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Contested Elston Bike Lanes Are Finally Here, But Divvy Station Might Leave
Grid Chicago - 49 min 13 sec ago
The new bike lanes on Elston still need bike symbols and crosshatching in the buffers. Photo:
John Greenfield
It’s been a long time coming, but buffered bike lanes have finally materialized on Elston between
North and Webster. With this new segment, just about all of the nine-mile-long diagonal street
has the lanes.
Buffered lanes usually serve as a consolation prize for cyclists on streets where there isn’t
enough right of way, or political will, to install physically protected bike lanes. Since they’re
merely paint on the road, and they generally don’t inquire the elimination of any car parking
spaces, they’re really not much of an imposition drivers.
But the buffered lanes on this stretch of Elston were surprisingly controversial. When Chicago
Department of Transportation staff discussed the plan for them at a meeting hosted by the North
Branch Works industrial council back in December 2013, there was stiff resistance. Although
there was already a protected lane on the street from Division to North, and a faded conventional
lane north of North, the industrial council argued that encouraging more cycling on the street
would interfere with truck movement and endanger bike riders.
The bike lanes near Kohl’s, a little south of Webster. Photo: John Greenfield
As an alternative to upgrading the Elston lanes, the North Branch Works lobbied CDOT to build
a roundabout bicycle detour proposal designed by a local architecture firm, dubbed “A New Bike
Route.” Fortunately, the department held its ground, pointing out there was already heavy bike
traffic on Elston, and more than a quarter of injury crashes on the street involved cyclists.
In spring of 2014, CDOT presented a slightly modified design for the buffered lanes, with the
travel lanes widened from 10.5 feet to 11 feet, and the industrial council grudgingly accepting
the plan. The bike lanes were slated for construction within a year, but installation didn’t begin
until almost two years later.
Following the repaving of this stretch, the parallel lines for the lanes and buffers were installed,
but the bike symbols and crosshatching for the buffers haven’t been put in yet, but the lanes are
already functional. The rest of the work should be completed in the early spring, once the
weather is warm enough for pavement marking, according to CDOT spokesman Mike Claffey.
A dashed bike lane has been added to guide cyclists on Elston across its massive intersection
with Ashland and Armitage, but it’s still a scary place to ride. Photo: John Greenfield
Mike Holzer, director of economic development for North Branch Works, acknowledged that the
buffered lanes aren’t causing any inconvenience for truckers. “They’re working out fine,” he
said. “We haven’t had any complaints from companies.”
On the other hand, Holzer says the council would like to relocate a Divvy station that was
recently installed next to this stretch, at the southwest corner of Wabansia and Elston. The station
was formerly located at Hirsch and Leavitt in Wicker Park, but it was moved in November, after
vandals caused more than $8,000 in damage to the equipment, DNA reported. The new location
is a block west of west of the Hideout music venue, a popular destination for cyclists.
“Now the station in a spot that’s tough to navigate around for tractor trailers,” Holzer says. He
added that moving it closer to the bar doesn’t seem to be an option because there’s a high
demand for car parking nearby. “We’re looking at other alternatives, like the parking lot of the
Home Depot [located about two blocks southeast of the Hideout]. I think the [industrial]
companies are willing to pitch in a few thousand dollars to move it, if that’s what it takes.”
CDOT and Divvy did not immediately respond to questions about whether such a move is being
considered, or if it’s even legal to install a Divvy station on a commercial parking lot. I’ll update
the post once I hear back.
Categories: New Urbanism
Atlanta Envisions a More Pedestrian-Friendly Future
Next City - 1 hour 43 min ago
Atlanta is considering adopting more form-based zoning codes. (Photo by James Rintamaki via
Flickr)
Atlanta is in the midst of rethinking city zoning codes, which could result in better walkability,
improved access to transit, increased housing density and the preservation of historic
neighborhood aesthetics, Creative Loafing reports.
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The Atlanta Department of Planning and Community Development’s recently launched “Zoning
Ordinance Diagnostic” will be a six-month process, and will include public feedback from
Atlantans on current and potential zoning regulations. It is being conducted by Atlanta firms
TSW, the Canvas Planning Group and the Zoeckler Firm.
“If we’re going to grow … we’re going to have to develop in a way that more people can walk,”
Atlanta Planning Commissioner Tim Keane said at a recent public hearing. “A lot of this zoning
in the 1960’s and 70’s imagined a future where everything would be monolithic and huge, and
we would drive everywhere.”
Currently Atlanta zoning code takes a hybrid approach, with different regulations for
neighborhoods based on use. Zoning in suburban areas, for example, utilizes conventional
planning, grouping single-family homes in one area, commercial properties in another, and
industrial uses yet somewhere else. Caleb Racicot of TSW told Creative Loafing this type of
zoning has contributed to sprawl, necessitating people drive between different uses.
To remedy the current situation and accommodate a population that is increasingly choosing to
ride public transit, bike or walk, Atlanta is considering a still hybrid but more form-based code.
These types of regulations emphasize the efficient use of urban space and the preservation of
neighborhood character. Atlanta’s planners are looking to Philadelphia, Raleigh and Denver —
which have hybrid, form-emphasized codes — and Miami — which has a fully form-based code
— for inspiration.
Under such a code, developers and planners could be required to design new buildings that are
aesthetically in line with existing structures. New regulations could also reduce or remove
Atlanta’s current parking minimums, which require developers to build 1.5 spaces per residential
unit in multi-unit buildings. And overall, planners say they’d like to simplify Atlanta’s zoning
code, making it easier to read and more accessible.
Once changes are agreed upon, a new zoning code could take between five and seven years to
implement.
Categories: CNU blogs, New Urbanism
More Driving, More People Dying on America’s Streets
Grid Chicago - 2 hours 13 min ago
On Friday, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration released new data [PDF]
showing that traffic deaths are up. Up quite a bit.
More driving, more problems. Photo: Wikipedia
During the first nine months of 2015, 26,000 Americans were killed in traffic collisions — a 9.3
percent increase over the same period in 2014. According to Autoblog, that would work out
to the highest one-year percentage increase in traffic deaths since the 1940s if the trend
continued through the end of 2015.
The most obvious reason is that cheap gas is prompting people to drive more. Indeed, during the
first three quarters of 2015, drivers logged 80 billion more miles than the same period the
previous year — a 3.5 percent increase.
That means the increase in driving doesn’t account for all the increase in fatalities. One theory,
courtesy of David Levinson at the University of Minnesota, is that when gas prices fall,
collisions rise faster than mileage because people who don’t ordinarily drive much, like
teenagers, start driving more.
In its messages, NHTSA keeps hammering “behavioral” issues, like drunk driving and failing to
wear seatbelts — which certainly are big contributors to traffic fatalities. But when you get down
to it, driving itself is the source of risk, and NHTSA won’t address the systemic factors that
compel Americans to drive instead of taking transit, walking, or biking.
You’ll never see NHTSA mention the disaster that is low-density, single-use zoning,
which lengthens the distances people have to travel in cars. Or the way state DOTs keep building
bigger highways even though they don’t maintain the roads they already have.
In a statement, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said the new data “is a signal that
we need to do more,” but he did not specify what, exactly, we need to do more of.
Categories: New Urbanism
Shoreline Redesign: Spotlight on the India Basin Design Competition
San Francisco Planning + Urban Research Association - 2 hours 55 min ago
Mike Jacobson, SPUR Front Desk Ambassador February 9, 2016Five design teams envision
designs for 7.5 acres of San Francisco's eastern shoreline
AECOM's proposal for 900 Innes. Rendering courtesy AECOM.
