Chapter 2 - Land Use

Table of Contents

Quality Development ......................................................................................................................... 5 Vision ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction................................................................................................................................. 5 Expected Growth and Development Patterns ............................................................................... 6 Place Types ................................................................................................................................. 7 Policies, Strategies, and Actions ............................................................................................... 12 Infill and Redevelopment................................................................................................................ 17 Vision ......................................................................................................................................... 17 Introduction............................................................................................................................... 17 Opportunities............................................................................................................................. 19 Emerging Reinvestment Issues .................................................................................................. 19 Challenges.................................................................................................................................. 20 Policies, Strategies, and Actions ............................................................................................... 22 Urban Policy Areas ......................................................................................................................... 28 Vision ......................................................................................................................................... 28 Introduction............................................................................................................................... 28 Development Approach ............................................................................................................. 28 Policies, Strategies, and Actions ............................................................................................... 29 Design Guidelines ...................................................................................................................... 32 Place Types ............................................................................................................................... 33 Suburban Policy Area ..................................................................................................................... 43 Vision ......................................................................................................................................... 43 Introduction............................................................................................................................... 43 Background ................................................................................................................................ 44 Development Approach ............................................................................................................. 44 Policies, Strategies, and Actions ............................................................................................... 47 Design Guidelines ...................................................................................................................... 51 Place Types ............................................................................................................................... 52

Transition Policy Area ............................................................................................................ 72 Vision................................................................................................................................. 72 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 72 Background ........................................................................................................................ 73 Development Approach .................................................................................................... 74 Policies, Strategies, and Actions ....................................................................................... 75 Design Guidelines............................................................................................................. 79 Place Types ....................................................................................................................... 80 Rural Policy Area..................................................................................................................... 97 Vision................................................................................................................................. 97 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 97 Rural Residential............................................................................................................... 99 Rural Economy ................................................................................................................. 99 Farmland Preservation and Protection ............................................................................. 101 Future of Rural Strategy.................................................................................................... 102 Policies, Strategies, and Actions ....................................................................................... 103 Design Guidelines............................................................................................................. 106 Place Types ....................................................................................................................... 107 Rural Historic Villages ............................................................................................................ 108 Vision................................................................................................................................. 108 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 108 Policies, Strategies, and Actions ....................................................................................... 110 Design Guidelines............................................................................................................. 111 Rural Policy Area & Rural Historic Village Place Types........................................................... 117 Towns and Joint Land Management Areas.............................................................................. 124 Vision................................................................................................................................. 124 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 124 Development Approach .................................................................................................... 124 Policies, Strategies, and Actions ....................................................................................... 125 Leesburg............................................................................................................................ 127 Hamilton ........................................................................................................................... 128 Hillsboro ........................................................................................................................... 130

Lovettsville .................................................................................................................... 132 Middleburg..................................................................................................................... 134 Purcellville ..................................................................................................................... 135 Round Hill...................................................................................................................... 137 Design Guidelines.......................................................................................................... 139 County/Town Annexation Agreement/Corporate Boundary Line Adjustment ................. 140 Reference Maps ............................................................................................................. 141 Joint Land Management Area Place Types ................................................................... 142

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

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CHAPTER 2-4

Quality Development

Vision

Loudoun will carry forth our successful land use and growth management policy while promoting the well-planned development of unique and appealing places providing a full spectrum of housing and employment options that are linked to supporting commercial, entertainment, educational, agricultural, and recreational activity.

Introduction

Loudoun County has accommodated a high rate of growth over the past decades, concentrating new development in the eastern portion of the County where utilities and roadways have been constructed to serve the population efficiently. Much of Loudoun’s success is due to land use planning that has guided, managed, and directed growth to appropriate locations. Loudoun County’s growth management strategy has comprised an approach that 1) focuses the location and intensity of development in eastern Loudoun and around towns, which maintains the agricultural character, pastoral landscapes, and natural resources of the County’s rural areas; 2) uses service standards and development forecasting to plan the location and timing of investments in infrastructure, facilities and services; and 3) calculates a fair share contribution by new development towards associated capital facility impacts. This approach recognizes that more concentrated population centers better facilitate the provision of emergency response services, roads, utilities, and public facilities. Further, the location of such services and facilities often guide subsequent development patterns. By concentrating these services in the areas of the County where development has been planned and appropriately scaling their availability and levels of service in the less developed areas, the County facilitates growth patterns that help achieve long-term land use, environmental, economic, and fiscal goals.

Previous planning efforts in Loudoun County have focused on promoting quality of life by establishing and delivering a shared vision. The Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan (Comprehensive Plan) and, more specifically, the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (General Plan) build upon previous efforts and encourage a range of priorities that will further enhance quality of life in the County through a renewed vision. To realize this vision, Quality Development (QD) addresses a range of topics important to future growth and development that will have a lasting and positive impact on current and future generations in the County. QD represents a level of excellence and a commitment to inclusiveness in future planning efforts. It is a holistic approach that seeks to maintain and build upon the high quality of life that residents have grown to enjoy.

To further enhance and improve the quality of life in Loudoun County, this chapter presents countywide policies that will allow the County to address growth and development in future planning and implementation initiatives. The goal of QD in Loudoun is to support these initiatives based on the following aspirations:

• Make great places through development that complements, strengthens, and benefits surrounding communities.
• Encourage a mix of complementary land uses and project designs that ensure the long-term sustainability, or environmental and economic health, of both the individual development and the broader community.
• Foster places with distinctive identities through the use of high-quality design, siting, landscaping, architecture, signage, sustainability, and other design elements.
• Integrate land use and transportation policies that prioritize development at the Metrorail stations and provide the most compact and accessible development.

QD also encompasses key qualities that will ensure future development positively contributes to the daily life of citizens by establishing and building upon traditional growth patterns and creating places that are conducive to a range of daily activities. Consideration of the following characteristics will help ensure future development and coordinated placemaking enhance quality of life in Loudoun:

• Sensitive integration of the natural and built environments,
• Context-sensitive site and building design between adjacent developments and land uses,
• Architecture that is appropriate for its context,
• Sustainable energy technology,
• Walkable and pedestrian-friendly environments that promote activity and connectivity in spaces between buildings and developments,
• Multi-modal choices that offer a range of transportation opportunities, and
• Accessible and connected parks and open spaces.

Emphasis on the incorporation of these characteristics in existing and future development is integral to QD. Their thoughtful consideration will help ensure high-quality design and aid in the creation of communities that have distinctive identities.

Loudoun will continue to be an attractive place for development given its geographic location, school system performance, business-friendly practices, and notable quality of life. However, new policies and approaches in the General Plan provide guidance to address emerging issues and trends in the County and region. These emerging issues and trends, include a constrained land supply, the County’s connection to the regional Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail network through the Silver Line extension in 2020, availability and affordability of housing, and a growing demand for new development options. The Plan streamlines its presentation of design concepts, providing specific design guidelines for each policy area in subsequent sections of this chapter. Future implementation of the design policies in the General Plan will require thoughtful revisions to zoning regulations that will help accommodate the flexibility and adaptability of a new land use planning approach in Loudoun.

Expected Growth and Development Patterns

Building upon the County’s successful planning policy, the General Plan is largely organized by geographic policy areas that serve to prioritize areas for new growth and development based on

the availability of existing and planned infrastructure and public facilities. Accordingly, this chapter describes the policy areas that provide the geographic framework for the County’s growth management and land use strategies. Policy areas in the General Plan include the Suburban Policy Area (SPA), Transition Policy Area (TPA), Rural Policy Area (RPA), Towns & Joint Land Management Areas (JLMAs), and newly-established Urban Policy Areas (UPA).

The UPAs are intended to accommodate living, working, shopping, and playing in a dense urban environment, creating complete communities that will serve as centers of activity for the County. The Plan designates two areas around the Silver Line Metro stations as UPAs, envisioning these areas to develop as dense urban centers. Both areas represent major growth opportunities for the County and are planned to provide for walkable mixed-use and transit-oriented development that will more efficiently absorb much of the County’s anticipated growth, offer a diversity of housing to meet changing housing needs, and offer flexible land use policies to allow for innovation and changing market demands.

The SPA continues to be planned for additional growth and development though at a lesser intensity than the Urban Policy Areas. However, rapid growth in the SPA in recent decades has significantly reduced the amount of developable land and subsequently reduced this area’s capacity to accommodate substantial growth. This represents a significant juncture in the County’s planning and development history as development efforts will increasingly emphasize infill development on the few remaining undeveloped parcels in the SPA as well as the redevelopment and adaptive reuse of existing buildings.

The TPA is intended to be visually distinct from the Suburban and Rural Policy Areas with a development pattern focused on retaining substantial open space within the context of an assortment of community designs. The open spaces serve as dominant landscape and development features that provide opportunities for public recreation and facilities interwoven through a land use pattern that is predominantly residential with limited commercial and industrial uses.

The RPA comprises nearly two thirds of Loudoun’s land area in the western portion of the County and contains twelve historic Rural Villages. This area is planned as an enduring rural landscape of working agricultural lands, rural economy uses, and limited residential development. Protection of the RPA helps to ensure the preservation of farmland, natural, environmental, and heritage resources, open space, and vistas that are vital aspects of Loudoun’s identity.

