7.0_Appendix_AFINAL DRAFT January 28, 2005
Appendix A Employment Center Land Use Category A-1
Appendix A
Employment Center Land Use Category
General Purpose & Intent: The purpose of the Employment Center (EC) land use designation is
to provide for a comprehensive set of design standards and guidelines for the development of the
city’s premier corridor – the S.H. 114 corridor. The EC land use category is intended for a
continuum of development from the highest intensity mixed use development immediately
adjacent to the highway to the lowest intensity residential uses adjacent to existing
neighborhoods. The EC land use category shall be applied to contiguous properties that are a
minimum of 75 acres. To address this desired intensity gradient of development, the EC land use
category is further defined into three (3) sub-categories – EC-1, EC-2, and EC-Residential (EC-
R) categories.
The following overarching standards shall apply to all development in the Employment Center
Land Use Category:
1. S.H. 114 Context:
a. Retail development shall be concentrated at key nodes and intersections (Carroll Ave,
Kimball Ave, and White Chapel) rather than developed linearly along the frontage
roads.
b. Properties smaller than 20 acres with frontage along S.H. 114 are to be developed in
conjunction with adjoining properties. This will maximize the opportunity for larger-
scale, master planned developments.
c. Residential neighborhoods shall be integrated with adjoining development and shall
not be dissected by highways or arterial roadways.
d. Arterial roadways through the Employment Center or neighborhoods shall be
designed for low-speed traffic.
e. The highest intensity of development shall occur immediately adjacent to S.H. 114.
This intensity shall be limited to the first 700 feet from the R-O-W of S.H. 114.
f. When the EC land use option is chosen for a particular development, the standards in
the EC Land Use Category shall apply in their entirety.
g. To the extent possible, when the EC land use option is chosen for a development, a
minimum of two of the three EC land use categories are recommended be used to
provide adequate transitions to existing development.
2. Sensitive environmental elements (floodplains, significant wooded areas, and steep grades)
as identified in the plan shall be preserved as permanent open space. To the extent possible,
identified open space areas shall be linked through a series of linear greens, pedestrian trails,
or parkways.
3. All development in the EC land use category shall meet the Employment Center Form
Standards in Appendix A-1.
Employment Center 1 (EC-1):
Purpose, Definition, & Location Criteria:
EC-1 category is intended for the highest intensity of commercial and employment uses
immediately adjacent to S.H. 114. This land use category would be applied to properties that
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Appendix A Employment Center Land Use Category A-2
have significant frontage along the highway, have limited development constraints, and are
largely undeveloped or underdeveloped. For optimal development opportunities, properties
in the EC-1 land use category should have a minimum contiguous frontage of 1,200 feet.
The EC-1 land use category shall be a maximum of 700 feet in depth (as measured from the
R-O-W of S.H. 114). The EC-1 land use category has to be applied in conjunction with the
EC-2 and EC-R land use categories to provide for compatible transitions to adjoining
neighborhoods. As a percentage of the entire EC land use category applied, the EC-1 land
use category shall not exceed twenty-five percent (25%) of any EC district.
Land Use Mix: The following percentages for land use mix in the EC-1 land use category
are intended only to be guidelines and greater flexibility may be appropriate under site
specific and EC context conditions.
Land Use Percentage of Acreage Flexibility Allowed
Retail 15% ±5%
Office 40% ±10%
Service Uses 15% ±5%
Single-Family Residential 15% ±5%
Open Space (plazas &
squares)
10% +5%
Civic 5% +5%
Total 100%
Scale and Context Criteria:
• 4 – 6 story buildings
• Buildings and their pedestrian entrances are to be oriented towards internal streets
• Building foot prints shall be between 40,000 and 80,000 square feet.
• Larger-format retail uses (with footprints larger than 40,000 sq.ft) shall be located
adjacent to the arterial or highway with pedestrian entrances from internal streets.
