Form-Based Codes: A Guide for Planners, Urban Designers, Municipalities, and Developers By Daniel G. Parolek, AIA, Karen Parolek, and Paul C. Crawford, FAICP

Sedona city officials to attend 2-day lecture on form-based codes

by Cyndy Hardy

SEDONA, Ariz., May 5, 2008 – Sedona residents concerned with growth and development should familiarize themselves with a relatively new term to local city planning: form-based codes.

On May 6 and May 7, city officials will attend an educational program sponsored by the Form-Based Codes Institute, at Radisson Poco Diablo Resort, 1752 S. Hwy 179. “This course is being offered in conjunction with the City's Economic Sustainability and Redevelopment Strategy planning efforts underway,” said Kathy Levin, a Sedona associate planner, in an April 16 email.

The city has been learning about and discussing form-based codes for at least three years.

Roger Eastman, a Sedona resident who formerly served as senior planner and now is Flagstaff’s community code administrator, made a presentation to the Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission in March. During that meeting, the commission placed the form-based code concept as a high priority.

Traditional zoning codes focus on preventing nuisances and don’t really create a desirable people-friendly community, Mr. Eastman said. “The emphasis is land use first; and the physical open form – the spaces you create between buildings – very much comes second,” he said.

“The problem with conventional zoning is you get this dispersed land-use segregation, with single-family over here, multi-family somewhere else and commercial in a different location, and there is really no mixing of land uses. The result of this is dispersed use and significant spatial separation of key daily activities, so you have to get in your car to go from one use to another, which leads to a lot of land consumption and streets that are designed for cars rather than people,” Mr. Eastman said.

Society has changed since the days families with children drove the housing market with their need for single-family homes on a single lot, Mr. Eastman said. Young professionals, “empty-nesters,” and single parents are creating a need for a different kind of housing.

Form-based codes incorporate principles of smart growth, as defined by the Smart Growth Network, and New Urbanism that create a range of housing opportunities and more walkable neighborhoods with less attention given to the automobile. The code is more graphically oriented than traditional codes, focusing on the desired image of Traditional Neighborhood Districts.

Mr. Eastman cited several benefits, including:

Flagstaff adopted an ordinance in 2001 to promote TNDs, according to Mr. Eastman. In November 2007, Flagstaff approved its first form-based project, the approximately 320-acre Juniper Point. The property was originally zoned for one residence per five acres; the developer approached the city in 2005 and, after a two-year process including abundant public outreach, they increased the density 30 times, Mr. Eastman said.

The Sedona community’s vision may be different than Flagstaff’s, however, potential infill and redevelopment projects exist; and if the community wants the benefits Mr. Eastman described, the city needs the tools to make it happen.

The city will probably need to amend its Community Plan, which means extensive public input. Mr. Eastman urged the city to identify and include stakeholders early on; such as public safety, utilities, neighborhoods, bicyclists and businesses.

This week’s educational program is one of the steps Mr. Eastman suggested the city take during his March presentation.

“Educate staff, Council, P&Z and interested citizens. I learned a tremendous amount after the volunteers of the Form-based Code Institute gave their presentations. And they teach the working planners how to implement them,” Mr. Eastman said.

© 2008 Cyndy Hardy. This article may not be reproduced, republished or distributed without written permission from the author.

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