematic in already-urbanized areas due to legal conflicts with first amendment rights.

SmartCode Incentives

In order to encourage the use of a parallel SmartCode, municipalities may consider granting the following incentives, to the extent authorized by state law:

The application shall be processed administratively rather than through public hearing.
The application shall be processed with priority over others under the conventional code with prior filing dates.
Review fees shall be waived or reduced.
Density may be increased by the subsidized Transfer of Development Rights.
The traffic impact report shall be waived.
The municipality shall construct and maintain those internal thoroughfares that through-connect to adjacent sites.
Payment of property taxes shall be maintained at the level prior to the approval, until such time as a certificate of occupancy has been issued for each building.
First-time buyers of dwellings and newly created businesses within Zones T4, T5 and T6 shall receive tax relief.

Resources:
2050 Smart Growth/Development Committee Final Report.pdf [1.8MB Download]
Smart Growth
SmartCode6.5.pdf [3MB Download]
Form Based Code Institute
New Urbanism
Congress for New Urbanism's Highways to Boulevards Program
Project for Public Spaces
LEED for Neighborhood Development
The End of Suburbia* (film)
Prescott2050.org

With a background in Urban Design, Matthew Ackerman, LEED-AP AIA brings over 20 years of design experience in mixed-use, masterplanning, commercial, and custom residential work. He is the current chair of the Yavapai County Sustainable Planning Committee, and of the Grand Canyon AIA Chapter of COTE (Committee On The Environment). Mr. Ackerman is an Advisory Board member of CAZREN (Central Arizona Renewable Energy Network), as well as of the Yavapai College Construction Technology Committee. Mr. Ackerman was the first LEED accredited architect in Yavapai County.