Place Types

While the policy areas described in this chapter provide the geographic foundation for the County’s growth management and land use strategies, the Plan refines the County’s policies to better adapt to rapid changes in technology, demographics, and market factors without losing sight of the County's vision and goals. Central to this more adaptable, enduring approach to land use is the “place type” concept.

The Place Type approach differs from the County’s previous approach to land use planning in that it provides a way to shape the future of Loudoun by concentrating on context – the look and feel of places, their form and their character – instead of focusing only on conventional land use

categories and specific uses. Place Type categories define not only the basic expected land uses for specific areas in the County, but also preferred development patterns, streetscapes, and design features that make places and environments visually distinctive and functional for people.

The Place Type approach is intended to create distinct and “complete” residential neighborhoods, employment centers, open spaces, and other areas. By providing greater flexibility in development types and uses while providing additional guidance on design expectations, place types can also facilitate more dynamic, livable neighborhoods and allow for established areas to evolve and improve. In the next graphic you will find the transect of the County, which transitions from rural to increasingly urban place types. A transect defines a series of Place Types that transition from sparse rural farmhouses to the dense urban core. Each Place Type contains a similar transition from the edge to the center of the neighborhood. The transect does not show all Place Types found in the plan, but rather a few to show the transition at a higher level. Through the use of Place Types in the General Plan, the County aims to achieve Loudoun’s vision for a prosperous and inclusive community consisting of great places in a variety of settings.

The Place Type Transect

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What Makes a Place?

Many characteristics of the natural and built environment contribute to an area's sense of place, or the impression a particular place leaves on residents and visitors. These factors include:

• The size, scale, and configuration of the buildings and the spaces between and surrounding them,
• The uses in the buildings (although these may change over time),
• The patterns of activity in the spaces between buildings,
• Views to and from the buildings and spaces, and
• Special details such as historic structures, landscape elements, and public artwork.

These elements help define a place in our minds and give it a distinct identity. It is this human dimension of place types – their relationship to the way we experience our environment – that makes them such a useful tool in describing the type of development desired in Loudoun County.

Using Place Types

The Place Types described in this chapter have been carefully chosen to complement the current built and natural environment of the County while fulfilling the land use patterns and community characteristics envisioned for each policy area. Place Types emphasize form and function in addition to expected land uses. This makes Place Types especially useful tools to guide future decisions regarding growth and development in each community, taking into account variable priorities such as: economic development, land preservation, protection of natural, environmental, and heritage resources, efficient transportation options, and the provision of public facilities and services.

Each of Loudoun's policy areas is divided into distinct place types that reflect their unique form and character. Collectively, the defined elements of each Place Type help to ensure that future development creates the desired character and function of each respective policy area. Each policy area section in the Plan provides a detailed description of each corresponding Place Type, including:

• A summary of the general development pattern, scale, form, function, and how the Place Type complements or fulfills the larger visions or policies described elsewhere in the Plan
• Use categories expected in the area
  • Including core and complementary uses that will fulfill the intent of the Place Type
  • Appropriate conditional uses
  • Special Activity and Parks and Recreation are listed as conditional uses in all Place Types and will be reviewed on a case by case basis
• The expected physical form of each Place Type in terms of
  • Street pattern—shown below are all configurations that will be found in the Place Types

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Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

• Block length consistent with the 2019 CTP
• Setbacks based on roads and pedestrian features
• Parking
  • Accessory – a parking facility that provides parking for a specific use or uses. The facility may be located on or off the site of the use or uses to which it is accessory.
  • Short-term – lots and/or spaces designed for people who are dropping off and picking up passengers and/or goods.
  • Shared – a parking facility that may have spaces reserved and other spaces open to another use
  • Garage – a building or room, common to single-family residential neighborhoods, used to park vehicles or store items. Garages can be attached to a residence or located in an adjacent standalone building, and are typically accessed via a residential driveway.
  • Shown below are other types of parking:

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• Design amenities
  • Including sidewalks, street trees, street furniture, shade trees, bike racks, lighting, crosswalks, plazas, pedestrian malls, network of green space, and public art
• Retail and service
  • Retail commercial development in residential and employment place types will be designed to respond to the particular characteristics of the place type.

CHAPTER 2-10

In residential areas, retail and service uses will be characterized as Neighborhood or Community serving dependent upon the size of the area being served and the characteristics of the site (i.e. access, location, function). They will be located internal to the areas that they serve and will provide convenience or routine shopping and personal services. Retail and service uses in the employment place types are intended to provide convenient retail and personal services supporting the employment uses and are based on a percentage of the uses they will serve.

• Open space in terms of the following
  • Recreational – for both passive and active recreation
    • Passive - trails (hiking, biking, walking, or equestrian), picnic, community gardens, camping, or fishing areas
    • Active - ballfields, tennis or basketball courts, swimming pools, tot lots, golf courses, dog parks, and other areas for recreational sports and games
  • Community – plazas, playgrounds, pocket parks, gardens, public art, amphitheater
  • Natural, Environmental, and Heritage – forests, stream valleys, wildlife habitats, floodplains and their buffers, steep slopes and ridge tops, meadows, hedgerows, wetlands, heritage resources, and land contributing to the context of heritage resources, which may be incorporated into publicly accessible parks and preserves.
  • Agricultural land including fallow land and working lands (agriculture, horticulture, and silviculture)
• The expected development intensity in terms of floor area ratio (FAR) and/or residential density (dwelling units per acre) to better define the anticipated massing, scale, and level of activity expected
• A discussion of how design elements, variations in land use, and changes in density can be applied to ease transitions among different place types and uses, ideally minimizing the need for intrusive screening or other structural mitigation measures

Place Type Implementation

Place Types are not meant to directly parallel use-based zoning districts, but rather are a direct way of connecting the day-to-day experiences and preferences of the community with the more specialized and technical discipline of land use planning. The Place Types in the General Plan are:

1. Used to describe the desired future condition, environment, and development of our community’s places;
2. Mapped similarly to a traditional future land use map and used to guide future development; and
3. Linked to a future comprehensive Zoning Ordinance revision, which will create enhanced design standards and may include new districts that better align with the desired character of the place.

See Appendix A for general place type considerations – prompts that should be considered while devising and developing a project to assess whether a proposal is compatible with the Place Type and improves the site and its surroundings.

Policies, Strategies, and Actions

Unless otherwise specified, the following Policies, Strategies, and Actions apply countywide.

QD Policy 1: Provide flexible design guidelines in all policy areas and in priority areas of the County to create more specific design guidelines that encourage innovation and appropriate architectural, site, and landscape design in all development.

Strategy

1.1. Identify and prioritize areas in the County where more specific design guidelines are desired.

Actions

A. Develop user-friendly, illustrative design guidelines. The design elements will promote an overall sense of place through design elements that in-part relate to block size, circulation and connectivity, streetscape and street sections, building form, placement (setbacks), orientation, articulation, parks and open spaces, public and civic uses, landscaping, and sustainability that give a high quality form to the built environment.

B. Create incentives that provide the opportunity to implement design guidelines.

C. The County will consider the development of zoning regulations and design standards that implement the design guidelines of this plan and any design guidelines that may be created in the future.

Strategy

1.2. Encourage the submission of site development and architectural guidelines for new developments.

QD Policy 2: Where appropriate to the Place Type, create compact, walkable development patterns characterized by smaller blocks, shorter distances among uses, inter-parcel connectivity, greater diversity of uses on the same street, and connected open spaces that facilitate social interaction and offer affordable and convenient lifestyles.

Strategy

2.1. Ensure County guidelines, zoning regulations, and design standards encourage a compact, walkable development pattern in areas where pedestrian activity should be welcomed.

Action A. Develop and implement zoning regulations or design guidelines that support a compact, walkable development pattern in areas that are appropriate for pedestrian activity.

QD Policy 3: Provide diverse environments and experiences in all development.

Strategy 3.1. Ensure that context and development potential are considered by integrating uses with the natural environmental features of the site.

Actions A. Develop flexible guidelines, regulations, and design standards that support diverse environments and experiences.

B. Create incentives to ensure a mix of environments and experiences within a development.

C. Use a design process that integrates natural environmental features into the development.

D. Incorporate the Loudoun Equity Action Plan (2025) into a review of the General Plan to ensure the General Plan provides diverse and equitable experiences and environments.

QD Policy 4: When appropriate for the Place Type, design spaces to maximize pedestrian, bicyclist, and other multimodal activity, comfort, and convenience.

Strategy 4.1. Development must ensure pedestrian and bicyclist connectivity and safety in areas appropriate for multi-modal activity while pursuing high-quality design to include establishing easements and right of ways.

Actions A. Create guidelines, zoning regulations, and/or design standards that ensure bike lanes, shared spaces, and paths of travel are created in areas where multimodal activity should be encouraged.

B. Create guidelines, zoning regulations, and/or design standards that ensure traffic calming designs.

QD Policy 5: Ensure greater interaction between activity inside buildings and the public realm where appropriate to the Place Type.

Strategy 5.1. Ensure that design emphasizes the quality of the pedestrian experience in public spaces within mixed use developments and residential communities.

Action A. Develop design guidelines, zoning regulations and/or design standards, and additional design elements that contribute to the quality of the human experience in the built environment.

QD Policy 6: Within mixed use developments and residential communities, promote high-quality design and a mix of uses to encourage activity and longer stays in spaces, in order to create vibrant areas and a sense of place.

Strategy 6.1. Ensure the development of inviting public spaces that encourage longer stays and increase the vibrancy of the area, such as public/civic gathering spaces, outdoor rooms, public art spaces, and passive/active recreation spaces.

