This Topic: Links to Codes Available on the Web

[Steve Shapiro]

If you know of a community that has elements you would like to see incorporate into the regulations for Freeland, click on this link - http://www.codepublishing.com/elibrary.html - and see if the code for that community is available electronically. Post links to the sections you like as a new topic.

[Ken Dickey]

Here is a link to city codes for Washington put up by the
Municipal Research and Services Center [of WA]:

http://www.mrsc.org/codes.aspx

It appears to be a very useful web site.

-Ken Dickey

[leanne finlay]

Here is an interesting article about changes in Prince George and Suquamish in BC. To add people to their 'downtown' core areas, they are adding housing units.

Regarding Freeland's code writing: I definitely would like us to write our Freeland code to allow more outside patio seating for coffee shops and restaurants, and allow for wider sidewalks in the BV and BG areas in certain places to allow planters, seating and table areas for businesses such as restaurants, cafes, bakeries, ice cream, coffee shops. I would like to also see us make certain that companies that produce products can find a place in Freeland.

The title of the article is 'Small Cities Working to Create Vibrant Downtowns'. http://thetyee.ca/News/2009/06/23/SmallCitiesWorking/

A quote from the article: People will go where they see other people doing something, whether that be sitting eating ice cream or doing anything else. That was lacking in our downtown," says Chalmers. "Once we started seeing people on the streets and more people in and around downtown, other vacant storefronts became trendy little cafes," he says, pointing to another patio where customers laugh and sip coffee. He says that the patio they are sitting on is actually illegal. Instead of enforcing the bylaw though, the city is just going to change it to allow more patios.

The article also says "But density is not the only answer to a freshened downtown. John Curry is a professor in the Department of Community Development and Planning at the University of Northern B.C., with expertise in downtown revitalization. He says the key to success is keeping a balance between the needs of the public, and the needs of the private sector. Lucky for Prince George, the downtown has a strong backbone of commercial infrastructure. It just needs a community built around it. "

The BV and BG zoning areas of Freeland will allow for both housing and commercial uses. Thinking about all the small details for codes helps design how the growth of Freeland will function.

If you have ideas about what kinds of business uses you might like in Freeland, your ideas are welcome.

Here is an article from BC that discusses the idea that a 'creative culture' isn't enough to be sustainable economically. Nelson, BC is the town discussed in this article. "Is Nelson's World Enough?"

http://thetyee.ca/News/2004/12/01/IsNelsonsWorldEnough/