Located on the city’s eastern edge, San Francisco’s India Basin Shoreline Park, the last
remaining San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department-controlled natural area along the
Bay, is full of promise and begging for attention. The SFRPD and the Trust for Public Land
launched a design competition that aims to help realize the park’s potential. Nineteen firms
entered and the five finalists — AECOM, Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, Surfacedesign, Inc., SWA
and Stanley Saitowitz/Natoma Architects, and Tom Leader Studio — presented their design
proposals at SPUR in January. Each team shared the goal of creating a dynamic meeting place
where locals and visitors engage with the past while playing a part in shaping the future.
The SFRPD competition is focused on two locations on the India Basin Waterfront: the 2.4 acres
at 900 Innes and the adjacent India Basin Shoreline Park. 900 Innes marks the heart of the
competition. Once home to a flourishing shipbuilding industry, the site's historical character and
beautiful setting give it the potential to be the future social hub for India Basin and the Hunters
Point community (it is currently a fenced off brownfield). India Basin Shoreline Park was
realized as a planned city park back in 2003. Though it currently has walking trails, a jungle gym
and a basketball court, it remains both underutilized and under-appreciated.
Each of the five firms was tasked with presenting a unique vision with the following necessary
provisions:
1. A Blue Greenway/Bay Trail connecting the two sites to the India Basin Open Space.
2. A continuous Class-I bike lane, either in conjunction with or separate from the Blue
Greenway.
3. Pedestrian, bicycle, and automobile access to the shoreline.
4. Rehabilitation of the historic Shipwright's Cottage at 900 Innes to create a neighborhood
meeting space and concession area.
5. Construction of a new park at 900 Innes, with access to open space, parkland and recreation.
Creating a centralized gathering space at 900 Innes was the focal point of many presentations.
AECOM envisions the village hub as a hybrid open and covered area where artists and artisans
can work and engage with the public. Improved wayfinding leads visitors from Innes Avenue to
a newly designed open air plaza. Adjacent to the plaza stands a community center called The
Hub. There, a community kitchen, which could take the form of a full service restaurant or cafe,
would offer both food and employment opportunities for visitors and neighborhood residents.
Programming for the community kitchen, as well as the “amenity hub,” is be fluid, changing its
offerings as needed.
Tom Leader Studios (image above) looks to strengthen local connection to India Basin's ship
building past. Additional cottages will be built to accompany the Shipwright’s Cottage. With a
large patio nearby, and terraced decks leading to the shore, park goers can relax in an inclusive
space. In addition to creating gathering spaces near the Shipwright's Cottage (c.1875), a San
Francisco landmark which housed a generation of local shipbuilders, the firm proposes creating a
boat repair area close to shore. Craftsmen will continue the tradition of the shipwrights that
preceded them and teach boat building. Students could connect with neighbors while immersing
themselves in India Basin's rich cultural history.
SWA and Stanley Saitowitz/Natoma Architects both found inspiration in San Francisco's
undulating topography overlaid by the street grid. The firm incorporated the grid into their park
design, with grid zones called Sit City, Swim City, Dog City and Play City for visitors to use
and shape the park. Before entering this “city,” most of which will occupy India Basin Shoreline
Park, a covered walkway transitions visitors from Innes Avenue to a large terrace. What form the
large open space will take will be dictated by park usage and public input.
Each group’s vision aims at engaging the bay. Proposed designs are not just aesthetic but
functional: local habitats will be restored and the area's tidal mudflats, marshes, grasses, and
coastal plant life will flourish. The team from Gustafson Guthrie Nichol envisions the coastline
as something they called “The Big Soft Edge.” The current series of inlets (India Basin’s “hard
edge”) make navigation difficult through the segmentation of the park into physically separated
zones. By carefully redesigning the coastline as a gradual, “soft” edge, and creating new
pedestrian pathways, people will be able to move throughout the park more easily, taking in
grand panoramic views. Surfacedesign describes the shoreline as an adaptive edge. With regular
changing of tides, and a sea level expected to be 48-feet higher in 100 years, the shoreline needs
to be designed to withstand and embrace transformation. Newly created stormwater treatment
areas will allow the coast to withstand storm surges and the rising tide. As tides rise, today’s
stormwater treatment areas, used to treat urban runoff, will be tomorrow's' wetlands. Upland
planting zones will then be repurposed for stormwater treatment.
The winning team will be chosen in February. For more details regarding the competition, the
individual design proposals, and to learn which team will be selected, visit
www.ibwaterfrontparks.com.
Categories: CNU blogs
A Good Move for Flint: Relocating Public Market Improves Food Access
Project for Public Spaces - 3 hours 52 min ago
Flint Farmers Market | Photo by Michigan Municipal League
As the city of Flint, Michigan is still mired in the aftermath of the contamination of its water
supply—a public health disaster that has left thousands of residents exposed to dangerous levels
of lead—it’s encouraging to see evidence of positive health-related reinvestments in this Rustbelt
city.
Project for Public Spaces knows well that public markets can play a major role in addressing
public health issues, even beyond their ability to provide fresh and affordable food. Throughout
our numerous projects, conferences, and collaborative reports, we have seen how markets can
also be destinations—public gathering places that give community members the opportunity to
strengthen social ties and enhance civic engagement.
We also know that diet-related diseases—such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and
respiratory diseases—are a major public health concern, and while they affect people of all ages
and socioeconomic classes, they have been shown to disproportionately affect marginalized and
disadvantaged populations. For Flint residents, 41% of whom live in poverty, opportunities for
healthy eating can be few and far between.
The star of this story is the Flint Farmers Market, which moved in June 2014 from its former
location along the Flint River to downtown, not far from where it was located until the 1940s.
The Flint Farmers Market has always been both a year-round indoor market, open three days a
week, with a large number of seasonal vendors in an outdoor shed. PPS worked to help improve
the market beginning in 2006, but there were many constraints, since it had clearly outgrown its
facility. It was an exciting and challenging opportunity for us to help guide the market’s
relocation into the much larger and centrally located former printing building of the Flint
Journal.
Inside the new market building | Photo by Flint Market Team
It turned out to be a very good move. A recent study from the College of Human Medicine at
Michigan State University highlights the impacts that this relocation had on improving access to
healthy food in an underserved community with few available options for making nutritious food
choices. Based on extensive surveys and analysis of customer demographics and purchasing
habits before and after the move (in 2011 and 2015), this research sheds light not only on how to
successfully address food access and health issues in low-income communities, but it also speaks
to the multiple benefits of proximity and co-located services in bringing new life and
reinvestment into post-industrial downtown cores.
Key Impacts of the Market’s Relocation



300% increase in foot traffic in first year
Number of patrons walking, biking, or taking bus to market increased from 4% (in 2011)
to 21% in (2015)
Increase in direct sales from $4.9 million (in 2011) to a total economic impact of nearly
$14 million (in 2015)
The Move Downtown and the Benefits of Co-location
As with any longstanding public market, the patronage and profitability of the Flint Farmers
Market has witnessed ebbs and flows throughout its century-long history. In 2002, when the then
city-operated Market was on the verge of closing, Uptown Reinvestment Corporation—a
nonprofit formed in 1999 to help regenerate downtown Flint—took ownership. The market soon
entered a period of rapid growth, and eventually its increased patronage translated into more
demand for fresh food than the space allowed, limiting the growth possibilities for individual
businesses.
Even though the market was a community staple with a well-established customer base (in 2009
it was voted the most loved farmers market in the country), its vendors and management knew
that it needed some major capital improvements. So when the Flint Journal moved its printing
operations to Bay City, Michigan, in February 2012, URC began exploring the spacious site as a
possible new home for the Market. Ultimately, the decision to bring the Market back downtown
was part of URC’s $32 million redevelopment project and an integrated strategy to bring more
people downtown, provide more space for vendors, and offer more community services.