Action A. Create guidelines that address public seating, art, landscaping, outdoor rooms, safety, and other innovative elements that can maximize opportunities for the public.

B. Create guidelines that ensure public spaces are universally accessible and safe from potential hazards.

QD Policy 7: Ensure high quality development where the natural and built environment contribute to an area's "sense of place."

Strategy 7.1. Ensure the place types complement the current built and natural environment of the County, while fulfilling the land use patterns and community characteristics envisioned for each policy area.

Actions A. The density or development potential of a place type designated for a site will be defined by gross area of the site. Development potential can be transferred within a project to protect natural and cultural features and to meet the design objectives of the place type.

B. Structured parking and open space areas are not included within the floor area ratio of a site when assessing it by the designated place type.

C. The open space requirement for each respective place type will be measured as a percentage of gross area.

D. The three use lists of a place type are a guide where: core uses are most prevalent in the place type, complementary uses support the core uses, and conditional uses are to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

E. Follow the preferred mix of uses for each place type which is an approximate amount that would be needed to achieve the full intent of the place type. Allow the use mix of a development to differ from the preferred ranges noted in the place type, when street and open space network, project size, surrounding context or other factor supports flexibility to achieve the development objectives of the Plan.

F. When evaluating building height, consider compatibility of surrounding development, exisiting and approved, as well as setbacks and sightlines.

G. Amend zoning regulations and design standards to implement place types. It may be necessary to utilize incentive provisions in order to achieve the maximum development intensity or residential density stated in this Plan for any individual place type.

H. Within the Urban Policy Area, projects less than 3.5 acres in size will not be strictly held to the use mix specified for that place type if the effect of a proposed development is to shift the use mix for an area within ¼ mile of its boundaries closer to the preferred mix for the place type. Such projects will be evaluated by IR Policy 3, Strategy 3.1.

I. Within the Suburban Policy Area, projects less than 10 acres in size will not be strictly held to the use mix specified for that place type if the effect of a proposed development is to shift the use mix for an area within ½ mile of its boundaries closer to the preferred mix for the place type. Such projects will be evaluated by IR Policy 3, Strategy 3.1.

J. Infill developments greater than five acres with a residential component that exceeds 90 percent of the overall use mix will be evaluated by SPA Policy 2, Strategy 2.1 Action K.

Strategy 7.2. Consider allowing interim uses that contribute to the community and are planned to efficiently and easily evolve to more intense uses called for by the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan, when market forces support additional development.

Actions A. Ensure interim development uses, design, locations, ownership, or intensities are not a deterrent or barrier to implementing the long-term community vision for Loudoun County, as well as the policies and objectives of the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan.

B. Require projects that are proposing a phased development program or an interim use to commit to a plan that achieves the ultimate development of the site, consistent with the intent of the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan.

C. Require development proposals for interim uses to design and build infrastructure, buildings, parking lots, and parks and landscaped areas to support the ultimate, higher density development.

D. Determine acceptability of interim development phases and land uses against:

i. Location, site constraints, relationship to surrounding uses, ii. How well the interim use complements and supports community life and activity of the surrounding development, and iii. How well the project retains the capacity to achieve the ultimate development pattern and meet the policies and objectives of the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan.

E. Encourage development in its ultimate condition to rely on structured parking but consider a mix of structured parking, on-street parking, and surface parking as an interim land use.

QD Policy 8: Development should utilize universal design principles to increase functionality, usefulness, and marketability to persons with diverse abilities.

Strategy

8.1. Promote equitable access to streets, sidewalks, public and private buildings, civic spaces, and transportation facilities.

Actions

A. Amend zoning regulations and design standards to require the provision of continuous, accessible, step-free paths of travel throughout new employment, retail, and mixed use development proposals. B. Amend zoning regulations and design standards to incorporate accessible and inclusive design features into public and civic spaces such as community centers, parks, plazas, and playgrounds. C. When reviewing new proposals, favor accessibility features that encourage universality of access and utility as seamlessly as possible. D. Review and revise county sign regulations to facilitate signage and way-finding at appropriate heights that incorporate Braille, tactile markings, and other accessibility improvements.

Strategy

8.2. Promote the use of universal design features at the site and building level.

Actions

A. Encorage universal design features into all residential development. B. Incentivize the use of design mechanisms that ensure universal functionality within new construction. C. Examine the feasibility of establishing a technical and financial assistance program that assists property owners and tenants of older structures in removing impediments to accessibility and incorporating universal design elements into renovation projects.

Infill and Redevelopment

Vision

A community where careful public investment in services, facilities, and growth management can maintain neighborhood vitality; reinvest in underused areas; and facilitate complete, connected, and distinct communities.

Introduction

Loudoun County is a maturing community. For the last several decades, the approach to planning and zoning focused on managing and directing rapid suburban growth to primarily undeveloped land, or greenfields, in eastern Loudoun County – areas designated for growth in the Revised General Plan. Today, much of the Suburban Policy Area (SPA) has been developed and there is a limited supply of land remaining for new greenfield development, creating new planning challenges and opportunities in this area.

Some existing neighborhoods, commercial developments, and employment centers are aging or underutilized, and thus vulnerable to disinvestment and decline. Other newer developments that never realized their full commercial potential present additional opportunities for redevelopment. As these maturing commercial centers and neighborhoods evolve over the next two decades, the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan (Comprehensive Plan) seeks to ensure that they do so in a way that meets the County’s long-term land use, housing, economic development, and public infrastructure goals.

This section focuses on several interrelated concepts that are integral to successful projects and initiatives in previously developed areas: redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse. Table 1 provides a definition of each of these terms, the intent and goals of each, and the kinds of locations in the County where their use may be most appropriate. These are not mutually exclusive concepts, and a project or initiative may include elements of one or more of them. Generally speaking, redevelopment describes the conversion of any existing developed property into other uses or a different intensity of use. Adaptive reuse is a form of redevelopment that repurposes existing, oftentimes obsolescent or historically significant structures for new uses. Infill refers to the development of substantially undeveloped or underutilized properties that exist in otherwise built areas with existing or planned infrastructure and service capacity to handle more intensive land uses. Although not a form of redevelopment by definition, infill may be coordinated with redevelopment projects to better realize the planning vision for a particular area, sometimes as a part of a larger investment program. Redevelopment aims to encourage new vitality and economic activity in a community.

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

Table 1. Infill and Redevelopment Terms and Concepts

The Loudoun County 2019 General Plan's (General Plan) planning approach reflects a greater emphasis on redevelopment of aging areas, infill for the few remaining undeveloped parcels, and adaptive reuse of existing buildings, complemented with investment as needed. These types of development bring unique challenges and opportunities inherently different from greenfield development. The policies and implementation steps of this section are intended to support these development types.

CHAPTER 2-18

Opportunities

With redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse come opportunities. Redevelopment offers communities the opportunity to reimagine underutilized or underperforming sites to create unique places and provide amenities desired by residents. Other redevelopment projects may maximize commercial potential, increasing neighborhood commerce and enhancing property values. Infill can maximize the use of public investments and existing infrastructure, create opportunities to achieve more cohesive development patterns, encourage reinvestment, and better connect neighboring developments. Adaptive reuse projects can support historic preservation goals, generate activity within vacant buildings and underutilized areas, and preserve iconic or prominent buildings exemplifying community character while maintaining compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood. Adaptive reuse, infill and redevelopment also can provide opportunities to diversify housing stock. These projects can upgrade or retrofit older or substandard infrastructure for the site and surrounding area, which generally increases the value of a property and contributions to the tax base.

Emerging Issues

Most of Loudoun County’s suburban development is relatively new, but as Loudoun’s communities continue to age, County policies and initiatives to support and enhance these neighborhoods and commercial centers will be increasingly important.

The Potomac and Sterling communities are two of the oldest and most diverse communities in Loudoun County. With neighborhood development beginning in the 1960s, the communities are mostly built-out. Housing stock has been in place for approximately 50 years and a need for investment has emerged. The 2007 recession also significantly affected Potomac and Sterling. The largest concentration of foreclosures and subsequent vacancies in the County occurred in these communities, compounding the area’s challenges.

Recognizing the need for investment in Potomac and Sterling, the Loudoun County Department of Planning and Zoning undertook a community outreach project in 2008. During the outreach, residents identified needs and desires to help encourage investment within areas of the community. Community members expressed concerns that poor neighborhood maintenance created blight conditions and contributed to an increase in crime. Furthermore, residents worried that their neighborhoods lacked law enforcement personnel, neighborhood volunteer watch groups, and teen programming. The General Plan’s more flexible, incentive-based regulatory approach is intended to encourage private interests to undertake a range of context-sensitive redevelopment, and infill, projects with support from County programs and targeted planning and community outreach efforts.

In recent years, Loudoun County undertook certain recommendations originating from the Potomac and Sterling community outreach project. To address the foreclosure issue and the deterioration of housing, the County made considerable investment of Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), tax dollars, and Neighborhood Stabilization funds; provided grants to non-profit housing providers to purchase and renovate homes to sell to low and moderate income families; and provided direct loans and grants to qualified residents through several programs. The

County also revised the Zoning Ordinance to address community aesthetics, began proactive code enforcement, and established a full service Eastern Loudoun Sheriff’s Substation in Sterling Park.

