Regional Urban Design Guidelines (RUDG) - FAQs

The Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA) has begun its regional urban design guidelines process to inform future former Fort Ord physical improvements. FORA is responsible for planning, financing, and implementing reuse and recovery programs described in the 1997 Base Reuse Plan (Reuse Plan). The Regional Urban Design Guidelines (RUDG) is one of those programs. The Reuse Plan sets the RUDG as part of the long term economic recovery strategy. The RUDG is the next step toward completing Resue Plan goals.

The RUDG will set a descriptive physical reuse framework for former Fort Ord access, movement, massing, interface, and character of/for roads, setbacks, buildings, landscaping, signage and other matters of visual importance. The guidelines aim to set forth a high quality aesthetic, building upon the sustainability and general design descriptors in the Reuse Plan (in the context of the overall region and market factors.)

The former Fort Ord RUDG will focus on Town and Village Centers, Regional Circulation Corridors, Trails & Gateways, as defined in the Reuse Plan.

Guidelines are design framework to direct or encourage regional (in this case) aesthetic quality. The RUDG will help create a stronger sense of place within the Monterey Peninsula and boost the overall quality of life by improving transit corridors, downtown centers, and pedestrian mobility. A code/standard is a legally binding requirement that must be met to develop a project.

The Regional Urban Design Guidelines fulfill requirements laid out in the Base Reuse Plan. RUDGs inform future physical improvements within the former Base area.

Each former Fort Ord municipality / jurisdiction implements the guidelines by adopting them into their general plan or zoning code. Individual projects will be processed by the jurisdictions/agencies, then submitted to FORA for compliance review. FORA ensures that jurisdiction-approved legislative land use actions and individual projects are consistent with the Reuse Plan through a “consistency determination” review process.

The municipalities within the former Fort Ord region include: Local (City of Marina, City of Seaside, City of Monterey, City of Del Rey Oaks, and the County of Monterey), State (California State University, University of California, Fort Ord Reuse Authority, California State Parks, California Department of Veterans Affairs, Monterey Peninsula College), and Federal (Department of the Army, Bureau of Land Management). Federal agencies are not subject to non-federal planning determinations, but are an active player in these design efforts. State agencies are also cooperating in this effort since they have comparable State Law authority and environmental obligations, but may not be subject to project review by local agencies under State Law. Local entities (in all cases) and the State agencies (in many cases) must apply the Regional Urban Design Guidelines for future projects.

Existing projects approved as consistent with the Base Reuse Plan will not be required to update or modify their project developments but are encouraged to incorporate any elements that can be achieved within their project envelope.

You can get involved in the RUDG process in many ways! FORA.MindMixer.com, Twitter, Facebook, RUDG meetings, regular FORA meetings, and Design Charrette February 2-11, 2015.