Residential
above retail
in a pedestrian setting
10-1. MIXING LAND USES
Municipal
zoning in the United States dates from the early decades of
the twentieth century. A key aim then was to separate different
and conflicting land uses; everyone saw that development types
had become overly mixed and there was friction between many
of them.
For instance,
delivery trucks arriving at the market were disagreeable to
adjacent residences. Or industrial smoke and noise were not
conducive to maintaining residential property values. Why
not use the potent new tool of a zoning map to put businesses
and industries well away in their own districts, away from
housing, or vice versa?
As in
other states, planning and zoning officials in Connecticut
spent decades sorting out the often random land use mix, directing
land uses such as residential, commercial and industrial to
locations where they were physically separated and fully compartmentalized.
However,
hindsight has shown that some careful mixing, especially between
moderate density housing, small offices and modest retail,
would have been a good idea all along.
The record
also shows that since 1950 better sanitation, stricter pollution
limits, and other factors had eliminated many of the public
health risks of mixing residential with commercial development.
It was
in 1961 that Jane Jacobs' influential book, The Death and
Life of Great American Cities, arguing that the zoning ban
on the mixing of uses should be modified, was the catalyst
that led to rethinking on mix.
By this time it was also obvious that traditional land use
mixing in historic pre-zoning New England village centers
was not a problem, and property values there remained high.
Yet paradoxically, these model areas could not be recreated
or extended with segregated zoning districts.
Slight
corrections to zoning maps and accompanying texts are now
justified. But realistically, in the Housatonic Valley Region
the development pattern at this point is too mature to be
dramatically revised; separate zoning districts will remain
dominant. Still, newly authorized mixed uses should play an
increasing role in some locations that are still developing
or already redeveloping.
Uses allowed in the Region's new mixed use zones may be diverse.
But they should not reflect in microcosm every other type
of zone in the municipality. Rather, the uses allowed in the
mixed use zones must be carefully screened to be complementary
and interdependent.

Overview of zoning patterns in
southwestern
Connecticut, with the Housatonic Valley Region at left
Commercial and industrial zones are combined
as red. Orange, buff and pale
yellow indicate descending intensities of residential zoning.
Before 1920 there
was little control of the mixing of land uses. Then from 1920
until 2000 uses
were forcefully separated by zoning. Since 2000 the trend
of some
modest remixing under controlled conditions has accelerated.
The
selective remixing idea has moved sufficiently into the mainstream
that the 2005 update of CT State Statute 8-35a guiding HVCEO's
regional plan added a requirement that “the regional
plan shall identify areas where it is feasible and prudent
to have compact, transit accessible, pedestrian-oriented mixed
use…and to promote such development patterns."
This
state policy stresses the pedestrian connection opportunity
with mixed use.
Some of the advantages of mixed use:
--- Mixing land uses allows for a more
diverse and sizable population and commercial base for supporting
public transit. Simply, a higher percentage of those living
in higher density subcenters use transit than those living
in lower density outlying areas, because density is the key
factor for creating demand for any transit system.
---
Mixing land use is an energy conservation strategy. The book,
Energy Planning and Urban Form by geographer Susan Owens found
that the single most important factor affecting the relationship
of urban form and transportation energy requirements is the
physical separation of activities, determined by both density
and the degree to which mixing of land uses is permitted.
In
other words, the density allowed by local land use regulations,
coupled with the degree to which land uses are intermixed
so energy costs can be reduced, are prime determinants of
how much energy our communities use.
---
Mixed use can enhance the vitality and security of an area
by increasing the number of hours that people are in public
places. The business and investment communities have long
recognized the benefits of placing housing nearby to attract
more people to their shops.
---
Complementary and interdependent mixed uses promote convenience,
making it easy to run errands, socialize and meet basic needs
without always using a car. Often apartments or offices are
located above retail spaces. Small but elegant public open
spaces are also an important asset.
---
Proper lighting, safety and aesthetics can be incorporated
into mixed use design to make people feel comfortable walking
between the railroad station or bus transit center, residential
areas, and commercial areas.
---
With mixed use, "shared parking" becomes viable.
This is defined as parking that is proximate to and utilized
by two or more uses but contains fewer than the required number
of spaces for both uses standing alone. Yet it is adequate
for the two uses on account of variable peak demand times
for each use.
Some
of the disadvantages:
---
As most development traditionally has been single use, many
development and financing professionals view single use as
a safer and more acceptable means to conduct business.
--- Professional planning talent is needed to write an appropriate
mixed use zoning ordinance and guide developers in its application.
This is not available in some municipalities. Connecticut
state agencies in particular need to gain experience in working
with each other and the private sector on complex mixed development
efforts.