As other neighborhoods continue to mature, the County will look to emulate and improve upon past public engagement efforts and collaborative planning solutions. It is important, however, that the County considers the diverse needs, desires, and vision of each affected area. Some smaller scale projects, such as incorporating a mix of residential and new retail uses into a declining strip commercial center, may be appropriately handled through the rezoning process, which provides for public hearings before the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission. Larger scale infill or redevelopment projects that are likely to displace large numbers of business or residential tenants may warrant a more in-depth, collaborative public input process. The Policies, Strategies, and Actions of this section are intended to clarify the County’s interest in adaptive reuse, infill and redevelopment and the planning tools and processes available to encourage and shape these efforts.

Challenges

Redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse projects may also face or present different challenges than greenfield developments, including:

• Land development regulations that are generally designed to guide greenfield development and lack the flexibility needed to facilitate redevelopment, adaptive reuse, or infill projects.
• Redevelopment sites and adaptive reuse projects may require infrastructure improvements and experience other fiscal challenges that result in costlier projects than greenfield development.
• Sites that are often owned or leased by multiple entities, making it difficult to craft a unified vision and project.
• Potential opposition from the community for redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse projects.
• Redevelopment projects that may displace populations because market-provided attainable housing is demolished or rents and property taxes increase due to the new development.
• Redevelopment projects that may displace established employment uses, adversely affecting the diversity of the County’s commercial tax base.

Considering the complexity of challenges related to these projects, developing a community vision that anticipates redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse projects is critical. The County should take a leading role in developing this community vision by identifying and prioritizing areas that would benefit from redevelopment, and by conducting proactive planning efforts to establish this vision. In addition, Loudoun County should require developers to consider and include community input for significant infill and redevelopment projects, especially those that are most likely to displace established residents and tenants. A community vision endorsed by the locality provides assurances to both developers and the community. It also identifies the locality’s role in advancing such projects.

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

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Addison McDonald residential development is an example of infill in Brambleton. Two parcels, each originally with a residence, and totaling approximately 7 acres were developed with 39 townhouses surrounding a village green.

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Lucketts Community Center. Loudoun County has adaptively reused several historic schools for community centers in rural villages, providing gathering places while protecting iconic buildings and community character.

Redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse, projects within the County should result in great places that complement, strengthen, and benefit surrounding communities. Such projects should enhance the quality of life and help build a strong sense of community, where people feel connected to each other and to places that are expressions of community character. The following Policies, Strategies, and Actions of the General Plan will foster this vision of compatible infill development within existing neighborhoods, and quality redevelopment of aging or underutilized commercial and employment areas. They encourage efficient use of land and maximizing the use of existing infrastructure, public facilities, and community amenities, while benefiting established communities and alleviating development pressure outside of planned growth areas.

CHAPTER 2-21

Policies, Strategies, and Actions

Unless otherwise specified, the following Policies, Strategies, and Actions apply countywide.

IR Policy 1: Ensure redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse projects will enhance quality of life and neighborhood character, fulfill community needs, and improve economic opportunities.

Strategy

1.1. Where infill, and/or redevelopment, initiatives could affect established neighborhoods, facilitate community engagement to address County and community concerns and build support for future projects.

Actions

A. Develop criteria to identify and prioritize areas for redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse, with the Priority Commercial Redevelopment Areas Map serving as the source for initial areas of focus.

B. Create a common vision and objectives for areas identified for redevelopment, infill development, and/or adaptive reuse, through a public process.

C. Address redevelopment, infill, and/or adaptive reuse, as part of community plans. Pay particular attention to a community’s historic assets and function in areas with under recognized historic resources or limited historic resources protections, such as the legacy village cores of Ashburn, Arcola, and Old Sterling (see Legacy Village Cores Map).

D. Identify methods for ensuring developers will follow through on commitments to communities that are products of a facilitated engagement process between the developer and the surrounding neighborhoods and developments.

E. Evaluate the creation of infill overlay districts to encourage flexibility for residential and non-residential projects in priority/targeted areas.

Strategy

1.2. Support projects that provide community amenities, fulfill community needs, and benefit the surrounding communities.

Actions

A. Conduct analysis of local market demands to determine what is needed to foster successful redevelopment.

B. Identify priority redevelopment areas and targeted strategies through the community planning process.

C. Ensure residential and mixed-use projects increase and diversify housing opportunities when in conformance with other Plan policies.

D. Require redevelopment projects to replace, at a minimum, market-provided attainable units lost through a redevelopment process.

E. Develop strategies to address housing attainability and displacement prevention – or mitigation when unavoidable – during redevelopment projects.

F. Require the provision of comparable community amenities to any lost through a redevelopment process.

G. Encourage annexation of residential projects into adjoining homeowners’ associations (HOAs) to make the provision of amenities more economical.

H. Develop criteria, such as site constraints, important resources, and community amenity gaps, to identify infill sites appropriate for use as park, civic, and open space rather than private development.

I. Promote the development of interim uses on underutilized properties that are compatible with the surrounding development pattern, such as community gardens, playgrounds, park-and-ride lots, and farmer’s markets

Strategy 1.3. Enhance established residential communities.

Actions A. Identify and prioritize neighborhoods with an emerging need for investment and work with these communities to identify needs and desires and build support for reinvestment.

B. Identify strategies to preserve and enhance a community’s sense of place, social fabric, and historic assets and functions.

C. Identify, and include in the Capital Budget, capital facilities improvements necessary to support investment in targeted areas.

D. Identify and utilize funding sources for community reinvestment strategies.

E. Educate the community about funding sources for home improvement and repair.

F. Facilitate the provision of community amenities, such as pedestrian/bicycle facilities, sidewalks, traffic calming, street lighting, bus stops, cultural centers, and community gathering places.

G. Develop incentives that encourage the private sector to improve retail and commercial establishments in targeted areas.

H. Provide resources for community-based initiatives, such as neighborhood volunteer watch groups and teen programming.

Strategy 1.4. Facilitate redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse projects through technical assistance, an improved regulatory framework, and streamlined review processes.

Actions A. Provide general project guidance, such as best practices, tool kits, examples of “approvable” development types, and profiles of successful projects.

B. Develop and maintain a County redevelopment webpage with information and

resources on redevelopment activities.

C. Develop flexible zoning regulations and design standards that account for existing conditions, allow for creative design and emerging development types, and provide certainty and clear direction for developers.

D. Encourage the use of Planned Unit Development (PUD) Zoning Districts for infill sites smaller than 20 acres in the Urban and Suburban Policy Areas when a proposal needs more than five zoning modifications.

E. Develop creative incentive programs for projects located within the priority areas for redevelopment identified on the Priority Commercial Redevelopment Areas Map and other qualifying projects, such as increases in permitted density where infrastructure is available, reduced fees, or expedited review processes.

Strategy

1.5. Incentivize redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse projects, in priority areas to be established by the County, using the Priority Commercial Redevelopment Areas Map to determine initial priority areas.

Actions

A. Evaluate and implement the use of fiscal tools to incentivize redevelopment, such as tax increment financing (TIF) and public improvement districts (PID) and attainable housing development loan programs.

B. Evaluate entering into public-private-partnerships to initiate redevelopment and adaptive reuse efforts and reduce development risks in priority areas.

C. Direct public investment and resources to priority areas to facilitate redevelopment.

D. Establish programs to assist in business retention, expansion, and recruitment when commercial redevelopment projects occur.

Strategy

1.6. Achieve unified site design, efficient use of existing infrastructure, and maximum land development potential through the consolidation of small, adjacent, underutilized properties.

Actions

A. Facilitate redevelopment of multi-ownership sites through a planning process that engages owners and the larger community in the creation of a shared vision for the area.

B. Create incentives for parcel assembly and funding opportunities for infrastructure improvements associated with redevelopment projects to alleviate private sector risk and costs.

C. Encourage road abandonment requests associated with a zoning map amendment or zoning concept plan amendment applications to provide additional attainable housing in exchange for the abandoned or vacated section of road, where deemed appropriate/applicable.

Strategy 1.7. Ensure that projects proposed for eastern Loudoun’s legacy village cores – including Ashburn, Arcola, and Old Sterling – complement the scale, form, and historic land use patterns of these areas (see Legacy Village Cores Map).

Actions A. Develop zoning regulations and design standards that emulate existing lot patterns in the legacy village cores of Ashburn and Arcola with buildings oriented to the street, encouraging pedestrian activity. B. Develop zoning regulations and design standards that promote a mix of land uses including residential, retail, office, institutional, public facilities, parks, playgrounds and other uses in the legacy village cores where such uses do not otherwise conflict with existing uses or anticipated noise impacts from Washington Dulles International Airport. C. Develop or maintain zoning regulations and design standards for the legacy village core of Ashburn that limit residential densities to four (4) units or fewer per acre. D. Develop zoning regulations and design standards that limit commercial, flex, or industrial building footprints to 10,000 square feet (SF) and building heights to three (3) stories. E. Develop zoning regulations and design standards that discourage new automobile-oriented retail uses in the legacy village cores. F. Where compatible with surrounding land uses, allow residential or mixed-use development in areas of the legacy village core of Arcola that fall outside the Ldn (day-night average noise level) 65 or higher aircraft noise impact area of Washington Dulles International Airport, applying the standards of the Suburban Neighborhood Place Type. G. Encourage residential development above first floor retail or employment uses in the village cores. H. Use the community planning process to develop a unified planning vision and targeted implementation actions for Ashburn, Arcola, and Old Sterling.

