Principles and Standards for Residential Areas

A primary focus of the Land-Use Plan is to maintain Oakwood's high-quality residential environment, which is characterized by sound housing stock and an attractive residential atmosphere. The following principles and standards should guide improvement and development within residential areas:

Neighborhoods should be designed primarily for residential use. Shopping and services, elementary schools, and parks and playgrounds should be easily accessible by pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles. The boundaries between neighborhoods and adjoining land-use areas should be clearly defined and screening and buffering should be provided as required.
Through-traffic should be routed around residential neighborhoods. Pedestrian walkways and bikeways should connect homes with schools, parks and neighborhood facilities. The City should continue to maintain a neighborhood atmosphere in which all residents feel safe and secure.
Existing single-family neighborhoods should continue to be strengthened where necessary through community facility and infrastructure improvements.
The City should continue its effective and consistent code enforcement activities to assure that the older existing housing stock is maintained and that repairs are undertaken in a timely manner. Maintenance of Oakwood’s older homes is essential.
Significant natural environmental features, such as topographic changes, streams and heavily wooded areas should be preserved and protected. These features add greatly to the ambiance of the City. Through public policy and private cooperation, these significant environmental features should be preserved for future generations.
All new residential development, including additions and remodeling, should be characterized by high-quality construction and should be compatible with the scale and character of the surrounding neighborhood.
Oakwood includes a number of estate properties that could be subdivided in the future. Current zoning would permit the subdivision of some estates, particularly in the R1 Zoning District. While the replacement of some older housing is both normal and desirable, the Plan strives to ensure that the subdivision of estate properties is compatible with and enhances existing neighborhood character, particularly in terms of setbacks, site landscaping, and the design character of new homes.
Multi-family residential development should be located along major roadways and on sites occupying locations between commercial areas and single-family neighborhoods. These sites can provide a “transition” between the commercial and neighborhood areas. New multi-family development should be of a scale and character compatible with nearby existing single-family homes.
Senior residential, including senior housing, assisted living and extended care facilities, should continue to be provided in convenient locations to accommodate the needs of Oakwood’s senior citizens.
While Oakwood contains several high-quality multi-family units that would be attractive to the higher end of the market, many multi-family developments in Oakwood are older and somewhat dated. Although Oakwood should continue to be primarily a single-family community, the City should explore locations for new multi-family development. The City might also encourage the updating of older multi-family units.
Related to the issue of multi-family housing is the need for new housing choices for older residents that may desire to move out of their single-family homes but stay in Oakwood. There are currently few high-end townhouses or condominiums in Oakwood that would be