Getting a Local Take on Form Based Code

Many cities and towns are looking to Form Based Codes (FBC) as a way to combat the woes enabled by traditional single use zoning (e.g. the loss of historic neighborhoods, sprawling development patterns, increasing reliance on the automobile, to name a few). In a nutshell, FBC regulates how a building relates to its surrounding environment and less so on the building’s actual use (I’m oversimplifying here…for a better definition check out the Form Based Code Institute).

Many great communities share a particular DNA—the scale of the buildings, the width of the streets, the mix of uses, etc. Just as slight variations in DNA result in different people, slight variations in land use regulations can lead to different places. These differences can be essential to retaining what makes our cities and towns unique.

That’s where citizens come in. Outside experts know how to draft technically the best FBC for a town, but it’s local knowledge that can ensure the code fits best with the character of the community. And it’s the people who live and work in a town that have to live with the regulations, so it makes good sense to provide opportunities for them to understand FBC and take ownership for how it is implemented. Many towns involve their citizens in town visioning, but it gets more difficult as a community moves from broad discussions about what’s important to actually adopting policies and regulations.

Take heart! It can be done. Consider Newport, Vermont where key stakeholders have been meeting weekly to shape an FBC that works best for their city. Damariscotta, Maine is requiring significant public participation as the Town considers the development of FBC for a 265-acre property. In Standish, Maine, local committee members put together a video to explain FBC and spread the word about why it is a good fit for the town’s village. Dover, New Hampshire offers another example where FBC was adopted after many discussions with locals about how best to shape it. Check out Dover Planning Director Christopher Parker’s perspective on the public’s role in this process.

FBC is a great tool to have in your planning toolbox, but it is best applied when developed in partnership with the people who know a community best and will ultimately live with the impacts. We’d love to hear from you with more examples of how communities are making FBC work for them.