Weekly Top 5 - Cars, Conservatives, Alpharetta, Congestion, Innovation

Each week, New Urban Roswell brings you our Top 5 most interesting and thought provoking articles about urbanism and neighborhoods.  We sifted through about 100 articles this week to find the top 5.  We hope you enjoy.

Beware the 18% - New Urbanism Blog

Embedded in this article is a very interesting statistic that goes beyond the headline.  That statistic is that the average annual cost for owning a mid-size car in the US  is $9,519 when you factor in all pertinent costs and assume annual mileage of 15,000.  That’s almost 65 cents a mile!  It’s a statistic that’s just crying out for some common sense. Much of the current debate in Atlanta is about the Transportation Investment Act and the fact that 48% of the money is allocated to roads... this statistic tells me that we might want to consider lowering that.  Assuming that you have a 10 mile commute, your round trip is costing you about $13!!!  WOW!  Bet you didn’t think about that.  We need to start building walkable places where people aren’t forced to use their car and can even consider reducing their car ownership.  The automobile is a drag on our national wealth. 

Smart Growth for Conservatives - Bacon’s Rebellion

This is a highly interesting read if you are at all concerned about he politicization of common sense.  In the preface to this post, Bacon comments that “efficiency is efficiency... cost effectiveness is cost effectiveness.”  The current dichotomy is Sprawl (Conservative) vs Smart Growth (Liberal) and that isn’t going to cut it as reality begins to smack us in the face more and more frequently.  The argument in this post is whether the top-down liberal solution or the bottom-up conservative solution is best.  As a staunch independent, I think a little of both is needed.  An additional excerpt from the preface:

The logical, if somewhat extreme, outcome of the conservative dismissal of Smart Growth is the anti-Agenda 21 movement, which connects non-existing dots between the United Nation’s Agenda 21 sustainability agenda, President Obama’s green policies and efforts in Virginia’s cities and counties to implement Smart Growth. Thus, in this conspiratorial mindset, anything resembling Smart Growth is seen as part of a larger movement to undermine American freedoms and liberties. Frighteningly, this movement has gained momentum in a number of Virginia counties and created a distraction from the real issues.

If you really have some time and are interested, you can listen to a panel that Mr. Bacon was on at CNU 20 here.

Three Simple Ideas for Cities - Strong Towns Blog

This is a great posts that throws some ideas and thoughts out on how some small, experimental ideas could improve the overall development picture of towns and cities.  The three ideas that are thrown out for consideration are building a local building bank, moving to land value taxation rather than building value taxation and encouraging/allowing code free zones where a city can experiment with what an area with no zoning would develop like.  I feel that experimentation of this nature is not only a good idea but necessary to move into the next generation of development in this country.  The systems we have now are dysfunctional at best and toxic at worst.  

Alpharetta City Center Plan Stirs Concerns About Green Space - Live in Alpharetta

All I can really say on the newly revised plans for Alpharetta’s city center are WOW!  The plan as it is would create an incredible mixed-use destination that is quaint, people focused and inherently local.  This plan is about a mile away from Avalon but it is extremely different in the way it will interact with people.  I think once both are done, there will be no question that this project will win the ‘lovability’ contest. Great work Alpharetta!  I’m more than a little bit jealous that Roswell’s neighbor city seems to be a step ahead of us in redeveloping it’s urban core.

Rethinking the Economics of Traffic Congestion - The Atlantic Cities

Is traffic congestion really a drag on economies and productivity?  This article looks at areas with low congestion and compares them to areas of high congestion and asserts that congestion is a byproduct of a healthy economy.  You can’t get around it.  They found that when traffic delays went up, GDP also increased and that the correlation was statistically significant. Here’s an excerpt that helps make sense of it:

How could being stuck in traffic lead people to be more productive? The relationship is almost certainly not causal. Instead, regional GDP and traffic congestion are tied to a common moderating variable - the presence of a vibrant, economically-productive city. And as city economies grow, so too does the demand for travel. People travel for work and meetings, for shopping and recreation. They produce and demand goods and services, which further increases travel demand. And when the streets become congested and driving inconvenient, people move to more accessible areas, rebuild at higher densities, travel shorter distances, and shift travel modes.