With the new larger site, the market could become a multi-use community destination. Steve
Davies, PPS Executive Vice President, was part of the PPS team that facilitated community
meetings and studied numerous alternatives for how to effectively take advantage of the new
site. “We knew from the outset that the Flint Market should be designed around its public
spaces—which were very limited in the old market—and that the market needed to maintain its
comfortable scale and ambiance even in an industrial-sized facility,” said Davies.
The new building, designed in collaboration with Shannon Easter White of FUNchitecure,
allowed for substantial updates and expansion. Twice the size of the old market and
accommodating twice as many vendors, the facility also had room for even more: a four story
atrium used for seating, vendors, and events; a community room; a roof terrace for special
events or dining; and a kitchen that hosts cooking classes, food skills and nutrition
demonstrations, and a number of other events and educational programming. The building also
houses Flint Food Works, a culinary incubator for local businesses.
In addition, this past August, the Hurley Medical Center opened a children’s clinic in the 10,300
square foot space on the second floor the Market, connecting health care with fresh food access.
This kind of innovative synergy has led to the emergence of a growing “health and wellness
district” in downtown Flint, which, according to by Crain’s Detroit Business, has “grown to three
city blocks and some $36 million in investment.” Other investments helping to establish this
wellness corridor include the newly opened MSU College of Human Medicine, located just steps
from the market, and a new elderly care center—the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the
Elderly (PACE)—which is located a block away in the former International Institute of Flint
building.
“Our market is a place where everyone knows he or she can make a quality purchase, feel
comfortable and welcome, and probably meet friends they haven’t seen in awhile” – Flint
Farmers Market website | Photo by Michigan Municipal League
Strengthening the Link between Place, Access, and Health
For PPS Vice President Kelly Verel, one of the most important takeaways from this study was
the decision to move the Flint Farmers Market to a site where people work, visit, and shop, rather
than simply inserting a market into a low-income residential area. “The success of this approach
could have real implications for future market sites,” she explains. “Instead of thinking about
where people live, perhaps we should be thinking about where they are already going—their
daily routes and patterns.”
By aligning the new Market with a transportation hub and taking advantage of Michigan’s
innovative food assistance benefits program, Flint’s new market has addressed issues of access
and affordability for low-income residents, who make up a major consumer demographic. As the
report makes clear, though, these results are “not intended to suggest that the Market is a catchall solution for food access issues in Flint, nor that issues with food access are resolved.” The
market has, however, “provided a location which is accessible and prominent to a larger
percentage of the community, and thus captures clients from both suburban and urban, affluent
and disadvantaged, black and white communities.”
The increased diversification of the market’s clientele is a big deal. “While the market itself may
be a nonprofit, the vendors are not—these are real businesses, and financial sustainability is
key,” explains Verel. “The more people, the better…period.” And the proof is in the pudding.
While the old market brought in an estimated $4.9 million in 2011, the total sales of the new
farmers market has reached nearly $14 million.
Only a year and a half after its relocation, the Flint Farmers Market has quickly become a
treasured community asset. But you don’t have to take our word for it… In 2015, the American
Planning Association announced the market as one six “Great Places in America.” We’re excited
to see what’s next for the Market, and for the growing Health and Wellness District that is
helping to re-energize downtown Flint.
The post A Good Move for Flint: Relocating Public Market Improves Food Access appeared first
on Project for Public Spaces.
Categories: New Urbanism
Atlanta’s Blighted Properties Are Costing City Millions
Next City - 3 hours 52 min ago
A vacant home in Atlanta (Photo by Paul Sableman via flickr)
Atlanta’s vacant and blighted properties are costing the city between $1.6 million and $2.9
million a year in direct services, according to a report by Georgia Tech professor Dan
Immergluck, with even greater effects on property values and lost property tax revenue.
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Services include police and fire dispatch costs, code enforcement and the Department of
Corrections’ Clean and Close Project, which sends inmates of the city jail to clean vacant
properties and board their doors and windows — which can significantly decrease neighborhood
crime.
The analysis, “The Cost of Vacant and Blighted Properties in Atlanta: A Conservative Analysis
of Service and Spillover Costs,” also estimates the impact of vacant homes on nearby property
values. The report provides a “reasonable estimate” of a $153 million loss in single-family
property values, with a “conservative estimate” of $55 million. These translate to a yearly
decline in property tax revenue of between $985,000 and $2.7 million.
Immergluck repeatedly emphasizes that his estimates are conservative because the study only
takes into account the impacts of vacant properties in poor or deteriorated condition. The report
also only examines spillover effects on single-family properties up to 500 feet from abandoned
homes, even though multi-family and commercial properties are also impacted, and previous
studies have shown negative effects on property values up to 1,000 feet away or more.
To mitigate these impacts, Immergluck suggests Atlanta demolish abandoned homes, but with a
mindful approach to the vacant lots they become. As other cities have discovered, just removing
blighted houses will not increase property values or neighborhood safety. Poorly maintained
vacant lots present challenges of their own, often becoming sites for illegal dumping.
Instead, Atlanta might consider Detroit’s approach, and allow homeowners to inexpensively
purchase the lot next door.
Categories: CNU blogs, New Urbanism
More Driving, More People Dying on America’s Streets
Streetsblog Capitol Hill - 3 hours 58 min ago
On Friday, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration released new data [PDF]
showing that traffic deaths are up. Up quite a bit.
More driving, more problems. Photo: Wikipedia
During the first nine months of 2015, 26,000 Americans were killed in traffic collisions — a 9.3
percent increase over the same period in 2014. According to Autoblog, that would work out
to the highest one-year percentage increase in traffic deaths since the 1940s if the trend
continued through the end of 2015.
The most obvious reason is that cheap gas is prompting people to drive more. Indeed, during the
first three quarters of 2015, drivers logged 80 billion more miles than the same period the
previous year — a 3.5 percent increase.
That means the increase in driving doesn’t account for all the increase in fatalities. One theory,
courtesy of David Levinson at the University of Minnesota, is that when gas prices fall,
collisions rise faster than mileage because people who don’t ordinarily drive much, like
teenagers, start driving more.
In its messages, NHTSA keeps hammering “behavioral” issues, like drunk driving and failing to
wear seatbelts — which certainly are big contributors to traffic fatalities. But when you get down
to it, driving itself is the source of risk, and NHTSA won’t address the systemic factors that
compel Americans to drive instead of taking transit, walking, or biking.
You’ll never see NHTSA mention the disaster that is low-density, single-use zoning,
which lengthens the distances people have to travel in cars. Or the way state DOTs keep building
bigger highways even though they don’t maintain the roads they already have.
In a statement, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said the new data “is a signal that
we need to do more,” but he did not specify what, exactly, we need to do more of.
Categories: New Urbanism
Muriel Bowser announces eight sites for homeless shelters
Greater Greater Washington - 4 hours 16 min ago
by David Alpert
DC is working to close the homeless shelter at DC General and replace it with smaller shelters
spread around the city. Today, Mayor Bowser announced where they will go and a set of public
engagement meetings to discuss the plan.
Image from NBC Washington.
Here's where the eight shelters replacing DC General will go. Image from the DC government.
-->
The DC General shelter has needed replacement for a long, long time. Spreading homeless
residents out around the city is generally a good move. To segregate all homelessness in one part
of the city forces all of the residents to one area and also concentrates the negative impacts of a
shelter.
