Peter Johnston &
Associates' (formerly Redman/Johnston Associates) preparation of the
Chesapeake City, Maryland Comprehensive Plan emphasized protecting and
enhancing the town's existing historic village character. To insure that
this objective was implemented the Town leadership engaged
PJA,
and Alternate Street Design (ASD) to prepare development regulations, including a new
Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations, that required new development to adhere to
traditional neighborhood development (TND) design concepts.
PJA also prepared a User’s
Manual and Design Guidelines to provide guidance for the Planning Commission in the review
of site plans, subdivisions and other types of development. The manual is designed to give
developers a better understanding of the Town’s objectives for new neighborhoods. The
guidelines, together with the accompanying illustrations, provide examples of the visual
and functional elements of neighborhood design. Each topic includes a set of design
criteria that the Planning Commission may apply in the review of major site plans and
subdivisions. The criteria provide descriptions of aspects of community design that should
be considered as the developer goes through the design process. These descriptions include
visual representations of the characteristics of the old village center that the community
desires in new neighborhoods. Chesapeake City adopted the zoning ordinance, subdivision
regulations, and design guidelines in early 1999. The project was awarded an honorable
mention in the 1999 Maryland Governor’s Smart Growth Awards.