Canton Street Arbor - Cool Concept, Bad Parking Solution

This is a plan that is on life support for the property at the southeast corner of the Woodstock|Canton intersection.  It was approved with conditions by the Historic Preservation Commission in Jan 2011 but didn't get off the ground due to zoning/use issues.  

One interesting tidbit is the that the property and vision belong to Mayor Jere Wood.  He wants to build an arbor in the style of those built around Georgia in the early to mid 1800's.  See the image of the Brush Arbor at the Marietta Campground below for an idea of the building type.  I wanted to comment on it as I love building but hate the site layout.  It's another case of parking requirements killing progress and inhibiting good designs from becoming reality.

Now, check out the rendering of the arbor that Mayor Wood has had designed for his property.  It is strikingly similar to the Brush Arbor above which was built circa 1839.  It may be a copycat but it sure would be a great addition to our historic district and Canton Street if it were done the right way.

Now, here's a site plan with new parking shaded in red and the proposed arbor in green.

As you can see, there is a lot of additional parking.  The parking will be pervious so it wouldn't be asphalt but it's still parking.  The plans I saw showed the use as Assembley which would require 58 additional spaces to be added to the lot.  Now, the mayor decided he would compromise and say that the use was to be retail instead which would have a lower parking requirement.  This still leaves the entire lot with 95 parking spots.  That's a lot of parking for business that have peak traffic at different times of day.  Another solution is to allow fewer spots because there are spots at the soccer fields right up the road.

The parking requirements are one problem but another is the location of the new parking.  This design would further erode the public realm around that intersection.  I think you could find a way to tuck a lot (not all) of the necessary parking in between the existing buildings and tweaking the layout of the existing parking spaces a bit.  You could even pull the arbor building closer to the sidewalk.  But wait, there are minimum setback requirements to deal with.  You can't build a building close to the sidewalk like Salt Factory or Roswell Provisions or Go With The Flow.. That would be against code.

I'd love to see this get built as a hybrid retail and assembley space but even more than that, I'd love dopey zoning get out of the way and let the free market decide what gets built. 

images: AJC, City of Roswell

Collaborate on the Historic Gateway Master Plan

I'm actually a little disappointed to say that I wasn't aware of this site until just last week.  As part of the community involvement portion of the Historic Gateway Master Plan project, the consultant, DPZ, and the city have set up an Idea Collaboration website at www.roswellgateway.com.  Users can submit their ideas, comment on others and second ones that they like.  This allows great ideas to bubble up to the top giving DPZ and the city a better idea of what the citizens are looking for beyond what they heard during workshops.  It also allows anyone whose schedule does not permit the ability to submit their feedback for the record.

Please check out the site and add your input.  Here are some of the ideas I've submitted so far:

• Grocery Store in the Historic District
• Allow Exclusive Weddings and Events at Barrington and Bulloch
• Canopy Tour Through the National Forest
• Build Whitewater Kayak and Outdoor Lifestyle Center
• Target the Outdoor Sporting and Lifestyle Market
• Allow Some of All Housing Types

Check them out and second them if you like them or add some commentary to improve them.  Let's make our historic district a place for people and not cars!

City Hall Square - DPZ Concept

We saved the most innovative of the DPZ proposals for last.  Now, to be up front and honest with everyone, it is my second favorite of the three proposals.  The New Canton Street proposal is actually my favorite but this one is a close second.

This proposal creates a true civic square that functions as the heart of the city anchored by all of the traditional institutions of government and culture. It would slow traffic down but still allow it to flow. Remember that 30 mph is the ideal speed for traffic volumes. This design could maintain that. The proposal would create an incredible location for the new Walk of Valor memorial. Additionally, it would provide a home to the new Fulton County library that is being considered and a new courthouse for the city. The Arts Center would anchor Canton Street and create an amazing cultural amenity that all could see. This is a signature project for Roswell. It could transform the face of our city.

Now, if your concerned with what to do with the old library and the performing arts center, I have a great idea. It could serve as an incredible foundation for a Roswell Charter School campus that would give our city center the school it is lacking. I feel there are better locations that are more central to the neighborhood (Oak St & 9 Intersection) but this would be a real opportunity that could happen in tandem with the City Hall Square. Check out the presentation below to see the vision unfold.

