Portsmouth Form-Based Open Space Zone

Portsmouth Form-Based Open Space Zone
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CLIENT: City of Portsmouth, Virginia

The Planning Department of the City of Portsmouth needed to review and test its new form-based open space zoning requirements. These requirements were part of the larger community-wide form-based zoning ordinance developed by Wallace Robert and Todd.  The brief for the study project was to investigate and display the various types of potential uses on typical sites in the city to show how the form-based code could be applied. Portsmouth, an historic port city with a strong military naval presence, is located in the fast-growing Hampton Roads region.

Ed Hamm, as urban designer, made specific recommendations to the standards set in the code to make the privately owned open space complement the walkable activated public streetscapes. Proposed open spaces needed to link and engage the public realm. Crucial changes to the code, suggested by the project, would guide the designation and form of open space to better benefit the community and provide more efficient site development opportunities.  The relationship between stormwater management, using low-impact development (LID) principles and the creation of open space was an essential component of the study in this flood prone community. Changes to the form-based code were adopted by the city of Portsmouth as a result of Hamm’s recommendations.  The project, done in association with RK+K Engineering, was completed while Hamm was with Rhodeside & Harwell.