Fairview

Focus on "Green" Principles

Energy Conservation

• Create economic incentives for users of solar and wind power. Businesses that voluntarily use alternative energy sources could be given incentives, such as higher densities or FARs, or rebates and reductions in certain fees and charges.
• Use solar and/or wind energy town projects. The town should lead the way by utilizing alternative energy on traffic beacons, irrigation systems, buildings, etc. We already use alternative fuels in some of our vehicles.
• Encourage the use of light motion sensors, efficient light fixtures, and “daylighting.” Office buildings are notorious wasters of electricity. Office lights are commonly turned on in the morning and left on all day regardless of whether or not they are needed. Motion detectors will turn lights automatically if no one is in a room. Modern fixtures and bulbs can reduce energy used by the actual bulb by more than half, and further reduce energy by generating less heat. The use of windows and skylights can also reduce the need for excessive lighting, both in the amount installed and the degree to which it is used.
• Encourage the energy-efficient orientation of streets. Houses that have their main faces oriented north and south can have their energy bills reduced by as much as 30%. This simple measure can therefore have significant impacts on total energy consumed, and so wherever possible, streets should be laid out to encourage this orientation.

Sustainable Development

• Adopt CLIDE principles as Fairview’s principles. The NCTCOG has adopted ten principles for growth. The town should adopt those same principles as its own. They include: development options, efficient growth, pedestrian design, housing choice, activity centers, environmental stewardship, quality places, transportation efficiency, resource efficiency, and implementation.
• Adopt a green building ordinance. Frisco is the first in the country and still to date the only area city to adopt a true green ordinance governing residential construction. Requirements include Energy Star designation, and minimum standards for water conservation, indoor air quality, and waste recycling.
• Utilize the town newsletter for monthly environmental education. Education is key to encourage citizens to voluntarily adopt environmentally friendly behaviors. We now run periodic articles, but should make a more concerted effort.
• Require LEED certification on all new occupied municipal buildings. The U.S. Green Building Council has adopted a green building rating system, called Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design that scores buildings and places them in categories that include un-certified, certified, silver, gold, and platinum. The certified level is both achievable and worthwhile.
• Encourage LEED silver or gold certification for privately owned buildings. Using density and FAR incentives to encourage builders to achieve higher levels of LEED certification would put Fairview in the forefront of environmentally sensitive growth. The town might also wish to require the certified level for buildings of a certain size, say over 20,000 square feet.
• Fund strategic purchases of open spaces, floodways, and park land. On an annual basis, the town needs to set aside funding for such preservation. The land will never be cheaper and there will never be any more land.
• Preserve special environmental areas. Many areas can never be replicated and provide Fairview with much of its uniqueness. Streams, floodplains, the 83 acre nature preserve along Wilson Creek, an area recently identified by the Nature Conservancy as environmentally significant, etc. need to be protected from development. The City of Denton has a very good ordinance entitled “Environmentally Sensitive Areas” that could be used as a model in Fairview.
• Preserve historical & cultural landmarks. These features, whether manmade or naturally occurring, are also a part of a community’s unique characteristic, and likewise are by nature scarce and deserving of protection. A preservation ordinance has been drafted and will need to be adopted by the town to ensure that local landmarks do not disappear.
• Implement rural zoning/preservation. Denton has an excellent ordinance that helps protect the rural/agricultural nature of some sections of that city. That ordinance would be a good model for Fairview to follow in also protecting its agricultural roots and continuing farm uses.
• Adopt a public art ordinance. An ordinance that requires developers of non-residential property to include public art as a part of their developments adds to the quality of life on any community.
• Encourage mixed use development. Such development means shorter streets and utility lines, more pedestrian trips, shorter vehicle trips, etc. The CPDD ordinance has done an excellent job of this. Zoning on land near the airport should probably follow the same general pattern.

Less Intrusive Development

• Maintain existing terrain whenever possible in lieu of re-grading. By disturbing construction sites less when building, tree canopies and other vegetation are maintained, and pollution, erosion, and stormwater flows are reduced.
• Co-locate public parks and schools. Placing town parks and schools contiguous to one another reduces both parking and construction, and can reduce the number of vehicle trips.
• Improve cul-de-sacs. Existing dead ends should be capped with new cul-de-sacs to reduce vehicle time and property damage. All cul-de-sacs, both old and new, should have islands placed in them to reduce paving and impervious surfaces.
• Encourage cluster development. This style of development, also called conservation development, leaves the number of residential units per acre the same, but clusters them close together and surrounds them with large open spaces. Such development encourages residents to know their neighbors, aids in crime prevention, causes less disturbance of ground/nature, requires significantly less infrastructure, and ensures more open space. The eastern portion of Fairview, plus areas in our ETJ to the east would be ideal for this type of development.
• Consider reducing setback requirements. Lower front setbacks shorten driveways and lower side setbacks can shorten roads. Both result in less pavement.
• Retaining trees. Fairview’s tree preservation ordinance should be evaluated and revised to make sure trees are truly protected, not just replaced. Protecting trees improves not only the aesthetics of a community, but also reduces erosion and impacts on wildlife.

Air Quality

• Ensure hike & bike trails are constructed with all new collectors and above. By making walking options comfortable, safe, convenient, and attractive, more walking and less driving will occur.
• Connect cul-de-sacs with linear parks/trails. A trail system to connect dead end roads will encourage walking in lieu of driving.
• Establish standards for proximity of residential units to public spaces. Some cities have adopted standards requiring that 80% of houses within a development be within 1/8 of a mile of a public space. Public spaces include schools parks, open spaces, municipal facility, etc. Such standards encourage walking.
• Ensure an efficient transportation system. Besides time wasted and aggravation to drivers and their passengers, poor signalizations, lack of appropriate turn lanes, long blocks, significant separation of residential from retail uses, too few lanes for the amount of traffic present, etc. all contribute significantly to air pollution.
• Require bike racks/storage at municipal buildings and large private buildings. Many workers will not ride a bicycle to work if there is not safe location to store their bikes.
• Trail to Lake Lavon. Acquire easements to connect Fairview east to the shore of the lake and construct an eight to twelve foot wide trail for walking and biking. Equestrian trails could also be added, especially from cluster development in that part of town.
• Require sidewalks to and fronting on all new schools. Children should be encouraged to walk to school whenever possible. Also, if parks are successfully co-located with schools, visitors to those parks will also be encouraged to walk or bike.

Solid Waste

• Consider PAYT options. Pay as you throw weighs or otherwise measures the amount of garbage placed for collection and penalizes large users, encouraging re-use and recycling.
• Operate a recycling drop-off site. The town could encourage certain types of recycling by establishing a drop-off site at town hall.
• Provide mulching of Christmas trees and other vegetation. The town could provide twice a year mulching in January and April, thereby reducing the amount of waste going to landfills and encouraging mulching.
• Prohibit grass clippings in MSW. Prohibiting the placement of grass clippings in the municipal solid waste stream will encourage leaving grass on the lawn and composting.
• Approve a single solid waste franchise, with standards. A franchise would reduce the number of trucks on town streets (positively affecting air quality and road maintenance), fix responsibility for any specific road damage or service issues that might occur, and also generate some franchise revenues that could be used for road maintenance, trail construction, or recycling education.
• Require recycled content in parks construction materials. Benches, picnic tables, etc. as well as similar public space furniture, should be required to have recycled content.
• Use site controls to manage litter. Inlet controls and wind breaks can be very effective in preventing litter and blown debris from being discharged into waterways and onto private and public properties.