Draft Citywide Corridor Planning Principles and Guideline
Draft Citywide Corridor Planning Principles and Guideline
Draft Citywide Corridor Planning Principles and Guideline
TableofContents
PART A Introduction and Background 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Purpose 1.2 What is a Corridor? 1.3 Policy Background for Corridors 1.3.1 Provincial Policy Directions 1.3.2 City Policy Directions 2.0 Planning for Hamiltons Corridors 2.1 Intensification 2.2 Managing Change PART B Corridor Planning Principles and Design Guidelines 1.0 Where Do These Principles and Guidelines Apply? 2.0 Application of these Guidelines 2.1 Other Guidelines 2.2 Existing Secondary Plans 2.3 New Corridor Plans, Secondary Plans or Strategies 2.4 Nodes 2.5 Arterial Commercial and Employment Areas 3.0 Corridor Planning Principles 4.0 Corridor Design Guidelines 4.1 Corridor Design Goals 4.2 Development Potential and Property Size 4.3 Maximum Building Height 4.3.1 Maximum Building Height Related to Property Depth 4.3.2 Maximum Building Height Related to Street Width 4.4 Minimum Building Height 4.5 Landscaping 4.6 Parking and Loading 4.7 Relationship to the Street 4.7.1 Pedestrian Focus Area 4.7.2 Flexible Area 4.7.3 Residential Character Area 4.8 Side Yards, Side Walls and Side Step Backs 4.9 Long Buildings 4.10 Sidewalks and Streetscapes 4.11 Land Assembly 4.12 Shadow Impacts 4.13 Precinct Site Development 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 11 11 12 13 14 15 15 16 17 17 18 20 21
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PARTAIntroductionandBackground
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Purpose
The purpose of the City-Wide Corridor Planning Principles and Design Guidelines is to provide planning & design directions for Corridors in the City of Hamilton. These principles and guidelines provide direction for new development, public realm investments and future planning studies along the Citys primary and secondary Corridors. These principles and guidelines will be used: (a) In the evaluation of any Planning Act applications for development. (b) In the preparation of secondary plans, strategies or initiatives that relate to an urban Corridor or a portion thereof. (c) In the preparation of any implementing tools, including Zoning By-laws, infrastructure projects, master plans, or other City projects or initiatives along Corridors. (d) To communicate the important elements of Corridor planning and design to citizens and the development community.
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careful attention to urban design. The following principles from the Official Plan provide policy direction for the development of nodes and corridors in the City: (a) Nodes and Corridors are the focus of reurbanization activities (i.e. population growth, private and public redevelopment, and infrastructure investment). (b) Nodes and Corridors provide focal points of activity for Hamiltons local communities and neighbourhoods. (c) Nodes and Corridors are connected to each other and are internally served by various modes of transportation, including higher order transit. (d) Nodes and Corridors provide a vibrant pedestrian environment and facilitate active transportation through careful attention to urban design. (e) Nodes and Corridors evolve with higher residential densities and mixed use developments to achieve their planned functions and support transit. (Urban Hamilton Official Plan, Section E.2.1) City of Hamilton Transit Oriented Development (TOD) (2010) Guidelines provide a series of tools and strategies to facilitate transit oriented development in a variety of contexts in the City including nodes and along transit corridors and routes.
respecting and protecting the character of the residential neighbourhoods next to the Corridors.
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Figure 1 Urban Official Plan Schedule E Urban Structure. Urban Corridors shown in light purple, larger format is available on the City website.
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PARTBCorridorPlanningPrinciplesandDesignGuidelines
1.0 Where Do These Principles and Guidelines Apply?
These Guidelines are generally intended to apply to properties that front onto arterial roads within 400m of a Corridor identified in the Urban Official Plan. This includes properties fronting onto the identified Corridor itself as well as other arterial roads that intersect with the corridor or run parallel with the corridor within a 400 m distance from the identified Corridor. As Corridors are to be the locations for transit, the 400 m distance from the Corridor is considered to be zone of transit influence and represents a comfortable walking distance to transit. Each Corridor in the City is unique and application of these principles and guidelines may differ between or within Corridors. Special consideration should be given to intersecting arterial roads as those provide the most direct connections to a Corridor, are often the locations with most accessibility, are often locations for commercial and public buildings having higher levels of pedestrian activity, and are the likely locations for transit stops.
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2.4 Nodes
These Guidelines may apply to properties fronting arterial roads in Nodes, as identified in the Urban Hamilton Official Plan in the absence of an approved Secondary or Node Plan. However, as these areas allow for more intense development and have less neighbourhood context than the Corridors, these guidelines should be carefully considered in combination with other policy direction, such as the Official Plan.