While a big facility does have some economies of scale and makes it easier to offer some
services to all of the residents with staff in a single location, it's not fair for some parts of the city
to be able to push all of this necessary service to someone else's community. Living in a mixedincome area instead of an all-homeless enclave also can benefit the shelter residents themselves.
Bowser set as a goal to place one new shelter in each of DC's eight wards.
Our contributors weighed in on the choice of locations.
Kelli Raboy wrote: "It seems like most of the sites have access to at least some transit (mostly
frequent bus routes), so that's good."
Neil Flanagan added:The one in Ward 3 is sort of in between Glover Park and the Cathedral,
not ideal from a transit perspective, but it is a lot that's been empty for a while, and it's a lovely
neighborhood with decent access to services.
All over, it seems to be in line with expectations of not only equity on principle, but also the
benefits of distributing social services more evenly.Gray Kimbrough brought up an eternal
question with social services and below-market housing: It's cheaper to put it in the lowest-cost
parts of the city, but spreading it out can be better for the people getting the services and for the
communities that would otherwise have the concentration. But it's more expensive.The 213-bed
women's shelter stuck out to me, especially when I realized that it's a prime Chinatown location.
This is much of the backstory.
This is taking the place of new residential development which surely could have been traded for
a new, less prime location. But it's certainly transit accessible.
It also seems possible to me that that might be the only one to open any time soon (since the
article says the others are slated for 2018 at best).Canaan Merchant elaborated on the
tradeoffs:It would be important to note that the best places for equity might not be the best places
to get a good deal for costs. This is an important distinction when you have a lot of stuff moving
to places east of the river because it costs less to do things over there but residents criticize
though decisions because they say that keeps the area depressed.Finally, Geoff Hatchard
brought up an interesting political side angle:By explicitly making sure that each ward gets a
shelter, you create a situation at redistricting time where you need to make sure you're not
moving the lines so one ward gets multiple shelters and another gets none.
Normally, that shouldn't be too difficult to avoid, if you put the shelters closer to the geographic
centers of the wards. But, many of these are placed near ward boundaries. The proposed
locations in Wards 1 through 4 all could, at some point in the near future, create a type of
restriction on how redistricting happens.
(Granted, this is speculative, but having been on the redistricting committee last time around for
Ward 5, you'd be surprised what gets proposed as 'requirements' for the drawing of lines.)
It's also somewhat interesting how the Ward 7 & 8 locations are so close to the Prince George's
County line. It may not be intentional, but it's notable when one looks at the map.The community
meetings are Thursday, February 11, from 6:30-8:30 pm:
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Ward 1 - Anthony Bowen YMCA, 1325 W Street NW (Conference Room)
Ward 2 - One Judiciary Square, 441 4th St NW (Old Council Chambers)
Ward 3 - Metropolitan Memorial UMC, 3401 Nebraska Ave NW (Great Hall)
Ward 4 - Paul Public Charter School, 5800 8th St NW (Auditorium)
Ward 5 - New Canaan Baptist Church, 5800 8th St NW (Auditorium)
Ward 6 - Friendship Baptist Church, 900 Delaware St SW
Ward 7 - Capitol View Public Library, 5001 Central Ave SE
Ward 8 - Matthews Memorial Baptist Church, 2616 MLK Ave SE (Fellowship Hall)
In the long run, the homeless residents really need not shelters but permanent housing. That
housing, too, ought to go in many different neighborhoods.
What do you think of the choices?
7 comments
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Categories: CNU blogs
Shoreline Redesign: the India Basin Design Competition
San Francisco Planning + Urban Research Association - 4 hours 43 min ago
By Mike JacobsonFebruary 9, 2016
Photo by flickr user Liz Henry
Located on San Francisco’s eastern edge, India Basin Shoreline Park — the last remaining
natural area the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department controls along the Bay — is full
of promise and begging for attention. The parks department and the Trust for Public Land have
launched a design competition that aims to help realize the park’s potential. Nineteen firms
entered and the five finalists — AECOM, Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, Surfacedesign, Inc., SWA
and Stanley Saitowitz/Natoma Architects, and Tom Leader Studio — presented their design
proposals at SPUR in January. Each team shared the goal of creating a dynamic meeting place
where locals and visitors can engage with the past while playing a part in shaping the future.
The competition focuses on two locations on the India Basin Waterfront: the 2.4 acres at 900
Innes Avenue and the adjacent India Basin Shoreline Park. 900 Innes marks the heart of the
competition. Once home to a flourishing shipbuilding industry, the site's historical character and
beautiful setting give it the potential to be the future social hub for India Basin and the Hunters
Point community. (It’s currently a fenced-off brownfield). India Basin Shoreline Park was
realized as a planned city park back in 2003. Though it currently has walking trails, a jungle gym
and a basketball court, it remains both underutilized and underappreciated.
The five finalists were tasked with presenting a unique vision with the following necessary
provisions:
1. A Blue Greenway/Bay Trail path connecting the two sites to the India Basin Open Space, a
nearby restored wetland and natural area.
2. A continuous Class-I bike lane, either in conjunction with or separate from the Blue
Greenway.
3. Pedestrian, bicycle and automobile access to the shoreline.
4. Rehabilitation of the landmarked Shipwright's Cottage at 900 Innes to create a neighborhood
meeting space and concession area.
5. Construction of a new park at 900 Innes with access to open space, parkland and recreation.
Many of the presentations focused on creating a central gathering space at 900 Innes. AECOM
envisions the village hub as a hybrid open and covered area where artists and artisans could work
and engage with the public. Improved wayfinding would lead visitors from Innes Avenue to a
newly designed open-air plaza and a community center called the Hub. There, a community
kitchen, which could take the form of a full service restaurant or cafe, would offer both food and
employment opportunities for visitors and neighborhood residents. Programming for the Hub and
its kitchen would be fluid, changing its offerings as needed.
Tom Leader Studios’ proposal looks to strengthen local connection to India Basin's ship-building
past. Additional cottages would be built to accompany the Shipwright’s Cottage, a San Francisco
landmark that housed generations of local shipbuilders. With a large patio nearby and terraced
decks leading to the shore, park goers could relax in an inclusive space. In addition to creating
gathering spaces near the Shipwright's Cottage, the firm proposes creating a boat repair area
close to shore, where craftsmen would continue the tradition of shipwrights past and teach boat
building. Students could connect with neighbors while immersing themselves in India Basin's
rich cultural history.
SWA and Stanley Saitowitz/Natoma Architects found inspiration in San Francisco's undulating
topography overlaid by the street grid. The firm incorporated the grid into its park design,
with zones called Sit City, Swim City, Dog City and Play City for visitors to use and shape.
Before entering this “city,” most of which would occupy India Basin Shoreline Park, a covered
walkway would transition visitors from Innes Avenue to a large terrace. Park usage and input
from visitors would shape what form the large open space would take.
Each group’s vision aims to engage San Francisco Bay. Proposed designs are both aesthetic and
functional: local habitats will be restored and the area's tidal mudflats, marshes, grasses and
coastal plant life will flourish. The team from Gustafson Guthrie Nichol envisions the coastline
as something they call “the Big Soft Edge.” The shoreline’s current series of inlets — India
Basin’s “hard edge” — segment the park into physically separated zones, making navigation
difficult. By carefully redesigning the coastline as a gradual “soft” edge and creating new
pedestrian pathways, the team’s design would allow people to move through the park more
easily, taking in grand panoramic views.
