Form Based Codes, a Developers perspective:Back to News

The use of Form Based Codes (FBC’s) as a means to reform zoning codes and to implement Smart Growth development patterns (for example Mixed Use, Compact, Walkable and Transit Oriented projects) is gaining National momentum and strong interest from the development community. To date, over 290 Codes have been adopted in the US and more are in the planning stages. FBC’s are becoming a recognized way to encourage long term economic sustainability while at the same time helping to create better places to live, work, learn, play and shop.

Simply put, an FBC is a regulatory tool (which can replace or supplement a cities existing zoning code) that places an emphasis on building types, dimensions, the public realm, streets, parking location and façade features and less importance on segregating uses which you typically find with conventional zoning codes.

Why are FBC’s becoming more popular? For starters, FBC’s address a community’s goals to protect and encourage high quality development standards, architecture, and landscaping. An FBC can be easier to understand and implement versus conventional zoning codes. FBC’s rely heavily on pictures and graphics to illustrate various standards and regulations whereas typical zoning codes use repetitive text, complicated jargon and land use tables. Often times zoning codes require countless hours of interpretation and legal debate. FBC’s are presented in a very concise and easy to follow format which makes them more accessible. This clarity allows a developer to know from the beginning exactly the types of buildings are permitted in a given district and can therefore greatly reduce the approval period. The review becomes more administrative and fewer public hearings are needed. This can save time and money!

In most cases an FBC is created with considerable public and private input using design charrettes and other public outreach methods. The FBC therefore becomes a community driven vision. For the developer this can create more certainty and predictability during the approval process. If the community has already “bought into” the Form Base Code vision, they are less likely to oppose projects which conform to the adopted FBC. Recent studies have also indicated increased property tax revenue, increased sales tax revenue and price premiums for land and rents as a result of Form Based Codes being implemented.

I will be talking more about the social and fiscal impacts of Form Based Codes with our friends Bill Wismeman (www.rbf.com) and Dan Parolek (www.opticosdesign.com) at the National American Planning Association Conference being held in New Orleans April 10-13.(www.planning.org/conference/index.htm)

For more information about Form Based Codes:

www.formbasedcodes.org

www.transect.org

www.cnu.org

A recently published book on Form Based Codes we highly recommend: “Form Based Codes” by Dan Parolek, Karen Parolek and Paul Crawford.