The document discusses Los Angeles' existing commercial development standards and the need for citywide design guidelines. It provides an introduction to the history and issues with the current regulations. Recommendations are made to streamline the review process, provide incentives for following design guidelines, and clarify relationships with other regulatory regimes like green building ordinances. Specific design guideline recommendations focus on further developing sustainability frameworks.

1. PPD
619
|
Smart
Growth
|
Spring
2012
Ruby
Chong
|
Jay
Lee
|
Sandra
Mendler
|
Muriel
Skaf
Commercial
Development
Standards
and
Citywide
Design
Guidelines
IntroducFon
|
ImplementaFon
|
Other
Regulatory
Regimes
|
Design
Guidelines
|
Overarching
Issues
|
Conclusion

2. Introduc?on
Late
1980s:
1. Los
Angeles
Municipal
Code
SecFon
12.22-­‐A,
23:
Commercial
Corner
Developments
and
Mini-­‐Shopping
Centers
–
Development
Standards
2. Los
Angeles
Municipal
Code
SecFon
12.24-­‐W,
27:
Commercial
Corner
Developments
and
Mini-­‐Shopping
Centers
–
CondiFonal
Use
Permit
Issues:
1. Inefficiency
2. Limited
scope
3. Lack
of
neighborhood
protecFon
Direc?on:
1. Develop
commercial
citywide
design
guidelines:
BROADLY
APPLICABLE,
BROADLY
ENFORCEABLE,
&
MORE
DETAILED
2. Recommend
a
streamlined
procedure
to
review
requests
3. Study
approaches
to
protect
residenFal
neighborhoods
IntroducFon
|
ImplementaFon
|
Other
Regulatory
Regimes
|
Design
Guidelines
|
Overarching
Issues
|
Conclusion

3. Citywide
Commercial
Design
Guidelines
IMPLEMENTATION
RECOMMENDATIONS
IntroducFon
|
ImplementaFon
|
Other
Regulatory
Regimes
|
Design
Guidelines
|
Overarching
Issues
|
Conclusion

4. Implementa?on
ExisFng
Compliance:
1. Commercial
Citywide
Design
Guidelines
2. LA
General
Plan
3. LA
Municipal
Code
Process:
1. Flexibility
2. JusFficaFon
3. Findings
4. Intent

5. Implementa?on
RecommendaFon
#1
Refined
Review
Process
1. AdministraFve
Process
2. New
type
of
permit:
efficiency
and
clarity
Precedent:
TSW
(Atlanta,
Georgia)
Technical
Advisory
CommiJee
(TAC)
1. Stakeholders:
architects,
developers,
business
owners,
landscape
architects,
planners,
and
residents
2. DuFes:
technical
assistance
and
recommendaFons
to
permi`ng
authority
3. Annual/biannual
revisions
Precedent:
LACMTA

6. Implementa?on
RecommendaFon
#2
PROVIDE
INCENTIVES:
LARGER
SCOPE
Examples:
1. Tax
breaks
2. Density
and
FAR
allowances
3. Transfer
of
density
and
FAR
4. ExempFon
from
minimum
density
requirements
5. Increased
maximum
parking
raFos
6. Commercial
allowances
Precedents:
Incen<ve
zoning
and
historic
preserva<on

7. Citywide
Commercial
Design
Guidelines
RELATIONSHIP
TO
OTHER
REGULATORY
PLANNING
REGIMES
IntroducFon
|
ImplementaFon
|
Other
Regulatory
Regimes
|
Design
Guidelines
|
Overarching
Issues
|
Conclusion

8. Green
Building
Ordinance
[acFve
–
more
legislaFve
teeth]
versus

9. TOD
Overlays
[sFll
suggesFve
–
more
thorough]
ObjecFve:
walkable,
healthy
and
vibrant
neighborhoods
[greater
objecFve
to
reduce
obesity
and
improving
health
versus
standards
in
Los
Angeles
county]

10. Form-­‐based
Code
Simplifica?on
• Complicated
interplay
of
planning
regimes
– CPIOs
– Specific
Plans
– Specific
Uses
Districts
– TOD
overlays
– Design
overlays
(RIO)
– Street
guidelines
– Commercial
design
guidelines
etc.
 Need
to
simplify
Zoning
Code,
especially
that
all
those
schemes
share
the
same
objecFves
 “modular”
code
(UFO)
• Design
guidelines
might
be
redundant
in
the
future,
but
remain
very
essenFal
for
a
transiFon
phase
to
form-­‐base
codes

11. Manual
for
Living
Streets
[suggesFve
like
Design
Guidelines]
• To
enhance
overall
Built
Environment
– For
all
Users
– Pedestrians
– Cyclists
– Transit
Users
– Vehicles
– Various
Modes
of
TransportaFon
– Private
Vehicles
– Buses
versus
• Comparison
to
Commercial
Design
Guidelines
– SimilariFes
to
Encourage
– Walkability
– Various
Transit
– Streetscape
– Differs
– Street
RelaFonship
to
Building
vs.
Building
RelaFonship
to
Street
– More
Detailed
and
Specific
– Road
Palerns
– Street
Widths

