The Mills Branch Initiative is a public-private partnership facilitating a 1,200-acre new urban plan and code. This process essentially positions the City in the "master developer role" as noted by New Urban News. The initiative finds its roots in planning efforts begun a number of years ago after Lancaster was hit by a devastating tornado. The initiative has elevated the level of investment and quality of development within a unique corridor between IH-35 and the Historic Town Square bounded by Belt Line Road and the Ten Mile Creek Watershed. Arcadia Realty, Wilbow Corporation and Harvest Real Estate jointly funded the planning effort with the City. Those companies are now developing three respective neighborhoods under the new code. Utilizing a community-based process, Gateway Planning Group and Townscape, Inc. crafted the Mills Branch regulating Plan and form-based Code.

Click on the mini-neighborhoods with "NNZ" in the regulating plan below to see the new neighborhoods designed under the Mills Branch Code.

Mills Branch Regulating Plan and Code

NNZ = New Neighborhood Zone   |   ENZ = Existing Neighborhood Zone   |   VC = Village Center
CAZ = Commercial Area Zone   |   MSC = Main Street Corridor   |   PRA = Potential Redevelopment Area

The Mills Branch Form-Based Code replaces the existing zoning and subdivision ordinances for the 1,200-acre Mills Branch area delineated by the Regulating Plan. The core of the code is a Street Type Matrix and a Building Type Matrix. The remainder of the Mills Branch Code sets forth standards for the development process, retail centers, public spaces and other urban design standards, as well as the required minimum mix of housing types required for each neighborhood. The minimum housing type mix requirement is the hallmark of codes prepared by the Gateway Planning Group for municipalities. Embraced by both developers and the community, the minimum housing type mix requirement ensures that all neighborhoods designed under the code will provide a full range of housing types so that as a family is ready to "move up" they do not have to "move out" of the neighborhood.

Transect-Based Code

The Transect, developed by Andres Duany, facilitates context- and design-based zoning categories. Transect-based, the Mills Branch Code will facilitate better physical transitions between neighborhoods, retail centers and green space. In addition, the transect-based code will facilitate better market evolution of uses while maintaining urbanism, which is the lynch pin of quality of life and tax base.

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