Table of Contents

Complete Streets

The city’s traffic and motor vehicles code establishes a commitment to complete streets (§28-700 et seq.). Provisions address definition of complete streets, complete street policy, scope of complete streets applicability, exceptions, design standards, performance measures, and implementation and reporting.

Form-Based Zoning

The city’s unified development code includes mapped mandatory form-based zoning districts (Appendix A-§6.1 et seq.). It includes four districts all with different permissible land uses, form standards, building frontage types, façade design standards, parking standards, and landscaping standards.

Food Systems | Urban Agriculture

The city's unified development code addresses urban agriculture. It establishes community gardens as a permitted civic use that does not require zoning approval (§5.3.G) Performance standards address property owner approval, size, setbacks, accessory structures (including farm stands), fences, signage, composting, animals/bees (prohibited), and maintenance. Community gardens are listed within the parks and open space category of civic uses (§5.6.3.E).

The terms "community garden" and "farm stand" are defined in the code's definition chapter (§10.3).

Zoning Reform and Code Writing

The city adopted a new unified development code in 2016 (Appendix A). It includes a mix of use-based and form-based zoning standards. It also includes a mix of form-based and conventional zoning districts. It defines and regulates uses based on broad categories, with select specific use types, and includes use-specific standards to minimize reliance on discretionary use permits. It is richly illustrated and uses tables to organize use permissions and dimensional standards.

The overarching intent of the code is to implement the Heart of Peoria Plan and to foster the creation of mixed use, walkable neighborhoods (§A-1.5).