An introduction to Courtyard housing featuring form-based design guidelines and photographic examples of great Courtyard communities from around the country. Are you interested in bringing Courtyards to your community of municipality? If so, email us at loomisburton@gmail.com.

1. Courtyard Living
We’re introducing courtyard living to
Plum Creek in a big way.
Courtyard living provides a high-quality of
life in myriad configurations.
Courtyard configurations, like the homes
along them can come in a wide variety of
shapes and sizes.
The attached slides illustrate this variety.
The high numbers of courtyards being
built in hugely successful TND
neighborhoods like Stapleton
Denver, Baldwin Park Orlando, Mueller
Austin and Hometown Aurora speaks to
the demand and desirability of this

2. Top 5 Reasons for
Courtyard Living
#1) Courtyards appeal to
SINKS, DINKS, families with preschoolers
and empty-nesters.
#2) 80M+ future Gen Y homebuyers prefer
compact, walkable communities with less
maintenance and more lifestyle.
#3) Courtyard construction requires less
public infrastructure making them more
economic than conventional housing for
cities to maintain over time.
#4) Courtyards will add variety to the local
housing market making Kyle more
attractive to a wider range of buyers.
#5) Courtyards increase the amount of
open space and decrease the amount of
pavement.

3. Pasadena, California

4. Pasadena, California

5. Pasadena, California

6. Amelia Park, Jacksonville, FL

7. Amelia Park, Jacksonville, FL

8. Amelia Park, Jacksonville, FL

9. Amelia Park, Jacksonville, FL

10. Cottage Courtyards, Seattle

11. Cottage Courtyards, Seattle

12. Cottage Courtyards, Seattle

13. Cottage Courtyards, Seattle

14. Cottage Courtyards, Seattle

15. Chico, California

16. Hometown Aurora, IL

17. Ladera Ranch, Mission Viejo, CA

18. Chico, CA

19. Ladera Ranch, CA

20. Ladera Ranch, CA

21. Ladera Ranch, CA

22. Ladera Ranch, CA

23. Hometown Aurora, IL

24. Hometown Aurora, IL

25. Hometown Aurora, IL

26. Hometown Aurora, IL

27. Early sections of Stapleton Denver featured
very few Courtyards.
Current sections (pictures here) are over 50%
Courtyards designed in a wide variety of configurations.

28. Stapleton, Denver

29. Stapleton, Denver, CO

30. Stapleton, Denver, CO

31. Stapleton, Denver, CO

32. Stapleton, Denver, CO

33. Stapleton, Denver, CO

34. Mueller Austin
features numerous Courtyards
in a variety of configurations

35. Mueller Austin

36. Mueller Austin

37. A small section of Courtyard homes exists in
Plum Creek today.
Future sections will feature additional
landscaping, hardscape and benches.

38. Our proposed definition of a Courtyard is as follows:
“Courtyard [means] an arrangement of single family
attached and/or detached residential units
in which the front of units (except for the end groups of units)
generally face each other
with one or two sidewalks between them
that are more or less
perpendicular to a public or private street.“

39. Our proposed Courtyard regulations are as follows:
Setbacks and Lot Standards
OS R-1 R-2 R-2 R-2 R-2 R-2 R-3
DUPLEX COURT
DUPLEX 1 2 DETACHED ATTACHED YARD
SETBACKS:
front (excluding porch) 15' 15' 15' 15' 15' 15' 4' 15'
10% of 10% of 10% of
width or width or width or
Min 5' Min 5' Max Min 5'
side 10' Max 7.5' 7.5' Max 7.5' 5' 0 0' 15'
rear unit 10' 25' 10' 10' 10' 25' 0' 10'
rear garage 5' 5' 5' 5' 5' 5' 10' 5'
MIN LOT AREA 3,500 6,000 6,000 7,200 3,600 2,500 2000' 6,000
MIN LOT FRONTAGE 35' 50' 50' 60' 35' 25' 30' 50'
MIN LOT DEPTH n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a NA n/a
MIN CUL-DE-SAC FRONT n/a 30' n/a n/a n/a n/a NA n/a
MAX. PER LOT n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 36 / acre
MAX. BLDG HEIGHT 35' 35' 35' 35' 35' 35' 35' 60'

40. We also propose form-based design guidelines for successful Courtyards:
The following should be added to the site development regulations for Courtyard Residential in Ordinance 311 after the “g” provision:
h. Each Courtyard shall have a “gateway” (examples: trellis, fencing, and/or landscaping).
I, Each Courtyard shall have a gathering place with a minimum of 4 chairs or 2 benches.
j. The Courtyard sidewalk(s)shall be the following minimum width for at least 70% of the length:
i. Single sidewalk: 5’
ii Double sidewalk: 4’-6”
k. Each dwelling unit shall have a front porch or front patio having an area with a minimum depth
Of 5’ and a minimum length of 7’.

41. A proposed Plum Creek Courtyard
These planned Courtyard homes are built along a landscaped Greenway.
The Greenway serves as a central gathering place with thematic landscaping.
The central Greenway was originally conceived as an expensive boulevard.
Redesigning the boulevard as a Greenway improves livability
and saves money and long-term maintenance expense.

42. Courtyard in front
Garages in back
A proposed Plum Creek Courtyard

43. In Search of Courtyards
• As illustrated by the photographs in this
presentation, Courtyards can be
designed and built in myriad
configurations to serve myriad buyers.
• The physical design of functional
neighborhoods fosters
relationships, community and value.
• Pocket Neighborhoods and Courtyards
are an excellent solution for infill sites.
• LoomisBurton is actively seeking new
sites for Courtyard developments and
communities interested in promoting
them.
• For more information contact us at
loomisburton@gmail.com