Community design element CD-5: Economic Development Corridor Design

Only areas below are considered part of the General Plan.

Economic Development Corridor Design

The Economic Development Corridor (EDC) designation is intended to provide economic vitality and flexibility in land use options to promote economic development along the city's major corridors. It is intended that the majority of the city's new development (that is not already planned as part of an approved Specific Plan) will be located in these areas, to promote infill development and to preserve the rural areas that are an integral part of Menifee's community character. While the EDC designation provides flexibility in land use options, Menifee has identified 5 EDC subareas, each with their own distinctive mix of uses that are complementary to surrounding land uses and that generate distinguishable activity centers in the city.

Depending on the preferred mix of land uses for each EDC subarea (as defined in the Land Use Element) different design strategies may be more or less appropriate depending on the development context. For instance, the Community Core subarea is envisioned as the city's primary activity center and gathering place and special design attention should be paid to creating a pedestrian-oriented environment. On the other hand, the Northern Gateway (Ethanac Road) subarea is anticipated to develop as relatively intensive industrial uses and would require thoughtful buffering from adjacent land uses. Given the diversity of the EDC subareas, the design policies identified in this section should be thoughtfully considered and applied when they will support the vision for the subarea.

Goal

• CD-5: Economic Development Corridors that are visually distinctive and vibrant and combine commercial, industrial, residential, civic, cultural, and recreational uses.

Policies

• CD-5.1: Provide comfortable pedestrian amenities-quality sitting areas, wide paths and shade-along with specialized and engaging design features, such as interesting fountains or public art, which draw and maintain people's attention, as appropriate based on the preferred mix of land uses for each EDC subarea.
• CD-5.2: Include open space and/or recreational amenities in EDC areas to provide visual relief from development, form linkages to adjacent uses and other portions of the economic development corridor, and serve as buffers between uses, where necessary.
• CD-5.3: Consider shared parking and reduced parking standards in areas designated as Economic Development Corridor.
• CD-5.4: Locate building access points along sidewalks, pedestrian areas, and bicycle routes, and include amenities that encourage pedestrian activity in the EDC areas where appropriate.
• CD-5.5: Create a human-scale ground-floor environment that includes public open areas that separate pedestrian space from auto traffic, or where these intersect, give special regard to pedestrian safety.
• CD-5.6: Orient building entrance toward the street and provide parking in the rear, when possible.
• CD-5.7: Where a vertical mix of uses occurs, site retail or office uses on the ground floor, with residential and/or office uses above. Also, encourage architectural detailing that differentiates each use.
• CD-5.8: Encourage adjacent commercial and industrial buildings to share open, landscaped, and/or hardscaped areas for visual relief, access, and outdoor employee gathering places.