Shaping Orange County's Future Final Full Report

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■ Recommendation : Promote land use patterns that create%nhance quality of life and sense of community, and that use land and other resources efficiently. Action Strategies: A. Municipalities and their Extra Territorial Jurisdictions (ETJs) Within municipalities and their ETJs (see Definitions section) promote "compact mixed -use" development (CMU's) in areas of Towns targeted for growth: • Provide for CMU's in areas best served by urban services (the existing Towns and transition areas), by limiting development options in other areas. • Encourage CMU's to be comprehensive in nature - including residential, commercial, social and civic components, and light industry where appropriate. • Establish effective and specific design standards for site and building design of any mixed -use development. Require CMU's to integrate housing of different values, styles and sizes. Establish basic guidelines for CMU's that are adhered to by all jurisdictions so that: • most residences are within a 15- minute walk to commercial activity; • all residences have easy walking and bike access within the development and to neighboring developments; and • developments are people- friendly and enhance the sense of community by requiring some or many residences to have vehicles parked in rear. B. Transition Areas In Transition Areas (see Definitions section), create "village" style development to focus development and develop highly diverse communities with a genuine sense of place to live and grow. A suitability analysis should be conducted to determine possible locations for villages within the Transition Areas. These "villages" should: • Integrate uses (residential, commercial, light industrial, and institutional); • Be centered around a town square with a multi -use community center (that would serve as a focus for community services, cultural activities and community life) and compact, mixed used development; • Require a mixture of housing sizes, density and single and multi - family units; • Be pedestrian- oriented and have bicycle paths; • Be served by bus or transit service. • Be surrounded by a growth boundary and incorporate open space within that boundary; • Be located near, but not on major transportation corridors; • Allow "villages" to be zoned at an appropriate density for creating village style development and highly diverse communities.