Urban Design Guidelines - Employment Areas - Town of Ajax

EMPLOYMENT AREAS URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINESbut also integrates them positively into thecommunity. While this section is primarilyconcerned with the linear street corridor, attractivestreetscapes are the result of the interplay andrelationship between roads, sidewalks, utilities,furniture, planting, buildings, access and parking.3.3.1 Streetscape HierarchyCertain streets in Ajax, because of their high visibilityand use, will be important in defining the image ofthe employment areas, and therefore require ahigher standard of quality and design. As notedabove, this includes not only the treatment andmaintenance of the public realm, but also buildingsand private landscaping.The street hierarchy is as follows:Corridor Level ofTreatmentHighway 401• includes all sites with asignificant frontage visible fromHighway 401, including those onthe south side of the CNRcorridorspecialHarwood Avenue• where the Carruthers Creekemployment areas interface withadjacent residential• a special street in the TownSalem Road• accesses the new employmentareasenhancedWestney Road• accesses the established coreOther arterial roadsCollector roadshighLocal roadsHighway 401 is unique because of its high speed,limited access, and gateway role (see Section 5,Areas of Special Treatment). All of the others aretrue streets and will have elements in common.3.3.2 Landscape BuffersThe Town’s comprehensive zoning by-law requireslandscape buffers adjacent to roads in employmentareas. The intent of these landscape buffers is notto screen employment areas from streets; rather, it isto reinforce the street edge, the pedestrian realm,and good built form. The width of the landscapebuffer is dependent on the road designation in theJULY 2006 19