What is a Small Area Plan?
A small area plan is any plan that addresses the issues of a portion of the city. Small area plans can cover three different geographic scales -- neighborhood, corridor, and district. They can cover as few as 10 acres or as many as 4,500 acres. Small area plans cover a specific geography that often has a cohesive set of characteristics. The result can be a richly detailed plan that addresses the area's unique issues with tailored solutions.
There are three major types of Small Area Plans:
Criteria for selecting areas for Small Area Planning:
- Evidence of disinvestment, deteriorating housing, and high vacancy, unemployment and poverty rates.
- Significant change is occurring or anticipated.
- Public facilities and/or physical improvements need to be addressed.
- Opportunities for substantial infill or redevelopment are present.
- Opportunities arise to influence site selection, development or major expansion of a single large activity generator.
- Transit station development opportunities.
Also important are criteria that more specifically address the goals of Blueprint Denver:
- Creating opportunity for appropriate development in Areas of Change.
- Stabilizing conditions that threaten Areas of Stability.
- Promoting public investment that increase transportation choice.
Read more about Small Area Plans