DRAFT Document - Employment

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You'll need this for reference as you take the survey.

Summary

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This section summarizes the intent and rataionale for the "building blocks" of Place Types.  These "building blocks" range from Land Use to Transportation.

Please share any questions/comments you have on the following "building blocks".

Goals

• Accommodate a concentration of jobs for a range of employment types that are located and designed to interact with adjacent Neighborhoods, Centers, and other Sectors. 
• Highly accessible by a multi-modal network that may include transit and/or the greenway network in addition to major streets.

Land Use

• Employment is made up primarily of offices, flex space, and light manufacturing. Very limited distribution occurs in these areas.
• Secondary uses may include residential, retail, and civic/institutional uses.

Urban Design

• Most buildings in Employment are low- to mid-rise and uses are designed to be connected by a comfortable walking environment.
• Improvements to existing sites should create a more pedestrian-friendly environment, such as removing parking between buildings and streets.
• Sites are not designed to accommodate heavy distribution with semi-truck traffic.

Transportation

• Typically located along at least one major street with an internal network that provides primary access to most places.

Land Use

Zoning Districts

• This Place Type has a range of districts that acknowledge the diverse character of the areas they serve. Zoning Districts will have varying standards related to height, intensity, uses, parking, building placement, and other site design elements.
• Specific Zoning Districts will be developed for this Place Type – TBD.

Building Types

• The predominant building types are low- to mid-rise office, flex, and commercial buildings. Civic/Institutional buildings may also be located in Employment.
• Reuse of existing structures may also occur, possibly to accommodate flex and maker spaces and small-scale office uses.
• When there is a mix of uses, they are typically or horizontally integrated (walkable from one another), but vertical integration (different uses on different floors within the same building) is encouraged in more dense contexts.

Building Size

• Buildings vary in size, but generally range from 10,000 square feet to 150,000 square feet.
• Any residential buildings may vary in size but are expected to conform to typical building footprint and height guidance within Employment places.

Building Length Along The Street Frontage

• Shorter building lengths provide a more interesting and comfortable pedestrian environment and allow for better block structure.
• Building length varies based on the context of the area, but should be similar to surrounding buildings and no more than 300 feet long along a block face, and closer to 250 feet when located near a transit station.

Building Height

• Buildings are typically no more than 7 stories, most are between 2 and 4 stories.
• Height should be adjusted to minimize visual impacts to adjacent neighborhoods.

Yards: 

• Varies by context.

Orientation

Note: Arterial Streets are higher volume streets (not freeways) that travel to and through Places. The terms Main Street, Avenue, Boulevard, and Parkway refer to the more specific design classifications (from the Urban Street Design Guidelines) that refine the generic Arterial Streets into context-based streets. Arterial Streets is used generically here, with USDG classifications applied where necessary to make distinctions between expected design and context. Local streets are lower-volume streets that provide direct access to land uses off of Arterial Streets.

• Employment is typically located along Arterial Streets and also includes Local Streets external or internal to the site.
• These places should not orient to Parkways, but should instead be accessed by and oriented to other types of streets (other Arterial or Local Streets). 
• Principal buildings should orient to streets and be set back far enough to allow for outdoor seating and display where such uses are anticipated (typically for Main Streets, most Avenues, and local streets).
• Buildings should be set back further from Boulevards and some Avenues, but should still orient to and provide direct pedestrian access from the street onto the site and to principal buildings.
• Orientation to useable common open spaces is also encouraged.
• Buildings should not be oriented toward a driveway, interior parking lot, or alley.
• Near transit stations, buildings should orient to the street and to any pedestrian network that provides direct accessibly to the station.

Building Frontage Along Streets

• Employment serves employers with workers and customers from both nearby neighborhoods and other parts of the city or region.
• Sites should be designed to provide direct Local Street connections and a safe, interesting public realm from nearby neighborhoods and transit stops, thereby encouraging walking, cycling, and transit use.
• Buildings and open spaces should also establish clear connections to adjacent Arterial Streets, to encourage pedestrian travel between developments throughout the area.
• Buildings should include operable entrances and significant transparency along street frontages, particularly along Main Streets, Avenues, and Local Streets.
• Buildings set farther back from an Arterial Street (along Boulevards, e.g.) should still include clearly visible pedestrian connections and operable entrances from the Arterial Street at intervals no greater than 250 feet.
• Buildings on corner lots are encouraged to have entrances that front on both streets or provide an entrance from the corner of the building. Entrances should be aligned with existing or future planned pedestrian facilities where feasible.
• Corners of streets and driveways from Arterial Streets should be wrapped by a building to create an inviting, comfortable route for pedestrians from the street.
• When located along a Local Street, Main Street, or an Avenue, parking (other than on-street parking) should typically not be located between the building and street.
• When located along a Boulevard or Parkway, surface parking lots may be located between the building and external streets but should be screened with landscaping elements with clear pedestrian connections from the external street to buildings.
• Space between the building and the sidewalk may provide appropriate locations for outdoor seating or usable open space, which can positively contribute to an improved public realm.
• Street frontages should be have minimal driveways/curb cuts, to maintain a good pedestrian environment and public realm.
• Businesses that require distribution using semi-trucks are discouraged in Employment areas, in particular in areas that require traversing neighborhood (Local) streets.

