Morrisville Land Use Plan 2021

Setbacks Setbacks are spaces required between a building and a property line—usually in relation to a sidewalk or road. They are intended to provide a buffer, often with vegeta- tion, between the activities of the street and development. However, over-prescribed, large setbacks tend to disrupt the relationship between a building and the street, elimi- nating the interesting street edge and sense of enclosure key to enticing pedestrian activity. Many commercial developments in Morrisville incorpo- rate large setbacks that often pull them far away from the public realm of the street. Oftentimes, these areas become characterless voids with many developers left unsure about what to do with them. To avoid this pattern of development going forward, the Town should consider establishing a front yard setback maximum in addition to minimum requirements. This will create a ‘build to zone’ that will streamline the street edge over time. Due to their unassuming, yet significant impact on the built environment, the Town should carefully consider the width of setbacks in relation to the desired character of new development. This is especially important for the subareas discussed herein, where increased walkability is sought after.

Preserving Open Space & Landscaping

As Morrisville continues to develop, the preservation of open spaces, environmental areas, and landscaping is paramount to conserving the Town’s character and image. These should be a central consideration for the design of future developments to ensure Morrisville can retain its defining natural features while allowing appropriate and sensitive development. The Town should promote the preservation of open space as part of future development. This should include strict application of existing regulations, with particular emphasis on the preservation of Morrisville’s tree canopy. The Town should encourage that natural features, such as stands of trees, changes in elevation, or wildlife habitats, are integrated into site design wherever possible. Projects that require excessive tree clearing should be discouraged, as well as development on sites susceptible to flooding. The Town should explore incentives for developments that go beyond required standards for preservation, such as allowing greater height or clustered density for properties that preserve additional trees, further detail on how this can be accomplished is included on page 55. To complement existing open space, the Town should also continue to require landscaping that will contribute to community character and help to offset the loss of green space due to development. The Town should encourage the inclusion of native plant species in required land - scaping to ensure it is both visually appealing and in balance with the local climate.

Preferred Inviting entrance with strong relationship with the street and adjacent sidewalk

Preferred Lush landscaping with integration of existing tree stands and natural features

Not Preferred Distant entrance with an uninviting void between the building and the street

Not Preferred Excessive tree clearing with little regard for existing natural features

45 Morrisville Land Use Plan | Chapter 5 – Land Use Considerations