Neighborhood Activity Center
Open Spaces & Natural Resources Redeveloped Neighborhood Activity Centers should be sensitive to existing natural resources, including tree stands and natural drainage ways. Mass grading may be necessary in some cases to provide higher density or compact development patterns targeted for the Center. Open space elements in a new Neighborhood Activity Center may include: common greens, small parks, playgrounds, plazas, multiple gathering spaces, and community gardens along with trails or greenways that connect them. Large, mature trees on a site should be preserved to the maximum extent possible to reinforce the overall vision and character of the Town. Existing surface parking lots or other impervious surface is encouraged to redevelop as open space to the maximum extent possible. Lot Size & Building Placement Redevelopment and new development should be in more compact patterns, with parking relocated to the rear of buildings that are oriented toward the street. Front setbacks are variable, but in new development, especially closest to the center, they should be as small as possible. Side and rear setbacks are variable. Setbacks may be exaggerated in some areas to preserve large, mature tree stands on the site. It is imperative that a discernible center or corridor be included in the non-residential portion of a Neighborhood Activity Center: a main street, park, square, or plaza. Buildings should front the center or corridor on all sides and be pulled close to the street with wide sidewalks in front. Small-scale, compact businesses should radiate from the center or corridor and include public gathering places for the community in multiple locations. Large building footprints should be broken up with alleyways or breezeways to facilitate shorter walking distances. Street & Block Pattern New or redeveloped Neighborhood Activity Centers should incorporate a pattern of small blocks and a hierarchy of walkable streets, which sometimes build off the driveway location or drive aisles of surface parking lots for existing Suburban Commercial areas that are redeveloped as new Neighborhood Activity Centers. Vehicle access and circulation should be oriented away from adjacent neighborhoods. Parking should be satisfied using on-street parking, structured parking, or shared rear-lot parking strategies located toward the interior of blocks. Formal and informal on-street parking should be provided throughout the Activity Center. The mix of different housing types or non-residential building types on a block or series of blocks should be frequent and widespread. Generally speaking, blocks with the same housing type or non-residential building type should not extend more than two (2) blocks in any direction to ensure an integrated mix of land uses and intensities in the Activity Center. Exceptions to this standard may be appropriate on a case-by-case basis for a very limited number of irregular shaped parcels.
Transportation Considerations Development should support all modes of transportation, and accommodate safe and efficient pedestrian or bicycle movements throughout the Neighborhood Activity Center and to adjacent neighborhoods. Streets should have seating areas, bike racks, and other facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists. Curb and gutter infrastructure and formal street tree planting are used in new development. The transition between residential and non-residential uses in a Neighborhood Activity Center should emphasize compatible building types, heights, footprints, architectural elements, and materials. Similar building types should face each other on a public street to protect the character of the streetscape. Land use transitions are preferred in alleyways, the abutment of two rear yards, or across a large common green. Surface parking lots should not be used as a transition between residential and non-residential uses unless an exaggerated buffer with landscaping is provided that also serves as a public space. Building Types & Massing Building types should mix uses horizontally and vertically, and may include both residential, office, or commercial uses to support the needs of those who live and work in and around the Neighborhood Activity Center. Buildings may stand up to three (3) stories tall, but those nearest to existing residential neighborhoods should be of a scale and design compatible with nearby development. Residential units or office space may be found above storefronts in the core of the development. Neighborhood Activity Centers should provide a wide variety of housing choices, including: single dwelling homes on small lots, townhouses, duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, small apartment or condominium buildings, or accessory dwelling units. One (1) or more buildings may accommodate live-work units. Non-residential uses in the core of a Neighborhood Activity Center should accommodate 5,000 to 100,000 building square feet — approximately five (5) to fifteen (15) acres depending on site features that may limit development potential.
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Fuquay-Varina Land Use Plan
Chapter 3: Character Area Typology
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