ULDC committee reviews draft Rural VISTA design guidelines, proposes larger buffers and canopy protections

Members of the ULDC Committee for the Town of Loxahatchee Groves on Feb. 10 reviewed a draft of revised Rural VISTA design standards intended to guide commercial and institutional development in the town's rural corridors.

The committee examined whether to incorporate the new document directly into the Unified Land Development Code or to adopt it by resolution, discussed minimum landscape and buffer measurements, and pressed for clearer definitions and enforceable language on preserving existing tree canopy and providing pedestrian amenities.

The draft presented to the committee would apply to commercial, civic and institutional development and not to residential or agricultural parcels. "What you have in your packages, is a draft of how the rural VISTA guidelines would be adopted," the staff presenter said, noting the document is a new text that incorporates previous guidance and meeting comments. The presenter told the committee the draft does not yet include section numbers and that code sections for lighting, parking and landscaping may need revision if the guidelines are adopted.

Why it matters: Committee members said the town has approved recent commercial projects that do not meet the town's stated rural design goals, and they framed the draft as a tool to add enforceable standards to achieve a more consistent rural character along corridors such as Southern…