Overall Character and Design:
• Buildings are to be designed to be pedestrian friendly
• Buildings shall have shallow setbacks and sidewalks that are a minimum of 10’
• Buildings are to be oriented towards other buildings (across the street) or towards
open spaces
• Parking to be limited to:
o On-street parking
o Surface parking to the rear of buildings
• Parking garages are encouraged over surface parking lots
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Appendix A Employment Center Land Use Category A-3
Street Design Standards:
• Internal streets to be design to accommodate both automobiles and pedestrians
• Streets to be designed with curb and gutter
• Interconnected street network
• Regular blocks and streets
• Block widths between 400’ and 600’
• Design speed <25 mph
Character Images
Employment Center 2 (EC-2):
Purpose, Definition, & Location Criteria:
Employment Center 2 (EC-2): is intended for a medium intensity mix of uses that transition
from EC-1 or S.H. 114 to EC-R or lower intensity residential neighborhoods. This land use
category would be applied to properties that may have significant frontage along the
highway, have limited development constraints, and are largely undeveloped or
underdeveloped.
Land Use Mix: The following percentages for land use mix in the EC-2 land use category
are intended only to be guidelines and greater flexibility may be appropriate under site
specific and EC context conditions.
Land Use Percentage of Acreage Flexibility Allowed
Retail 10% ±5%
Office 30% ±10%
Service Uses 10% ±5%
Single-Family Residential 30% ±10%
Open Space (plazas & squares) 15% +5%
Civic 5% +5%
Total 100%
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Appendix A Employment Center Land Use Category A-4
Scale and Context Criteria:
• 2 – 4 story buildings
• Building oriented towards internal streets with a shallow setback (8’ – 12’)
• Smaller building footprints (<4,000 sq.ft. each)
• Small scale retail uses shall be located at key intersections
Overall Character and Design:
• Buildings are to be design to be pedestrian friendly
• Buildings shall have stoops or shallow entrance courtyards.
• Sidewalks shall be 6’ – 8’ with a linear planting strip for street trees.
• Buildings are to be oriented towards other buildings (across the street) or towards
open spaces
• Parking to be limited to:
o On-street parking
o Parking garages and/or surface parking accessed through rear alleys
Street Design Standards
• Internal streets to be design to accommodate both automobiles and pedestrians
• Streets to be designed with curb and gutter
• Interconnected street network
• Curvilinear and/or regular street network
• Block widths between 500’ and 700’
• Design speed <25 mph
Character Images
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Appendix A Employment Center Land Use Category A-5
Employment Center Residential (EC-R):
Purpose, Definition, & Location Criteria:
Employment Center Residential (EC-R) is intended for a low-intensity, predominantly
residential neighborhood. This land use category would be applied to properties that have
significant development constraints such as wetlands, creeks, floodplains, water bodies, steep
grades, and woodlands and are largely undeveloped or underdeveloped. This category is
intended for properties adjacent to existing neighborhoods, open space, or as buffers from
environmentally sensitive areas. Very limited non-residential uses (office, retail, and civic)
may be permitted at key street intersections and shall be designed to an appropriate
neighborhood scale.
Land Use Mix: The following percentages for land use mix in the EC-R land use category
are intended only to be guidelines and greater flexibility may be appropriate under site
specific and EC context conditions.
Land Use Percentage of Acreage Flexibility Allowed
Retail 5% -5%
Office 5% -5%
Service Uses 5% ±5%
Single-Family Residential 60% +5%
Open Space (plazas &
squares)
20% +5%
Civic 5% ±5%
Total 100%
Scale and Context Criteria:
• 1 – 2 story buildings
• Building oriented or angled towards internal streets with deeper setbacks (15’ – 25’)
• Non-residential uses limited to civic uses.
• Residential clustering may be used to protect sensitive environmental resources.
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Appendix A Employment Center Land Use Category A-6
Overall Character and Design:
• Buildings may have a continuous common yard along the front or a porch and fence.
• Sidewalks may be in the form of trails or pedestrian paths that meander through the
neighborhood.
• Parking to be limited to:
o On-street parking
o Parking garages that are located behind the main house on the lot.
• Landscaping can be more natural with the street landscaping complementing the
front-yard landscaping.
Street Design Standards
• Internal curvilinear street network
• “Eyebrows” are recommended over cul-de-sacs
• Block widths range between 700’ and 1,000 feet
• Streets can be of rural cross-sections with no curbs and swales for storm water
drainage
• Design speeds of about 25 mph.
Character Images