The Walker Collaborative’s Phil Walker has over 35 years of experience drafting and implementing all types of land use and design policy, including zoning, development standards and design guidelines.
In addition to writing such policies for dozens of communities across the country as a consultant, he has implemented land use and design policies by performing plan review for communities as diverse as Pensacola (FL), Natchez (MS), Nolensville (TN), and numerous boroughs and townships throughout New Jersey. Specific services provided by The Walker Collaborative include:
• Zoning Ordinances Development
• Design Standards and Form-Based Codes
• Historic Preservation Ordinances and Design Guidelines
Zoning & Design Guideline Project Portfolio
Cullman, Alabama
DOWNTOWN CULLMAN DESIGN GUIDELINES
Cullman was hit by a tornado that destroyed part of its historic downtown. With many property owners needing to quickly repair and rebuild, the City’s lack of historic zoning and design guidelines amplified the downtown’s vulnerabilities. Not wanting to hold up the recovery process, the City quickly hired TWC, which led an intensive three-day charrette to create design guidelines. Support was provided by Common Ground Urban Design + Planning and local architects.
Sumner County, Tennessee
SUMNER COUNTY ZONING and DEVELOPMENT CODE
Sumner County is a largely rural, but rapidly suburbanizing, county located northeast of Nashville. Hemmed in by a half dozen communities on its periphery, the county has several roads having the potential to gradually transition into strip commercial corridors. To help the county deal with these serious challenges, TWC was first hired to lead a multi-disciplinary team.
Fayetteville, North Carolina
FAYETTEVILLE DESIGN STANDARDS
Founded in 1760 near the Cape Fear River in the southeast part of the state, Fayetteville is perhaps best known as the home to the Fort Bragg military base. Less known to those who have not visited the community are its beautiful historic districts that reflect a broad range of eras and architectural styles. Their existing standards prior to this project were prepared in 2000, but in much need of rewriting.
Frederick, Maryland
EAST STREET CORRIDOR FBC PROJECT
Established in 1745, Frederick has a population of approximately 72,000 people. Because of the extraordinary historic integrity and character of the community, it had one of the country’s first locally-designated historic districts. The East Street corridor is located just east of the core of Downtown Frederick, but it features a wide range of conditions. The City decided to pursue the creation of their first Form-Based Code (FBC) to guide future redevelopment and hired TWC to prepare a study for the area before embarking on the project.
Northport, Alabama
NORTHPORT CORE CITY ZONING and DESIGN STANDARDS
The Walker Collaborative’s Phil Walker has been working with the City of Northport on planning issues since 1999. TWC led the creation of a master plan and new zoning and design standards for the entire area. The zoning and standards completely replaced the existing policies with the creation of twelve distinct districts, each with different permitted land uses and design standards. Similarly, there were several street types mapped for the area that correlate with street cross-sections, as well as two alley types. The plan and codes were adopted by the City Council shortly after their completion and have since been used to guide development in the area.
Additional Projects
Phil Walker has played a key role in the following projects through The Walker Collaboration (since 2002) and previous firms.