1. Case Study: Saratoga Springs, NY
Mayor?

2. Who Was Involved City of Saratoga Springs, NY
Planning/Design: Environmental Design and Research
Zoning/Legal: Joel Russell Associates
City Code Revision Committee (mostly professional planners)

3. Why Form-Based Zoning? Mixed use neighborhoods
Look and function like traditional Saratoga neighborhoods
Clarity about development expectations – lots of graphics

4. Approaches Considered
“Parallel” form-based ordinance: optional with incentives
Rejected because it would not mandate change
Completely new form-based ordinance to replace existing zoning city-wide
Rejected as too costly and too radical
Specific form-based zoning districts for areas where development should go
Accepted because it fit the budget and was less radical

5. Approach Used Replaced seven zoning districts with three new districts
New site development standards, both text and graphics, to bring predictability to the development process

6. Only a Few Key Mandates Buildings must be close to street
Buildings must occupy most of the lot frontage
Height must be at least two real stories
No detailed regulating plan

7. Initial Public Reactions
Confusion
“What are you talking about?”
Skepticism
“Who is going to build that? Who will want to live in that?”
“Too much power given to the Planning Board”
“It is going to encourage too much growth”

8. Results
before
after

9. Results
before
after

10. Results Budget: Approx. $43,000 Adopted: May 2004 Results:
by 2007, there had been 15 major projects ($200 million; 1,000,000 sq. ft.)

11. Resources Form-Based Codes Institute Congress for the New Urbanism
Congress for the New Urbanism