Strategy 1.8. Promote the retention or development of small-scale industrial, employment, and manufacturing uses in order to promote local provision of jobs and services and maintain a diversified commercial tax base.

Actions A. Develop zoning regulations and design standards that discourage the displacement of legacy flex, industrial, and employment uses by new large-scale uses. B. Develop zoning regulations and design standards that expand opportunities for small-scale manufacturing in place types allowing flex, light industrial, industrial, and employment uses. C. Amend zoning use definitions in industrial, flex, and employment-centered zoning

districts to accommodate makerspaces, emerging small-scale manufacturing sectors, and the marketing and retail of goods produced on-site.

D. Explore zoning changes that would support small business/entrepreneurial activities in infill projects.

IR Policy 2: Recognize adaptive reuse of existing unused or underutilized buildings as an opportunity to establish or reinforce a community’s identity and sense of place.

Strategy 2.1. Support adaptive reuse projects that provide cultural activities and community gathering places.

Actions A. Use the Heritage Preservation Plan to guide the adaptive reuse of historic resources. B. Establish collaborative programs and partnerships for adaptive reuse projects to foster entrepreneurship and encourage innovative ways to reuse buildings and sites and encourage housing as an adaptive reuse.

Strategy 2.2. Prioritize adaptive reuse of existing buildings with historic significance or importance to a community over demolition.

Action A. Consult with communities to ensure all unused or underutilized buildings representing their history and character are identified, protected, and adaptively reused.

Strategy 2.3. Revise County regulations to accommodate creative adaptive reuse designs.

Action A. Review zoning regulations, design standards, and building code regulations to identify regulatory encumbrances to adaptive reuse projects. B. Develop zoning regulations and design standards that provide ample flexibility for adaptive reuse projects without compromising the health, safety, or welfare of users.

IR Policy 3: Promote redevelopment and infill projects that balance compatibility and integration with new housing choices and creative designs.

Strategy 3.1. Redevelopment and infill projects will be evaluated based on compatibility and the integration of the development within the context of the surrounding development patterns.

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

Actions

A. Ensure redevelopment and infill is compatible with he surrounding development. As appropriate, elements of the Place Types should be incorporated to the fullest extent possible. B. Ensure residential development on infill sites is designed to fit into the surrounding context. C. Consider allowing development proposals seeking to be considered infill and requestion flexibility in terms of use mix and open space if all the following project elements are provided: 1. Proffered perspectives, drawing, and/or illustratives that demonstrates the proposed infill will be compativle with existing development. 2. Explanation of how the proposed infill will have minimal infrastructure impacts and is proximate to open space. 3. For proposed residential infill development, documentation of how the predominant and majority types of dwelling proposed will add to housing attainability and/or diversity. 4. For development to a use not envisioned by the Place Type in the General Plan, provision of market studies, appraisal data, vacancy data, and/or data regarding proximity to similar uses that demonstrate such a change is warranted.

CHAPTER 2-27

Urban Policy Areas

Vision

The Urban Policy Areas (UPA) will be the target area for much of Loudoun’s future growth in the immediate future. UPA communities will accommodate living, working, shopping, learning, and playing in dense urban environments of walkable mixed use and transit oriented development. These areas will possess high-quality public environments with accessible and connected places, and a rich mix of uses that establish a distinctive sense of place. UPA communities are envisioned to support development types, patterns, and densities that will create jobs, grow the tax base, and be fiscally sustainable.

Introduction

The new UPAs are planned and designed to be strong, diverse regional activity centers and economic drivers. As such, UPAs will provide new opportunities for regional employers to locate near complete urban communities with multiple transit options and access to Washington Dulles International Airport. The UPA has been in the making since the Toll Road Plan, with transit-oriented nodes and then building upon them in the Revised General Plan with Transit-Oriented Development areas in the Suburban Policy Area. The UPAs encompass areas around three Metrorail stations: Innovation Center (in Fairfax County), Loudoun Gateway, and Ashburn (for reference, see Urban Policy Areas Place Types map). The areas around the Metrorail Stations are envisioned as transit-oriented communities with a dense urban core consisting of the greatest intensity of development in the County. These areas emphasize mixed-use development throughout and are the highest priority growth areas in the County. Due to their current suburban nature, the process of transitioning these areas to walkable communities may involve partial infill and redevelopment as described in the Infill and Redevelopment section of this chapter.

The expansion of Metrorail service into Loudoun County presents an unprecedented opportunity to create dynamic urban places that respond to the community’s evolving needs and demands. The Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan (Comprehensive Plan) integrates multimodal transit options with high quality urban and environmental design guidelines to shape livable, vibrant, and active UPA neighborhoods with a balance of business, commercial, and residential uses. The UPA communities will provide a variety of housing choices that offer diverse options for families, empty-nesters, individuals, couples without children, and older adults across socioeconomic groups, helping to provide the housing continuum described in Chapter 4. They will be communities that are rich in amenities including networks of publicly accessible green spaces, such as the Broad Run Stream Valley Park and Trail, that simultaneously protect valuable environmental resources.

Development Approach

The Loudoun County 2019 General Plan’s (General Plan) design policies and guidelines recognize that urban form is essential to creating places that are functional and attractive to a diversity of users. Urban design characteristics in the UPA speak to the design of individual structures and

spaces, the spatial relationship among structures, the relationship of buildings to the streetscape and other public places, and transitions between areas of differing densities or intensities. Building façades set at the back of the sidewalk and ground floor retail uses with transparent façades will help activate the streetscape. The guidelines also encourage the development of distinctive public places that promote culture and the arts. Street furniture, public art, water features, and distinctive landscaping will create visually appealing streetscapes that encourage street-level activity and public interaction.

All UPA communities will include transportation hubs that offer a wide array of transportation mode choices including walking, biking, driving, and transit. The UPA is a place where walking and bicycling can be convenient travel modes, diversity of use is nurtured, and public places are aesthetically pleasing, safe, and accessible. Attractive grid-form street networks will prevent traffic congestion, maximize travel choices, and safely and efficiently move individuals throughout the area. Small, tree-lined blocks will enhance the pedestrian experience and encourage non-vehicular travel. Contiguous, linear green spaces that accommodate both passive and active recreation will encourage alternative means of travel.

The Comprehensive Plan envisions a certain level of activity and intensity of development in the UPAs, which is necessary not only to create vibrant, viable transit-oriented communities, but also to protect their long-term tax revenue generation potential. Therefore, land uses that do not meet the minimum bulk and/or density guidelines envisioned in the UPA Place Types should be avoided. Interim uses may be appropriate, if it can be demonstrated that they will evolve to an ultimately desired use that aligns with the long-term vision of the General Plan.

The County's ongoing collaboration with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) regarding future land use planning around Washington Dulles International Airport’s northern border is essential to the success and economic viability of the Loudoun Gateway Metrorail Station. The County will continue its partnership with MWAA and explore mutually beneficial land use alternatives that realize greater tax revenue while supporting current and planned airport operations. This collaborative planning will ensure that the Loudoun Gateway Metrorail Station develops as a walkable place with job opportunities, amenities, pocket parks, transit options, and nearby housing that includes attainable housing without compromising Washington Dulles International Airport’s long-term viability.

Policies, Strategies, and Actions

Unless otherwise specified, the following Policies, Strategies, and Actions apply only within the UPA.

UPA Policy 1: Ensure walkable development and connectivity to the community throughout the UPA to foster the urban character found in the Place Types.

<u>Strategy</u> 1.1. Development designed to provide for a walkable mixed-use environment that supports multi-modal transportation choices and fosters substantial pedestrian activity within the half-mile area and to surrounding areas.

A. Promote attainable housing opportunities within mixed-use developments located within walking distance of transit stops and Metro stations.

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<u>Strategy</u> 1.2. Support walkability by providing pedestrian and bicycle commuter connectivity to the core of the Metrorail stations and surrounding neighborhoods as well as enabling future connections from undeveloped parcels.

<u>Strategy</u> 1.3. Support a high level of pedestrian connectivity including connected street grid patterns with sidewalks, short block lengths, and connected trails and pathways providing connections to surrounding neighborhoods.

<u>Strategy</u> 1.4. The Ashburn and Loudoun Gateway Metrorail Stations will serve as transit and commuter hubs while providing an urban walkable environment. Development proposals provide a balance between the needs of commuters with the desire to create a walkable urban environment.

<u>Strategy</u> 1.5. Accommodate a long-term vision with an appropriate mix of residential and non- residential uses that fulfill daily needs and convenience of its residents and employees.

<u>Actions</u> A. Mixed-use neighborhoods should accommodate infrastructure plans for near-term and long-term transit circulator service.

B. Community facilities like schools, community centers, and libraries should be located to allow as many residents as possible to be within a short walking distance.

C. Larger developments should provide pedestrian access within their development and possible shuttles to connect to the Metrorail stations.

D. Offer safe and accessible parks and/or recreation opportunities that provide diverse activites for all ages, interests and abilities.

<u>Strategy</u> 1.6. Discourage single-story buildings in the UPA to promote compact, pedestrian-oriented spaces except when such buildings are integrated into a plaza or other public gathering space and are no larger than 2,000 square feet.

<u>Strategy</u> 1.7. Any drive-through retail uses are to be incorporated within mixed-use buildings.

UPA Policy 2: Provide dynamic and diverse public places and amenities within proposed UPA communities.

