Workshop Schedule Focus Group Meeting #2   (click here to download a pdf file of the March 18, 2003 workshop summary)     Questions? Contact: Jeff Gamel Planner (916) 874-6141 GamelJ@saccounty.net   Nedzlene Ferrario Planner (916) 874-6141 ferrarion@saccounty.net

Focus Group Workshop #2: Testing Design Principles On March 18, 2003 over 30 people participated in the second of three Focus Group workshops to assist in the preparation of design guidelines for Sacramento County. The participants reviewed the results of the first workshop, listened to a brief presentation regarding draft design principles, and worked as team members to test the principles on case study projects. The Focus Group expressed four overall objectives at the first workshop. These reviewed and confirmed at the second meeting. These included thinking as a district, making things better for pedestrians, expecting better design and improving the design review process. These objectives became a basis for preparation of draft design principles.   Testing Design Principles The participants in the workshop had a chance to test and offer suggestions for tuning design principles. The principles will be the foundation for preparation of design guidelines. The guidelines are to be organized around three types of commercial and industrial districts. These include including commercial corridors, industrial and business districts and village center districts. Focus Group participants worked as members of five teams to evaluate case study projects. The selected projects represented each of the three types of commercial, industrial and village districts. Teams identified important contextual features that should influence the design, suggested how the project could be improved by applying the design principles, and recommended modifications to the principles and corresponding design goal categories. Participants suggested improvements and additions to the design principles. These included paying more attention to the transition between commercial and residential areas, enhancing pedestrian connections, using historic architectural context as an influence for the design of new projects, mitigating truck and loading areas, and making sure the design guidelines are not too subjective and reflect economic reality. A summary of each team's project reviews follow.   Team 1: Capital Center Context Issues: Parking lots are independent Buildings oriented independent Pedestrian connectivity Design Review: Village grouping of buildings Increase height of building towards center Enlarge landscape corridor along main entrance Additions to Principles and Guidelines: Can be subjective Incorporate pedestrian features   Team 2: Kohls Department Store Context Issues: Store meets a need for demographics of general area Walled off from surrounding neighborhood Building is out of scale Parking lot is not pedestrian friendly No gathering places Mass of building combined with topography Design Review: Add pads on Antelope Add small scale shops on Don Julio to provide street face and scale down building Add pedestrian promenade from Antelope to main entry Add vertical feature Add parking below portion of building Add berm/landscaping to rear wall of building Slide truck dock further back and improve screen Depress truck drive at rear or find alternative route Consider housing fronting residential street Additions to Principles and Guidelines: How to address big truck/loading area problems   Team 3: Schwab Tire Context Issues: Industrial-type uses near residential uses Could have been a part village center­more appropriate village environment near residential­or commercial center uses that support neighborhoods nearby (i.e., Starbucks, etc.) Non of the development addresses the streets­ignores residential quality/pedestrian uses Design Review: Better land uses that supports community (i.e., office uses and open space plaza) Cohesive development with consistent landscaping, signage and building form Need of transition zone to allow for location of building respect for neighbors within interface Additional Comments: Project does not fit in context with neighborhood (color/scale/design) Materials need to be conducive to identified area Pedestrian-scaled lighting in needed­Bradshaw Road is a major thoroughfare­pedestrians rarely cross streets Need for landscaping buffer with sidewalks Have a lot of parking­use architectural features to separate parking from building A lot of parking space/blacktop Lack of identity in the area­need to relate design to community­signiture building icon needed Use of Brighton School (historic site) granite mining, Safetyville to create this identity for design Additions to Principles and Guidelines: Non offered   Team 4: Town and Country Village Context Issues: Surrounded by high density and low density residential Regional commercial focus in Fulton Redevelopment District One of four village centers for Arden community Strong historical and cultural context Design Review: Pedestrian connections within shopping center to apartments and single family development Shift pad building to the west and reoriented towards apartments Improve pedestrian and vehicular connection to Taylor Center Make architectural styles consistent Additions to Principles and Guidelines: Definition of transition zones Reflect economic reality Historic context as a design influence Historic preservation objectives   Team 5: Country Club Plaza Context Issue: Residential Interface Improve: BP/Mixed-use buffer Parking structure Landscape parking Context Issue: Pedestrian Friendly Improve: Separate sidewalk with landscape Transit stops Restrict driveways Pedestrian paths at parking lot Context Issue: Link to adjacent Commercial Improve: Design guidelines for district Encourage mixed-use Buildings close to the street Additions to Principles and Guidelines: More discussion about pedestrian improvements and transition buffers

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