In 2005 the Town of Redding received
a National Award for
Smart Growth Achievement from the U.S. EPA for allowing the
remixing of land use in its Georgetown Redevelopment Project.
A new rail station on the Danbury Branch Line was included.
10-2. DESIGN GUIDELINES
FOR MIXING LAND USES
The design guidelines
used by Brookfield for planning its Brookfield Village Center
provide an excellent model for mixed use planning in other
municipalities, with variations as needed:
Require
a Mix of Uses
-- Include a mix of residential, commercial, retail and recreational
uses.
-- Ground floor areas along Federal Road shall be active uses,
primarily retail.
-- Second and third level floor areas will be a mix of residential
and office.
-- Integrate parking, loading, and service areas accessible
to all properties.
Encourage
Shared Parking
-- Provide adequate parking to support retail, residential
and office using parking ratios of approximately 3 spaces
per 1,000 square feet of floor area.
-- Create public private partnerships to manage the parking.
-- Create time limited, diagonal on street parking on both
sides of Federal Road.
-- Create parking on one side only of the side streets.
-- Identify appropriate locations for municipal parking lots
in the rear of buildings available for shoppers, employees,
and residents.
-- Size and locate parking lots to accommodate multilevel
parking structures.
Create
Intimate Relationships
between Buildings and Streets
-- Maintain a 3:1 building to street ratio with two and three
story buildings.
-- Set back buildings between zero and ten feet from the edge
of the sidewalk.
-- When the zero setback line is not utilized, the setback
shall include public/private space with landscaping and/or
tables, chairs/benches, and other pedestrian oriented amenities.

View of proposed Brookfield Village
Center along Old Route 7 in Brookfield
Protect
the Pedestrian Environment
-- Provide sidewalks throughout the Village.
-- Allow for tables, chairs, and temporary display racks along
sidewalks.
-- Provide bicycle parking.
-- Install traffic calming devices along Federal Road.
-- Provide ample public spaces for resting and other passive
activities.
-- Provide restrooms for the public.
-- Require ground floor windows to be active.
Transportation,
Circulation and Pedestrian Access
-- North - south auto, transit, and bicycle traffic primarily
along Federal Road.
-- Side streets primarily one-way streets.
-- Control access onto Federal Road by prohibiting left turns
and limiting curb cuts.
-- Provide bus shelters on both sides of Federal Road at the
HART bus stops.
-- Consider a rotary at the gateway to the District.
-- Prepare for the possibility of rail passenger service from
New Milford to Norwalk.
-- Identify an appropriate location for a commuter parking
lot connected to the rail line by a pedestrian bridge over
the Still River.
Provide
Manageable and Attractive Landscaping
-- Street trees should provide a sense of enclosure between
the building frontage and the street. -- Chose trees that
will reach a maximum height of between 25 and 40 feet, with
an average distance between trees of 25 to 40 feet.
-- Chose trees that are able to withstand a wide range of
urban stresses, are shade producing and attractive.
Furnish
and Light the Streets
-- Place benches every 100 to 200 feet, particularly at areas
of activity.
-- Place wastebaskets every 300 to 500 feet, particularly
at areas of activity.
-- Place lighted bollards (short vertical posts) as appropriate.
-- Install down-shielded lighting elements, 15 to 25 feet
in height, which are architecturally compatible with the design
elements of the buildings.
10-3.
RECOMMENDATION
FOR MIXED LAND USE
GOAL:
Reintroduce into municipal zoning codes some controlled mixing
of compatible land uses in select locations.
Use this technique as part of transit
oriented development to increase the market for
rail passenger service.
---
1. INTRODUCTION --- 2.
MAP OF GROWTH --- 3.
WATER SUPPLIES ---
--- 4.
WASTEWATER --- 5.
TRANSPORTATION --- 6.
GLOBAL WARMING --- 7.
HOUSING ---
---
8. ECONOMY --- 9.
OPEN SPACE --- 10.
MIX LAND USE --- 11.
TOD --- 12.
PEDESTRIAN ---
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