Unified Development Ordinance
Advisory (Stakeholder) Committee Meeting
11:00 – 2:00
UDO Joint Meeting Fayetteville City Council
Fayetteville Planning Commission
4:00 – 6:30
September 14, 2009


Governmental Affairs Consultant FRAR/HBAF

What Happened: Clarion Associates, the planning consultant hired by the city to write the Unified Development Ordinance gave a power point presentation on module 3: development standards. Karen Hilton (Assistant Director Planning) passed out a meeting schedule for the upcoming UDO sectional meetings. They are as follows. The memo also said the group will revisit the schedule at the end of each meeting to see if some topics could be combined and to assess impacts on sections in Modules 1 & 2.

Date: UDO Section being covered: Time: Location:
9.22 30-5.A Parking 5:15 City Hall
10.6 30-5.B Landscape 5:15 City Hall
10.15 30-5.C, D, E Open Space 5:15 City Hall
11.3 30-5.G Single Family/Subdivision 5:15 City Hall
11.19 30-5.F Community Forum 5:15 City Hall
12.1 30-5.M Traffic Impact Analysis 5:15 City Hall
1.5 “Wrap-Up” Assessment 5:15 City Hall

The information below is from a power point presentation by Clarion. An entire copy of the handout will be available at both associations.

Off-Street Parking, Loading and Circulation – Major Changes
• Added clarity regarding when regulations apply
• Current exemptions carried forward, but standards reduced across the downtown
• Significant increase in amount of detail provided by regulations
• More incentives for structured parking
• Exceeding maximum allowed (commercial/industrial) requires demand study
• Shared parking allowed for all uses, not just churches and theatres
• Off-site parking can be farther away
• Deferred, valet, and in-lieu fee are all new
• New process for allowing alternative surfacing materials
• Front yard parking limitations for single-family homes
Landscaping and Tree Protection – Major Changes
• New minimum size and height at time of planning requirements
• Relocation of recommended plant list to administrative manual
• New species diversity requirements for trees
• Credit for existing vegetation limited to plants meeting minimum size requirements
• Planting islands now required
• Increased specificity about where trees should be planted
• Table of required trees based on parking lot size in current standards is removed
• Lots with 500+ spaces must be broken up into “pods”
• These standards replace vehicle display/service landscaping standards
• Streetscape landscaping removed (in favor of street trees)
• Buffers require both canopy and understory trees, as well as shrubs
• Fences/walls allowed, but not required
• Provides clarity about buffering vacant lands or supplementing insufficient existing buffers
Open Space
• Standards are for private, common open space, not public recreation land
• Applies to all development, including nonresidential
• Agricultural uses and platted lots with existing detached and attached homes are exempt
• Tree save, landscaping, and stormwater areas designed as site amenities credited towards passive recreation requirements
• Plazas, roof gardens, atriums, and pedestrian features credited in urban areas
• Lands subject to conservation easements credited
• Design Standards – should be deliberate, not “left over’s”
• Centrally-located and accessible
• Connect adjacent open spaces
• 30% must be suitable for active recreation in residential developments
• Owned jointly in common by homeowner’s or property owner’s association
• May request dedication to the city
• City may accept fee in-lieu for small sites or in cases where existing open space resources are sufficient
Community Form Standards – New
• Applies to all new development and substantial redevelopment – CD district exempt
• 25 mph design speed in residential neighborhoods
• Cul-de-sacs may not serve more than 25 lots; SUP if longer than 500’
• Internal/external connectivity required
• Block Design – maximum length is 800’, mid-block pedestrian access required for blocks 700’ long or longer
• Access – no direct access to arterials, limited access to collector streets, City shall approve new curb cuts
• Sidewalks – required on both sides of most streets, one side in residential subdivisions with lots of 35,000 sf
• Street trees – required on both sides of most streets (except in AR district or where no street trees on block face in existing single family are), trees located between the curb and the sidewalk, requires canopy trees planted 40’-50’ on-center, or understory trees 20’-30’ on-center
Single-Family Design Standards
• 10% of dwellings must front open space, where it exits
• Garages – standards applied to street facing garages within 50’ of ROW, unless on lot of one acre or greater in size, must be at least 2 feet behind front façade plane
• Detached garages limited to 30% of dwelling’s footprint, attached garage façade cannot exceed 45% of the total front façade size of the dwelling
• Foundations – must appear raised to between 18” and 24” above grade, depending on distance from ROW, exposed foundation walls must be clad
• Variability – Single-family detached subdivisions of 20+ homes must maintain distinctive facades such that no side-by-side or opposing structures have the same façade, no single façade design may occupy more than 30% of the total number of facades in a phase.
Transitional Standards
• Standards applied when commercial/industrial, mixed-use, SF attached/townhouses, multi-family, zero lot line development abut or across the street from single-family detached development
• Building Facades – use a residential roof from, use storefronts on facades facing single-family, use compatible colors, use building features and patterns similar to residential development
• Building Height – maximum height of 50 feet within 55 feet of single-family, use height “step-backs” and wings for building over 35 feet in height
Multi-Family Design Standards
• Building size – building footprint = 15,000sf max, maximum length = 200’, no more than six side-by-side units in any building
• Height – limited to 35’ max (3 stories) within 100’of single-family development
• Building Facades – at least 10% of side facades must be glazed, shall incorporate wall offsets and 3 of 8 different listed features
• Garage Standards – Two to four family residential and townhouse located to the side or rear, or be structured parking, multi-family located to the side or rear, or be structured parking
• Parking – no parking between the street and the front façade
Commercial, Office, and Mixed-Use Design Standards
• All primary entrances shall face the street
• Multi-building shall be configured to frame a “main street,” corner, or gathering area
• Spaces between building shall contain pedestrian amenities
• Façade Massing – building 60’ wide or wider shall provide offsets every 40’, buildings of 3+ stories shall provide discernable base and top treatments, side facades shall provide same features as front facades or be screened from view, 30% of street-level frontage shall be glazed with visually-permeable windows
• Off-Street Parking – DT and PD-TND: No parking in front of buildings, NC; one-story buildings must locate all parking to side or rear

