VILLAGE CHOSES FORM-BASED CODE TO CURATE GROWTH.

Neighborhood Strategies is collaborating with the Village of Hanover to implement a form-based code as part of the ongoing efforts to modernize the Village’s regulating codes and regulations. This initiative follows the recommendations from the 2022 Forward Together comprehensive plan, which emphasized the need for transect planning and form-based codes. The form-based code will focus on the physical character of development, offering a visual approach to zoning that complements traditional land-use regulations. This approach aims to enhance the aesthetic character of the community, promote smart growth, and integrate various scales of planning from regional to individual lots. It is designed to provide consistency, encourage administrative efficiency, and support specific community outcomes through incentives.

The form-based code offers several key benefits. It supports smart growth through clustered land development, traditional neighborhood development, regional center development, and transit-oriented development. The code also integrates planning concerns from regional to architectural levels and incorporates methods for environmental protection, open space conservation, and water quality control. Additionally, it provides common zoning categories for new and infill urban areas, encourages administrative approvals when appropriate, and reduces the need for variances.

Neighborhood Strategies will work with the Village of Hanover to determine whether to implement a comprehensive form-based code or a hybrid code. A form-based code would replace the existing conventional zoning for all or parts of the community, while a hybrid code would combine form-based standards with conventional zoning approaches. The project will involve several key tasks, including scoping, assessing existing conditions, and visioning and creating regulations.