Neighborhood Commercial Land reserved for small nodes of commercial activity along collector or arterial streets in Fuquay-Varina. Small-scale, compact businesses are oriented toward an internal main street or public square that serves as a gathering space for patrons and visitors. The compact, walkable design of a Neighborhood Commercial area encourages pedestrian movements between buildings. Their proximity to existing neighborhoods in some locations will require that commercial operations be low-intensity, unobtrusive, and at a scale and design compatible with nearby residential development. Buildings on small blocks may stand up to two (2) stories tall. Parking is satisfied using on-street parking and shared rear-lot parking strategies. Sites should effectively minimize the impact of cut-through traffic on nearby neighborhood streets by orienting vehicle access and circulation away from adjacent neighborhoods.
Lot Size & Building Placement Front setbacks may be large if parking is provided between the building and the street. Redevelopment and new development should be in more compact lot and building patterns, with parking relocated to the rear of buildings that are oriented to the street (variable design feature, may change based on character of adjacent development). Front setbacks are variable, and should be smaller in the core and larger in areas adjacent to existing development. Side and rear setbacks are variable based on site conditions. Open Spaces & Natural Resources Due to their small scale and location, Neighborhood Commercial areas are often developed in a manner that does not allow significant protection of topography or natural landscape features, and may require grading, tree clearing, or retaining walls. New development should be sensitive to topography where practical, and incorporate environmental design features including sustainable stormwater solutions. Open space elements on the site may include: a common green, parks, pocket parks, civic plazas, or squares. Surface parking lots or other impervious surfaces in existing sites are encouraged to redevelop as open space to the maximum extent possible. Street & Block Pattern Neighborhood Commercial areas may or may not have a discernible block structure, as smaller activity nodes are located at important road intersections, or on small properties along a collector or thoroughfare street. A larger neighborhood commercial area should have grid network of walkable streets with small to medium blocks organized around the commercial core and connections to adjacent residential and non-residential development (with stub outs provided if adjacent land is vacant). These compact areas include small-scale commercial buildings and/or common gathering spaces. Parking is often located between the street and the building, but may also be in the rear. Informal on-street parking may also be allowed. The compact, walkable design of these nodes encourages walking between buildings.
Transportation Considerations A network of walkable streets or drive aisles in parking lots should provide safe and efficient movement of vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians. Sidewalks and greenways internal to the site should form a complete and connected system serving all buildings. Direct sidewalk or greenway access to adjacent neighborhoods should be provided to the maximum extent possible with exceptions made only for topography or land ownership issues that cannot be overcome. Building Types & Massing Buildings are one (1) to two (2) stories tall and designed to be small-scale and locally- serving. Buildings nearest to existing residential neighborhoods should be of a scale and design compatible with nearby development, including, but not limited to roof line, facade articulation, or window treatments.
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Fuquay-Varina Land Use Plan
Chapter 3: Character Area Typology
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