Surfacedesign describes the shoreline as an adaptive edge. With regular changing of tides, and a
sea level expected to be 48 inches higher in 100 years, the shoreline needs to be designed to
withstand and embrace transformation. Newly created stormwater treatment areas will allow the
coast to withstand storm surges and the rising tide. As tides rise, today’s stormwater treatment
areas, used to treat urban runoff, will be tomorrow's' wetlands. Upland planting zones will then
be repurposed for stormwater treatment.
The winning team will be chosen in early February. For more details on the competition and the
proposals, and to hear which team will be selected, visit www.ibwaterfrontparks.com.
Categories: CNU blogs
Think you know Metro? It's whichWMATA week 77
Greater Greater Washington - 5 hours 1 min ago
by Matt Johnson
After a winter hiatus, it's (finally!) time for the seventy-seventh installment of our weekly
"whichWMATA" series! Below are photos of five stations in the Washington Metro system. Can
you identify each from its picture?
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
Image 4
Image 5
We'll hide the comments so the early birds don't spoil the fun. Please have your answers in by
noon on Thursday.
Information about contest rules, submission guidelines, and a leaderboard is available at
http://ggwash.org/whichwmata.
3 comments
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Washington.
Categories: CNU blogs
More Than 1 in 10 Workers Commute By Bike in Some D.C. Neighborhoods
Grid Chicago - 5 hours 4 min ago
Bike commuting rates in central DC. Map: DDOT
Imagine 20 percent of commuters getting to work by bike in a major U.S. city. No entire city is
close yet (Portland, with the highest rate, is at about 6 percent), but some neighborhoods are
getting there.
Dan Malouff at Beyond DC shares new data from DDOT showing that in a few areas of
Washington, the bike commute mode share is especially impressive. The numbers for specific
Census block groups should be taken with a grain of salt because the margin of error is high. But
it’s safe to say that more than 1 in 10 workers commute by bike in some parts of DC.
Malouff writes:
This fascinating map is part of the background data DDOT is preparing to study a possible
protected bikeway on or around 6th Street NW.
It shows how hugely popular bicycling can be as a mode of transportation, even in the United
States. What’s more, this data actually undercounts bicycle commuters by quite a lot.
It’s originally from the US Census’ American Community Survey, which only counts the mode
someone uses for the longest segment of their commute. People who bicycle a short distance to
reach a Metro station, then ride Metro for the rest of their commute, count as transit riders rather
than bicyclists.
Keep in mind that DC has made rapid progress on bike infrastructure for an American city — it
didn’t have a single on-street protected bike lane as recently as 10 years ago.
Elsewhere on the Network: Sustainable Cities Collective explains how cities like Seattle and
Toronto are “rethinking” backyards. And the Dallas Morning News’ Transportation Blog says
that for a city with no plans to stop expanding highways, building landscaped “decks” to
mitigate the damage is likely to become increasingly common.
Categories: New Urbanism
More Than 1 in 10 Workers Commute By Bike in Some D.C. Neighborhoods
Streetsblog Capitol Hill - 5 hours 12 min ago
Bike commuting rates in central DC. Map: DDOT
Imagine 20 percent of commuters getting to work by bike in a major U.S. city. No entire city is
close yet (Portland, with the highest rate, is at about 6 percent), but some neighborhoods are
getting there.
Dan Malouff at Beyond DC shares new data from DDOT showing that in a few areas of
Washington, the bike commute mode share is especially impressive. The numbers for specific
Census block groups should be taken with a grain of salt because the margin of error is high. But
it’s safe to say that more than 1 in 10 workers commute by bike in some parts of DC.
Malouff writes:
This fascinating map is part of the background data DDOT is preparing to study a possible
protected bikeway on or around 6th Street NW.
It shows how hugely popular bicycling can be as a mode of transportation, even in the United
States. What’s more, this data actually undercounts bicycle commuters by quite a lot.
It’s originally from the US Census’ American Community Survey, which only counts the mode
someone uses for the longest segment of their commute. People who bicycle a short distance to
reach a Metro station, then ride Metro for the rest of their commute, count as transit riders rather
than bicyclists.
Keep in mind that DC has made rapid progress on bike infrastructure for an American city — it
didn’t have a single on-street protected bike lane as recently as 10 years ago.
Elsewhere on the Network: Sustainable Cities Collective explains how cities like Seattle and
Toronto are “rethinking” backyards. And the Dallas Morning News’ Transportation Blog says
that for a city with no plans to stop expanding highways, building landscaped “decks” to
mitigate the damage is likely to become increasingly common.
Categories: New Urbanism
Feds Say Some Crosswalk Art Violates Guidelines
Next City - 6 hours 16 min ago
Rainbow crosswalk in Seattle’s Capitol Hill (Photo by SounderBruce on flickr)
St. Louis will allow its painted crosswalks to fade away after learning that the designs violate
Federal Highway Administration guidelines, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
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Artists Search for Affordable Workspace in Chicago Parks
Hailed as a means to beautify and brand neighborhoods, the rainbow stripe, fleur-de-lis and
botanic-themed crosswalks were installed in the last two years. But St. Louis officials learned via
a national webinar in November that the FHA has prohibited such designs since 2011, stating
that “crosswalk art is actually contrary to the goal of increased safety and most likely could be a
contributing factor to a false sense of security for both motorists and pedestrians.”
Jamie Wilson, St. Louis’ bike and pedestrian coordinator told the Post-Dispatch, “I don’t
honestly believe someone’s going to trip over a fleur-de-lis crosswalk, but at the same time we
want to be consistent with the memo the feds put out … It’s probably an ultra-conservative
approach when it comes to safety, which is fine.”
The city won’t tear out existing painted crosswalks unless evidence suggests they are truly
decreasing safety. Certain crosswalks are expected to fade quickly as paint deteriorates, but
others were imprinted into the asphalt at a cost of several thousand dollars, and are expected to
last five to 10 years.
New plans for similar designs will be turned down, but designs that utilize natural colors that
distract less from the traditional white lines meet federal guidelines and may be approved.
The sudden rediscovery of this 2011 regulation raises questions about the future of painted
sidewalks in other cities. Philadelphia, Seattle and Key West are just a few to paint rainbow
crosswalks within the last year to celebrate their LGBTQ communities.
On the other hand, while the FHA guidelines discourage decorated sidewalks out of safety
concerns, research has shown that marked crosswalks may be no safer than unmarked
crosswalks, whether their stripes are rainbow or regulation white. If the goal is to decrease
pedestrian injuries, cities might consider leaving those characteristic crosswalks alone, and
installing traffic-calming measures instead.
Categories: CNU blogs, New Urbanism
Did Metro handle buses correctly in this mostly-non-storm?
Greater Greater Washington - 6 hours 38 min ago
by David Alpert
On Monday afternoon, WMATA announced that Metrobuses would only run on a "moderate"
snow plan, which cancels or reroutes a large number of buses. But when snow didn't materialize
on much of the region, the agency restored service at dawn Tuesday. Did it make the right calls?
Not what happened. Photo by tadfad on Flickr.
Ned Russell wasn't so enthusiastic about the original decision. On Monday, he wrote,This seems
a bit much for what is forecast to be rain to an inch dusting in the city. NYC buses don't change
at all for this little snow. I live in Eckington and the three primary routes that serve the
neighbourhood—D8, 80 and P6—are all detoured or cancelled with far fewer stops in and
around the neighborhood.Gray Kimbrough felt some whiplash from the decisions:I understand
that there's a lot of uncertainty here and it's impossible to please everyone, but keeping transit
service running is important to the region. Preemptively announcing significantly limited service
only to switch back to regular service early this morning* was disruptive to a lot of people.
