This color document outlines the design intent, standards, and vision of development in the Town Center. The design intent encourages the scale, massing, and physical relationships of a turn of the century small town, with central public spaces and a main street. This will be balanced with current design principles that reflect the dynamics of changing times and current building techniques. New interpretations of traditional building types are encouraged, such that they are seen as products of their own time yet comparable to historic communities heralded for their charm and attention to the pedestrian environment. “Progressive Western Mountain Architecture” is the theme guiding this vision of regional history integrated into the modern era, thus making the Town Center a focal point in the Big Sky area for residents and visitors. The Town Center will be a very active environment providing the night life and shopping, dining, and lodging experiences currently missing in the Big Sky area.

The following is a summary of important points in the Design Standards:

• Review and Approval Process. All development in the Town Center is reviewed by the Town Center Architectural Committee for compliance with the Zoning Regulations, Master Plan, and the Design Standards and Guidelines, with approval granted by the Town Center Owners Association (TCOA). The TCOA will make every effort to expedite the review and approval of development applications.
• Neighborhood Commercial Development. This district includes commercial development at the borders of the Commercial Core area of the project at both the east and west. This district will see a mix of office, retail, grocery, and hotel uses at full buildout. Retail uses are strongly encouraged on the ground floor, while second floor uses will include office and residential timeshare or condominium units. Services to these lots include a paved roadway, curb and gutter, power, telephone, and water and sewer service to the lot line. These lots will be sold and priced with a maximum building size on the lot. The project developer will be responsible for installing the required parking, landscaping, and other site improvements (such as sidewalk and street trees) to the back of curb in the adjacent road right-of-way. Parking lot and street lighting is installed through a lighting lease program with the local power company. The project developer is responsible for installing the electrical conduit and light bases for parking lot and street lights, and the power company will pull the wire, install, and maintain the light poles and fixtures. Once site improvements are installed, the Town Center Owners Association is the entity responsible for the routine maintenance and long-term replacement of the parking lots, sidewalks, landscaping improvements, and common and public open space areas.
• Commercial Core Development. This district is the “downtown heart” of the Town Center and is focused on Town Center Avenue, extending east and west from the main Town Center Plaza. The building heights in this District will be mixed; those buildings fronting the plaza, however, are required to be three or four stories in height to achieve a comfortable sense of space in the plaza area. This area will be a diverse, mixed-use environment with business, retail, and residential components that share a common design character worthy of a community core. Retail or restaurant uses are required on 60% of the ground floor, with the second and subsequent floors going to office, residential, or lodging uses. Lots in this district will be sold and priced as building pads with a maximum building size on the lot. Services to these lots will include a paved roadway, curb and gutter, parking lot, parking lot landscaping and lighting, power, telephone, and water and sewer service to the lot line. The project developer will be responsible for installing the required landscaping and other site improvements (such as sidewalk and street trees) to the back of curb in the adjacent road right-of-way. The project developer is also responsible for installing the electrical conduit and light bases for the street lights, and the power company will pull the wire, and install and maintain the light poles and fixtures. Once site improvements are installed, the Town Center Owners Association will be responsible for the routine maintenance and long-term replacement of the parking lots, sidewalks, plaza area landscaping, and other common and public area improvements in the Commercial District.
• Residential Development. The intent of the Town Center Residential District is to provide a mix of housing types, densities, parks, open space, and trails to complement and support the Town Center Commercial District to create the appearance and feel of a small town and a year-round residential and recreation population center. The location and site design of single-family and multi-family developments is flexible within very broad design criteria. Lots will be priced assuming a maximum building density. Services to these lots will include a paved roadway, curb and gutter, power, telephone, and water and sewer service to the lot line. The project developer will be responsible for installing the required landscaping and other site improvements (such as sidewalk and street trees) to the back of curb in the adjacent road right-of-way. The project developer is also responsible for installing the electrical conduit and light bases for the street lights, and the power company will pull the wire, and install and maintain the light poles and fixtures through the lighting lease program.