Infill Design Standards Promoting Context-Sensitive Design in Established Neighborhoods Background Information Provided Prior to the November 28, 2007 Neighborhood Meeting City of Davenport Department of Community and Economic Development Introduction In response to community concerns about the quality and compatibility of infill development, the Staff of the Planning/Land Use and Design Center of the Community and Economic Development Department has been researching alternatives on addressing the issue in Davenport. Staff has developed a preliminary set of standards and has ideas on how they might be applied. The challenge remains establishing a set of criteria and approval process that protects the character of established neighborhoods while promoting infill development at the same time. Questions remain concerning the level of detail and how the review and approval process might work. Staff is seeking input from a variety of interest groups, including neighborhoods. It is hoped that the following information is helpful in developing opinions prior to a neighborhood meeting to be help on November 28, 2007, 5:30 pm in the City of Davenport Design Center, 102 E. Second Street, across from the Radison. History Over time, Davenport’s neighborhoods have been designed and built using similar building materials, lot orientation and proportionality. Why this occurred in an era before municipal development codes was due to a number of factors: design covenants, use of pattern books, construction by the same builder or architect, or simply ‘gentlemen’s agreements’ that respected the character of development than has already occurred in the vicinity. As older neighborhoods matured and structures were lost to fire or demolition, new structures were built matching the typical standards of the day’s construction techniques without regard to the architectural context of the area. Context-sensitive infill is not a new issue in Davenport. Poor examples, some decades old, exist in many older and historic neighborhoods. Some particularly glaring examples from the 1970’s were the result of government-funded ‘scattered site’ public housing programs. Recent concerns have centered on both private development and housing built by not-for-profit organizations. Why is Infill and Infill Design Important? Infill is important because it addresses the following issues: Population decline. While Davenport’s population has generally remained steady over the past 40 years, the population in the central city has declined substantially. A big reason contributing to this decline has been the loss of housing stock. Dwellings have been demolished or destroyed and not replaced. Also, many other dwellings are underutilized or vacant on account of being substandard. As the population in neighborhoods decline, neighborhood businesses decline as its customers decrease, causing residents to venture into their cars to shop for even basic items. Nuisance properties. Vacant or underutilized properties can be sources of maintenance or crime problems. Sustainability. Sustainability is defined as meeting current needs without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs by balancing environmental, economic and social (equity) concerns. Infill development creates a more compact community. It is more energy and cost efficient because it reduces the need to physically expand, reducing the need to build new infrastructure and the necessity to travel. Infill design is important because it provides assurance to existing residents that new development will be compatible with existing structures. Neighboring residents are naturally concerned when new development is proposed. Much of the concern relates not to the use of the new structure, but its design, i.e. will it fit in? Establishing clear standards should ease concerns of neighbors as well as provide clear expectations for builders and developers proposing new construction. Planning for Davenport’s future. The City of Davenport adopted a new Comprehensive Plan in 2005, Davenport 2025: Comprehensive Plan for the City. The Comprehensive Plan is a long-range (20-25 years) blueprint to define how the City should grow and develop. A key component of the Comprehensive Plan is the establishment of specific recommendations. Davenport 2025: Comprehensive Plan for the City, supports infill development as a Critical Priority of the Comprehensive Plan. Under the broad goal, “Strengthen the Existing Built Environment”, the two specific recommendations the Plan establishes are as follows: Encourage adaptive re-use and infill projects within the community. Identify and market opportunities for redevelopment, adaptive re-use, and infill in all areas of the community. Promoting “Smart Growth”. Quality infill development advances the principles of Smart Growth. Smart Growth is an urban planning theory that concentrates growth in the center of a city to avoid urban sprawl. Following is a list of the principles of Smart Growth: · Creating a Range of Housing Opportunities and Choices Providing quality housing for people of all income levels is an integral component in any smart growth strategy. · Creating Walkable Neighborhoods Walkable communities are desirable places to live, work, learn, worship and play, and therefore a key component of smart growth. · Encouraging Community and Stakeholder Collaboration Growth can create great places to live, work and play -- if it responds to a community’s own sense of how and where it wants to grow. · Fostering Distinctive, Attractive Communities with a Strong Sense of Place Smart growth encourages communities to craft a vision and set standards for development and construction which respond to community values of architectural beauty and distinctiveness, as well as expanded choices in housing and transportation. · Making Development Decisions Predictable, Fair and Cost Effective For a community to be successful in implementing smart growth, it must be embraced by the private sector. · Mixing Land Uses Smart growth supports the integration of mixed land uses into communities as a critical component of achieving better places to live. · Preserving Open Space, Farmland, Natural Beauty and Critical Environmental Areas Open space preservation supports smart growth goals by bolstering local economies, preserving critical environmental areas, improving our communities quality of life, and guiding new growth into existing communities. · Providing a Variety of Transportation Choices Providing people with more choices in housing, shopping, communities, and transportation is a key aim of smart growth. · Strengthening and Directing Development Towards Existing Communities Smart growth directs development towards existing communities already served by infrastructure, seeking to utilize the resources that existing neighborhoods offer, and conserve open space and irreplaceable natural resources on the urban fringe. · Taking Advantage of Compact Building Design Smart growth provides a means for communities to incorporate more compact building design as an alternative to conventional, land consumptive development. Proposed Standards Staff has conducted considerable research on infill design standards that might be beneficial and applicable to Davenport. Following are issues that staff is seeking input on before ultimately recommending to City Council. Many questions exist and are underlined. 