Other times, communities approach FBCI with existing form-based codes that aren’t producing the kind of development locals desire. A downtown-adjacent commercial district in Leesburg, Virginia has retained its single-use, auto-oriented, suburban land use pattern for years and has seen virtually no new development, despite adopting a form-based code for the area. So this spring, after several focus group meetings, an in-depth code analysis, and presentations to the Town Council, FBCI advised the Council on why their existing code is not working and provided many specific suggestions for code revisions and a process to get them there.
Unsure what the problem is or where to start? FBCI will review your local zoning code to determine if it will support walkable, mixed-use development, and if not, why not. In Fauquier County, Virginia, for instance, FBCI took a look at a draft form-based code that staff had prepared for the small town of Marshall. Staff reported that, because form-based codes are new to the county, the FBCI review gave both staff and decision makers the confidence to know they were on the right track. The Marshall Code has since been adopted, encouraging contextual, walkable growth that meshes with the old-town feel that residents cherish.
In Charlottesville, Virginia, FBCI is working with expert code-writing firm DPZ Partners LLC to write a new form-based code for a mixed-income neighborhood. The project will result in a cutting-edge form-based code to help realize a new a citywide affordable housing strategy. The project has included months of collaboration with local staff, extensive community engagement—including a neighborhood charrette—a housing needs assessment, and an economic analysis of alternative strategies for encouraging affordable housing development.
Don’t shy away from the “Z” word. Zoning reform can be made easier with the help of the Form-Based Codes Institute. Learn more about the program and whether FBCI Codes for Communities is right for your community on the Codes for Communities webpage.