Winchester-Clark County, KY Big-Box Design Standards

Type: Policy
Status: Adopted on 8/5/03
Source File: http://www.winchesterky.com/pnz/Big_Box_Design_Standards.pdf
Text:
I. Introduction
A growing trend in communities across the country is the development of large retail, or "big-box",
design standards. The cities of Fort Collins, Colorado, Tucson, Arizona, Easton, Maryland,
Somerset County, New Jersey, Lexington and Georgetown, Kentucky have already implemented
design standards for large retail establishments.
"Big-box" retail can be defined as large-scale retailers, such as Wal-Mart, Kmart, Meijer, Kroger,
Target, Circuit City, or Home Depot, which occupy more than 50,000 square feet and derive their
profits from high sales volumes. They may operate as stand-alone facilities, or more commonly
they are located in a "power center."
Power centers will usually have some common characteristic such as large rectangular single-
story structures, a reliance on auto-borne traffic with large areas of parking, limited mass transit
service, and a no frills site plan with little unique community character, mixed-use and pedestrian
amenities. Power centers will generally bring together various branches of the "big-box" family,
for example, a discount department store, a warehouse club, a supermarket, and smaller out lots.
Examples of power centers in Lexington include Hamburg Place, Beaumont Center, and the
Lowe’s/Wal-Mart on Nicholasville Road. As "big-box" development could occur in B-3 and B-4,
these guidelines shall be utilized in any district where "big-box" development may locate.
II. Background and Justification
The basis for development within our community is set forth in the Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision
Regulations, and the Comprehensive Plan. Article I, Section 1.3 of the Zoning Ordinance states,
"The purpose of the Zoning Ordinance is to promote the general welfare by establishing and
regulating zoning districts… In establishing the zoning districts, this ordinance seeks the general
welfare by designating sufficient space for all necessary uses of land, by protecting the permitted
uses in each district from the undesirable effects of conflicting uses, and by ensuring the stable
value of all permitted development." Article V of the Subdivision Regulations require the
submission of a development plan indicating the physical information of a proposed development.
Article VI sets forth the content and format of the development plan. In addition Chapter VIII of the
Comprehensive Plan states “ Review and amend local land use regulations to ensure that they
encourage quality development that protects the natural features of the land, allows for innovative
development, allows for the delivery of urban services and traffic flow…”
With the amount of growth occurring in Winchester- Clark County, it is a matter of time before
more large retail establishments begin locating in our community and the possibility of existing
establishments relocating or expanding. Large retail establishments will locate anywhere, be it a
rural town, suburban county, or an urban center.
The residents of Winchester-Clark County are largely defined by small town characteristics and
quality of life. As a community, we should not only be concerned about the economic impact of
big-box retailers on our traditional merchants but also on how the appearance of such retail
establishments fit in with the community.
Our community does not have to rely on the dull, rectangular boxes of retail giants, with massive
amounts of asphalt and limited landscaping and pedestrian amenities.
A growing number of jurisdictions are requiring a much higher level of design standards and
implementing procedures that require large retail stores to better relate to the characteristics of
the community.
In Fort Collins, CO., there were many public hearings with the community playing a large role in
defining the retail standards, and it resulted in a nationally acclaimed ordinance. Staff has
reviewed this ordinance and those adopted by Georgetown and Lexington, KY. The research
indicates that Fort Collins has become the model that communities are basing their design
standards and ordinances on.
These proposed guidelines are a response to dissatisfaction with corporate chain marketing
strategy, dictating design that is indifferent to local identity and interests. The main goal is to
encourage development that contributes to Winchester-Clark County as a unique place by
reflecting its physical character and adding to it in appropriate ways. Large retail developments
depend on high visibility from major public streets. In turn, their design determines much of the
character and attractiveness of major streetscapes in the city. The marketing interests of many
corporations, even strong image-making design by professional designers, can be potentially
detrimental to community aspirations and sense of place when they result in massive individual
developments that do not contribute to or integrate with the community in a positive way.
The purpose of these guidelines is to augment the existing criteria contained in the Zoning
Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations, with more specific interpretations that apply to the
design of large retail developments. These guidelines require a basic level of architectural variety,
compatible scale, pedestrian and bicycle access, and mitigation of negative impacts.
III. Procedure
The following guidelines are to be used as a design aid by developers proposing large retail
developments and as an evaluation tool by the staff of the Planning Commission in their review
processes. These guidelines shall apply to all projects, which are processed according to the
criteria for proposed development plans and to all projects for retail establishments of more than
50,000 square feet. These guidelines are to be used in conjunction with the Subdivision and
Zoning Regulations.
See the resource file for all the particulars.
Category:Big-Box Retail
Category:County Governments
Category:Kentucky
Category:Policies