Guides and Tools for Urban Centers
These guides and eTools serve as a starting point for Urban Centers seeking to address specific issues.
Commercial Landscapes Series
This planning series highlights the importance of repurposing significant commercial areas in Chester County and realistic strategies, recommendations, and best practices for Brownfields, Greyfields, Transit Oriented Development, and Office Parks. View Documents
Urban Center Landscapes Design Guide
A document that provides planning principles and design elements for Urban Center Landscapes to guide new development in downtown areas, underutilized non-residential properties, older industrial properties, and parking lots. View Document
Planning Commission eTools
Planning eTools cover a wide array of planning topics ranging from natural resources to economic development. The tools are intended to be an easy read, providing a quick overview of each topic, a brief explanation of how it works, considerations in addressing the topic or regulating the use, benefits, examples, and resources such as links to adopted regulations:
- Adaptive Reuse
- Affordably-priced Homes
- Aging in Place
- Backyard Chicken Keeping
- Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities: Design
- Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities: Policy
- Breweries
- Brownfield Redevelopment
- Electric Vehicles
- Form Based Codes and Zoning Ordinances
- Green Development Codes and Ordinances
- Green Roofs
- Historic and Cultural Resource Preservation Planning
- Historic Resource Protection Standards
- Housing Diversity
- Housing Rehabilitation
- Infill Development
- Main Streets - Design
- Main Streets - Economic Vitality
- Main Streets - Organization
- Main Streets - Promotion
- Mini Homes
- Mixed-use Development
- Outdoor Dining
- Outdoor Lighting
- Parking Facilities: Design
- Parking Facilities: Planning
- Parkland Dedication and Fee-In-Lieu Ordinances
- Residential Conversions
- Short-term Rentals
- Sign Regulations
- Street Trees
- Traditional Neighborhood Development
- Transferable Development Rights (TDR)
- Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
- Transit Stops and Centers
- Universal Design for Public Spaces
- Universal Design for Residential Uses
- Urban Green Spaces
- Urban Heat Island Mitigation
- Wineries