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We invested tremendous effort in creating Vision 2020. Are we throwing that out and starting again?
On the contrary. This SmartCode effort is actually the next, critical step in Vision 2020's long-term implementation. In Vision 2020, the community came together to establish a series of goals -- among them, protection of landscape and resources, preservation of architectural character, and walkable/bikable scale and access -- that were not well supported by our existing zoning ordinance. In essence, we determined what we wanted but our regulations still made it easier for growth and development in conflict with these goals. Our steps now to implement a new Land Use Master Plan and Development Code will establish a regulatory framework that supports many of Vision 2020's objectives. In short, we're increasing the viability of Vision 2020 by making it easier for Taos to grow and evolve in the manner it defines.
What is the SmartCode?
The SmartCode is a form-based land development ordinance designed to foster context-sensitive growth and development across the full range of the “human habitat” -- from the most rural to the most urban. It is a model ordinance, which means it’s available in a tested, proven and largely useable form, but proves most useful to the unique character and challenge of any particular place through a process of customization by planners, architects, and attorneys. That is the process taking place in Taos.
What does “form-based” mean?
As a form-based code, the SmartCode regulates land development through a primary emphasis on the form buildings take and less -- though still diligent -- emphasis on the uses that occur within them. Examples of such forms regulated under the SmartCode -- and set according to local preferences -- include the width of lots, size of blocks, building setbacks, building heights, placement of buildings on the lot, and location of parking. In contrast, Taos’ existing, conventional zoning (what’s known as “Euclidean zoning”) is built solely around the regulation of use (Residential, Commercial, etc.), leading to increasingly isolated environments of no discernable character. Form-based zoning has been developed over the last twenty years to overcome the growth problems, often characterized as “sprawl,” that have resulted from an overly rigid reliance on use-based zoning.
Does that mean obnoxious uses could set up shop next to my home?
No. The SmartCode does encourage mixed-use, but restricts it to uses that are compatible with surrounding context. What is necessarily considered compatible is variable within the code and, as part of this “customization process,” will be established during the charrette to reflect the desires of Taos citizens.
How is land “zoned” under the SmartCode?
The Taos Land Use Master Plan (LUMP) will categorize land using a process known as the Rural to Urban Transect, which establishes (typically) six zones (known as T1 through T6) of human habitat, from the very rural to the very urban. Where conventional zoning categories are based on different land uses, our categories will be based on their degree of rural or urban character. The accompanying Land Use Development Code (LUDC), or SmartCode, will then provide the appropriate regulations for each zone, ensuring that Taos overall offers a full diversity of building types, thoroughfares, and civic spaces, and that each zone has appropriate characteristics for its location.
Who's in charge?
Ultimately, the people of Taos are in charge. The charrette, being covered in detail daily by this website, is a public event. Everyone is welcome to participate. In fact, successful outcomes depend on high levels of citizen engagement. Our city departments and elected officials will participate and we have hired the PlaceMakers group to advise us and produce the two contracted deliverables: A new Land Use Master Plan (LUMP) and Development Code (LUDC). But we own the process, and we're in charge of its products. This is a made-in-Taos production.
What results do we expect?
During the course of the charrette, designers will work with citizens and other interested parties, examine our existing local character, and produce illustrations or other examples of how future development of neighborhoods, roads, and civic spaces could look under the new code. Because we’ll have everyone at the table at once -- from engineers to town planners to elected officials, all working with continuous citizen input -- we’ll be able to work efficiently towards consensus, paving the way for the mapping and ordinances that will make such outcomes possible. Those items -- the Land Use Master Plan (LUMP) and the Land Use Development Code (LUDC) -- are what we’ve engaged PlaceMakers to produce.
I still have unanswered questions.
The easiest way to find out more is, of course, to get involved and participate in the charrette. However, if you can’t attend physically, you can still follow along and comment via this website. If there’s additional questions that should be answered, please submit them here and we’ll try to work them into the daily reporting or, if appropriate, this FAQ.
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