7/26/2019 Park and Plaza Standards

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Penacook Village District

The following are recommended guidelines for creating an

active and integrated public plazas and parks.

Definitions

Public Park

A Public Park may be a privately or publicly owned open

space developed for human enjoyment or preserved in a

semi-natural state for the protection of natural resources. A

public park is generally landscaped (i.e. lawn, ground cover,

trees or other vegetation) and improved with elements such

as paths for pedestrians and cyclists, seating, play structures

and other community amenities.

Public Plaza

A Public Plaza is a privately-owned open area adjacent to a

building and accessible to the public. It should generally be

at the level of the sidewalk it adjoins and be unobstructed

to the sky except for seating and other permitted amenities.

Public plazas are generally hardscape (i.e. bricks, pavers,

etc.) with some landscape elements integrated within the

plaza area.

Open Air Cafes

Open Air Cafes are outdoor dining areas, provided they are

permanently open to the sky with the exception of table um-

brellas.

Waterfront Public Access Area

A waterfront public access area (WPAA) is the portion of a

waterfront zoning lot where publicly accessible open space

is provided to, and along, the shoreline. All WPAAs are re-quired to be improved with landscaping and trees, seating

and other amenities. WPAAs can include a shore public walk-

way, an upland connection, a supplemental public access

area, or any additional area improved for public use.

Required Public Space

Any site redeveloped under the CUP should be required to

provide an area for one or more Public Plazas and/or Parks

The appropriate square footage of these areas will vary

based on the specic site characteristics. In other communi

ties that have established similar standards, the amount is

often based on a percentage of the total site area or tota

proposed building square footage. All such spaces should

be required to be contiguous and connected to the extent

possible.

Waterfront Access

Standards for the development of riverfront parcels should

provide public access and enjoyment of the Contoocook

River. It is recommended that a CUP for a riverfront parce

employ a plan for a Waterfront Public Access Area.

Recommended Guidelines for Public Parks

The design of a Public Park should come from an open and

inclusive public process that involves the City, neighborhood

residents and other stakeholders. The design should be re

sponsive to the specic needs of the neighborhood and the

management capabilities of the owner and manager. Con

sider for example primary and secondary users, community

events, public safety, ease of maintenance, connectivity, ac

cessibility and/or other design ideas that may come from the

public process. Activation strategies should also be consid

ered. Parks are most successful when they have elements

that invite people in on a regular basis. Seating and othe

amenities that encourage interaction among users will help

build relationships important to healthy communities.

Appendix: A- 2

Public Park and Plaza Standards

7/26/2019 Park and Plaza Standards

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A-2 page2

Penacook Village District

Recommended Guidelines for Public Plazas

Siting

A minimum of 50% of the perimeter of any Public Park or

Public Plaza should front onto a public ROW.

Seating

Minimum of 1 linear square foot of seating for every

30 square feet of plaza area.

Seating should have a minimum depth of 16 inches.

Seating with backs at least 12 inches high should have

a minimum depth of 14 inches.

Seating 30 inches or more in depth may be credited as

2 linear square feet of the seating requirement.

Seating should be between 12 and 36 inches high.

Tops of walls, such as those which bound planting

beds or other features, may be counted as seating if

they conform to the dimensional standards above.

Movable seating or chairs, excluding seating of open

air cafes, may be credited as 2 linear square feet of the

seating requirement.

No more than 50 percent of the linear seating require-

ment may be met by movable seating.

Steps do not count toward the seating requirement.

Planting and Trees

Planting and trees should conform to Section 27 of

the Site Plan regulations in addition to the following

standard.

Public Plazas should incorporate trees based on the

plazas square footage as follows:

0-1,500 square feet - none required

1,500-5,000 square feet - 4 trees

5,000+ square feet - 6 trees plus 1 additional tree

for each additional 2,000 square feet of plaza

area.

Amenities

Seating, plantings and trees should be mandatory.

Two (2) additional amenities should be provided, such

as:

Additional trees.

Planters not less than 150 square feet per

1,000 square feet of plaza area

Grass and other ground cover a total of 150

square feet per 1,000 square, feet of plaza area,

or fraction thereof.

Game tables,

Art,

Fountains and pools,

Drinking fountains,

Open air cafe, or

Food carts or kiosks.

Total area of amenities not to exceed 60 percent of

total plaza area.

A maximum of 20% of the plaza area may be occupied

by open air cafes. No kitchen equipment should be

installed within a plaza.

Building Frontage

At least 50% of the total frontage of the building walls

fronting on a plaza, exclusive of vertical circulation ele-

ments (stairwells, etc.) and building lobbies should be

allocated for occupancy by non-residential uses.

All such uses should be directly accessible from the

plaza.

Lighting

Plazas should be illuminated throughout with an over-

all minimum average level of illumination of not less

than 2 horizontal foot candles.

Circulation and Access

A plaza should be open to use by the public at all

times, with direct access from an adjoining public

sidewalk along at least 50 percent of its total length of

frontage.

In order to allow maximum visibility from the street to

the plaza, no wall may be constructed higher than 36

inches along the remaining length of frontage.

Universal Access There should be at least one path meeting ADA re-

quirements to each of the following:

The major portion of the plaza,

Any building lobby accessed from the plaza, and

Any use on, or adjacent to the plaza.