<u>Strategy</u> 2.1. Densities in the area are expected to sustain an urban development pattern with pedestrian activity.

<u>Strategy</u> 2.2. The County should promote concepts like outdoor dining, event space, street fairs, and public art within compact, walkable non-residential areas.

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<u>Action</u> A. Development design should accommodate walkable features and amenities like centralized activity areas such as shopping and dining areas with wide sidewalks, more narrow pedestrian-oriented streets, transit stops, and safe community gathering places (e.g., parks and plazas).

UPA Policy 3: Provide a diverse mix of choices in all development.

<u>Strategy</u> 3.1. Accommodate office developments and/or high-employment generating uses that conform to the overall vision for a walkable urban development pattern.

<u>Action</u> A. Create partnerships with universities and private sector companies to foster growth of an Innovation District at the Loudoun Gateway Metrorail Station that supports workers and students in the advanced technology and science industries.

<u>Strategy</u> 3.2. Ensure that development within a half-mile of the Loudoun Gateway Metrorail Station reflect the General Plan’s and station area’s long-term vision of a global destination, activity center, and leader in innovation and entrepreneurship.

Strategy 3.3. Accommodate diverse and attainable housing options in all development.

Action A. Achieve smaller average total unit sizes for dwellings within the UPA to decrease housing costs and increase diversity of housing options. B. Promote the development and/or inclusion of attainable housing through regulatory incentives that may include height increases, setback reductions, lot coverage increases, technical study waivers, buffer modifications, and/or parking reductions.

Design Guidelines

The Design Guidelines are to build upon our current high standard of development in a manner that allows innovative design and new responses to the market. The Design Guidelines are not meant to be prescriptive and are not intended to be treated as a checklist, but are instead meant to provide a framework for how the desired character of the UPA can be achieved, with the acknowledgement that other methods could achieve the intended results. The Design Guidelines do not supersede or otherwise limit the application of adopted zoning regulations, ordinances, building codes, proffers, or any other design standards or regulations administered by Loudoun County.

All legislative applications for development in the UPA are expected to include project specific design guidelines, site plans, illustatives, landscape plans, building elevations, and other similar graphics that demonstrate consistency with the UPA Design Guidelines and planning principles in this document.

When using the guidelines, analysis is to be provided of the impact that a potential development may have on the landscape, considering not only appearance, but practical considerations such as proximity to utilities, community amenities, jobs, and housing, in order to maximize the use of existing infrastructure and reduce travel distances. Development should contribute to creating places within the UPA by working with existing topography and site features, responding to the local context, and reinforcing the compact walkable character, rather than simply attempting to place suburban design onto the urban landscape.

The goals of the UPA Design Guidelines are to:

• Promote accessibility and establish links to transit,
• Promote walkability,
• Encourage human activity between buildings and streets,
• Establish “human scale” of buildings at street level (first floor of a multi-story building),
• Create visually compatible buildings and site designs that use building form, materials, fenestration, repetition, rhythm, color, and architectural variety to foster the blending of form, volumes, textures, and colors in the various neighborhoods,
• Create inviting spaces for varied activities, and
• Create a sense of place and uniqueness.

(See Appendix A for Design Guidelines for the UPA)

Place Types

As described in the beginning of this chapter, the following Place Types have been designated for specific locations as displayed on the accompanying map. The Place Types will work in concert with the Design Guidelines and Policies, Strategies, and Actions of the UPA to fulfill the land use patterns and community characteristics intended for the area.

Loudoun County Urban Policy Areas Place Types 2019 General Plan

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Loudoun County IS NOT LIABLE for any use of or reliance upon this map or any information contained herein. While reasonable efforts have been made to obtain accurate data, the County makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for use of any purpose.

CHAPTER 2-34

Urban Transit Center

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Urban Transit Center areas take advantage of proximity to transit to provide opportunities for dense urban development and a host of economic, entertainment, and community activities. Each area serves as a gateway to the County from the greater region and as a major destination in its own right. The Urban Transit Center has two focus areas: within ¼ mile of the Metrorail station and ¼ mile outside. Development within a ¼ mile of the station will have smaller average unit sizes, a higher minimum FAR, and a more equal mix of residential and non-residential development. Multifamily Residential is the only residential use listed for this place type and is envisioned only as apartments and residential condominiums.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Vertically mixed-use buildings that are integrated in a walkable street pattern around the Metro station.

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An example plan view of Urban Transit Center

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Within ¼ Mile Total FAR: Minimum 2.0

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*Buildings must not adversely affect airport operations. Maximum building heights must not create flight obstructions or otherwise impede flight operations at Dulles Airport.

¼ Mile and outside Total FAR: Minimum 1.4

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*Buildings must not adversely affect airport operations. Maximum building heights must not create flight obstructions or otherwise impede flight operations at Dulles Airport.

Transition Given the small block sizes and mix of different uses, transitions between uses and developments are critically important in the Urban Transit Center Place Type. Development should transition from eight stories or more near the Metrorail station to six or more stories outside of ¼ mile. Development ¼ mile and outside of the station may have a lower FAR minimum and lower building height minimum when considered as a transition area between existing residential neighborhoods and sites proposed for redevelopment. Changes in height or building character, where allowed, should occur mid-block to promote balanced streetwalls where both sides of the street appear similar in height. Larger developments near smaller residential dwellings should step down appropriately to respect these neighbors.

Urban Mixed Use

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Urban Mixed Use areas take advantage of their fringe proximity to the Metro stations to provide opportunities for dense urban residential development with a mix of commercial uses. The Urban Mixed Use areas will develop as high-density walkable urban neighborhoods that encourage social connections because their mix of uses, multimodal infrastructure, and public spaces create vibrant public realms.

Urban Mixed Use areas provide opportunities for a mix of housing types that meet the housing needs for all ages, abilities, and socioeconomic groups. Multifamily dwellings, townhouses, duplexes, triplexes, quadruplexes, and small-lot patio homes are designed to fit within or adjacent to a traditional single-family style neighborhood. Accessory residential units are also appropriate for the area and may consist of apartments in the principal structure, garage apartments, or other outbuildings approved by the County. Development will have slightly larger average unit sizes than in the Urban Transit Center and a large amount of residential development. Small scale office, retail, and service uses should be integrated into the neighborhood.

Loudoun 2040 General Plan

This Place Type encompasses a wide array of commercial designs that create a unique sense of place and complement surrounding developments. Urban Mixed Use developments are oriented toward the street, and those with larger format retail commercial establishments should also include smaller commercial establishments without substantial surface parking lots. These developments should be designed to provide direct access to adjacent neighborhoods with which they blend seamlessly. Parking should be predominantly structured with accommodations for on-street parking and limited surface lots.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Vertically mixed use buildings as well as multi-story single-use buildings that are integrated in a walkable street pattern in the fringe of the Metro station area.

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An example plan view of Urban Mixed Use

CHAPTER 2-39

Loudoun 2040 General Plan

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Total FAR: Maximum 1.5*

*Additional density (up to 2.0 FAR) may be achieved through the provision of one or more of the following project elements that go above and beyond required development standards to further the County’s comprehensive planning goals: attainable housing units, building techniques that exceed industry energy efficiency standards, additional community amenities and pedestrian connections, and/or beneficial revitalization/redevelopment in priority areas.

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Transition Small block sizes and a mix of different uses make transitions between uses and developments important in the Urban Mixed Use Place Type. Changes in height or building character, where allowed, should occur mid-block to promote balanced streetwalls where both sides of the street appear similar in height. Larger developments near smaller residential dwellings should step down appropriately to respect these neighbors. Developments should transition from taller buildings at the center to heights generally no more than a story taller than adjoining adjacent development consisting of less intensive uses. The predominant residential use type is multi-family and single family attached; however, a very limited portion of the development within the Urban Mixed Use Place Type may be developed with small-lot single family detached residential as a transitional use between Place Types.

CHAPTER 2-40

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

Urban Employment

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Urban Employment areas provide opportunities for a broad array of employment uses within an environment that provides gathering spaces and opportunities for synergies among businesses. These offer prime locations for office and flex space uses as well as startups and established businesses. Appropriate uses do not generate excessive noise or air pollutants or require outdoor storage. First floor retail that supports predominant uses is appropriate.

Parking should generally be located behind the building to ensure that buildings are the predominant visual feature when viewed from roadways and adjacent properties.

Although civic or recreation space is not expected, required open space in Urban Employment developments should include areas for use by customers and employees.

CHAPTER 2-41

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context: Separate and mixed employment uses that are integrated within a walkable, employment-based environment.

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Total FAR: Min. 1.0

Building Height: 3 to 8 stories (Average height per story is 12 feet)

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Transition Transitions between Urban Employment uses and other developments, adjacent residential neighborhoods in particular, are vitally important. In Urban Employment areas that adjoin less intensive uses, building heights should transition by stepping down from the center of the more intensive development, to heights that are generally within one story of structures in the less intensive development.

Suburban Policy Area

Vision

The Suburban Policy Area (SPA) contains self-sustaining communities where one can live, work, learn, and play. The SPA will have a mix of residential, commercial, and employment uses; a full complement of public services and facilities; amenities that support a high quality of life; and a design that incorporates a holistic approach to maintaining and improving community character through compatible development.

