FBC Single Family to Mixed Use

Beyond density, renewal also must include a diversity of uses. Often times, this is done by tearing down existing building stock to build purpose-built mixed use buildings. This can be damaging to the existing fabric of the neighborhood and community.

Current development regulations generally constrain commercial builds to be auto oriented, which is at odds with a primarily residential neighborhood. Through Mesa’s Form-Based-Code, however, an opportunity is given to increase density and even increase usage types.

Using the Form-Based-Code is by no means a workaround or subversive use of zoning ord., but Mesa is still waiting for a project that becomes a catalyst for renewal in its neighborhood. By leveraging the FBC along with a smart location for an adaptive reuse project, just such a transformative catalyst could be realized.

Here, we take an existing Single Family home from an aging neighborhood and adapt it into a higher density and mixed use building to act as a catalyst for the rest of the neighborhood. This allows the neighborhood to retain a piece of its character while evolving with changing needs.