Place Types - Heavy Industrial
Place Types - Heavy Industrial
Place Types are a classification of land that provides guidance for how future development should look and function. They describe types and intensities of land use as well as important characteristics such as scale, site design, and accessibility. These draft policies will be reviewed by staff and the community, with a final draft document anticipated in Fall 2018. You are reviewing Heavy Industrial, one of 14 different Place Types. Thank you for your time and interest in shaping the future of our community.
DRAFT Document - Heavy Industrial
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You'll need this for reference as you take the survey.
Summary
(Sidebar on right side of document)
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
- Contributes to the City’s economic viability by accommodating places for manufacturing, processing, storage, and distribution of goods and services to thrive.
- Separate these uses from other places like Neighborhoods and Centers, or otherwise lessen the impacts (e.g., noxious odors, noise, traffic, visual clutter) of these necessary community uses.
Land Use
- Uses within Heavy Industrial include manufacturing, solid waste processing, power generation facilities, junk and scrap metal yards, and other similar uses.
- Many uses require space for outdoor storage, parking and maneuvering for semi-trucks and other heavy equipment, loading, warehousing, and office space.
Urban Design
- Typical building types are low-rise commercial and flexible space buildings.
- Sites tend to have intentional space (buffers, berms, landscaping, walls) that delineate Heavy Industrial from other nearby uses to maintain the quality of life for nearby residents and pedestrian friendly areas.
Transportation
- Should be accessible from an Arterial Street, interstate, and/or freight rail.
- Semi-truck traffic should move goods and services on routes that minimize impacts on Neighborhoods and Centers.
Land Use
Zoning Districts
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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
- Heavy Industrial places predominantly include heavy manufacturing, processing, storage, and distribution land uses that serve businesses across the Charlotte Region.
- The typical building types in Heavy Industrial are low-rise commercial, warehousing, and flexible spaces.
- Buildings in Heavy Industrial are not typically vertically integrated, as many are low-scale, single-use buildings. Vertical integration of uses (different uses on different floors within the same building) is not discouraged.
Building Size
- Buildings may vary in size depending on their context and the needs of the Heavy Industrial use.
- Building may range in size from 20,000 square feet up to 300,000 square feet.
Building Length Along the Street Frontage
- Building length varies based on the context of the area.
- When located in a primarily Industrial area, pedestrian connectivity primarily serves employees of the businesses as opposed to being part of a pedestrian oriented environment. Therefore, long, continuous buildings along the street may be more appropriate within Heavy Industrial than in some other Place Types.
- Building lengths along the street may span an entire block, which is typically no more than 1,000 feet in length.
Building Height
- The height of buildings depends upon the context in which they are located, however most buildings will be 2 stories or less.
- Some uses may require structures with additional height that may or may not be occupied space (smoke stacks, grain elevators, etc.). In these instances, the site should be located so that structures do not visually or physically impact nearby Neighborhoods, Centers, Campuses, or Employment areas.
- Transitions to low intensity places and neighborhoods should be addressed with tapered height toward the lower intensity places and the placement of buildings farther away from these places to minimize impact and respect the character of the adjacent area.
Yards
- Buildings on Heavy Industrial sites are typically placed away from the street and away from edges of the property to allow parking and maneuvering off street and maximize the space between these uses and any surrounding Neighborhoods, Centers, Employment, and Campus areas.
- Large yards or buffers typically separate Heavy Industrial sites from most places that are less intense to enhance safety and quality of life.
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.
- Heavy Industrial places are typically located along Arterial Streets, and also include Local Streets external or internal to the site.
- Heavy Industrial places may orient to Boulevards, Avenues, and Local Streets. Heavy Industrial places may be located adjacent to Parkways, but are not typically oriented towards them.
- Heavy Industrial buildings are typically set back further along Arterial Streets compared to other Place Types, but should still orient to the street and provide direct pedestrian access from the street onto the site and to principal buildings.
- Buildings should typically not be oriented toward a driveway, interior parking lot, or alley, but this may be allowable on Boulevards.
- If sites include common private open space, adjacent buildings should also orient toward that space and include active entrances. This does not apply to sites adjacent to Open Space - Recreational or Preserved places as there should typically be separation between Heavy Industrial operations and adjacent public open spaces.
Building Frontage Along Streets
- Heavy Industrial places provide direct access to predominantly heavy manufacturing, processing, storage, and distribution land uses that serve businesses across the Charlotte Region.
- Sites should be designed to provide direct Local Street connections and a safe and comfortable public realm, particularly near transit stops, thereby supporting walking, cycling, and transit use.
- Buildings should include operable entrances and significant transparency along street frontages, particularly along Avenues, and Local Streets.
- Buildings set farther back from Arterial Streets (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.
- Parking (other than on-street parking) should typically not be located between the building and street, particularly along Local Streets and Avenues.