I guess this could be the new normal strategy, which could be okay if we're clear on what it
means. "WMATA plans to curtail bus service tomorrow but will reevaluate at 4 AM; check back
for updates" would have been a much more helpful communication to riders if that was their
intended strategy all along.
I checked and the @metrobusinfo Twitter account did tweet the revision just before 4 am, though
@wmata didn't until 6 am and it didn't really filter through the media until later in the
morning.Other contributors, however, defended Metro, saying this was a very tough situation.
Abigail Zenner felt that she'd rather Metro preemptively cancel service than try to run it and
have buses get stuck, as she's experienced in her neighborhood of Glover Park.Warmer
temperatures mean no ice. It could have easily gone the other way. We are cursed to be on the
snow line.
In the past, we would slide to the bus stop only to find out a bus was stuck on a slippery spot
never to be heard from again and blocking the road.Adam Froehlig explained the extremely
difficult forecast:Yesterday afternoon it looked tricky. The "cutoff line" was basically right on top
of the region, aligned southwest to northeast. This is a difficult forecast, as Abigail mentioned
earlier. In scenarios like this where you're close to the freezing point not just at the surface but
at lower altitudes, all it takes is a difference of one or two degrees at the right altitude to make
the difference between rain, snow, or some other form of freezing precipitation.
What looks like happened is temperatures stayed just warm enough at the right altitudes to keep
the precip as mostly rain or rain/snow mix from the District south and east. It should be noted
(and highlights the cutoff mentioned above) that Dulles and BWI have been all snow since 4am,
while National has been oscillating between rain or a rain/snow mix.
So the change overnight is likely what prompted WMATA to change their plans this morning,
and also played a factor in OPM's status decision.Jonathan Neeley also gave Metro the benefit
of the doubt side:The thought I keep coming back to is that the blizzard was a chance to not
screw up royally, and Metro seized it. They agency didn't handle everything perfectly, but given
its however-many-years' worth of poor decision making and customer service, I think it's OK to
say things went well.
Obviously, yesterday's precautions wound up being unnecessary, but as others have said, that
isn't always clear until pretty late in the game. I don't know exactly what factors went into
making decisions about bus service, both yesterday and pre-blizzard. But I'm willing to consider
that being a bit too trigger happy in that realm has been part of a tradeoff that meant a positive
move for bus and rail service overall.
Also not what happened. Photo by Samir Luther on Flickr.
While contributors reached a consensus that the forecast was understandably uncertain (one
model predicted no snow and then 10 inches on consecutive runs six hours apart), some were
still not persuaded that going to the moderate plan was necessary in the first place. Kelli Raboy
said:Going to the moderate snow plan was an overreaction, even for the worst-case forecasts.
The moderate plan cuts a significant number of routes. The light snow plan would have been
more reasonable.
Many people in this region rely on WMATA to get to work. When they cut bus routes far in
advance of potential snow, it sends the message that WMATA is not a reliable option for
transportation. I'm lucky to be able to telework when WMATA overreacts like this. Many people,
especially the underserved in our communities, do not have that luxury.
From an operational standpoint, I understand the need to have a plan ready several hours in
advance (so that employees and buses are in the right place at the right time). But that reasoning
went out the window when WMATA changed their minds at the last minute anyway.
I also think they did a poor job communicating the changes. There was never any suggestion
yesterday that the plan could change in the morning.Matt Johnson agreed:I think Metro is being
overly cautious, and too much so in this case. The forecast was very uncertain (0-10" forecast),
but Capital Weather Gang favored the "nuisance" end heavily, meaning that they thought the
best chances were for very little snow.
Metro announced that they were going to "moderate" snow plan, which cuts service to many
residents and businesses throughout the region long before forecasts were nailed down. And I
suspect strongly that they were simply managing expectations. "Oh, look everybody, we're doing
more than we promised!" That's not acceptable in this case, because as has been pointed out, the
cancellation of much service was the last word anyone heard about it.
It would have been much more prudent for the agency to have said Monday night, "Given the
uncertain forecast, Metrobus service and routes may be affected in the morning. Please check
the website for up to date information in the morning. An announcement about service will be
made no later than 5:00 am."Ned Russell added, "Residents should not have to check their
transit options every morning of their commute. I imagine a lot of people are not in the habit of
repeatedly checking WMATA's status round-the-clock."
What do you think?
12 comments
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so we can keep editing and publishing great articles every day. Please help us be sustainable by
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Washington.
Categories: CNU blogs
Today’s Headlines for Tuesday, February 9
Grid Chicago - 7 hours 13 min ago
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Active Trans Provides More Arguments Against Widening the Stevenson
…While MPC Discusses Why They’re Supporting the Plan
Researchers Who Studied Chicago Bikeways Argue Sharrows May Be
Counterproductive (CityLab)
Cyclist Who Suffered Skull Fractures in Logan Crash Has Made a Full Recovery (The
Chainlink)
DNA Readers Respond to Photo Project Highlighting Red Line’s Black/White Divide
CTA Asking People Who Are Riding Trains in a Continuous Loop to Exit & Pay Fare
Again (RedEye)
Derailment Caused Delays on Metra’s BNSF Line Yesterday (Tribune)
2 Different Alleged DUI Crashes in Riverside 10 Minutes Apart (Tribune)
How St. Stanislaus Was Saved From the Wrecking Ball During Kennedy Construction
(DNA)
Motor Row Streetscape Will Include Gateway Inspired by Vintage Tourism Posters
(DNA)
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Interactive Quiz: Where Do You Prefer to Sit on CTA Trains? (DNA)
Get national headlines at Streetsblog USA
Categories: New Urbanism
Why the first-time homebuyer is an endangered species
City Observatory - 7 hours 16 min ago
First-time home buyers play a critical role in the housing market. The influx of new households
into the owner-occupied market is a key source of sales, and provides impetus for existing
homeowners to move, liquidate their investment, or trade up to a bigger or better house. They’re
the bottom of the home-buying pyramid.
The number of first-time homebuyers has been low since the Great Recession, in spite of recent
improvements in housing affordability nationally (at least according to standard metrics like low
interest rates and lower housing prices). Total sales of new and existing homes are still well
below levels of a decade ago (from more than 8.5 million to 5.3 million), and the National
Association of Realtors reports a historic low in the fraction of buyers that are first-timers (30
percent).
These should be good times: the Millennials now just reaching prime homebuying age are the
nation’s largest ever generation. But a recent presentation by Zillow’s Stan Humphries laid out a
startling picture of how much tougher young adults find it today to transition from renting to
buying their first home.
Credit: Stan Humphries
Compared with the 1970s, today’s first-time homebuyers are older, have rented longer, have
smaller households, and—strikingly—have less income than did their predecessors.. And
critically, the housing they’re looking to buy is much more expensive. While average incomes
are down slightly, home prices (in inflation-adjusted terms) have increased 60 percent since the
1970s, (from $87,000 to $140,000).
We know these key metrics (lower incomes, longer rental tenure) reflect the economic
headwinds that have plagued the Millennial generation, including higher college costs, more
student debt, and a weak job market. On top of that, a much larger fraction of young adults today
come from demographic groups (including Latinos and African Americans) whose families
generally have less wealth—meaning less familial help to marshall a down payment.
All of these factors lend credence to projections by the Urban Institute and others that housing
markets are facing a long period of gerontification. They predict that between now and 2030, all
of the net increase in homeownership will be in households aged 65 and older, as Baby Boomers
age.
Facing home higher prices, with less income, less accumulated wealth and greater debt—not to
mention tougher credit availability—today’s young adults have unsurprisingly not been able to
reverse the recent decline in homeownership rates. While the first-time homebuyer is hardly
headed for extinction, all these trends taken together suggest that they’ll be a far less numerous
and consequential force in housing markets than in years past.
