Land Park is designed to create a vibrant and livable community that offers a range of residential, employment, goods and service, educational, civic, and recreational uses for future City residents and employees. Land Park encompasses approximately 1,520 acres.
Lathrop Center
The heart of Land Park - Lathrop Center - provides the City and Land Park with an identifiable city core that incorporates a mix of uses (commercial, civic, and residential) in a pedestrian-oriented setting to create a social and cultural centerpiece for the project. The creation of opportunities for the siting of public facilities such as a civic center are emphasized, along with other significant community elements such as a community park, and the City's first high school. This mix of uses, linked by interconnected streets and trails, fosters a vibrant core that functions as the City's "town center."
Lathrop Center streets will function as a main street promenade, complete with wide sidewalks and canopy shade trees to establish a human scaled and pedestrian oriented place. The adjacent primary east-west axis (Lathrop Road) forms a community wide "signature" street terminating at its western end at the San Joaquin River and associated trails and open space systems. The overall Lathrop Center area is approximately 145 acres in size.
Residential Neighborhoods
Land Park offers a wide range of housing and density opportunities for future residents. Residential densities generally are higher at locations closer to the freeway and within the central core of the Plan area, and lower near the river. Various types of housing projects and innovative housing product types, are encouraged and anticipated within Land Park as well as within individual neighborhoods. Under this Plan, landowners have the right to construct approximately 6,800 residential units on roughly 845 acres of land within Land Park. Residential villages are planned around community features such as neighborhood parks and schools.
Variable Residential Density Development
One of Land Park's most innovative planning concepts is the introduction of the Variable Residential Density (VR) zoning designation. The majority of Land Park's residential neighborhoods are zoned VR. This new zoning designation replaces the low and medium density zoning designations traditionally relied upon in distinguishing residential land uses other than high density. In recent years, however, a wider variety of both detached and attached single family housing products have been introduced that blur the distinction between the low and medium density residential zoning categories. The principal purpose of the VR zone is to encourage the neighborhoods at Land Park to be a diverse mix of housing types that incorporate these new products.
The Variable Residential zoning district is also designed to accommodate an evolving housing market in which there is a growing demand for higher density housing products and for home value that is a reflection of the quality of construction and the level of amenities rather than the size of the home or the lot. The VR designation reflects a recognition of the fact that, while many homebuyers remain interested in a large home on a large lot, with a three car garage, there are an increasing number of households that are looking for smaller homes with smaller yards and two car garages. This diversity of market demand is based on lifestyle factors and personal preferences as well as pricing considerations.
Land Park's objective of encouraging a diverse mix of housing product types and densities within neighborhoods is also based on the planning premise that variety in terms of architecture and site design make for a more interesting built environment.
The I-5 Commercial Corridor
A retail and employment corridor has been concentrated paralleling Interstate 5, providing convenient access to and visibility for the commercial and office land uses located there. These land uses provide for an extensive array of local and regional goods and services as well as employment opportunities to the residents within Land Park and the City of Lathrop.
This placement for a centrally located commercial area within the City of Lathrop and reduces transportation trips and/or trip lengths within the community. By siting these uses adjacent to the Interstate, they serve to buffer the residential, civic, park, and school uses located in the interior of the Plan from traffic noise, fumes, and congestion. These commercial uses are conveniently accessible by walking and bicycling, as well as by vehicular and public transportation systems.
Trail Network
Land Park is pedestrian-oriented, providing an extensive network of pedestrian and bicycle trails that link significant destination point within the community including schools, parks, civic uses, neighborhoods, and employment center. A gravel multi-use trail, if approved by the City of Lathrop and Reclamation District-17 will be located on the eastern San Joaquin River levee, a major open space corridor, to provide views of the river and its environs, enhance regional access, and create areas for passive recreational activities. Land Park bike routes and facilities are consistent with the City of Lathrop Bicycle Transportation Master Plan.
Civic Functions
In addition to residential and commercial uses, Land Park provides for a balanced, comprehensive, and integrated system of recreational, educational, and community facilities for the use and enjoyment of its residents. The city center establishes a strong civic, cultural, and educational centerpiece for the community that radiates out into the Plan area through trails, open space, parks, and schools.
Community Character
Land Park includes various design elements to establish a sense of community and identity. These elements include a consistent use of entry features, street design and landscaping, as well as architectural styles and building placement. These types of design concepts reinforce and emphasize the important qualities and character of Land Park specifically, and the City of Lathrop generally.