WHAT MAKES A QUALITY PLANNED DEVELOPMENT

At the heart of Quality Planned Developments are prescribed design and amenity qualities commonly found in superior master-planned communities, commercial centers and mixed-use developments. These quality standards blend seamlessly into the fabric of a development, creating a place where people want to live, want to work and want to play.

Residential Quality Planned Developments must incorporate these standards:

• A residential home owners association to enforce restrictions and covenants and promote community involvement
• A set of restrictive covenants to maintain the character and appearance of the community
• Deed-restricted vacant land or proposed commercial areas to ensure adherence to the original development’s design
• Landscaped buffer areas adjacent to major thoroughfares
• Sidewalks along local public streets
• Amenitized detention basins
• Uniform signage and restrictions against banners, temporary and bandit signs

In addition, developers must include three of the following standards:

• Landscaping buffer along public streets
• Uniform fencing program along streets
• Open space or park close to residential units
• Night sky lighting
• Screened utilities

Commercial Quality Planned Development standards include:

• Restrictive covenants on commercial property to maintain character and appearance
• Master commercial property owners association to maintain common areas and enforce restrictions
• Landscape buffer areas
• Sidewalks and pedestrian connectivity for adjacent developments
• Amenitized detention areas
• Screened parking areas, segregated loading areas, trash dumpster enclosures and screened mechanical equipment
• Uniform signage and restricted size and number of signs for multi-tenant developments

Mixed Use Developments — those that are more compact and have higher density retail and residential — will be reviewed independently for the following features:

• Development mix shall include retail commercial, office and residential in a single master plan by a single master developer/owner
• Compact development footprint to human scale with outdoor spaces and landscape features
• Prescriptive architecture with a cohesive identity
• Mixed residential component with a diverse blend of single-family housing, townhomes and multi-family
• Parking designed to enrich and support the streetscape with no barriers for pedestrians.

Click to view QPD Standards in their entirety.