12. Citywide
Commercial
Design
Guidelines
DESIGN
GUIDELINES
RECOMMENDATIONS
IntroducFon
|
ImplementaFon
|
Other
Regulatory
Regimes
|
Design
Guidelines
|
Overarching
Issues
|
Conclusion

13. Commercial
Design
Guidelines
ExisFng
• Guidelines
for
–
IncorporaFng
Smart
Growth
Principles
–
CreaFng
a
cohesive
built
environment
–
Safety
–
Enhancing
the
Business
of
the
Commercial
Buildings
• Best
PracFces
–
Commercial
Citywide
Design
Guidelines
of
City
of
Los
Angeles
–
Community
Design
Guidelines
of
the
City
of
Portland
–
Design
Guidelines
of
Washington,
DC
–
AcFve
Design
Guidelines
of
New
York
City

14. Exis?ng
Guidelines
Smart
Growth-­‐
Public
Spaces

15. Exis?ng
Guidelines
Façade
Design

16. Exis?ng
Guidelines
Landscape

17. Exis?ng
Guidelines
UFliFes

18. Exis?ng
Guidelines
Sustainability-­‐
Passive

19. Commercial
Design
Guidelines
RecommendaFons
• Further
Develop
Sustainable
Framework
– Environmental,
Economic,
and
Social
Benefits
– Passive
Strategies
– AcFve
Strategies
IntroducFon
|
ImplementaFon
|
Other
Regulatory
Regimes
|
Design
Guidelines
|
Overarching
Issues
|
Conclusion

20. Proposed
Guidelines
Sustainable
Materials
Green
Building
Materials
• Bamboo
• Cork
• Natural
Paint

21. Proposed
Guidelines
Sustainability-­‐
AcFve
Photovoltaics
• Renewable
Energy
• Reduces
Heat
Island
Effect
Precedents:
Solar
Energy
System
Guidelines
of
Santa
Barbara

22. Photovoltaics
Size
• Not
be
overly
publicly
visible
• Not
larger
than
necessary
NOT
RECOMMENDED

23. Photovoltaics
LocaFon
• South
side
of
the
site
for
maximum
benefits
of
solar
gain
RECOMMENDED
NOT
RECOMMENDED
(enFrely)

24. Photovoltaics
Arrangement
and
Design
• Create
a
rectangular
shape
system
rather
than
irregular
shape
RECOMMENDED
NOT
RECOMMENDED

25. Photovoltaics
Arrangement
and
Design
• Complement
the
overall
design
of
the
building
RECOMMENDED

26. Citywide
Commercial
Design
Guidelines
OVERARCHING
ISSUES
AND
CONCLUSION
IntroducFon
|
ImplementaFon
|
Other
Regulatory
Regimes
|
Design
Guidelines
|
Overarching
Issues
|
Conclusion

27. Oriented?
Why
Pedestrian-­‐
• Framework
plan
anFcipates
significant
growth
• Limited
space
for
addiFonal
single
family
housing
• Growth
planned
for
commercial
corridors
and
at
transit
nodes

28. Source: http://www.crala.org/internet-site/Projects/Hollywood/upload/CRAHollywoodUrbanDesignPlan_web[1]-3.pdf

32. Oriented?
Why
Pedestrian-­‐
“The
Design
Guide
is
intended
to
provide
guidance
for
creaFng
a
livable
Downtown.
It
includes
both
standards
(requirements)
and
guidelines
(suggesFons).”

33. Checklist
The
Walkability
• Recommended
strategies
to
improve
the
pedestrian
environment
in
the
public
right-­‐of-­‐
way
and
on
private
property
• Not
a
requirement
• Not
part
of
the
zoning
code
• A
project
that
is
walkable
is
good
for
business
and
the
environment

34. SF
BeJer
Streets
Plan

35. SF
BeJer
Streets
Plan
The
Beler
Streets
legislaFon
requires
that
any
changes
to
the
public
right-­‐of-­‐way,
whether
proposed
by
a
community
member,
developer,
merchant
associaFon,
City
agency,
or
others
must
conform
with
relevant
guidelines
and
policies
from
the
Beler
Streets
Plan.

36. Conclusion
Is
it
a
good
idea
for
neighborhoods
to
have
the
ability
to
create
alternate
design
guidelines?
Is
this
good
for
the
city?
Is
this
needed
given
how
basic
the
guidelines
are?
IntroducFon
|
ImplementaFon
|
Other
Regulatory
Regimes
|
Design
Guidelines
|
Overarching
Issues
|
Conclusion