UF planning faculty urge Manatee County to consider form‑based codes, street networks and targeted infill to shape long‑term growth

Professor Thomas Hawkins of the University of Florida presented planning analysis on April 8 arguing that the county’s long‑run economic and social outcomes hinge on the built environment: how streets, block size and site design shape travel behavior, emergency response, infrastructure costs and walkability.

Hawkins reviewed the conventional (Euclidean) zoning approach that separates uses and the form‑based alternate that prioritizes building form, street frontage and a durable transect from rural to urban. He used visual examples — downtown Gainesville, suburban retail strips, Rosemary Beach, Mizner Park and retrofitted shopping centers — to show how street networks and site orientation affect how people travel, economic vitality and maintenance costs.

"If you have to drive everywhere," Hawkins said, "your first question when you're going somewhere is what the parking situation is going to be like." He recommended piloting changes in targeted corridors, prescribing street networks in Greenfield areas (to lock in pedestrian‑friendly patterns), and educating commissioners, staff and the public before major code changes.

Commissioners and planning staff discussed precedents in Florida (Miami 21, Orange County, Gainesville block standards) and tradeoffs (infrastructure costs for denser patterns, state preemption concerns). Hawkins suggested a stepwise approach: set high‑level objectives, designate where growth should be more urban, prescribe block/road templates or require subdivision standards that create walkable blocks, then adjust land‑development codes and administrative processes.

Next steps: staff signaled interest in further study, targeted corridor pilots and coordination with the county’s economic development and housing strategies.