Introduction

The 48,000-acre SPA is located in the easternmost portion of the County, in close proximity to the job centers and activity areas located east of Loudoun. The Suburban Policy Area is defined on the north by the Potomac River and on the south by Braddock Road. Its eastern edge is the Fairfax County line, and its western edge begins at the Potomac River and follows a southerly path along the Goose Creek just east of Leesburg, the Goose Creek and Beaverdam Reservoirs, and a combination of property lines, roads, and power line easements. The earliest planned development occurred within the Potomac and Sterling communities during the 1960s signaling the beginning of the transformation of eastern Loudoun County from farmland with a centuries old rural heritage to the suburban area that it is today.

The SPA is designated as one of the growth areas of the County and has accommodated most of the residential and commercial development over the past decades due to the presence of central water and sewer utilities and an expanded road network. Two major events helped to open the SPA to residential development: 1) the construction of Washington Dulles International Airport, and 2) the construction of a major sewer line that accommodated the airport and improvements to Route 7 and Route 28.

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Route 7 and Route 28 have evolved into critical transportation corridors that are contributing to Loudoun County’s reputation as an international center for technology, communications, and global data management sectors. Given its connection to the Washington Dulles International Airport, Route 28 continues to play a major economic role for Loudoun County as a key location for on-going development. The County is committed to the continuing growth of and need for an economically vibrant Route 28 corridor, and the Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District, aids in accomplishing this goal by levying additional tax assessments on commercial and industrial properties to finance transportation improvements to Route 28. Additionally, the SPA surrounds the Urban Policy Area near the Silver Line Metro Stations that will include new dense, urban, transit-oriented types of development.

Background

The SPA consists of a mix of commercial areas and neighborhoods that provide a broad range of quality environments. The commercial areas of the SPA are focused areas for employment uses within a variety of commercial and workplace environments, including traditional office and industrial parks, mixed use centers, and neighborhood-serving commercial centers.

Residential neighborhoods in the eastern corner of the County were built between 1960 and 1990, while neighborhoods built in the western area of the SPA were built in the early 1990s or later. The older neighborhoods commonly reflect the housing styles and neighborhood designs that were prominent in the era they were developed and provide a more limited mix of housing types (primarily single-family) while relying on neighborhood commercial developments located on major roads like Route 7 for easy access to amenities. The master planned developments west of Route 28 include a variety of housing types organized around neighborhood centers designed as the focal point of the community and provide easy access to daily needs. Parks, greenways, and open space frame developments and link neighborhood residents to nature, neighborhood destinations, and beyond in both the western and eastern neighborhoods.

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Suburban Neighborhood

Development Approach

The County will focus efforts on fostering and maintaining community identity within the SPA and its communities. The SPA is not and should not be one homogenous area. Many existing neighborhoods in Eastern Loudoun are becoming increasingly diverse, bringing a new set of expectations and attitudes to these communities. As new development continues in this area, the roads are becoming increasingly congested, and the lack of transit access and safe pedestrian connections is a mounting concern. Housing affordability has become a challenge that impacts almost all socioeconomic levels. Continuing the County’s goal to create communities with unique community visions would help identify and strengthen the creation of distinct places within the SPA; ensure that they are well designed and serviced; and that they provide diverse and stimulating social, cultural, recreational, and livable environments for their residents. Policies below address ways to improve livability through: 1) protecting and enhancing elements of Natural, Environmental, and Heritage Resources, including open space and pedestrian connections; 2) ensuring compatible and complementary infill development; and 3) reinvesting in existing neighborhoods in a way that protects and enhances our existing communities. The concept of creating Community Plans is one that offers tremendous potential to ensure that the vision of the SPA is fully achieved and to guide the remaining build-out of each area.

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

Rapid growth in the County, with the majority occurring in the SPA, has increased development pressure outside of the SPA. Today there is little undeveloped land remaining in the SPA as most land has already been developed or is approved for development. With limited developable land in this area, the County is at a juncture in its planning efforts for greenfield development. Redevelopment and infill will soon begin to play an increasing role in development decisions within the SPA, which will mark a significant shift in the county’s planning and development activities (see the Infill and Redevelopment section). Because much of the SPA is currently developed, most new projects will be smaller in scope and need to be evaluated based on how they can be integrated into the surrounding community. The amount of limited land available and the added growth from redevelopment and infill will make adding public facilities to the SPA a challenge. Public facility standards may need to change to continue to adequately address the needs of the population. As the primary location for suburban-scale residential and nonresidential development, the manner of growth and redevelopment in the SPA is of vital importance.

The demographic, market and land use trends of the past decades have led to greater demand for mixed-use and urban environments. National trends show that changes in typical households (for example millennials, older adults, empty nesters) may demand different housing types, public services, and lifestyle options than provided in the past. To attract top talent, many employers are focusing on employee satisfaction, neighborhood livability, and housing affordability when considering locations and designs of office space. Employers in professional services, technology, and innovation sectors are shifting away from traditional suburban offices towards urban “live, work, learn, play” environments to enhance quality of life. While the County previously established an overall land-development strategy that encouraged compact, mixed-use development providing people with the opportunity to live, work, learn, recreate, and shop in a pedestrian-friendly environment, the development that has occurred in Loudoun has largely remained single-use and automobile-oriented.

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Loudoun County continues to be an attractive place for residential development given its geographic location in the region, school system performance, and notable quality of life measures. Demand for residential product will need to meet a wide variety of preferences, driven by attractiveness for families, young adults forming new households, and downsizing occurring in the Baby Boomer generation. Demand for non-residential development will be driven by the addition of new households, the County’s assets, infrastructure, and the County’s technology sector. Retail users will follow new residential development, seeking locations that offer accessibility and visibility to an expanding customer base. Other employers seeking office and industrial space will locate in areas that serve their target needs.

The County previously designated land along its primary transportation corridors for “Keynote Employment” areas to provide locations for corporate campus style office development; however, new suburban-style office developments are no longer envisioned in these areas due to declining demand and concerns about the sustainability of single-use development patterns.

Mixed-use developments are expected to be the most attractive environments for retail and office uses in the coming years. To provide alternative means of addressing office development and land uses along Route 7, Loudoun County Parkway, and Route 28, this Plan replaces the “Keynote Employment” planned land use designation with a number of designations. To continue to maximize the commercial development potential within the Route 28 corridor, the Suburban Employment and Suburban Mixed Use Place Type designations offer planned land uses that reflect the full economic potential of properties and provide employment settings that reflect the kind of environments sought by business users.

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Community Character

Community character is the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature and uniqueness of a community. It includes the constructed and natural landmarks and surroundings that cause someone to identify with a particular place or community. This character is shaped by natural, cultural, societal, historic, and economic forces.

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Changes in cloud computing and cutting edge technology over the past decades have contributed to the escalated development of data centers within the County. To date, there are approximately ninety-one million square feet of data center facilities completed, under construction, or planned. The projected rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), will prove to be significant to the growth of data centers. Future demand for data centers will need to be accommodated in places that have access to utilities, including electricity, water, and fiber. The supply of industrial and flex space is being outpaced by demand, resulting in low vacancy rates. As available greenfield sites in eastern Loudoun County become more limited, targeting key tracts of land for employment and housing uses will be critical to ensure future economic growth.

The Suburban Employment and Suburban Industrial/Mineral Extraction Place Type designations provide guidance to develop a pattern of office, commercial, and industrial uses by allocating sufficient land for all employment in an amount which realistically anticipates market demands and provides the necessary services to support their development. While industrial and certain commercial uses are not typically an integral part of a mixed-use development, they offer employment opportunities to residents of the County and should be designed as independent developments that achieve the goal of thriving areas of commerce which are characterized

by convenient access to transportation, an attractive appearance, and compatibility with adjacent land uses.

Overall, the County's approach is to ensure that future development is complementary to the existing development pattern of the SPA while supporting the necessary flexibility in form and use that will be needed to create vibrant mixed-use environments and maintain the supporting employment areas. As each new development is absorbed into the SPA's built environment, it will be viewed in the context of the larger community with an emphasis placed on the character of the development and how it contributes to the needs and overall identity of the SPA and Loudoun County. Consideration will need to be given to infrastructure and housing needs as the employment sector and workforce grows.

Policies, Strategies, and Actions

Unless otherwise specified, the following Policies, Strategies, and Actions apply only within the SPA.

SPA Policy 1: Foster community identity within the Suburban Policy Area.

Strategy

1.1. Create new Community Plans and other appropriate plans that address the particular needs and guide the remaining build-out, and/or redevelopment of specific areas within the Suburban Policy Area, particularly federally designated Opportunity Zones.

Actions

A. Establish design principles for individual communities within the Suburban Policy Area which ensure a high quality of development and redevelopment is achieved.

B. Ensure development and redevelopment proposals conform to the applicable Design Guidelines of this plan.

C. Use the Infill and Redevelopment polices to maintain neighborhood vitality, reinvest in underused areas, and facilitate complete, connected, and distinct communities.

D. Identify and protect environmental features and design developments to follow, to the extent possible, the natural topography.

E. Promote a natural, environmental, and heritage resources approach to residential and commercial place types.

Strategy

1.2. Integrate new development within the Suburban Policy Area with the existing development pattern that surrounds it.

Action

A. Evaluate the appropriateness of a proposed use or development with the surrounding community.

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

<u>Strategy</u> 1.3. Design and develop Suburban Policy Area communities as walkable and interconnected places. <u>Actions</u> A. The County, in collaboration with other governmental agencies and the private sector, will ensure through a variety of measures that all public spaces in residential and commercial areas are accessible by pedestrians.

