From
Chris Hartmann
Title
Review first draft of Downtown (GPDT) zoning regulations
Presenter
David P. Jones, AICP, Chief City Planner
Recommended Action
Approve
Analysis
On May 7, 2019, City Council adopted the Downtown Master Plan. This plan establishes the vision for downtown as an engaging, walkable, and livable place with a broad and attainable mix of housing options, niche destination restaurants and retail, and quality hangout places.
Zoning is one of the tools the City can use to implement this vision. However, the zoning standards in place need to be revised to function as an effective tool. Downtown zoning should address the following elements:
? Urban Form - Buildings should be placed close to the street in the downtown core to create a consistent street edge;
? Pedestrian Environment - Building design and streetscape elements should create an interesting and comfortable walk for pedestrians;
? Mix of Uses - Zoning should create conditions to achieve a mixture of uses that generate foot traffic throughout the day as well as a nighttime population; and
? Strategic Parking - Parking standards should avoid superfluous parking and large surface parking lots that interrupt the streetscape while prioritizing shared parking and use of public parking areas.
Recommendations presented at April 8th CCDC (Addressed in draft regulations attached as Exhibit A)
1. Create mandatory site design standards that reflect downtown character zones. These standards should include minimum building setbacks, parking location, building form, land use, streetscape, and public realm standards while focusing on pedestrian-oriented design (establishes four zones reflecting different character and building form in Downtown: Approach Corridor, Transition Zone, Civic Core, Downtown Core under the GPDT, Grand Prairie Downtown District designator).
2. Streamline the development review process to reduce the time it takes for approval and make the outcome more predictable (...
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