Item 5: Public Hearing on Ordinance Establishing Chambers Special Area Zone

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health of traditional neighborhood. Typically, older neighborhoods have consistent physical characteristics, summarized as follows: · Gridded streets · De-emphasized parking · Houses oriented to the street · Front yards as important semi-public space · Alleys for services, storage, limited housing, and pedestrian traffic · Significant street trees and mature urban landscape · Walkable distances to downtown, commercial areas, and open spaces Traditional neighborhoods also rely on respectful decision-making among residents, and a willingness to let the neighborhood evolve over time. Many of the wonderful qualities of older, living neighborhoods is that nothing repeats exactly, yet there is overall continuity. General patterns and trends grow and evolve over time, and it is the enduring patterns, not so much the individual structures, that give the neighborhood its traditional character. This is less true in suburban neighborhoods developed by a single developer, employing strict CC&Rs that promote uniformity and discourage change over time. The design guidelines in this Citizens' Guide are intended to articulate and encourage the preservation of important patterns in the East Traditional Neighborhood, while allowing individual control and discretion that preserves vitality. To achieve this balance, citizens must recognize the sphere of influence of their own house, and be willing to work with their neighbors over time. .