Livermore Municipal Code Part 0 Preamble (CA)

LDC Chapter 0.01. FORM-BASED CODES AND THE TRANSECT: PRINCIPLES

LDC § 0.01.010. Form-Based Codes.

The Form-Based Code is an alternative approach to zoning that reinforces walkable, sustainable mixed-use environments and development and builds upon community character. The Livermore Development Code uses a Form-Based Coding approach in order to achieve the General Plan's goals of sustainability and sensitive high-quality infill. Form-Based Coding also meets the objectives of the Caltrans Community-Based Transportation Planning Grant, with which this project was partially funded, by creating a code that focuses on the creation of compact, high-quality projects, which will lay a solid foundation for smart growth policies and practices in the City.

Form-based codes foster predictable built results and a high-quality public realm by using physical form (rather than separation of uses) as the organizing principle for the code. These codes are adopted into city or county law as regulations, not mere guidelines. Form-based codes are an alternative to conventional zoning.

Form-Based Codes Institute

The first step in this approach was the application of Form-Based Coding to the designated Focus Areas – primarily older neighborhoods surrounding the downtown. The code framework thus established will encourage further Form-Based Code application throughout the City in the future, including the possibilities of optional Form-Based Coding overlays for large greyfield sites, the creation and use of Transect zones for future projects such as a BART Station Specific Plan, and the creation of subdivision standards and Transect zone regulations for the limited number of new neighborhoods that may be built. The ultimate goal is to contain growth in Livermore, preserve the existing historic character of neighborhoods surrounding the downtown, regulate for high-quality infill, and a create a predictable process for developers and the community to help meet these goals.

LDC § 0.01.020. The Transect.

The Transect is an organizing principle often used in Form-Based Coding that focuses first on the intended character and type of place and second on the uses within. This flips the framework used in conventional or Euclidean zoning, in which use is the primary focus and form comes second. Transect zones are used to reinforce existing or to create new walkable mixed-use urban environments.

"The rural-to-urban Transect is a means for considering and organizing the human habitat in a continuum of intensity that ranges from the most rural condition to the most urban. It provides a standardized method for differentiating between the intentions for urban form in various areas using gradual transitions rather than harsh distinctions. The zones are primarily classified by the physical intensity of the built form, the relationship between nature and the built environment, and the complexity of uses within the zone."

Form-Based Code Institute

The model Transect for American towns is divided into six Transect zones or T-zones: Natural (T1), Rural (T2), Sub-urban (T3), General Urban (T4), Urban Center (T5), and Urban Core (T6), together with a Special District (SD) designation for areas with specialized purposes (e.g., heavy industrial, transportation, entertainment, or university districts, among other possibilities). Each T-zone is given a number: higher numbers designate progressively more urban zones, and lower numbers designate more rural zones.

LDC § 0.01.030. The Livermore Transect.

The Livermore-specific Transect was created through thorough documentation of existing conditions and uses, both old and new classifications. For instance, the Natural and Rural zones from the previously established zoning code, including the zones currently called Open Space, Planned Development/Agriculture, South Livermore Valley/Agriculture and Residential Rural, will keep their current names due to the familiarity of the existing terminology and system. Meanwhile, the Form-Based Code (FBC) Focus Areas north and south of downtown will be reclassified into the T3 and T4 Transect zones. Placeholders have been left in this document to allow for the future creation and application of T5 and T6 zones, which were not used in the FBC Focus Areas, but which could be applicable to future BART station area planning and the downtown area. In the Livermore application of the rural-to-urban Transect, the T4 Transect zone is further broken down into sub-zones. The first level of specialization introduces a T4 Neighborhood and a T4 Main Street, which are compatible in scale but require different types of buildings and physical forms – residential in the Neighborhood zones and commercial in the Main Street zones. These classifications can be further specialized with an "Open" designation, which allows for more variety in intended uses. For example, a T4 Main Street-Open still requires commercial buildings, but the allowed uses for the ground and upper floors of these buildings are more flexible.

