Reports - Mississippi Renewal

16 | LAND USElored for South Mississippi; A PatternBook for Gulf Coast Neighborhoods; andrecommendations for revised buildingcodes for sustainable construction inhurricane-prone areas. The core valuesdiscussed above are incorporated intothese resources, and the Commissionrecommends that local communitiesevaluate and adopt them.The SmartCodeThe SmartCode is a unified land developmentcode, which is a combinationof zoning code, subdivision regulation,and architectural form code tiedinto one document for simplified andefficient administration. It governs allpublic and private land developmentto ensure that the pattern of streetsand buildings shapes the community’sdesired character. For best results, theSmartCode should replace the existingland use zoning code and subdivisionregulations. This will enable new developmentthat is diverse, walkable, andeconomically sustainable.The objective is to provide the livingareas and the basic necessities for everyday life within a five-minute walkingradius. These nodes become urbancenters. This concept promotes denserdevelopment, a more efficient use ofvaluable land, and sensitivity to urbanneighborhood character. 3The Commission recommends thatthe state enact legislation authorizingand encouraging the adoption of theSmartCode by communities. The legislationwould not compel any city orcounty to adopt the SmartCode, but itwould provide the framework for adoptionof the SmartCode, or certain partsof it, as a new comprehensive code oras an alternative code to existing zoning.Although additional legislation maynot be necessary for cities and countiesto adopt the SmartCode, a new statutewould encourage and ratify a community’schoice to move away from traditionalzoning and adopt the SmartCode.The Commission recognizes that this,like all recommendations for legislation,is the perogative of the governor to recommendor not if he believes there is abetter way of accomplishing the samegoals.The Commission further recommendsthat each city and county adoptthe SmartCode as a model code fornew zoning. The Smart Code shouldbe tailored so it is consistent with thefloodplain management requirementsof the National Flood Insurance Program(NFIP). The Commission anticipatesa possible population explosion inrural areas in the southern-most countiesof Mississippi. This potential surgein residents will require appropriateland use planning for future developmentand infrastructure to support it.