B. Retail and office development proposals will combine open and civic space in features such as pedestrian promenades and plazas, public art, entrance features, linear parks and trails, outdoor seating, lawns and greens, and similar design features that invite pedestrian activity.

C. Offer safe and accessible parks and/or recreation opportunities that provide diverse activities for all ages, interest and abilities.

D. Require convenient access by foot and bicycle for residential, office, institutional, civic, and retail areas. Areas including light and heavy industrial uses will be evaluated on the appropriateness of access by foot and bicycle due to security and/or public safety issues.

E. The 2019 CTP provides additional transportation policy direction for the transportation network (walkability, multimodal, connectivity) in the Suburban Policy Area.

SPA Policy 2: Create environments where individuals can work, live, learn, and have convenient access to services, shops, and recreation.

<u>Strategy</u> 2.1. Allow a mix of uses or uses that complement and complete existing communities. <u>Actions</u> A. Provide incentives for redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse projects that will enhance quality of life and neighborhood character, fulfill community needs, increase housing attainablility and diversity, and improve economic opportunities (see Infill and Redevelopment section).

B. Explore zoning, policy changes and other potential resources to support the conversion of uses from office or commercial to multifamily attached residential in target areas.

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C. Allow new multi-family dwelling units to be located within existing commercial centers to allow for more walkable, mixed use communities.

D. Promote residential and office uses above first floor retail.

E. Allow flexibility in the development phasing for mixed-use projects while establishing a build-out relationship between the residential and non-residential components that ensures a mix of uses is achieved and to best balance the fiscal costs and benefits of the project.

F. Promote high quality site and building design, landscape design and buffering in employment areas that reflect their function as a gateway to the Urban Policy Areas and location along major vehicular thoroughfares (see Quality Development section).

G. Accommodate transit infrastructure in Employment and Mixed Use Areas (see 2019 CTP).

H. Provide pedestrian and bicycle connectivity to surrounding networks and transit nodes within employment areas.

I. Create a regulatory framework that limits bed count and/or square footage of new housing to achieve affordability by design.

J. Encourage the provision of attainable housing options.

K. Consider allowing limited areas of 20 acres or less otherwise designated as the Suburban Neighborhood or Suburban Mixed Use place type to develop according to the Suburban Compact Neighborhood place type if the following criteria are satisfied:

i. The proposal includes housing units that address unmet housing needs that exceed the applicable regulatory requirements in accordance with the following:
    * Provide 13.75% of multifamily dwellings or 17.5% of single family dwellings as Affordable Dwelling Units (ADUs)[^p49-1]
    * OR
    * meets Zoning Ordinance Chapter 9 requirements for the provision of ADUs and also provides 5% of the total dwellings to serve households at 70-100% Area Median Income (AMI) or 2% of total dwelling to serve households at 0-30% AMI.

ii. The project site is within ¼ mile pedestrian travel distance via sidewalk or shared use trail, that complies with the street lighting standards of the Facilities Standards Manual (FSM) even in areas where FSM standards are not required to be met, of one of the following:
    * An existing Metrorail station, or

• A planned bus stop,¹ or
• an existing or planned bus route or metro corridor, as defined in the 2019 CTP and the proposal includes commitments for a transit stop.

iii. The project site is within ½ pedestrian travel distance via sidewalk or shared use trail that complies with the street lighting standards of the FSM even in areas where FSM standards are not required to be met to a complementary mix of uses (e.g., neighborhood serving retail and services);²

The complementary mis of uses should include a full-service grocery store and a pharmacy, either stand-alone or within the grocery store, and many include other retail and commercial uses that fulfill the routine needs of the proposal (e.g. restaurants and coffee shops, retail stores, dry cleaners, childcare centers, health clinics, etc.)

iv. The project site is proximate to public facilities with existing or planned capacity to serve the proposed development as shown by the following:

• Park, libraries and/or other public gathering spaces that are demonstrated to be easily accessible via public transit; or
• The proposal includes commitments to dedicating public park space and/or specific public/civic uses (e.g. libraries, community spaces, and/or other indoor public gathering spaces)

v. The proposal conforms to the transition techniques and guidelines of the originally designated place type and any adjacent place types; and

vi. The proposal demonstrates quality development that may include:

• Building and design techniques that in a perceived density that complements the scale of the surrounding built environment.
• Provision of “missing middle” housing units (e.g. duplex, triplex, quadruplex buildings) or live-work units;
• Incorporation of universal design features into dwelling and site design (QD Policy 8) as standard features;³

SPA Policy 3: Support the Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District, established by the State as a means of providing additional local revenue to pay for improvements to Route 28.

Strategy 3.1. Ensure protection of the Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District as an important economic key of attracting major national and international corporations, and ensuring the long-term viability of Washington Dulles International Airport.

Actions A. Encourage non-residential development within the Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District. B. Limit residential development in the Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District except when allowing residential units will directly catalyze the commercial development potential of land in the District and result in an overall positive fiscal impact to the County’s Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District debt obligations. C. Consider residential development on a case by case basis that results in a net positive impact to the County D. Establish an “opt-in” period to encourage owners of property in the Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District to opt into the updated/new Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance that is planned to be adopted to implement the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan.

Design Guidelines

The Design Guidelines are to build upon our current development patterns in a manner that allows innovative design and new responses to the market. The design guidelines are not meant to be prescriptive and are not intended to be treated as a checklist, but are instead meant to provide a framework for how the desired character of the SPA can be achieved, with the acknowledgement that other methods could achieve the intended results. The Design Guidelines do not supersede or otherwise limit the application of adopted zoning regulations, ordinances, building codes, proffers or any other design standards or regulations administered by Loudoun County.

All legislative applications for development in the SPA are expected to include project specific design guidelines, site layouts, illustratives, landscape plans, building elevations, and other similar graphics that demonstrate consistency with the SPA Design Guidelines and planning principles in this document.

When using the guidelines make sure to analyze the impact a potential development may have on the urbanizing landscape, considering not only appearance, but practical considerations - such as proximity and quality of connections to community amenities, jobs, and housing to maximize the use of existing infrastructure and limit travel distances. The County encourages the use of a design process when planning development in the SPA that conserves natural, environmental, and heritage resources and incorporates any such features into the site design. Development should

contribute to creating unique places within the Suburban Policy Area by working with existing topography and site features, responding to the local context, and reinforcing the regional character. Sustainability requires maximum consideration for using the landscape for benefits like solar heat gain or shelter from wind, as well as building designs that incorporate energy efficient and green building technologies. The bulk of the design should be consistent with the function of the development. (See Appendix A for Development Criteria and Design Guidelines for the SPA)

The goals of the SPA Design Guidelines are to:

• Create visually interesting and compatible buildings and site designs that use building forms, materials, fenstration, repetition, rhythm, color, and architectural variety resulting in blends of form, volumes, textures, and colors in the various neighborhoods;
• Create inviting spaces for varied activity; and
• Create a sense of place and uniqueness.

Place Types

As described in the beginning of this chapter, the following Place Types have been designated for specific locations as displayed on the accompanying map. The Place Types will work in concert with the Design Guidelines and Policies, Strategies, and Actions of the SPA to fulfill the land use patterns and community characteristics intended for the area.

Loudoun County Suburban Policy Area Place Types 2019 General Plan

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Extended Runway Centerline Airport Runways Policy Areas Airport Parks & Recreation

Place Types SUBURBAN COMMERCIAL SUBURBAN COMPACT NEIGHBORHOOD SUBURBAN EMPLOYMENT SUBURBAN INDUSTRIAL/MINERAL EXTRACTION SUBURBAN MIXED USE SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOOD

Loudoun County IS NOT LIABLE for any use of or reliance upon this map or any information contained herein. While reasonable efforts have been made to obtain accurate data, the County makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for use of any purpose.

0 0.5 1 2 3 4 Miles

Map Number 2025-105

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Suburban Neighborhood

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Suburban Neighborhood areas include Loudoun’s master planned neighborhoods of predominantly residential uses arranged on medium-to-large lots. Accessory residential units can be appropriate for the area and may consist of apartments in the principal structure, garage apartments, or other outbuildings approved by the County. Retail and service uses that serve the routine shopping needs of the immediate neighborhood (e.g., grocery stores, gas stations, drive-throughs, drycleaners, etc.) should be integrated into the area at significant intersections and along major roads.

Limited areas otherwise designated as Suburban Neighborhood on the Place Type map may be allowed to develop according to the Suburban Compact Neighborhood Place Type if the locational and design criteria of SPA Action 2.1.K are satisfied.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Primarily single family detached and attached residential uses that are integrated in a walkable street pattern.

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An example plan view of a Suburban Neighborhood

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Residential Density: Up to 4 du/ac; Up to 6 du/ac for infill development Non-Residential FAR: Up to 1.0 Building Height: Up to 4 Stories (Average height of 12-15 feet per story)

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Transition Transitions should be gradual, particularly where natural or man-made buffers are not available. New developments within Suburban Neighborhood areas adjacent to lower-density residential uses should create transitions in building scale and incorporate design elements that soften those transitions. Higher-density residential development can serve as a transitional land use between nonresidential uses and lower-density residential areas. Appropriate transitional techniques include variations in building orientation, height step down, and creative and extensive use of landscaping and natural features. Fencing or other barriers should not be used as the sole means of screening and buffering.

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