Master Plan - City of Troy

CITY OF TROY MASTER PLANLand Patterns:City Design and ImageFuture Land Use CategoriesSingle Family Residential 91Neighborhood Nodes 93High Density Residential 99Big Beaver Road 101Rochester Road 103Maple Road 105South John R Road 107Northfield 109Smart Zone 111Automall 113Transit Center 11521st Century Industry 117Recreation and Open Space 119Public and Quasi-Public 119The term “Future Land Use” brings to minda prescription for isolated, parcel-byparcelland use classifications that permitthe development of a very limited number ofland uses. This model tends to perpetuate theseparation of land uses, even when it is notalways the best option. This type of traditionalland use planning was brought about in anage when zoning was in its infancy and landwas readily available. There was less concernabout the conservation of natural resources,and economic factors took precedence. Whilefrequently effective, this kind of planning hashad unintended consequences.As cities and regions have grown over theyears, traditional land use plans have fosteredsprawl in Southeast Michigan and impededcompact communities served by closeproximity to jobs, schools, and communityservices. At risk has been quality of life, an areawhich is critical to remaining competitive inthe 21st Century, as discussed in detail in manyChapters of this Plan.Today, Troy and many other communitieshave begun looking for new ways to improvequality of life by creating vibrant, mixed-useareas where jobs, great schools, opportunitiesfor social interaction, excellent services andshopping, and high-quality neighborhoodsexist in close proximity. Techniques suchas Planned Unit Development (PUD) havebeen developed for just this reason. PUDsdemonstrate that different land uses arecompatible and supportive of each another.As a result, this Future Land Use Planwill expand on the concept of “villaging”established by Troy Vision 2020, and translatethat concept into policies that manifestthemselves on the Future Land Use Map.It will introduce the concept of the “SocialNeighborhood” and describe how it is intendedto interact with the “Economic Neighborhood.”It will describe the character and role of placeslike the Big Beaver Corridor and Oakland Mall,an alternative way to think about Maple andRochester Roads, and the industrial areas of theCity.There are many traditional land use elementsthat should be maintained in Troy. Adherenceto conventional approaches in all areas of thecommunity will not allow the City to realizeits vision.A shortfall of traditional land use planningis the primary focus on land use, and the lackof attention toward physical form. The TroyMaster Plan will incorporate city design andimage as primary areas of focus. This Chapterwill establish future land use categorieson which the Plan is based, and define theurban design characteristics of establishedcategories.CHAPTER 9: LAND PATTERNS87