Categories: CNU blogs, New Urbanism
How the Navy, baseball, and government planners made Capitol Riverfront one
of DC's hottest neighborhoods
Greater Greater Washington - 7 hours 55 min ago
by John Enagonio
Capitol Riverfront, the area around Nats ballpark, ranks high on any list of Washington's most
rapidly transforming neighborhoods. But it took more than baseball to make that transformation
happen.
Image from the 2003 Anacostia Waterfront Framework Plan.
By the last decade of the 20th Century, Washington's Anacostia River waterfront was a crimeplagued and dirty testament to urban neglect. It wasn't a nice place to be.
But beginning in the 1990s, a string of ambitious plans, government projects, and private-sector
infusions have turned the neighborhood into a thriving and desirable place to spend time.
Here's the story of how that happened.
Metrorail brings federal workers
When the Metrorail Green Line opened its Navy Yard station in 1991, that opened the door to an
infusion of people and money into the neighborhood. That infusion began in earnest in the mid
1990s when two federal groups decided to move thousands of office workers into the area: The
Naval Sea Command (NAVSEA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT).
Following post-Cold War military base consolidation, the US Navy opted to move over 5,000
NAVSEA workers from offices in Crystal City to the Navy Yard. Meanwhile, DOT announced it
would build a new headquarters four blocks from the Navy Yard complex that would house over
6,000 workers.
Those two massive construction projects, the ensuing permanent influx of employees, and the
subsequent ripple effect of service retail and of contractors looking for nearby offices, combined
to provide a huge economic stimulus.
The District does its part
Michael Stevens, director of the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District (BID), points
to the 1999 election of Mayor Anthony Williams as the next turning point.
Under Mayor Williams' direction, DC began a concerted effort to re-plan and better manage the
Anacostia riverfront. That effort culminated with the 2003 Anacostia Waterfront Initiative master
plan, which provided a consensus vision for what the Anacostia shore could become, including
its layout of streets, buildings, and public spaces.
Following the District's adoption of the master plan, the riverfront BID started up in 2007. At
first the BID simply worked to make riverfront streets cleaner and safer, but as successes
mounted their mission evolved to building parks, running public events, and managing economic
development.
In 2004 the Montreal Expos moved to DC, becoming the Washington Nationals. City leaders
opted to build a permanent stadium along the riverfront, and Nats Park opened in 2008.
The baseball stadium did unquestionably bring new people to the riverfront, and certainly helped
spread the center of gravity south from M Street. Together with other parks, such as the 20-mile
Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, the riverfront has become unique among emerging DC
neighborhoods with great public recreational spaces being built right alongside housing, retail
and offices
Housing pressure mounts
The riverfront's renaissance hasn't been without controversy, particularly where older residential
buildings, and the people in them, are concerned.
A $35 million federal grant to redevelop the Arthur Capper / Carrollsburg public housing project
surrounding 4th Street SE has been especially challenging.
The 23-acre housing project was built in the 1950s with 707 homes. But with DC's population
increasing and demand for housing skyrocketing, 700-some homes on 23 acres just isn't enough,
not four blocks from a Metro station.
Although the plan was to replace low-income apartments on a one-for-one basis, residents were
displaced during construction. Gentrification was a definite fear.
But with the redevelopment area now approaching its planned 1,700 units, and full replacement
of income-restricted homes guaranteed, the upheaval seems to have been worth it. Hundreds of
low-income families have new homes, and added 1,000 households are enjoying the revitalized
neighborhood.
With offices, entertainment, and parks in place, and an increasing number of residents in the
redeveloped Arthur Capper / Carrollsburg project and elsewhere, the riverfront is truly booming.
22 comments
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so we can keep editing and publishing great articles every day. Please help us be sustainable by
making a monthly, yearly, or one-time contribution today! Click here to support Greater Greater
Washington.
Categories: CNU blogs
Today’s Headlines
Streetsblog Capitol Hill - 8 hours 18 min ago
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WaPo: Don’t Dismiss Obama’s Transportation Proposal
77 Cities Respond to DOT’s Smart City Challenge (CNET)
Feds Threaten to Yank DC Metro Funding Over Safety (WaPo)
Richmond, Virginia, Approves $49M BRT Project (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
What Mexico City’s BRT Can Teach Chicago (Chicago Reader via Streetsblog Chicago)
Poll: Majority Aren’t Ready to Embrace Self-Driving Cars (The Hill)
Vegas Preps to Unroll Bike-Share (Las Vegas Sun)
Detroit Transit Authority to Campaign for Tax-for-Transit (Detroit News)
Architects Dream of Building a Park and Affordable Housing Atop Seattle Highway
(Co.Exist)
Will Cincinnati Kill or Expand Protected Bike Lanes? (Cincy Enquirer)
Categories: New Urbanism
New Zoning Codes: More Housing Options, More Mixed Use, Less Parking
New Jersey Future - 8 hours 28 min ago
A look at updated zoning codes from several Northeast cities shows some common strategies to
use their land more flexibly to meet changing needs.
Mixed-use development near Metuchen’s train station. Photo source: nj.com
In what in each case was a long, uphill fight, three cities in the Northeast have updated their
zoning codes. (Washington, D.C., and Hartford, Ct., have passed their codes at least in part;
Baltimore’s is still awaiting adoption.) And while each new code is in many ways unique to the
place it regulates, there are several important themes running through all three that municipalities
everywhere can learn from and implement, including:
More flexible housing options. Washington, D.C., is making it easier to rent out accessory
apartments, and is streamlining the permitting process for conversion of things like garages to
housing units. Baltimore will permit areas around transit to be designated for higher-density,
lower-parking residential development, and will allow disused industrial buildings to be
converted to artist live-work space. The city is also looking at what kind of streamlining would
be appropriate for conversion of single-family row houses to multi-family.
Hartford has not yet adopted more flexible housing regulations, but will schedule a series of
meetings to discuss the need for the city to accommodate what it calls “new living
arrangements,” including how a “household” is defined, and how to accommodate accessory
units, Airbnb rentals, roomers and boarders, etc.
These three efforts all recognize that a) there is significant unmet housing demand in their cities,
and in particular unmet demand for smaller, more affordable types of housing, and b) that there
are ways to meet that demand that don’t significantly alter the existing character of the
neighborhood. Where appropriate, similar measures can be adopted in many places in New
Jersey.
Walking to the corner store is back. Both Baltimore and Washington had eliminated the option
for a corner store to locate on the ground floor of a residential building in a primarily residential
neighborhood. Their new codes ease restrictions on such stores. In Hartford’s new code there is
an emphasis on making neighborhoods more walkable and bicycle/pedestrian friendly, and a
greater emphasis on form rather than use. All these measures mean that people without cars,
including older residents, will be better able to secure some of their everyday necessities just by
walking down their block.
A recent analysis shows that many New Jersey communities are not particularly walkable, and
do not have a broad mix of retail and amenities within a short distance, making it more difficult
for people who don’t drive to live there. As the state’s population grows older, towns will need
to pay more attention to this, or risk losing residents.
Lower parking minimums. In all three cities, parking regulations for development near transit
facilities will be reduced, acknowledging the reality that an over-supply of parking encourages
driving rather than transit usage (and hence leads to the unvirtuous cycle of increased traffic
congestion, carbon emissions and road expansion), and is an expensive use of land that sits
vacant much of the time.