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(e) Minimize the negative effects of overview on existing adjacent private properties. (f) Encourage a diversity of built form, neighbourhood character and development opportunities along the Corridors.
2 to 12 storeys A mix of building types and uses that correspond to the existing context and a comprehensive plan for the site.
* Maximum building height to be determined in relationship to actual property depth and street width.
in context to surrounding properties by relating maximum building height to property depth and street width.
4.5 Landscaping
The use of landscaping, fencing and trees can minimize the impact of new development on an area by screening views to maximize privacy, filter or block noise and improve the character of an area. Guidelines: 1. A landscape strip should be provided along property lines with single detached, semi detached or duplex residential in the adjacent neighbourhood. This landscape strip should generally be 3 m in width and include trees planted is such a way as to screen views of adjacent properties from the upper floors of new development. This can be achieved by planting trees 3 m to 10 m apart, depending on the species. These areas should also include a solid wall or fence along the property line.
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2. Along arterial and local streets landscaped areas including trees should be provided wherever a building is setback and the area is not required for pedestrian access or other pedestrian amenities. Figure 3 Landscaping
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4. Loading should be located behind, beside or within a building and should be screened from the view of the public street and adjacent properties with walls or other features in keeping with the overall design of the building. Where there are a number of small businesses requiring loading space consideration should be given to providing shared loading space. This space may be provided on street where city policy allows and where there is enough space to accommodate it within the road right of way without compromising the pedestrian realm, street function or public parking supply. 5. On street parking should be provided where active uses face the street at grade where City policy allows and where there is enough space to accommodate it within the road right of way without compromising the pedestrian realm or street function. 6. Vehicular access to a property should be from side streets via private or assumed public alleys wherever possible. Vehicular access to a property from arterial streets should be discouraged. Where necessary vehicular access to a property from an arterial street should be located and designed in such a way as to promote the continuity of the sidewalk and the comfort and safety of the pedestrian. Vehicular access points to parking and loading areas should be designed in such a way as to ensure waiting vehicles to not block the public sidewalk and provide drivers clear site lines to pedestrians and on coming traffic. 7. Where vehicular access is provided on a side street in accordance with the above guideline, the location of driveways should be aligned with existing driveways or parking areas on the opposite side of the street, wherever possible. This will minimize vehicle impacts such as headlight glare on an existing residence. 8. Those properties along Corridors identified in the Transportation Master Plan for future higher order transit should limit the amount of parking provided to the minimum required by the zoning by-law. Where the zoning by-law and other policy permits consideration should be given to reducing the amount of parking required further when transportation demand management features such as car share and bicycle storage are included in the development.
Typical Relationships to the Street There are many different opportunities for development and unique conditions along the corridors. To allow for flexibility the following three categories have been created to provide guidance in typical situations. These Guidelines should be applied in locations identified through a specific corridor strategy, corridor or area secondary plan or through other planning policy. Where secondary and/or corridor plans are not in place, the City will evaluate individual proposals to determine which of the three categories is appropriate.
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2. Small commercial uses may be located at grade but should be discouraged on upper floors. 3. Where located beside existing or planned single detached, semi detached or duplex residential which also face the arterial street and are intended to remain low density residential, the height of new development should conform to a build to plane similar to that outlined in guideline 4.3.1. Maximum Building Height. In this case the 45 degree build to plane should be measured from the side property line in addition to the rear. This allows for a transition in building form by stepping down of height along the street. Figure 6 Relationship to the Street Residential Character
4. Where blank side walls occur they should be designed in such a way and with materials to be in keeping with the overall design of the building.
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3. Land assembly may be considered for properties whose side property line is adjacent to the rear property line of properties that front onto the arterial street or an alley that is adjacent to properties that front onto the arterial street. This will minimize impacts on the existing character of local streets perpendicular to the arterial by affecting only those properties at the end of the local street and maximizing the length of unaffected existing streetscape. (see Figure 9) 4. Land assembly should not be considered where rear property lines are adjacent to the rear property line of properties that front onto the arterial street or an alley that is adjacent to properties that front onto the arterial street. This will minimize impacts on the existing character of local street that are parallel and adjacent to arterial streets by not breaking up the existing character on one side in only one section of the local street. (see figure 9)
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3. To minimize shadow impacts adjacent properties, adjacent public spaces and the public sidewalk on one side of the street should receive a minimum of 5 hours of sunlight throughout the day measured on March 21st. Figure 10 Examples of Shadow Impacts
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2. In addition to the requirements and standards required by the Community Planning and Design Section the Urban Design Analysis and/or Guideline should consider any unique contextual requirements identified in applicable corridor or secondary plans.
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