Conventional property zoning operates on the belief that properties should be grouped by their use.
By Matt Noonan (Columbia, Mo.)
Columbia’s planning and development director Tim Teddy wants to challenge that statement. He advocates switching to a form-based code for certain areas of the city. Form-based zoning focuses on how buildings physically fit into a neighborhood, rather than their specific use. Teddy said the practice would allow more flexibility for property owners.
"It’s very directly looking at how the buildings interact with the streets and each other, and allows some interchangeability of uses, so long as you have a number of commercial uses that are compatible with each other," Teddy said.
Teddy also said most of Columbia would stay with the traditional zoning model, and that form-based codes would most likely be enacted for neighborhoods downtown.