In areas of New Jersey that are well served by transit, instead of too much parking, tools like
time limits for short-term parking, replacing parking minimums with parking maximums, and
transit subsidies for nearby residents and employees can be used to manage parking demand
while maximizing development potential. Metuchen is already pursuing several of these
strategies: Following the recommendations of a parking study, the Metuchen Planning Board
amended the borough’s master plan in 2014 to reduce minimum parking requirements by 50
percent, establish maximum parking requirements, and permit payments in lieu of parking
(“PILOP”) in its downtown.
All of these measures have lessons for New Jersey communities of any size. In what is
universally acknowledged to be a very high-cost state in which to live, municipalities that want
to grow and thrive should be looking for appropriate ways to generate more housing, and in
particular a wider diversity of housing sizes and types; to make their communities more
walkable; to put a wide variety of desired uses within walkable distance; and to reduce
inducements to drive.
Categories: CNU blogs
A Recipe for Revitalizing Chicago’s Commercial Corridors
Next City - 8 hours 46 min ago
West Chicago Avenue (Photo by Matt Watts on flickr)
As a restauranteur, Quentin Love has a history of being ahead of the game. He started his first
restaurant chain, Quench, 15 years ago on the South Side of Chicago, featuring turkey, chicken
and vegetarian options, no beef and no pork. Quench eventually grew to eight locations, and
Love earned a reputation for healthy cooking around the the Chicagoland area.
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Chet Jackson met Love years ago at one of Love’s other restaurants. After becoming executive
director of the West Humboldt Park Family and Community Development Council (WHPDC),
Jackson needed an entrepreneur to move into the West Chicago Avenue corridor that WHPDC
was planning to revitalize. Love happened to be looking for a space on the West Side of
Chicago. Jackson made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“I didn’t have anything on the west side. I didn’t have a whole lot of projects on the table,” Love
says. “Chet offered me an opportunity where I could just come in and create.”
WHPDC had built out a space at 3506 West Chicago Avenue, with a loan from the Chicago
Community Loan Fund (CCLF), a regional community development financial institution. Love
moved in and dubbed the new restaurant “Turkey Chop.” It opened in 2012.
“It’s the first sit-down restaurant in this neighborhood in over 10 years,” Jackson says.
In a city where nearly half of black men are out of work or out of school, revitalizing commercial
corridors like West Chicago Avenue is especially urgent. According to WHPDC, unemployment
in the neighborhood is around 20 percent, and around 25 percent of storefronts are vacant along
the eight-block stretch between Kedzie and Central Park Avenues.
From Turkey Chop’s early days, Love found ways to get involved with the surrounding
community. Every Monday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the restaurant closes and becomes a soup
kitchen staffed by volunteers offering free, hot and healthy meals to anyone who comes in, as
well as delivering meals to those who cannot. They’ve served more than 50,000 free meals as of
last December. On Monday evenings, Turkey Chop offers healthy cooking classes, in partnership
with WHPDC and Northwestern Memorial Hospital, emphasizing healthy cooking to address
diabetes and other health issues. About 10 people attend per week.
This March, the restaurant will inaugurate the Turkey Chop Culinary Arts Program, a 10-week
workforce development program for people interested in restaurant industry careers. The
curriculum is based largely on Love’s book, to be released this week, The Motivational
Cookbook.
Within five to 10 years, Love envisions having at least 10 Turkey Chop locations in revitalizing
neighborhoods around the Chicago area, each serving as a workforce development springboard
for men and women to begin building new careers in the restaurant industry, while also
providing access to healthy food for communities sorely lacking it.
Meanwhile, WHPDC has been laying the groundwork for transforming the commercial corridor
around the original Turkey Chop. They stewarded the creation of the West Humboldt Park SSA
(Special Service Area, known as business improvement districts in most other cities). WHPDC
now manages the SSA.
“It’s the first SSA on the West Side of Chicago,” Jackson says.
A beautification panel surrounds a future business location along the West Chicago Avenue
Corridor in Chicago’s West Humboldt Park neighborhood. (Credit: CCLF)
After Turkey Chop, WHPDC convinced Brown Sugar Bakery, led by another local Chicago
celebrity chef, Stephanie Hart, to open a location (coming soon) on the corridor.
WHPDC also plans to open Project 773, a business incubator specifically targeting nonviolent
offenders recently out of prison. Jackson envisions spinning it off eventually as an independent
venture.
Just one block off the corridor, a large Salvation Army campus opened up in August 2015,
bringing jobs as well as retail to the neighborhood. Also just one block off the corridor is Salsedo
Press, a 40-year-old worker-owned printing company, certified as a minority-business enterprise
in Chicago. Like WHPDC, Salsedo Press is one of many in the West Humboldt Park area that
have borrowed from CCLF over the years.
“In the last 25 years, our highest number of individual loans have been in the Humboldt Park
Community, complementing affordable housing and economic development loans in the same
neighborhood,” says Calvin Holmes, president of CCLF.
WHPDC and CCLF worked side by side to create the revitalization plan for the West Chicago
Avenue corridor, with support from $500,000 in grants over a two-year period from the Partners
In Progress Project.
There were some earlier redevelopment plans going around, Jackson says, but they focused
largely on the Greater Humboldt Park (including one from the LISC New Communities
Program), which he argues doesn’t properly account for the gaping income disparity between
West Humboldt Park and the rest of the area.
The WHPDC plan coordinates resources from multiple streams, starting with the SSA, which
Jackson estimates has brought in about $220,000 since its inception in 2013. Those resources
have gone mostly toward beautification, ongoing street cleaning and security services — typical
of business improvement districts. The SSA Commission meets publicly on the fourth Tuesday
of every month.
Some of the other financial resources under the plan come from the city of Chicago (including
from its Micro-Market Recovery Program), and from CCLF through the U.S. Treasury’s Healthy
Foods Financing Initiative.
There are also non-financial resources that CCLF can leverage, such as its relationship with city
agencies. CCLF recently got Chicago’s Department of Transportation to remove a
morning/evening rush hour parking ban from the West Chicago Avenue Corridor, hopefully
convincing more visitors from other parts of the Chicago area to spend time (and money) in the
neighborhood.
“It was a residual holdover from an expressway construction detour that never got undone,”
Holmes explains.
Recognizing the urgency of Chicago’s black unemployment situation, CCLF now has a plan to
emulate what it has done with WHPDC in West Humboldt Park in other neighborhoods around
Chicago. They recruited a long-time Chicago-area CDC leader and consultant, Maurice
Williams, to lead their efforts to do commercial revitalization in cohorts of multiple
neighborhoods at the same time on an ongoing basis. It’s a recognition that, in a big metro like
Chicago, there are so many different neighborhoods, and some of the most vulnerable ones are
places CCLF can’t reach effectively without another community development partner based in
each neighborhood.
“There’s a great need and demand for our financing in many different smaller communities in
Chicago, but they might be places that lack capacity to get certain levels of development
completed,” says Williams, now vice president for economic development at CCLF. “Cohort
members can complement each other, learn from each other, and we can leverage our regional
position to get them capacity building and other resources they might not be able to afford on
their own.”
CCLF will choose neighborhoods to be part of cohorts based on a number of factors, grouped
under three broad areas: location (is it a low-income community in line with CCLF’s mission?);
local capacity (does the local CDC have a track record of successful partnership, and could they
possibly leverage CCLF lending now or in the near future?); and layered resources (is there
funding available to leverage for the neighborhood from city, state or federal sources, through
CCLF or the local CDC partner?).
This year, CCLF will be starting that journey with the Chatham and Bronzeville neighborhoods,
both on the South Side of Chicago.
As it so happens, Love has opened restaurants in both neighborhoods before.
Categories: CNU blogs, New Urbanism
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