Planning 101

By Michael C. Collins, AICP, CZA, Town of Orange Director of Department of Community Development
Published: September 4, 2008

It may be a tired cliché, but Orange really is at a crossroads. A better small rural town, the vision described in the Town of Orange Comprehensive Plan, will not occur exclusively through market forces. On September 8, the Town of Orange Planning Commission invites this community to a meeting about design----how design can bring the town into the 21st century.
According to the plan, a small rural town has certain traits. It has streets that are low-speed and relatively narrow, its buildings are no more than a few stories tall, its geographic footprint is no more than a few square miles, and people generally know each other and wave when they walk down the street. Note: to wave and walk, the design of the “streetscape,” the space defined by the public street to the private lot line, must be conducive to socially-friendly behavior. As recently described by John Amos, downtown Orange must be somewhat of a model for this streetscape---how else to explain him being stopped so often on his way to the post office? The plan states that the Town of Orange government in the 21st century is to become the master developer for the town. This means that the town will set forth the design vision for the future so that proper infrastructure can be contemplated and constructed by private parties that understand how their particular projects fit within the larger context of an area. Studies have shown that localities with a clear and detailed design vision lead to greater returns for real estate investors and consistently rising property values.
This leads us to the town zoning ordinance. What is a zoning ordinance, really? Zoning began a century ago to separate industrial and residential uses in the cities of the U.S. Unfortunately, zoning, largely similar to its 20th century origins, has continued to be the primary way that we organize ourselves to guide our development patterns. This is unfortunate because we are no longer a 19th century industrial society and even if we were, we have technologies to help mitigate the undesirable effect of one land use upon another.
Following the policies set forth in the comprehensive plan, the town has significantly revised the old zoning ordinance and in its place created a new “mixed use” code. The idea is simple, that we should be far less concerned about whether a use is residential or commercial, and far more concerned about the built form, within which these uses are created. The idea is that uses can and should change over time, but great streetscapes are timeless. For many months, the planning commission has been working on the creation of this new type of code, and will hold a public meeting for the first time on September 8, at 7 p.m. at the Public Works Community Center.
Unlike traditional code processes, in which a draft of the entire ordinance is created and then unveiled, the town is using a different process. Rather than working on the entire code, the commission has created what is called a “code framework” that lays out what is essentially a detailed table of contents. The framework specifies what type of coding will go where in the town (called the “districts"), proposed uses (awaiting future precise definitions), and the streetscape requirements for each district. This liberalization of uses and the articulation of the form of the streetscape (to varying degrees, depending upon district) is what sets the new code apart from the old.
Some think the town is nearly built-out. The plan says that the town is actually rich with redevelopment opportunities and to a lesser degree, development opportunities. The code is the DNA for these opportunities. After the public meeting on the 8th, the commission will consider community members’ input, undoubtedly revise the Framework, and forward a revision to town council for their endorsement. Upon endorsement, the commission will begin a second phase of the process, and invite community members to participate in the fine-grained expression of each of the sections.
The mayor has stated that the creation of this code and the upcoming Round Hill proposal are two of the most important initiatives ever considered by this community. The upcoming months will be exciting times and will present to Orange citizens wonderful opportunities to be involved in the future of the town.