Character Zones Each Place Type in the City is comprised of Character Zones, which are the building blocks of community. This strategy of zoning the City based on the desired character, rather than by land use, allows for the unique and nuanced aspects of the each area of the City to be codified in the ordinance. By using character to delineate property, new zoning regulations can be established that support the growth and conservation framework, preserving scenic or sensitive environments, enhancing stable neighborhoods, transforming undeveloped property and areas that are not in keeping with the community’s vision into new neighborhoods, and strengthening the heart of the City with contextual infill. During Planapalooza, the community located and described the areas of the City that are most loved. As a part of a future zoning update, this input should be used to inform the dimensional standards for each Character Zone. Within each Character Zone, building types and massing, building placement, uses, frontage types, and other elements of the intended built form are integrated and the unique DNA of each neighborhood, district and corridor of the City is codified. The base Character Zones identified for Manchester are listed and described to the right. As part of a future zoning update, a small number of additional derivative Character Zones may need to be created to accommodate some of the more unique areas (ie. the Millyard, which would likely be a variant of CZ-5). While the majority of the land in the City will be zoned in Character Zones, the Special District zoning designation would be applied to areas that, by their intrinsic size, use, or configuration, cannot conform to the requirements of a Character Zones or combination of Character Zones. Special Districts shall not be used to avoid compliance with Character Zone standards and requirements, and shall only be used in rare circumstances.
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Plan Manchester 2021
CZ-1: Natural Character Zone This zone consists of lands approximating or reverting to a wilderness condition, including land that has high scenic, habitat or environmental value and lands unsuitable for settlement due to topography, hydrology or vegetation.
CZ-2: Rural Character Zone This zone consists of sparsely settled lands in open or cultivated states, including forests, marshes and agricultural land. Typical buildings are farmhouses, agricultural, buildings, cabins and villas. Thoroughfares have no curb with open draining and naturalistic plantings with an obvious rural character.
