Whether they’re talking about a charming block of historic townhouses in downtown Frederick or a bucolic rural village like Burkittsville, it’s not unusual to hear someone around here lament that “we just don’t build things the way we used to.” It’s largely true, too, we just don’t build the kind of traditional towns, villages and neighborhoods that we supposedly cherish. And one big reason why is that conventional zoning codes — with their separations of use, setback requirements, minimum lots sizes and parking minimums — have made it exceedingly difficult to build a place like downtown Frederick or Burkittsville from scratch.
Form-based codes are attempting to turn that around. Compared to conventional zoning’s focus on the “segregation of land uses,” form-based codes focus on the relationship between building facades and the public realm of streets and sidewalks; the form and mass of buildings in relation to one another; and the scale and types of streets and blocks. Form-based codes also rely on graphic elements and diagrams to convey regulations and standards in a way that’s more readily grasped by the average citizen than the dry legalese that dominates the city’s current Land Management Code. And, by defining the appropriate form, scale and character of development up front, it offers far more predictability to the community and developers alike.
Those aren’t the only benefits. In a side-by-side study of areas with form-based codes and conventional zoning in four different jurisdictions (Arlington County, Virginia, Cincinnati, Fort Worth, Texas, and Palm Beach County, Florida), a 2021 study by Smart Growth America found that residents cited “improved quality of life, walkability and access to services and amenities,” average rents grew at a slower pace, and the areas with form-based codes collectively generated nearly $65 million more in tax revenue than areas with conventional zoning. So, it’s no wonder that a growing number of cities are adding form-based codes to their land-use toolbox.
Frederick may soon follow. The city’s 2019 strategic plan and 2020 comprehensive plan both proposed the incremental adoption of a form-based zoning code through the city’s Small Area Plan process (allowing the codes to be tailored to the specific area rather than one size fits all), and the city’s planning department is launching an effort to draft Frederick’s first form-based code for the East Street corridor.
With downtown’s revitalization well underway and new developments on the east side adding hundreds of new households at Renn Farm, East Church and elsewhere, quality redevelopment along the East Street corridor will be critical to ensuring that downtown and the new East Frederick developments become parts of a greater whole.
However, East Street is more than just a gap to be bridged. Quality redevelopment along East Street could also expand the range of available housing options downtown and provide space for larger commercial uses such as a grocery store or movie theater. But seamlessly integrating these uses into the area’s existing mix of historic industrial buildings and adjacent residential areas will require the kind of up-front, detailed planning that only a form-based code can deliver.
Matt Edens is a downtown Frederick resident who has spent more than two decades writing true-crime documentaries for cable television.
(5) comments
Kinda late fore all of this. There's not much of East Street that isn't already clogged up to the breaking point already.
Excellent LTE, Matt. Always interesting to learn more about adaptive zoning tools.
"Form-based codes also rely on graphic elements and diagrams to convey regulations and standards in a way that’s more readily grasped by the average citizen than the dry legalese that dominates the city’s current Land Management Code."
Gosh, I do hope so. It may take a while for me to understand it.
And I do hope it is explained so many can understand. Otherwise, it could become just another political football to be bounced around.
👍👍
A place to start: https://formbasedcodes.org/definition/
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