All images courtesy of Duany Plater-Zyberk

New Canton Street - Mill Village Neighborhood - DPZ Concept

This concept is the next in a great series of ideas that DPZ has brought to the table to revitalize our historic district.  The idea here is a vision of what a new back street that runs parallel to Atlanta Street from Oxbo to Mill St could look like.  This land is unique in that it is owned by relatively few owners who would all likely be open to redevelopment and in its beautiful natural slopes.  

The idea behind this concept originated in the fact that building up to hwy 9 in this spot is never going to really achieve the desired effect of creating a special place with great business.  The reasoning behind this is that the other side of the street isn't going to be built up.  This creates a lopsided feel that just doesn't work right and any businesses that would eventually go there would suffer. Additionally, the traffic along hwy 9 is never going to get any better.  Thus, there was the option of doing nothing or find an alternative.

This back street concept achieves multiple objectives; creating a retail anchor for me mill village, creating a truly unique visual experience that is appropriate for that area and allowing automobile traffic on hwy 9 to continue its flow unimpeded.  This concept also gives life to the boutique hotel concept by creating a true reason for it to be there.  Additionally, it will activate our square and bring more people closer to our cultural and natural amenities.

Check out the slideshow for additional commentary.

You can use the controls on the presentation viewer to move through the slides or just let it switch through automatically. I would suggest you enlarge this one to full screen as the images are detailed. Again, any writing on these was added by me and is not part of the original DPZ presentation.

All images provided courtesy of Duany Plater-Zyberk

Southern Neighborhood Center - DPZ Concept

This slideshow takes a look at the southern neighborhood center concept. This one is the most up in the air at the moment due to some last minute changes in thought on the one-way pair. Essentially, Mr. Duany did not like it at first. He also heard opposition from several of the condo owners at the kickoff presentation at City Hall. In that discussion, he stated that the only reason the Creek View Condos should support the one-way pair is if they receive first rate urbanism in return for the state route moving closer to their property. He asked that they consider it and get back to him.

In the meantime, the DPZ staff planned the corridor as if the one-way pair would not work. So, what you see in the slideshow is a proposal based on the current path that South Atlanta currently follows. It would be widened to two lanes in each direction with a service lane separated by landscaping in each direction with parking. This would create a wide boulevard type feel that would be similar to a Parisian boulevard where the fast (through) traffic in the center is separated from the local traffic on the service lanes.

In this concept, the entire corridor would receive a facelift. The older buildings would be replaced with newer buildings that would serve as retail, office and residential. I do believe Mr. Duany warmed to the one-way pair idea after seeing sketches by Mickey O'Brien of URS at the Historic Gateway Transportation Advisory Group meeting last Thursday evening (see those sketches here on slide 13). So, the DPZ concepts could change a litte bit between now and the final presentation. Additionally, there is a lot of undeveloped land on the north of 9 behind the conceptual buildings that he said could easily develop over time into additional pieces of the neighborhood even if the DPZ plan were the community's preferred alternative.

You can use the controls on the presentation viewer to move through the slides or just let it switch through automatically. I would suggest you enlarge this one to full screen as the images are detailed. Again, any writing on these was added by me and is not part of the original DPZ presentation. Our next posts will examine each of these three areas in more detail.

All images provided courtesy of Duany Plater-Zyberk

Neighborhood Centers - DPZ Special Projects

The next piece of the DPZ presentation is a high level overview of the three neighborhood centers they have taken on as special projects. There are three different recommendations for each of these unique areas and each of them is revolutionary for Roswell in its own right. They took a look at a new town square centered just south of Canton Street, a New Canton Street concept in the mill village that would run from Oxbo to Mill St and finally the southern village which centers on the South Atlanta St Baptist Church.

Take a look at the slideshow with commentary from me. You can use the controls on the presentation viewer to move through the slides or just let it switch through automatically. I would suggest you enlarge this one to full screen as the images are detailed. Again, any writing on these was added by me and is not part of the original DPZ presentation. Our next posts will examine each of these three areas in more detail.

All images provided courtesy of Duany Plater-Zyberk

Suggested Barrington Improvements

Over the next few days, I will be posting images and slides from the Andres Duany presentation last week on a future vision for Historic Roswell. These will give you a summary of what was discussed in his talk (watch here) at the Roswell Mill. We're kicking these posts off with a relatively simple set of slides showing the recommended transformation of the Barrington Hall wall and grounds as visible from Mimosa. You can use the controls on the presentation viewer to move through the slides or just let it switch through automatically. Any writing on the pictures was added by me and is not part of the original DPZ presentation.

