VISALIA GENERAL PLAN
2-42
dictate housing types or unit mixes precisely;
they also must be capable of addressing the needs
of the community at various stages of the plan’s
realization and be flexible enough to respond to
market conditions.
Development Parameters for New
Neighborhoods
The General Plan’s development policies provide for
flexibility within a general framework for land use,
open space, and community facilities. Site plan -
ning policies set forth the basic parameters for more
detailed master planning and development agree -
ments. These development parameters include the
general scale, character and mix of uses, as well as the overall density/intensity of development. The density/
intensity ranges specified will support the traffic cir - culation and infrastructure investments that would
be required. Also included is guidance for develop -
ment of parks and open space systems and integra -
tion of creeks and trails into new development. This
topic is addressed briefly in this section, and treated with greater detail in the Parks, Schools, Community
Facilities, and Utilities Element.
These parameters establish the basic character of new
neighborhoods in Visalia, addressing street and block
patterns, community infrastructure, open space, civic
sites and other elements of the “public realm” that set the framework for private development.
With this in mind, objectives for new residential
development are to:
• Encourage compact development that is
pedestrian in scale and sensitive to the
environmental characteristics of the planning
area.
• Allow sufficient density and intensity to enable
new development to be self-sufficient, paying for
all required infrastructure, community facilities,
and open space.
• Ensure an interconnected local street and
pedestrian circulation network that serves the
needs of pedestrians, bicycles, and other non-
motorized forms of transportation, and that
functionally and physically integrates the various
land use activities within the community and to
surrounding neighborhoods.
• Provide for a range of housing types and prices
within new neighborhoods to ensure that the
needs of all economic segments of the community
are met and the overall development can support
the costs of required infrastructure and allow
developers flexibility in meeting housing needs.
• Provide amenities for all residents, with open
space, parks, activity centers, and recreational
opportunities, including shared use of school
lands.
• Provide additional revenues (sales tax, property
tax, impact fees, enterprise fees, etc.) that
would support all services within the area to
be developed and also contribute to the City’s
General Fund, resulting in a net fiscal benefit for
the community at-large.
These six statements establish the ground rules for
detailed master planning to be undertaken by the
development community following General Plan
adoption. To ensure that Visalia attracts high qual -
A system of open space and trails can link
neighborhoods and other destinations.
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LAND USE
OCTOBER 2014
ity residential development and that desired land use
intensities are attained, a minimum overall level of
development and target density moving forward (5.3
units per gross acre) is established as a planning con - cept. Sites for schools, parks, and other special places and community amenities also will be needed. The
specific requirements for these elements are presented
in the following sections.
Site Planning Policies and Principles
Specific site planning policies and principles are
designed to guide physical planning for new neigh -
borhoods.
LAND USE MIX, DENSITY AND INTENSITY
The land use mix envisioned overall for new neigh -
borhoods in Visalia is shown in Table 2-7. The ranges
indicated—the minimum and maximum levels of
development for each type of land use—are intended
to allow for flexibility in master planning in response to market conditions, infrastructure costs, and site
planning policies. An option for alternative compli -
ance for the residential development land use alloca -
tions is also shown. This would allow for some addi -
tional flexibility by enabling the goal of a diversified housing mix to be met by a combination of housing
types rather than a combination of different residen -
tial densities.
STREET GRID AND BLOCK STRUCTURE
The size and pattern of blocks and the planning of
streets and pedestrian systems adjacent to roadways
is one of the most important aspects of community
design. A grid system of blocks and a hierarchy of
streets—from parkways, to connector and collec -
tor streets, to alleys, that are designed properly—can
truly become an intuitive orientation and naviga -
tional device.
Within new neighborhoods, streets and pedestrian
systems should be designed to minimize conflicts
with the clear goal of pedestrian safety. The generous
use of street trees can both define the new commu -
nity’s character and provide a comfortable microcli -
mate for pedestrian movement through the commu -
nity. Street trees can also mitigate wind, absorb air
pollution, and counteract the emission of greenhouse
gases. Street trees shade sidewalks, one of the most
important public spaces in a residential community,
and are necessary in Visalia’s climate. The street grid and block structure for Visalia should be designed to
create a comfortable environment for fostering both
social interaction and movement.
The following site planning principles are intended
to guide detailed planning and ensure it is consistent
with the overall vision and development framework.
• Create compact development and facilitate
connectivity and pedestrian accessibility by
limiting block size, with standards such as the
following (which may be varied during site plan
review, as long as public benefits are provided):
° Maximum length: 500 feet, except for blocks
with single-family residential uses that may
be up to 600 feet long (750 feet with a mid-
block pedestrian connection);
° Maximum ratio of block length to width: 2:1
for blocks with mixed-use development on
them; none for single-family only blocks.
• Include a centrally located neighborhood
center, school or park within each residential
VISALIA GENERAL PLAN
2-44
neighborhood that will serve as a focal point for
the surrounding neighborhood, and will include
neighborhood-serving stores and convenience
retail.
• Make all streets and alleys connect to other streets
and alleys to form a continuous vehicular and
pedestrian network. Local, internal streets should
be narrow and designed with traffic calming
features to control speed.
• Limit use of dead-end streets, such as cul-de-sacs,
to no more than 15 percent of the total length of
local residential streets.
• Use street trees for shading, orientation and “place
making,” creating a framework for an “urban
forest.”
Following General Plan adoption, the City may allow
flexibility through a planned development process
or master planning for new neighborhoods. At that
point, the City will approve proposed details about
the location of various land uses, open spaces and
linkages. In a planned development, the configura -
tion of land use and local streets need not match pre - cisely the Land Use Diagram in the General Plan,
provided that the overall density/intensity targets are met.
Objectives
LU-O-19 Ensure adequate land area is available for
future housing needs, enabling an average
citywide gross density of 5.3 dwelling units
per acre of new residential development.
LU-O-20 Allow sufficient density and intensity to
enable new development to support all
required infrastructure, community facili -
ties and open space.
LU-O-21 Preserve and enhance the character of resi -
dential neighborhoods while facilitating
infill development.
LU-O-22 Create inclusive, compact neighborhoods
with well-integrated single-family and
multi-family residential development and
activity nodes featuring schools, neighbor -
hood parks, and neighborhood commer -
cial areas.
LU-O-23 Provide a range of housing types and
prices within new neighborhoods to meet
the needs of all segments of the commu -
nity.
LU-O-24 Enable multifamily developments that
are accessible to major transportation and
transit routes.
LU-O-25 Create an open space system that links
neighborhoods, complements adjacent
land uses, and serves multiple needs.
See also objectives and policies for the open
space system in the Conservation and Open
Space Element.
Policies
LU-P-47 Ensure that new neighborhoods meet land
use mix standards established in Table
2-7 of the General Plan. The ranges indi -
cated—the minimum and maximum lev -
The Medium and High Density Residential designations
allow for a wide variety of housing types and design.