Following the adoption of the High Point 2045 Comprehensive Plan, the City should update its development ordinance to ensure that it is consistent with the comprehensive plan. The ordinance is the primary tool to help implement the comprehensive plan and the community’s vision for growth and development. The Growth Framework section in the comprehensive plan provides the legal basis for the zoning code.

More specifically, the development ordinance should include prescriptive revisions aimed at creating a high-quality urban form and accommodating growth in activity centers and along key corridors. The update should expand upon the City’s existing administrative review process to include more elements that support place-based decisions.

Items to add, address, and/or expand include but are not limited to:

• A district framework that reflects the Place Types outlined in the Growth Framework

• • Expand opportunities for a variety of housing types in multiple residential and mixed-use districts. See next page on housing for additional details.

 

• Height bonuses and/ or other incentives for affordable housing units and open space preservation Incentivize by granting additional building height and density in exchange for building affordable housing units and/or contributing to an affordable housing or open space preservation fund.

 

• Development of a citywide street typology with standards for pedestrian and bicycle accommodations as well as required streetscape components
  • Both the 2017 Pedestrian Plan and the 2019 Complete Streets Manual provide development ordinance recommendations that should be considered during this update.

 

• Frontage or building typologies that coordinate with street typology
  • It might be desirable to require shopfront buildings on streets with ground-floor retail, such as Main Street.

 

• Principle-based building form standards, such as:
  • Composition with base, mid-section and crown
  • Minimum and maximum height
  • Entryways fronting streets with connecting sidewalks
  • First floor transparency requirements

 

• Build-to-zones to create a consistent building street wall with exceptions for public spaces such as pocket parks, plazas and outdoors seating

 

• Recognition that many corner lots have two front yards

 

• Parking permitted in rear and side yards only for areas not designated for traditional single-family homes

 

• Parking areas broken down into smaller “blocks” or “pods” with integrated landscaping and walkways

 

• Pedestrian alleyways connecting streets and public spaces to parking areas

 

• Shared parking provisions and consider establishing parking maximums

 

• Inclusion of dedicated public parks and intentional open / activity space within developments

 

• Master plan and phasing plans for large developments

 

• Consider a development code incentive for public art

 

High Point should continue to monitor the real estate market and local development interest and adjust the development ordinance as necessary. As with a comprehensive plan, the development ordinance should be updated periodically to respond to changing marketing conditions. For example, the retail and commercial market has and will likely change considerably over the next several years. Many retailers will likely move to downsize brick and mortar stores creating vacant or underutilized space along commercial corridors. Others will continue to make significant investments in store-based fulfillment. Providing land use flexibility and managing the externalities (e.g. delivery truck traffic, reduced parking demands, etc.) associated with these changes should be proactively addressed.