- If parking is located between the building and Local Streets and Avenues, it should be minimal and still provide direct access from the sidewalk through the parking to the building entrance.
- If parking is located between the building and Arterial Streets (along Boulevards, e.g.) it should be limited to 1 -2 rows, primarily intended for customer parking, and buildings should provide a presence along the street by orienting toward it.
- On-street parking, typically provided on one side of Local Industrial Streets, allows for truck parking when necessary.
- Parking lots should be designed and located to provide vehicular cross-access between sites.
- Parking lot entrances should be designed and located so that driveways align on either side of Local Streets.
Building Coverage and Impervious Surface
- Impervious surfaces typically cover 30% of the development within a Heavy Industrial site, but may make up closer to 60% of a site.
- Building coverage is typically less than 10% of a site.
- Impervious surfaces may be made up of buildings, driveways, streets, and parking, among other site elements.
- At least 60% of land on most Heavy Industrial sites is pervious. These areas are typically grassed or landscaped. Some are areas that provide buffers either from adjacent places or along a 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
- Common open space is less prevalent in Heavy Industrial than in many other Place Types. Common open spaces will likely only make up about 10% of overall Heavy Industrial areas and may include parks and greenways.
- Open Spaces of various types should occupy about 60% of a Heavy Industrial site. Open spaces are typically in the form of pervious surface areas like buffers and passive landscaped areas.
- Buildings adjacent to common open spaces, like plazas and courtyards, intended for use by employees should orient to them and include accessible building entrances from the space.
Connectivity
- Connectivity is important for Heavy Industrial sites to enable appropriate distribution routes. Sites with distribution operations should have access to Arterial Streets that do not traverse residential neighborhoods.
- A Heavy Industrial site located in an area with an established street network should continue that pattern and connect to the adjacent network.
- Ideally, block lengths should be short to promote walkability, particularly if the Heavy Industrial site is also near a transit station. Preferred block length is no more than 1,000 feet.
Pedestrian Network
- The Local Street network provides a high-quality pedestrian environment by being both well-connected and designed to accommodate people traveling through this place and from transit stops to buildings in the area.
- Arterial Streets also support walkability by providing a safe and comfortable public realm and frequent crossing opportunities.
- There should be clear and visible on-site sidewalk connections from streets directly to buildings.
Parking
- On-street parking, typically provided on one side of Industrial Local Streets, allows for truck parking when necessary.
- Parking (other than on-street parking) is preferably located to the side or rear of buildings. If located between the building and the street, bays should be limited to 2 or 3 and provide clear pedestrian connections from the street to the building(s). This parking should be primarily for customers and employees and should not accommodate semi-trucks and work trucks.
- Some buildings may require drop-off facilities at the entrance, and these should be designed to also facilitate direct pedestrian connections from the sidewalk to the entrance.
- Parking lots for the storing vehicles and loading docks should be located to the side or rear of buildings and should be screened so it does not negatively impact surrounding areas with less intense uses.
- Parking lots should be designed and located to provide vehicular cross-access between sites.
- Parking lot entrances should be designed and located so that driveways align on either side of Local Streets.
Vehicular Access
- Direct access is from streets into sites typical. Sites are encouraged to be accessed from Local Streets or shared driveways where feasible.
Streets
- Arterial Streets traversing Heavy Industrial places should be designed to serve the operational requirements of freight vehicles, while recognizing that other modes and complementary land uses should be accommodated.
- Arterial Streets should be designed to allow convenient crossings and a public realm that supports pedestrian, bicycle, and transit access.
- Local Streets are typically Local Industrial Streets, which are wider than other Local Streets to support maneuverability of larger trucks.
- Target speeds should be low (preferably maximum 20-25 mph on internal streets; XX mph on arterials).
Sidewalks
- Although Heavy Industrial places are assumed to have relatively low levels of pedestrian activity comparted to other Place Types, the higher volumes of truck traffic and the more auto-oriented street design necessitate safe and comfortable pedestrian pathways.
- Internal Local Streets should have minimum 5’ wide unobstructed sidewalks.
- Arterial Streets should have minimum 6’ wide unobstructed sidewalks.
- 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 typically no less than 8’ 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.
- Grass planting strips are appropriate on Parkways, Boulevards, Avenues, and Local Industrial Streets. • A hardscape amenity zone is inappropriate in most industrial places. (see XX)
Bicycle Facilities
- Dedicated facilities are expected on most Arterial Streets, due to higher speeds and volumes.
- Dedicated bicycle facilities are not typical on internal Local Streets, since speeds and traffic volumes should be low.
- Design of the bicycle facility varies (see general provisions p. XX for factors influencing bike facilities).
Street Furnishings
- If provided, street furnishings should be located in the Green Zone or setback, not in the sidewalk.
- Bus stops located in or near industrial places should be accessible via a sidewalk and ideally include a shelter, benches, and/or trash receptacles.