Left: Marin County transect table. The form-based zones needed to implement Marin’s transect are identified in bold text. Right: Illustration of T4 Core Main Street.
Noteworthy elements
“This model code exemplifies the differentiating strengths of form-based codes: clear guidance for better design outcomes and predictable, fair, and timely review processes,” Peter Park, Director of Peter J. Park, LLC and Chair of the 2022 FBCI Award Jury, explains. “While conventional codes, coupled with onerous discretionary review procedures, create barriers to delivering affordable housing in a timely manner, Marin County’s Objective Design and Development Standards provides an exemplary model for jurisdictions and communities to overcome complicated use and density rules through clear form and design standards.”
Walkable Neighborhood Plan Design Process Overview for Large Sites.
The Objective Design and Development Standards is also an exemplary model of multi-jurisdictional cooperation. By pooling their financial resources, Marin County communities have created a shared form-based coding platform that aligns regulatory language across the county and provides more accessible, fair, and transparent ways for guiding development. The toolkit provides a menu of calibrated standards (especially helpful for communities with limited institutional capacity) with options for further customization through place-based approaches. For example, Chapter 8 of the code—Specific to Large Sites—masterfully describes how to create walkable neighborhoods through calibration of basic urban design elements such as blocks, streets, and buildings for various site scales and contexts.
The Marin County model form-based code and its exemplary inter-jurisdictional approach provide promising new ways for regions across the U.S. to cut through restrictive regulations and complicated approval processes that limit housing supply and increase housing costs.
Congratulations to this year’s winner!
Join us on January 19 at 3:00 p.m. EST to hear about lessons learned from representatives from the team who drafted the winning code, regional planning experts, and the jurisdictions who have, or are in the process of implementing the model code.