Texas suburb adopts form-based code

The City Council of South Padre Island, Texas, adopted a redevelopment plan and form-based code (FBC) for the 6-mile commercial corridor along Padre Boulevard, on September 7. Created by Gateway Planning Group, the FBC completely replaces the existing conventional zoning for the core of the Gulf-Coast island. The boulevard plan and form-based code can be accessed at www.padreboulevard.com.

Mayor Bob Pinkerton said of the new master plan and code, “Today will set the course for the Island for the next several generations. The Council is saying to the real estate community, we are open for business if you want to develop a quality project in a way that is attractive and enduring.”

Created in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) through the guidance of the Manual for Walkable Urban Thoroughfares by the Institute for Transportation Engineers and the Congress for the New Urbanism, the form-based code includes a conceptual redesign of Padre Boulevard as a walkable street with parking, bike lanes, and pedestrian-friendly intersections. Today, Padre Boulevard functions as a suburban auto-dominated roadway. Driven by the recognition that the current street function is stunting good development, the master plan for the boulevard was crafted through a community process by the Gateway Planning team that included members Kimley Horn, Dover Kohl and economists TXP.

The master plan and code include seven character zones along with distinct architectural and sustainability standards tailored for the barrier island’s environmental conditions, market, and a decades-long desire to transform South Padre into an urban destination.