Building Coverage and Impervious Surface

• Impervious surfaces typically cover 60% of development within an Employment site.
• Building coverage is typically up to 20% of a site’s impervious surface area.
• Impervious surfaces may be made up of buildings, driveways, streets, parking, and plazas among other site elements.
• Approximately 30% of the land on an Employment site is pervious. These areas are typically grassed or landscaped and designed to provide a pleasant pass-through environment or a place to stop and enjoy. Some are areas that provide buffers either from adjacent places or along a major street. These areas should generally remain as open space.
• Pervious areas can accommodate trees that contribute to the city’s tree canopy.

Open Space and Yards

• Usable open space should be incorporated into Employment areas, in addition to vegetative buffers that provide transitions to neighborhoods and screening.
• Common Open Spaces of various types should occupy about 10% of an Employment site.
• These areas are typically grassed or landscaped and designed to provide a pleasant pass-through environment or a place to stop and enjoy.
• They may be plazas, courtyards, or other type of passive park space and can be the focal point of an Employment site. Greenways are also appropriate in Employment.
• Buildings adjacent to open spaces should orient to them and include accessible building entrances from the space and ground floor activity to activate the open space.

Connectivity

• Employment is typically located along an Arterial Street or at the intersection of two Arterial Streets. An important goal is to make Employment accessible by several modes from nearby neighborhoods and destinations by connecting to street, transit, greenway, pedestrian, and bicycle networks.
• Large Employment areas like office parks typically have access to individual sites through an internal Local Street network. 
• Local Street networks and well-designed connections to Arterial Streets are critical to support activity throughout a larger Employment area.
• Block lengths are preferably no greater than 600’, and should be closer to 400’ to promote walkability, particularly near a transit station.

Parking

• Surface parking is ideally located to the side or rear of primary buildings.
• Most Local Streets and Main Streets will have on-street parking, as well as some Avenues, to encourage a more walkable environment.
• If any parking is located between the building and the street, it should be very limited and screened from view of the street, while maintaining open sightlines for pedestrian comfort and direct pedestrian connections into the site at least every 250 feet of frontage.
• Structured parking is encouraged, with access provided off of Local Streets rather than Arterial Streets
• Existing surface lots are opportunities for future infill development.

Vehicular Access

• Driveways should be limited (preferably not more than one per block) to maintain a high quality pedestrian environment. For the same reason, shared driveways and cross access are highly encouraged.
• Businesses that require distribution using semi-trucks are discouraged in Employment areas, in particular in areas that require traversing Local Streets.
• Driveways and access to parking facilities should typically be located along internal streets (Local Streets), not from Arterial Streets.

Streets

• Arterial Streets provide access to the Employment area, and often carry traffic through or by the Sector, so they should be designed to allow convenient crossings and a public realm that supports pedestrian, bicycle, and transit access.
• Most Arterial Streets will be Avenues or Boulevards. • Due to the higher intensity of development, Local Streets are typically wide Local Street types, that allow for on-street parking and maneuvering traffic.
• Arterial Streets in Employment will typically have more frequent traffic signals and other crossing opportunities than Arterial Streets located in less dense places.
• All streets should be designed to allow safe and comfortable access for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users.
• The target speed for Arterial Streets is 35mph unless otherwise specified by CDOT or NCDOT. The target speed for Local Streets should be low (preferably maximum 20-25mph).

Sidewalks

• Sidewalks should be wide enough to accommodate pedestrian volumes and maintain unobstructed walking space when adjacent to outdoor seating and displays (in the setback).
• Internal Local Streets should have 5 to 10 foot wide unobstructed sidewalks, depending on the intensity of development.
• Arterial Streets typically have minimum 6 feet wide unobstructed sidewalks on Avenues and Boulevards or a minimum 10 feet wide unobstructed sidewalks on Main Streets.
• Additional sidewalk width or hardscaped area between the building and the street is needed to accommodate outdoor dining and display.
• There should be clear and visible on-site sidewalk connections from Arterial Streets directly to buildings and to the internal pedestrian network.

Green Zone

• The Green Zone is no less than 8 feet wide to accommodate shade trees, grass, and/or hardscape elements. It provides separation between pedestrians and vehicles, helps calm traffic, provides an attractive public realm, contributes to the City’s healthy tree canopy, and shades the streets and users.
• In Employment place type areas, an 8 foot hardscaped amenity zone with trees in grates is ideal for most building types on Local Streets, particularly for commercial and mixed use buildings. Hardscaped Green Zones (with trees in grates) should always be used on Main Streets, Avenues with on-street parking, and at locations with heavy transit use.
• Grass planting strips are appropriate on Parkways, Boulevards, and Avenues without on-street parking. They are also appropriate adjacent to most residential uses without on-street parking.

Bicycle Facilities

• Dedicated bicycle facilities are expected on most Arterial Streets, due to higher motor vehicle speeds and volumes.
• Dedicated bicycle facilities may be expected on Local Streets with higher traffic volumes.
• Dedicated bicycle facilities are not typical on internal Local Streets and Main Streets, since motor vehicles speeds and traffic volumes should be low and bicycles and motor vehicles can safely share the travel lane.
• Design of the bicycle facility varies (see general provisions, p. XX, for factors influencing bike facilities design).

Street Furnishings

• Street furnishings should be located in the Green Zone or areas behind the sidewalk, not in the sidewalk.
• When hardscaped, the Green Zone, combined with building setback, should be wide enough to include trees in grates, pedestrian lighting, benches, transit stops/facilities, trash receptacles, outdoor seating/displays, doors and entrances, and bike parking.