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1. DescriptionsThis section provides a written description of the broad vision, form, and desired characteristics for each Future Land Use Category. These descriptions are aspirational in nature, indicating the desired future conditions. They are intended to describe the typical qualities of each category and may not reflect the full variety of uses and existing conditions of individual locations. (For example, the Neighborhoods (N) Future Land Use Category, while primarily single-family in nature, will cover neighborhoods in Plano ranging from estate lots to townhomes and apartments.) 2. PRIORITIESThis section provides a list of major priorities and necessary action to achieve the vision for each Future Land Use Category. 3. MIX OF USESThis section includes charts illustrating a preferable mix of uses that are representative of the general vision for each category. As Future Land Use Categories cover large portions of the city, these charts should not be interpreted as hard caps or minimums for the mix of uses at individual locations; however, changes in land use should improve, rather than detract, from the preferable mix of uses established for the Future Land Use Category in an area. The actual mix of uses may vary from location to location based on existing conditions, market demand, and individual site considerations that may limit the suitability of certain uses. Large deviations, however, should warrant close consideration and are generally not favorable in this plan. 4. DESIRABLE CHARACTER DEFINING ELEMENTSThis section describes the general characteristics that are desired for new growth, infill, and redevelopment in each category. Improvements to existing uses should also be encouraged to incorporate these desirable character defining elements. |
mix of uses
The Land Use Mix section provides the preferred balance of housing and employment uses within the category. This is calculated in total acres of land, excluding areas that are generally recognized as unsuitable for private development, such as the 100-year floodplain and electric transmission line easements.
Employment mix (Acres)
The Employment Mix chart describes the preferred mix of the following employment types within each Future Land Use Category:
| Retail Types | Office Types | Institutional Types | Industrial Types |
|---|---|---|---|
Retail Types generally includes businesses with commercial store frontages located in pad, strip, activity, or big box shopping centers. It also includes supporting businesses such as light office, hotels, self-storage, gas stations, light automotive servicing centers, entertainment venues, and other similar uses when located in a retail shopping center. | Office Types generally includes businesses that provide professional, medical, or administrative services located in a neighborhood or corporate campus setting, such as:
| Institutional Types includes educational, medical, and government related uses, such as:
| Industrial Types includes businesses that are heavy commercial or industrial related, often with outside storage, vehicle storage, and multiple bay doors, such as:
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Housing Types (Dwelling Units)
The Housing Mix chart describes the preferred mix of the following housing types within each Future Land Use Category:
| Detached Single-Family Types | Attached Single-Family Types | Multifamily Types |
|---|---|---|
The most prolific type of housing in Plano’s suburban neighborhoods, Detached Single-family Types (Detached SF) includes detached housing products with a single dwelling unit per lot, such as:
| Attached Single-family Types (Attached SF) includes housing products with generally one dwelling unit per lot attached by a common vertical floor to roof wall to a similar dwelling, such as:
| Multifamily Types (MF) includes any housing product with more than three dwelling units per lot, including:
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Employment/Housing Mix Note:
1: While retirement housing is categorized as EIPS in the Zoning Ordinance, institutional housing can be associated with both Residential and Employment uses. Housing units within independent living centers are counted towards Multifamily Types for the purposes of the Future Land Use Map and Dashboards due to their design and function. However, assisted living and long-term care facilities are considered Institutional Types due to their operations.
measurement areas
The area to be used in calculating the total acreage varies from category to category as listed below:
| Citywide |
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| Per Adjoining Corner/Center |
| Example 1: | Example 2: |
| Per Expressway |
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Desirable character defining elements
This section describes the general characteristics that are desired for new growth, infill, and redevelopment in each category. Improvements to existing uses should also be encouraged to incorporate these character defining elements. Each Future Land Use Category lists the range of heights, densities, and private open space that may be acceptable in a given area, although not all properties will be suitable for the minimum or maximum range. These should be decided on a case by case basis for context-sensitivity through zoning districts and regulations.
intensity & Scale
Intensity and Scale are a combination of a building’s height and how much of the property it covers. For the purpose of the Future Land Use Map, intensity and scale are defined as follows:
DENSITY
For the purposes of the Future Land Use Map, density is measured by the number of dwelling units per acre (DUA) on an individual lot or within a residential subdivision (reasonably excluding public or private streets, park land, and public open space). Where both residential and non-residential uses share a lot and/or common facilities (parking, open space, etc.), the acreage attributed to non-residential uses will be removed from the density calculation. Refer to the Glossary and What is Density page for more information.
BUILDING HEIGHTSFor the purposes of the Future Land Use Map, building heig | PARKING ORIENTATIONParking Orientation is the means in which parking is provided in each category. This can include personal garages, surface parking lots, structured parking garages, on-street parking, and valet. All parking should be provided in a context-sensitive manner. |
BLOCK PATTERN
Block Pattern describes how wide or compact the street network is in an area. Some areas may have internal streets or public ways.
MULTIMODAL ACCESS
Multimodal Access is measured in HIGH, MEDIUM, and LOW to rate the ability to get to a site using a variety of transportation options and, once there, how easy it is to move from business to business without getting back in a personal automobile. HIGH typically have direct access using that mode. MEDIUM typically have direct access using that mode, but may require a short walk. LOW typically means access is limited in the area.
STREETSCAPE
Streetscape describes the uniformity of setbacks or presence of pedestrian amenities. The streetscape contributes to a location’s aesthetics, the form of public and open space, and orientation of buildings. Streetscapes will range in style and intensity across land uses, but will share common design elements, including trees and landscaping, street lighting, sidewalks, and seating.
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OPEN SPACE
Open Space as a character defining element means the portion of a development that should not be used for buildings. These areas can be passive open spaces, like the grass and landscaping that surround a building, or active open spaces with plazas, playgrounds, public art, water features, benches, and other pedestrian amenities. Note: not all properties will be suitable for the maximum open space. Conversely, not all properties are appropriate for open space requirements, such as very small single-family housing developments where the associated governance association needed to maintain open space would be an undue burden on a small number of owners.