Overview of the Unified Development Code

If you are looking for a quick primer on the Unified Development Code that Roswell will be voting to implement later this year, this is a relatively quick video.  This will be a big win for the city.  The code even has woonerf as a street type.  How European of us...

Stop the Madness: Two Unnecessary Signs

This one is driving me nuts.  Last year, the one way on Plum Street was reversed so that traffic could more easily flow off of Canton St.  That made sense to me.  But these signs don't.  First up, why do you need a one way sign where traffic enters a one way street?  There should be a one way sign at the end where cars exit to alert drivers that you can't turn into that street but putting one where you enter is just adding to the littany of signs cluttering our landscape. Hmmm...  So, the one way sign in this picture is completely unnecessary.  

Second, why in the world would you need a Do Not Enter sign here?  IF, in the off event a car did make it's way to that spot by going the wrong way down Plum St, they certainly SHOULD enter Canton St to get off of Plum St.  If there is an appropriate place for a Do Not Enter sign on a one way street, it would be at the point of entry,  not at the point of exit.  But, there would be no reason for a DNE sign at the entrance if there is already a one way street sign.  That would be redundant... but as we all know... there is no shortage of redundant signs on our roads.

Take these two signs down.  They are completly unnecessary.  

More Roundabouts Please!!

This is a cross-post from my monthly column, Community Design Matters, in The Current.

If you have driven around North Fulton lately, you may have come across a roundabout in your travels.  Until recently, roundabouts were mostly a foreign phenomena.  Roswell got the dizzying party going just over two years ago with the first roundabout in North Fulton at the Grimes Bridge and Norcross St intersection.  At this point, the roundabouts of North Fulton are few in number but their impact cannot be larger and as you will see, we should build more.. a lot more. 

Did you know that over 7,000 people are killed and nearly 1 million are injured annually in the US in intersection related crashes?  A high percentage of these are right angle collisions that occur at signalized or signed intersections.  Roundabouts significantly reduce crashes especially severe ones.  Statistics from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety show that roundabouts reduce crashes by about 35%.  This is done in part by fully eliminating left turns across opposing traffic, which just happens to be the most dangerous maneuver a driver can make.  They virtually eliminate high speed and right angle crashes as well.  By doing this, they reduce injuries by 76% and fatalities by 90%.

Roundabouts are also safer for pedestrians as they reduce speeds, make drivers more cautious , prevent drivers from making left turns and allow a pedestrian to cross traffic that is moving in only one direction.  

For a driver just trying to get around, there is less stop and go which saves time and money.  Most impressively, a roundabout can handle between 4 and 5 times the amount of traffic in a given time period when compared to a standard signalized intersection.

For cities, they lower operational and maintenance costs and in most cases building one is comparable in price to building a standard intersection.  However, retrofitting a standard intersection as roundabout can be more expensive.

Currently, there are three operational roundabouts in North Fulton and at least five more are planned.  This is great but how do we compare to Carmel, Indiana the most roundabout crazed city in the US?  Carmel is an Indianapolis suburb of 79,000 people and it has at least 80 roundabouts.  They have done away with 78 traffic signals (over 80% of their intersections).  That’s amazing!

All of these benefits are fantastic and straight forward.  However, whenever a new roundabout is proposed, there are always going to be nervous or skeptical people.  Overcoming those fears and objections is fairly easy and North Fulton cities have done remarkably well in this area.  Cities should install their first roundabouts in non-critical locations which will help the fearful and skeptical overcome their fears and objections over time.  Having followed the Roswell roundabout for two years, this pattern is evident.  Online comments on news articles moved from concerned to positive quickly and anecdotal conversations follow the same trend.

So, with all of these benefits? Why aren’t we jumping on every opportunity to build a roundabout?

If you're interested in learning more, check out this video from the Federal Highway Administration:

Stop the Madness: This Sums Up My Feelings...

This video pretty much sums up my feelings on road signs...

High Quality Trails Just Work...

I loved this StreetFilms video of the Cultural Trail that recently opened in Indianapolis.  It's a completely separate bicycle and pedestrian trail that connects Indianapolis' downtown amenities.  I immediately thought of how successful the Beltline Eastside Trail has been when I saw the traffic on this trail.  

We can and should build the Roswell Loop as soon as possible and also look to create as many path connections through the center of our city as possible.

The Indianapolis Cultural Trail: The Next-Gen in U.S. Protected Bike Lanes from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

Ponce City Market is Going to Look Nice

I can't wait to see the renovation of the old Sears building in the Old Fourth Ward!  Ponce City Market posted a nice fly through of what it will look like.  Enjoy...

Stacked Flats Coming to Roswell

This is a cross-post from my monthly column, Community Design Matters, in The Current.

You can call the project whatever you want; apartments, stacked flats, too dense, gentrification, revitalization, progress, catalytic.  But, no matter where you stand, it increasingly looks like we will soon see the first major redevelopment in Roswell’s historic district under the new Groveway code.  Lennar Multifamily is planning on dropping $43 million+ into the parcel of land where the Frazier Street Apartments currently sit and the Roswell City Council allowed Lennar to take a major step forward last month when it approved the site plan by a 5-1 vote.  It should come as no surprise to readers that I am a proponent of this project.  I actually purchased a home in April that quite literally backs up to this project, not in small part due to my strong convictions about the project’s value to the surrounding community.

