When new buildings are constructed in the Cedar Village area, they probably won't look anything like what's already there.

City planners have prepared a draft of a new zoning law which specifies exactly what can and cannot be built in the area.

The proposal represents a dramatic shift from current building practices and the way the city writes zoning standards.

If the law is approved, buildings four stories or taller will become the norm. Right now, nothing is higher than four stories in the 35-acre East Village, located south of Grand River Avenue between Bogue Street and Hagadorn Road.

First-floor space will be almost entirely retail. A river walk will be created along Red Cedar River. Parking lots will be cut to a minimum in favor of ramps. Vinyl siding is out.

It's "not a suburban look," said Bob Owen, the city's planning and zoning administrator. The zoning aims instead to create an urban environment similar to downtown East Lansing.

The East Lansing City Council will introduce the law at its work session tonight. From there, it will head to the East Lansing Planning Commission for review, and it will then return to council for final approval.

Traditional zoning laws specify what uses — such as residential or business — are allowed on a certain area of land.

But the East Village zoning is a "form-based" code, an approach the city is using for the first time. It encourages mixed uses, and it focuses on the character of developments — specifying details such as minimum building heights, placement of windows and acceptable building materials.

Joe Goodsir, who owns seven properties in East Village, said he doesn't know enough about form-based zoning to comment on how the style might affect his future development plans.

The principles of form-based zoning are only about five years old and have only been applied on a limited basis around the state, said Steve Langworthy, a community planner who is working on form-based codes for the cities of Fremont and Grand Rapids.

"It's still developing — it's that new," Langworthy said of the method.

Form-based zoning saves developers huge amounts of time by stating requirements explicitly, Langworthy said, but it does limit architectural variety to some extent.

"The common complaint is, 'you're designing my building for me,' and it's simply not true," he said.

Existing structures in the East Village are not affected by the new zoning, but any new building would have to be at least four stories tall and could go as high as eight stories, or 112 feet.

That means there won't be any traditional houses or two-story apartment buildings constructed. But Owen said there hasn't been a single-family home built in the area during the 35 years he's worked for the city's planning department.

Fronts of buildings will be adjacent to the sidewalk, and they will include more glass doors and windows on the first floor. The buildings only can be constructed from a select list of materials, mainly brick and stone.

Surface parking will be limited to six spaces on each property, with most parking moved to ramps.

The code also requires that riverfront developments include a 12-foot pathway along the Red Cedar River, something Owen said the city can accomplish through agreements with property owners — possibly offering owners the option of building as high as 10 stories to give up space along the river.

Nothing stated in the draft of the code is final until council members and planning commissioners make sure it's in line with the goals of the East Village Master Plan, which the Planning Commission adopted on Feb. 8.

City Councilmember Kevin Beard said the code is aggressive, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

"It's pretty clear in my mind that the goals and objectives are asking for a specific development," Beard said.

Revising the code will likely take time — both the council and commission will hold public hearings and discussions before voting on the matter.

But city officials are hoping to have the zoning completed by May, when a freeze on new construction in the East Village expires.

City Council halted new building projects in the East Village in July 2004, in anticipation of the new master plan. Since then, the council has extended the restriction several times.

Beard indicated he'd prefer not to have to extend it again, but if necessary, he'd be open to the possibility.