09-15-11 Planning and Zoning - Laserfiche WebLink

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same use); however, when patronizing a restaurant along Main Street, one encounters a more pedestrian -friendly environment with sidewalks, gridded streets, buildings brought mostly to the street, and on -street parking. In contrast, when patronizing a restaurant along Fairmont Parkway, one encounters a more auto -oriented environment where there are no sidewalks (or they are sporadic) and buildings are set back behind off-street parking (see inset for an example of the same residential use exhibiting three different characters). Finally, aesthetic enhancements such as the design of buildings, landscaping and screening, sign control, and site amenities also contribute to enhanced community character. Key Planning Considerations Key planning considerations for enhancing community character include: 1) Pursuing opportunities to create unique, signature areas in the community (particular destinations, corridors, public facilities, parks and open space areas). 2) Enhancing first impression and "front door" appearance by focusing on the aesthetic treatments at community entries. 3) Coordinating gateway improvements so that a consistent, highquality appearance exists at all entry points to the City. 4) Enhancing wayfinding, not only to help residents and visitors navigate the community and find its key destinations, but also as a unifying design element across the City, 5) Improving the appearance of the City's primary corridors so that an enhanced 'image of the City is created. 6) Amending the zoning ordinance to repurpose and recalibrate its districts and standards to reflect their intended community character outcomes. Based on these planning considerations, the following goals, actions, and initiatives address specific issues and needs identified during the public participation process ( and outlined in Chapter 1, Plan Context). GOAL 6- Enhance the overall appearance of the built environment in the City. To be fully effective in achieving the community's vision for the future, proactive efforts must be undertaken to improve the appearance of the built environment within the City. Unfortunately, the needs often outweigh the financial or administrative resources available to achieve the desired outcomes. Therefore, it is recognized that there are areas of La Porte that are more visible and, thus, may serve as a "starting point" to initiate these enhancement efforts. A j N1 I IN V1 � 10N1, R)R_ LA V01\0 1, 1 FXA� - 2010 U I'l )A I F