202.01: PURPOSE:

The specific purposes of the Downtown Districts are to:

• A. Maintain a thriving, vibrant Downtown compatible with surrounding land uses.

• B. Foster the location of cultural and civic uses and public open space to maintain Downtown as the civic core of the City.

• C. Provide for a range of commercial and retail services that add to a diversified economic base.

• D. Allow mixed uses to create a more vibrant community and offer additional opportunities for housing for residents requiring convenient access to community services and less dependency on auto transportation.

• E. Ensure that development is visually attractive and pedestrian friendly.

• F. Preserve and enhance the pedestrian-oriented environment of the Downtown area.

• G. Ensure that potential development and redevelopment is integrated into the Downtown and supports the vitality of the area.

Additional purposes of each district within the Downtown Districts:

DR-N Downtown Retail - North of Olive Avenue. Maintain the pedestrian- and transit- oriented environment of retail, restaurants, services, and government offices in the heart of Porterville's Downtown, focused on Main Street. Maintain the traditional Downtown character, with buildings built immediately adjacent to the sidewalk, active commercial uses on the ground floor, ample on-street parking, and a visually attractive streetscape with trees, historic street lights, benches, and other pedestrian amenities.

DR-S Downtown Retail - South of Olive Avenue. Create an attractive commercial corridor that provides a welcoming

gateway at the southern entrance to Downtown while offering a broader mix of service-oriented establishments characteristic of historic development in the area. Buildings should line the street, with street trees along the entire length of the street, and small landscaped front yards between the buildings and the sidewalk.

DR-D Downtown Retail - D Street Corridor. Provide for a mix of medium-scale retail and service uses in a manner

compatible with the Downtown pedestrian environment. Buildings should line the street, with deep landscaped front yards and rows of trees.

D-MX Downtown Mixed-Use. Create a mixed-use area that attracts businesses and residents to locate Downtown, and provides a transition area between commercial areas and residential neighborhoods. Allow a mix of commercial, service, office, and residential uses that do not adversely impact one another in a significant way. Create an attractive streetscape of buildings that line the street, with landscaping and trees tailored to the width and the existing design character of the street. D-PO Downtown Professional Office. Encourage the adaptive re-use of existing buildings with office and professional uses, and infill of new office buildings, in order to provide convenient services to local residents and businesses, complement nearby retail development, and maintain the historic residential character of the area. Maintain the pattern of small lots, historic residential building forms, landscaped front yards, and street trees in planter strips.

of existing buildings with office and professional uses, and infill of new office buildings, in order to provide convenient services to local residents and businesses, complement nearby retail development, and maintain the historic residential character of the area. Maintain the pattern of small lots, historic residential building forms, landscaped front yards, and street trees in planter strips.

D-PS Downtown Public and Semi-Public. Provide areas for larger-scale public facilities that serve the community, with a focus on integrating development into the Downtown. Encourage land uses and design features that enhance the vitality, character and quality of life of the Downtown and surrounding residential areas. Ensure that the traditional block pattern of Downtown is maintained. Incorporate public streets and pedestrian walkways that connect these larger scale projects to Downtown streets and walkways. Design streets with attractive landscaped front yards and street trees, consistent with the character of existing and adjoining streets.

DRM-2 Downtown Medium Density Residential. Encourage a variety of housing types, such as small-lot single-family homes, detached zero lot line developments, duplexes, townhouses, and garden apartments with a maximum residential density of 16.5 units per acre in the Downtown area. Encourage housing in Downtown to provide opportunities for residents to live in close proximity to community services and retail establishments, and to help support the vitality of Downtown businesses. Maintain the existing character of buildings that front the street, landscaped front yards, and street trees. DRM-3 Downtown High Density Residential. Facilitate the development of attached homes, two- to four-plexes, and apartment or condominium buildings with a maximum residential density of 33.0 units per acre in Downtown, to create a more vibrant community and offer additional opportunities for housing for residents requiring convenient access to community services and less dependency on auto transportation. Maintain the existing character of buildings that front the street, landscaped front yards, and street trees.

D-GC Downtown General Commercial. Provide areas for retail, service, and heavier commercial uses that meet local and community needs in a manner complimentary to the adjacent Downtown pedestrian-oriented environment. (Ord. 1866, 11-192019; amd. Ord. 1888, 11-2-2021)