If approved, the Sachse Turnpike District will be just beyond the north Garland city limits, along the SH-190 Eastern Extension. It will feature mixed-use development close to the turnpike and traditional neighborhood development further away. The development would boost shopping opportunities for residents in both cities.
Click for a larger version. Sources: Sachse Turpike District Code, Google maps, NTTA maps

 
While Garland is reaching toward an improved Development Code that embraces form-based codes, Sachse is in the final stages of approving a 600-acre Turnpike District that is completely form-based. The proposed overlay district was approved by the Sachse Planning and Zoning Commission last week and now moves to the City Council.
 
Work on the overlay has been underway for over two years. In June, a charette involving the area stakeholders (a large PDF file which may be slow loading) was held at the Sachse city hall. Landowners were able to express their concerns and see modifications made to address those concerns. At the P&Z meeting, there were still some that did not endorse the proposed change. The most frequent comment seemed to be: We moved to the country and this isn't what we expected.
 
A goal of the district will be to advance "a mix of residential unit types throughout each neighborhood to provide for life-cycle housing." This is sometimes described as being able to transition through different housing needs and remain in the same neighborhood — from a starter home to an estate home and still visit the same park and shop at the same stores. However, one realtor expressed her opinion that never happens.
 
I would point out that is how it used to be but we changed how we built neighborhoods and it doesn't happen now, but it could. As American cities began zoning property, the main divider between zones was the uses allowed, such as residential, retail, industrial. Form-based coding looks more to the design elements and separates uses by strata called "transects," from rural to dense urban core.
 
I believe the Sachse Turnpike District will be immensely successful and will be good for Garland. While there will be stores and other businesses that compete with Firewheel, the combination will draw more residents and shoppers to the area. But I believe there will be a much greater benefit: we will have a first-class example of New Urbanist design and planning available nearby, which will demonstrate the advantage of additional housing products in the area and will give prime examples of enhancements to existing neighborhoods.
 
Take a few moments to read the guiding principles and purposes of the overlay below and decide if it sounds like somewhere you'd like to live or visit. The whole document is available on the City of Sachse website, or click the link below.
 

From the proposed Sachse Turnpike District Code (a large PDF file that may be slow loading):

INTENT & PURPOSE

The Area

1. Green corridors and flood plain shall be used to define and connect the neighborhoods within the Framework Plan and the surrounding urbanized areas of the community.
2. The area should include a framework of pedestrian and bicycle systems as well as transit-ready development that provide alternatives to the automobile.

The Community

1. That neighborhoods and Regional Centers within this overlay district shall be compact, pedestrian-oriented and mixed-use.
2. That neighborhoods and Regional Centers shall be the preferred pattern of development and that sub-districts specializing in single-use should be the exception.
3. That ordinary activities of daily living should occur within walking distance of most dwellings, allowing independence to those who do not drive.
4. That interconnected networks of thoroughfares shall be designed to disperse and reduce the length of automobile trips.
5. That within each Pedestrian Shed, a range of housing types be provided to foster and contribute to long term sustainability and reinvestment.
6. That civic, institutional, and commercial activity should be integrated into the District.
7. That schools should be connected to neighborhoods with sidewalks and trails that enable children to walk or bicycle to them.
8. That a range of open space including parks, squares, and playgrounds shall be distributed within neighborhoods and urban centers.

The Block and the Building

1. That an infrastructure of quality buildings and public spaces be constructed that will invite reinvestment over time, and accommodate flexibility in use to respond to evolving markets.
2. That buildings and landscaping shall contribute to the physical definition of thoroughfares as civic places.
3. That development shall adequately accommodate automobiles while respecting the pedestrian and the spatial form of public space.
4. That the design of streets and buildings shall reinforce safe environments and preserve accessibility.
5. That landscape design shall grow from local climate and topography, and that architecture should grow from local climate, topography, history, and building practice.
6. That buildings should provide their inhabitants with a clear sense of geography and climate through energy efficient methods.
7. That civic buildings and public gathering places should be provided at locations that reinforce community identity and support their use.
8. That civic buildings shall be distinctive and appropriate to a role more important than the other buildings that constitute the fabric of the city.
9. That the harmonious and orderly evolution of urban areas should be secured through graphic codes that serve as guides for change.