Shaping Our Corridors

What is a Form-Based Code?

Form-Based Codes (FBCs) are an approach to zoning that prioritize context and urban form over land uses and can be used to implement a specific community vision. FBCs can prescribe key metrics of the City’s desired urban form for future development, such as height, setbacks, and massing, as well as basic building and site design standards such as façade composition, the arrangement of doors and windows, the inclusion of elements to activate the street, and the location of parking. An important part of the code-writing process is identifying and removing regulatory barriers that could be preventing the type of development the community would like to see. These standards can be utilized for historic districts where the goal is for such regulations to protect and reinforce the existing context; or alternatively for districts and corridors where there is a community vision for a different future context, such as retrofitting a portion of a suburban corridor into a walkable neighborhood center.

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Learn more about FBCs:

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Form-Based Codes Institute

FBCI Resources Page

Public Health and FBC Form-Based Codes Institute (FBCI)

What is a Form-Based Code 

 

How were the West Ashley and Johns Island study areas selected? 

As part of the Setting New Standards Code Assessment completed in April 2024, potential study areas for a form-based zoning approach within City limits were identified using the following criteria:

• Areas of Higher Elevation: Focusing on areas of higher elevation supports the City’s long-term growth for strategic investments in development and related infrastructure in areas less susceptible to flooding, storm surge impacts, and other longer-term risks associated with sea-level rise. The Elevation Risk Zones map in the City Plan was referenced as part of this exercise.

• Future Land Use Designations: The Future Land Use Map in the City Plan is a visual guide for desired future land use and development. The map is an articulation of the community’s vision, and helps the City make land use and growth management decisions. For this exercise, the team prioritized areas designated as City Center (areas that are envisioned to have greater density/intensity and mix of uses, and where the most infill and redevelopment may occur over time to accommodate growth) or Neighborhood Edge (areas along major roads, envisioned to transition to more urban compact design patterns, with more residential uses).

• Commercial Corridors: The City has several corridors where existing zoning permits a general mix of commercial development. These corridors were evaluated for their potential to include a greater mix of uses, including housing. Increasing the permitted mix of uses on already-developed corridors can help to meet the City’s goals to increase housing options, shorten commutes between home and work, and preserve other environmentally-sensitive lands. Use of a form-based district can ensure that the future mix is designed and configured in a way that is consistent with the community vision.

• TIF District: Parcels in the West Ashley Redevelopment Project Area and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District, along the Sam Rittenberg and Savannah Highway corridors, were identified as one area where the City is seeking investment and new development, making it a primary candidate for a form-based district.

• Small Area Plans: In addition to City Plan, the City has recent small area plans that identify a community vision for future development; a form-based district can help to implement these recommendations. Specifically, the Johns Island Community Plan (2007) and Plan West Ashley (2018) can be referenced.

 

Additional information can be found in the Code Assessment.