Relationship to Adjacent Neighborhoods The boundaries of the Downtown Neighborhood are somewhat arbitrary and there are strong connections with the Temple/Pioneer Park, University North, and Broadway Industrial Neighborhoods. The transition in development scale, intensity, and character between Neighborhoods should be seamless so that people on the ground will not be able to recognize when they pass from one Neighborhood to another. Particular areas of relationship and connection include: 1.
The Convention District has the opportunity to integrate into the development that occurs within the Employment District at Mesa and University Drives. Careful design of this interface is needed to ensure interaction between the two areas and to help facilitate movement from the employment district to the Downtown core.
2.
The Modern Downtown area needs to flow seamlessly into development within the Urban Gateway at Main Street and Mesa Drive. The streetscape design for Main Street east and west of Hibbert and both sides of Hibbert need to be coordinated.
3.
The primarily residential University North neighborhood should be connected to the
Downtown with improved pedestrian and bicycle environments. 4.
Future development that occurs within the Broadway Industrial Neighborhood needs to be carefully designed to ensure compatibility, coordination, and connection with Downtown.
5.
The arterial street network (Main Street, University Drive, Country Club Drive, and Broadway Road) and the light rail system are unifying elements between adjacent Neighborhoods. Streetscape improvements to the arterial street network and the streetscape design of the light rail system will be coordinated to create seamless networks between Neighborhoods.
Regulating Plan and Zoning Map This Neighborhood includes the majority of the area proposed to be covered by the new Form-Based Code and areas currently zoned with Town Center Districts that should be considered for rezoning to compatible standard zoning districts. City staff will proactively work with property owners to implement the Form-Based Code Regulating Plan for the Downtown Neighborhood as shown on Map 7 in Chapter IV – Tools for Change.
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