1. Type of standards. This can vary from very specific standards to generalized guidelines; mandatory requirements or simply recommendations that are suggested only. Some communities have literally scrapped its zoning ordinances in favor of “Form-Based Codes”. These new codes put emphasis on building, site and public space design and quality while de-emphasizing land use. They have been generally accepted in Cities where they have been adopted, but those tend to be in newer, growing, affluent communities in the south and west. Reviewing Infill Design standards from other communities, staff has developed a list of standards that may be applicable to Davenport. Many of the standards come from Knoxville, Tennessee, a mid-sized, industrial, relatively stable city much like Davenport. Please review these proposed standards and think if they should be mandatory, encouraged or not important in the area ultimately designated as subject to Infill Design standards. Photographic examples will be provided at the November 28 meeting. Proposed Davenport Infill Design Standards (check one) Front Yards Mandatory Encouraged Not Imp. ? Setback and front door orientation are in line and consistent with existing houses on the block. ? Fencing is constructed of traditional materials and excludes chain link, masonry, wide boards, and other contemporary materials. ? Walkways should connect the sidewalk with the front door, perpendicular to street. ? Healthy trees should be preserved whenever possible. House Orientation and Side Yards Mandatory Encouraged Not Imp. ? Proposed infill house is proportional to dimensions of lot and existing houses on the block. ? Proposed infill house keeps the spacing between houses consistent with original houses on the block. Alleys, Parking, and Services Mandatory Encouraged Not Imp. ? Proposed infill house has access from alley only (where available) for garage or parking pad. ? Where an alley is unavailable, proposed garage or parking pad extend 20 feet behind front façade of proposed infill house. ? Proposed parking pads, utility boxes, and waste collection points are visually screened by landscaping and/or fencing. Scale, Mass, and Foundation Height Mandatory Encouraged Not Imp. ? Proposed infill elevation is proportional in scale to original houses on the block. ? Foundation height is consistent with original houses on block. ? Proposed infill attempts to incorporate historic elements of block into design. Porches Mandatory Encouraged Not Imp. ? Proposed infill includes a porch in neighborhoods where porches are dominant. ? Proposed porch is proportional to existing porches on block. ? Proposed porch maintains consistency with existing porches in setback along the street. ? Proposed porch materials and details complement the historic character and style of neighborhood. Windows and Doors Mandatory Encouraged Not Imp. ? Proposed window and door size and location are consistent with the historic character and style of block. ? Proposed window or door positioning does not violate the privacy of neighboring homes. ? Proposed infill excludes contemporary window styles in pre-1940 areas. Roof Shapes and Materials Mandatory Encouraged Not Imp. ? Proposed infill incorporates roof pitch similar to existing houses on the block. ? Proposed infill incorporates complex roof forms similar to existing houses on the block. Siding Materials Mandatory Encouraged Not Imp. ? In a neighborhood dominated by painted wood siding the proposed infill should use clapboard or similar substitutes. ? In a neighborhood with mixed architectural styles the proposed infill utilizes appropriate material and detail. Additions Mandatory Encouraged Not Imp. ? Proposed additions visible from the street utilize consistent siding and roof materials, as well as door and window styles original to the house. ? Specified roof line and roofing materials for proposed addition are consistent with existing house ? Proposed window or door replacements should respect original style. ? Proposed addition does not violate openness or character of front porch. Multi-unit Housing (in addition to the standards listed above) Mandatory Encouraged Not Imp. ? Proposed multi-unit housing is proportional to rhythm, height and scale of single-family dwellings existing on the block. ? Only one entrance to multi-family dwellings shall be visible from the street. ? Proposed parking for multi-unit housing is screened from the street and accesses existing alleys when possible. 2. Scope. Should the standards apply Citywide or to a smaller area, based on zoning districts, geographic boundaries, or otherwise? The difficulty in applying standards to an area smaller than City-wide is deciding what is appropriate. Utilizing historic districts would result in a very small area falling under the jurisdiction of the regulations. Specific zoning districts may leave out certain neighborhoods. Geographic boundaries such as Duck Creek or certain streets seem to be arbitrary. The City has undertaken two major historic surveys, most recently in 1998 by Jacobsen. This area covers nearly all the residential areas of the City that are over 50 years old and is mapped. (Map Attached) The commercial areas of Downtown and East Village are already protected by design standards. Further, Brady, Harrison, Locust Street and Rockingham Road are currently being studied. Should the standards apply to both commercial and residential property or just residential? 3. Approval process. Staff is concerned about these regulations unnecessarily delaying approval of building permits. This is a challenge given the building permit center being located at the Public Works Center on 46th Street and planning staff located Downtown. Staff believes approval should be administrative (conducted by Staff) but has not formulated a position as who should serve as an appeal body. (Council, a board or commission, or a new entity). Are there any suggestions on how to efficiently manage the review process? 4. Defining infill. To what degree an infill lot is surrounded by development before it is considered infill? What percentage of a block face needs to be developed before the standards are implemented? Should the standards apply to both new construction and additions? Next Steps. Staff will be seeking from various interest groups, including neighborhoods, contractors, developers and housing not-for profits on the standards. Internally, staff will be discussing how to manage the approval process in the most efficient and timely way. It is hoped that the findings would be shared with the City Council within two months.