The Town of Chapel
Hill has been awarded a technical assistance grant from the Mayors Innovation
Project.
The award will allow the Town to pursue an innovative way to turn the ideas of
Chapel Hill 2020 into next steps. The $20,000 grant will provide the Town of Chapel
Hill with technical assistance toward the development of a hybrid form-based
and performance-based zoning district, an idea that came out of the Chapel Hill
2020 visioning process. Form-based codes are an innovative alternative to
conventional zoning that focus on the form of buildings rather than the land
use (e.g., the physical character of buildings, and the relationship of
buildings to each other and to the street). They are regulations, not mere
guidelines. They are adopted into city or county law. Form-based codes are an
alternative to conventional zoning. Performance-based zoning measures regulate
effects such as traffic, density, noise and density. Performance measures
typically support other types of zoning.
"This grant will allow us to pursue a promising policy innovation,"
said Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt. "We are grateful to be among only six member
cities to receive much needed technical assistance from the Mayors Innovation
Project."
The assistance to the Town of Chapel Hill could involve basic assistance such
as gathering information on examples of other municipal governments that are
using form-based or performance-based zoning and providing sample metrics and
information on comparable metrics with other communities. The Town may also receive
templates and decision support tools for use in appropriate areas of Chapel
Hill. Other tools that could include a data base with sample metrics,
specifications for a scope to produce a full blown code, a webinar for
introduction and training purposes, and a powerpoint presentation to explain
Chapel Hill's potential use of form-based codes.
The Mayors Innovation Project (MIP) is a learning network among American mayors
committed to "high road" policy and governance, shared prosperity,
environmental sustainability, and efficient democratic government. The Mayors
Innovation Project Technical Assistance Program was launched in 2011 to provide
more customized and hands-on assistance to mayors and their staffs on
particular innovations or problems through a combination of applied research,
policy analysis, evaluation, and recommendations for action.
For more information the Mayors Innovation Project, visit www.mayorsinnovation.org.