What Was Said – A.M. Meeting

Clarion (on tree protection) – “We are moving the current suburban approach to urban. Integrate more under story trees. There is a balance that has to be struck. We suggested best practices that other communities are using and then open up for discussion. The big picture perspective is generally 1 of 2 ways. 1.) Protecting the existing tree canopy and 2.) Protect heritage trees. In section 5-44 reforestation it allows for someone to reach development potential but where to replant.”

Jimmy Kizer (Engineer) – “When do you submit this tree plan? We don’t have enough preliminary information. It’s hard putting the pieces of the puzzle together.”

Clarion – “Other places are doing it at the preliminary. They do a survey at the preliminary stage.”

Brady Rufenacht (HBA President) – “25 acres on virgin land. A large percentage will be heritage. Impossible to develop. You can try to assess and then topography. I have a site that has multiple specimens.”

Clarion – “It may be that 32 is too small (pg. 5-42 priority retention areas) There is a maintenance guarantee to make sure trees live. You’ve got to put up money.”

Clarion (on open space) – “There are plenty more communities who have more standards than these. A percentage of homes need to face open space.”

Clarion (on single family houses) – “We anticipate discussion as you move forward with negative monolithic tract housing.”

What Was Said – P.M. Meeting

Councilman Bates – “What’s going to stop clear cutting?”

Clarion – “We anticipate that the city has aerials. There is a tree permit process. Before you remove you have to get a permit. If you don’t…that’s a problem and you are in violation of the ordinance. Site plans are reviewed for tree removal. It does not apply to single family houses platted.”

Councilman Crisp “What happens if you are in violation?”

Clarion – “number one you could sterilize the sight for 3-5 years. Number two would be reforesting the site. Three, double the landscaping requirements Article 8 open space.”

Bates – “Why have a payment in lieu of option?”

Clarion – “There is a set of criteria. It is for very small sites, 5% of an acre. It is not accepted unless the city agrees. Some cities do not include this as an option. An example of this might be you’re next to a park.”

Bates – “It seems like this will suck up a lot of land from developers?”

Clarion – “There is flexibility.”

Councilman Evans – “Would the Hope VI project apply to this?”

Clarion – “You may want to exempt that. It will increase the cost. The Hope VI project would be subject to these new provisions.”

What’s Next: - UDO Advisory Group Meeting to discuss the parking section in module 3 on September 22nd at 5:15 City Hall