Historic Town Center Master Plan and Code - San Juan Capistrano, California

The City of San Juan Capistrano selected the team of Studio 111 and Sargent Town Planning to lead a public workshop and Charrette process to complete a vision plan and implementing documents for the Historic Town Center area adjacent to Mission San Juan Capistrano. During the interview process the team recommended consideration of an expanded planning area, including adjacent suburban shopping centers that have generally under-performed in recent years.

The team prepared a comprehensive analysis of the existing physical, economic, transportation, parking, regulatory and historic context of the expanded planning area.  One of the key findings was that unlike many small California communities, San Juan Capistrano's town center had never thrived as a classic downtown district, but always been essentially a stop on the highway. Through a process of public workshops and a design Charrette, the team proposed alternative visions for the completion of the historic town center, the transformation of the three primary highway-scale thoroughfares into town-scale streets, the phased transformation of under-performing retail areas into mixed-use blocks expanding the town center, and infilling housing into the fabric of the town center. These elements were knitted together into a Master Plan and Form-Based Code for the entire planning area.

Project Information

Location:
San Juan Capistrano, California
Status:
Adopted
Client:
  • City of San Juan Capistrano
Size:
150 acres
Place Type(s):

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