All images provided courtesy of Duany Plater-Zyberk

Andres Duany Presents His Vision for Historic Roswell

Last night, Andres Duany of DPZ, presented three amazing neighborhood village concepts for Historic Roswell along with a quick fix for Barrington Hall to increase its visibility. These concepts have been refined over the past two weeks to incorporate community input that came from two days of public workshops last month. The ideas enhanced by visuals are absolutely incredible. He reviews all of them in this video. I will be posting images from the slideshow over the next several days and will continue to post new images as the planning process progresses. There was a lot of positive energy in the crowd and I believe these visions will leave a realistic and lasting impression on what Historic Roswell can become. Please share this with anyone who is interested in making Roswell a better place!

Open Letter to Mayor + Council re: Groveway Code

Below is an open letter to the city council articulating my views as well as those of a number of individuals who live in Roswell on the proposed Groveway Hybrid Form-Based Code.  If you support this new zoning, please be sure to let your mayor and city council know before Monday evening as they will be voting on it.  You can email them at RoswellMayorandCouncil@roswellgov.com.  

Dear Mayor and Council,

First, I would like to thank you for the time and consideration that each of you has invested in the Groveway Hybrid Form-Based Code. As you know, the code has gone through extensive review and community involvement.  The assertions by other Roswell citizens that it is being fast tracked is incorrect.  You are also aware that several residents have voiced concern about the unintended consequences of the code.  My initial concerns with the East Roswell Forum email were that the facts were grossly inaccurate.  However, those have now been debunked by the city.  There are 'unintended consequences' of every action. I decided to write you to ensure that both sides of the community are heard and I feel there several additional items that need to be voiced:

• Our existing zoning is outdated and dysfunctional.  It is critical that we have an updated code particularly in the Groveway area.  We need this to encourage development in the heart of our city.  Otherwise, most of what the Groveway Community wants and needs will require time consuming variances and that will likely never happen.
• Now is the time to act.  Our neighbors, Alpharetta and Sandy Springs, are moving forward on development and job growth.  Our tax rolls are not growing while theirs are.  If we do not act soon, we will miss the generational shift that is creating a significant demand for walkable urbanism as Gen Y joins the workforce and as the Baby Boomers become empty nesters and find that they don’t need the large house, that they would like to walk to many of their daily needs and also drive less.
• We must continue to revitalize our town center. Form based codes focus on the creation, revitalization and preservation of vibrant, walkable urban places.  The center of our city should be just that while enabling people of all walks of life to live there.  They help accomplish the following:

• Encourage Placemaking - They can do this because the are prescriptive thus achieving a more predictable physical result.
• Encourage Public Participation - Citizens can see and understand what will be built which engages them more.
• Encourage Independent Development - Independent developers can build on smaller lots knowing that what eventually gets built next to their lot will not adversely impact their building and/or business.
• Create Diversity of Development - Because smaller independent developers have certainty, many more of them build which creates diverse development rather than what happens when one large developer owns all the land.
• Retain History - FBCs work well in existing areas because they retain and codify the best of what is already there and build upon that to create a place unique to the area instead of a cookie cutter design
• Foster Transparency - Non-professionals find them to be shorter, more readable and easier to understand which makes it easier to determine if the code is being followed.
• Provide Developer Certainty and Reduce Risk - They give developers the certainty they need to encourage large investments of their own capital.

There is much to be excited about in Roswell today.  As you saw in Greenville, it takes bold action to build a great place.  Numerous other cities are already ahead of the curve with creating 21st century zoning codes (Denver, Miami, Nashville, El Paso, San Antonio, Montgomery, Sarasota).  One of the most famous towns in the south, Seaside, was built using a Form Based Code.  

I am are asking that you vote YES for the Groveway Hybrid Form-Based Code.  Please don’t let the short-term view of a few who have fed misinformation to many further delay the progress of our great city.  It would be a shame to waste this opportunity and see jobs and development continue to flow to our neighboring cities.

Sincerely,


Michael Hadden | CNU-a | New Urban Roswell 

Roswell 40U40
712 Creek View Lane | Roswell, GA 30075