In this code, the Special Districts are categorized as Non-Transect zones. These zones are typically more reliant on automobile and other vehicle use and must be regulated with consideration for this context. With these requirements in mind, the updated Development Code has retained the naming conventions of the past code for these zones, and only minor changes have been made to their regulations, such as the reformatting of the text into easy-to-read tables. Some zones with similar intents have been combined to make the code easier to understand and administer.

All of the development regulations within this code document have been carefully considered in relation to their context or setting along the Transect, including parking and building form. Future regulations, including Specific Plans and any additional sustainability standards, should consider using the Transect as a framework in order to further reinforce this common vocabulary.

LDC § 0.01.040. The Livermore Transect Zones and Intent.

T3N	T4N	T4N-O
T3-Neighborhood	T4-Neighborhood	T4-Neighborhood-Open
Desired Form	Desired Form	Desired Form
Residential	Residential	Residential
Intent	Intent	Intent
This zone's primary intent is to allow additions and new development that respect and protect the integrity and quality of the neighborhoods adjacent to downtown. This zone allows for new additions and single-family houses to be built in the scale and character of the existing neighborhood. Carriage house units provide additional housing opportunities within these walkable neighborhoods.	This zone's primary intent is to build upon the unique characteristics of Livermore's walkable downtown neighborhoods while allowing them to evolve. A mixture of different small-footprint, medium-density building types such as bungalow courts, duplexes, and courtyard apartments help reinforce the walkable nature of the neighborhood and support neighborhood-serving commercial uses adjacent to this zone.	The primary intent of this zone is to provide an appropriate transition from a neighborhood main street or downtown environment into residential areas, and to provide flexible buildings in a residential form that allows neighborhood-serving commercial and service uses to expand as the market desires.

T4MS-O	T4MS
T4-Main Street-Open	T4-Main Street
Desired Form	Desired Form
Commercial/Shopfront	Commercial/Shopfront
Intent	Intent
The primary intent of this zone is to provide an appropriate transition from the neighborhood main street into residential areas, and to provide flexible ground-floor spaces in a commercial form that can allow the ground-floor "shopfront" environment to expand as the market desires.	The primary intent of this zone is to integrate vibrant main street commercial and retail environments into neighborhoods that will provide day-to-day commercial amenities within walking distance, reinforce an existing or potential transit stop, and serve as a focal point for the neighborhoods.

LDC § 0.01.050. Using the Transect to Meet Principles.

The Transect can be applied at various scales across the City to meet the following principles:

A. The City-Guiding Principles.

Preserve and enhance community character;
Growth: encourage appropriately scaled infill and development;
Alternatives to cars: reinforce through the protection and expansion of extensive trails and bicycle routes and patterns that support more frequent transit service;
Preserve agriculture and open space at edges-clear boundary;
Reinforce a pattern of walkable neighborhoods: support existing walkable neighborhoods and retrofit those that are not walkable; and
Support a range of vibrant human habitats along the Transect.

B. The Neighborhood-Guiding Principles.

Support a diversity of housing choices appropriate to location along the Transect;
Encourage and incubate small local businesses;
Place services within a safe, comfortable walking distance of homes; and
Create a framework of well-designed streets that are safe and secure for pedestrians and bicycles.

C. The Block and Building-Guiding Principles.

Build upon and reinforce the unique characteristics of Livermore;
Ensure that each building plays a role in creating a better whole, not just a good building;
Meet the changing needs of residents;
Ensure that architecture and landscape grow from local climate, history, and building practice; and
Put civic buildings in important locations and make sure their form is appropriate to their civic stature.

LDC Chapter 0.02. HOW TO USE THE CODE

LDC § 0.02.010. Organization.

The following text is advisory only and is intended to give a brief overview of the overall Development Code.

Preamble:

This Part introduces the rural-to-urban Transect system and the Livermore-specific Transect calibration that forms the framework of the Code. It also gives an overview of the various parts of the Code and illustrates how to use it.