Our design guidelines provide the framework to allow our commercial center to evolve over time into an attractive mixed-use center of activity. The guidelines are intended to promote quality design that meets the long-term goals and vision of the community and make the Town of Plattsburgh an increasingly appealing place to live, work and play.
This district is intended to be the service center of an emerging area of the Town of Plattsburgh. A service center where you would most often find multi-story buildings and commercial activity providing retail sales, restaurants, and local services along major employment corridors within surrounding Special Development District (SD). Attractive masonry and wood buildings line the streets, providing shade with balconies, porches and canopies. Tree-lined streets and wide sidewalks connect buildings across landscaped yards, with shared parking areas tucked behind buildings to minimize hardscape. Side and rear yard parking and pedestrian amenities strongly encourage walking in this neighborhood. Pedestrian connectivity allows for internal circulation of the workforce and others within the neighborhood minimizing traffic and increasing access to services.
This district is intended to be the commercial core of Town Center, a neighborhood center where you would most often find the tallest buildings and most commercial activity. Here, a strong mix of commercial and residential uses is found, with the lower levels of almost all buildings providing retail sales, restaurants, local services and offices while the upper floors provide a diverse mix of residential and commercial uses for people of different ages, incomes and abilities. Attractive masonry and wood buildings line the streets, providing shade with balconies, porches and canopies. Very walkable tree-lined streets and wide sidewalks connect buildings across well landscaped lawns, with shared parking areas tucked behind buildings to minimize hardscape. On street parking and pedestrian sidewalks strongly encourage walking in this very pedestrian oriented neighborhood.
The T4 Town Commercial District is intended to be the general commercial area of Town Center, a mix of both commercial and residential buildings. Less intensive than the T5, this neighborhood is also intended to provide walkable streets and sidewalks, but with deeper front yards which can provide more attractive front lawns or some limited convenience off-street parking in front of commercial stores. Residential properties provide parking in the rear, sometimes accessed via alleys. In this neighborhood, commercial and residential uses can be found, but not always within the same building. Some commercial properties may prefer to serve as stand-alone buildings, catering to a more vehicle-centric highway commercial purpose, while a variety of multi-family residential properties in the area provide apartments and townhomes with inviting front porches and covered stoops. The larger front lawns and landscaping provide the backdrop to tree-lined sidewalks, with some limited convenience parking buffered from the sidewalk.
The T3C Town Center Neighborhood District is intended to be a residential neighborhood which allows some limited multi-family and commercial uses along the outskirts of Town Center. These neighborhoods are composed of smaller scale, one- and two-story structures with pitched roofs. While a majority of the structures are single family residences, it also includes a mix of moderately dense multifamily housing and small-scale commercial uses found along the primary road corridors, appropriately scaled to a residential neighborhood. The neighborhood provides ample sidewalks and street trees providing pedestrian connections through the neighborhoods to nearby commercial uses. Commercial uses locate their parking in the side or rear of the lot to maintain an attractive front yard area. Residential garages and parking areas are not typically visible from the street but are instead set back toward the rear of the lot, oriented to the side of the house, or accessed from the back via rear alleys.
The T3R Town Center Residential District is intended to be the primary supporting residential neighborhood surrounding the commercial areas of Town Center. These neighborhoods are almost entirely composed of smaller scale, two-story wood framed homes with pitched roofs and attractive front porches. While a majority of the housing is single family, it also includes a mix of moderate density multifamily housing found along the primary road corridors, composed of two- and three-story structures appropriately scaled to a residential neighborhood. The neighborhood provides ample sidewalks and street trees providing pedestrian connections through the neighborhoods to adjacent commercial areas. Garages are not typically visible from the street but are instead often set far back toward the rear of the lot, oriented to the side of the house, or accessed from the back via rear alleys
The Special Development district is intended to be the hub of new, clean technology and light industrial activity within the Town of Plattsburgh. Here, manufacturing and research facilities are arranged together, with some supporting commercial uses to serve the nearby businesses and cater to local employees. This district is designed for function and utility, with simple but attractive warehouse buildings and easy vehicle egress for commuters and truck traffic. The one- and two-story metal and masonry buildings are often accentuated by their administrative office areas and entrances which provide enhanced architectural design with canopies, windows, and more interesting exterior materials than the rest of the building. The otherwise utilitarian facades of these buildings are softened by landscaping and buffers. Although not as pedestrian oriented as other districts, the neighborhood still provides safe pedestrian routes with sidewalks and walking paths to and from workplaces and to small nearby pocket parks where lunch breaks can be enjoyed.
