14.8.5 City Centre – Zone Z5

Land-Use Zoning Objective Z5:

To consolidate and facilitate the development of the central area, and to identify, reinforce, strengthen and protect its civic design character and dignity.

The primary purpose of this use zone is to sustain life within the centre of the city through intensive mixed-use development (see also Chapters 6, 7, and 16 for policies, objectives and standards).

The strategy is to provide a dynamic mix of uses which interact with each other, help create a sense of community, and which sustain the vitality of the inner city both by day and night.

As a balance and in recognition of the growing residential communities in the city centre, adequate noise reduction measures must be incorporated into development, especially mixed-use development, and regard should be given to the hours of operation (see Chapter 16, Section 16.36 – Noise).

Ideally, this mix of uses should occur both vertically through the floors of the building as well as horizontally along the street frontage. While a general mix of uses e.g. retail, commercial, residential etc. will be desirable throughout the area, retail will be the predominant use at ground floor on the principal shopping streets.