That said, there have been no shortage of arguments made as to why this is a bad idea.  These tend to center around six main themes; Density, Mix of Uses, Cars, Schools and Displacement.  If you were able to attend the May 13th City Council meeting you would have seen Chris Cassidy, Regional VP, Lennar Multifamily, address these concerns with the council and audience.  Here’s a recap with color. As far as density is concerned, this project will be 32 units per acre (320 units on 10 acres) which is an increase from the roughly 16 units per acre currently.  Given the cost of the property and need for profitability, this is the optimum amount that Lennar believes is suitable.  Additionally, people living in close proximity to amenities is what creates truly walkable places.  

Another big concern was that it did not adhere to the Groveway code because it was not mixed-use.  First, there are many varieties of mixed-use from vertical to horizontal.  Second, not every building or parcel in our historic district needs to be mixed use and the code does not require that.  All mixed-use all the time is a nice vision but realistically, it doesn’t always work.  Putting space for retail on the ground floor doesn’t magically bring a business to fill it. Ideally, these apartments will provide patrons for what should eventually be a vertical mixed use parcel right next-door where the Value Village and Southern Skillet strip mall currently sits.  These apartments will be the spark needed to finally get that parcel redeveloped.  

Probably the single biggest concern centered around the car.  Yes Roswell, we are preoccupied with our cars, but not just our own cars.  We are preoccupied with everyone else’s cars and what they do with them.

The evil twins of Traffic and Parking came up numerous times and were addressed well by Mr. Cassidy.  On parking, Lennar feels that the number of spaces they are requesting (a variance, as they are requesting fewer spaces than our minimum parking reqs. require) is appropriate given the usage in other similar properties.  They have found that they require approximately .9 spaces per room in similar projects.  This means that the 420-445 that they are considering would be appropriate and they will tweak the # of spaces to meet the number they feel is appropriate.  Big concerns were raised by councilman Igleheart as well as others in the audience that this would not be enough and the “what if’s” were flying.  But, you must remember that apartments are rarely 100% leased, people vacation, take business trips, work at different times and some don’t even have cars (some).  The point is that you don’t build the church for Easter Sunday and we shouldn’t build our parking lots with excess capacity.  It’s a waste of space and money.

It’s as simple as this.  Lennar and Mr. Cassidy understand apartment parking needs far more than an ordinary citizen going off their gut feelings.  If Lennar isn’t interested in doing more projects in Roswell, it would be shocking considering they are putting such a sizable investment into the heart of our city.  Gambling on parking requirements and upsetting the city seems like a losing deal for them.  Additionally, we want walkability in this area.  NOTHING kills walkability more than the blank expanses of surface parking lots.  Mr. Cassidy referred several times in his presentation to the Highlands of West Village project in Smyrna as being a good comparison for what they are looking to construct here.  The parking allotment there is roughly the same as what they are looking to do here without any significant issues.
The car dominated another discussion which was about what cars do when they aren’t parked.  Arguments were raised that the traffic counts would be unbearable and that we would grind to a halt in that part of town.  The city’s traffic studies suggest otherwise (these are the same people that were crazy enough to suggest that the round-a-bout would not be a total disaster).  Lennar had the most conservative analysis possible done.  They did not remove the Frazier St Apartments traffic from the count and added the estimated traffic from their project on top of that.  The models showed increased traffic but not significant enough congestion to warrant concern from DOT. 

The concerns raised about the impact to schools would normally apply.  The only problem is that the demographic that Lennar is targeting generally won’t have kids or won’t have them living with them.  Thus, Fulton county’s estimates of 168 to 265 students borders on absurdity.  The true number will be much lower than that and comparable properties say that the number may even be in the single digits but it is more likely between 10 and 20.  That does not account for the displacement of the school age kids that are currently living there which could end up with an overall reduction to Roswell North, Crabapple Middle and Roswell High.

Another concern raised, which I agree with, is that the current conceptual name is not appropriate.  Canton City Walk tries to play on the success of Canton Street and the fact that the target demographic will desire walkability.  However, it just doesn’t sit well with most people who hear it.  That said, the name is conceptual and will be reviewed by Lennar.  I have even heard that they may be open to suggestions.

Finally, there were some folks in the audience who were appropriately concerned with the designs.  The initial concept was exactly that, a concept.  Lennar has worked extensively with our city staff and their team of architects and advisors to put together a project with a design that will reflect some of the history and vernacular of Historic Roswell while also incorporating a new feel.  Mr. Cassidy stated that the designs had “significantly changed” since they were initially released.  Having seen them, I can agree.  The new designs should go before the Historic Preservation Commission for final approval on July 17. 

It is exciting to see a project that increases walkability, brings unique residences and cleans up the heart of our city coming to us in the near future.  if all goes well, we could see construction begin toward the end of this year and we might have some new neighbors sometime next year.  Once that happens, the true power of proximity and walkability will start to be realized in our historic district.

CNU Week: 30A

I had planned to attend this years CNU21 in Salt Lake City but unfortunately won't be there.  It is one of those places where people interested in walkability, place making and quality development can go to nurture their inner geek.  This week, I'll be posting  a number of my favorite things about the new urbanist movement.

If you have a 30A sticker on your car, you may be a closet new urbanist.  There are three incredible new urbanist towns along 30A that attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.  Those are Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach and the town that started it all, Seaside.  I could write a bunch of words about these spots but it wouldn't do them any more justice than these three videos.  The first two are about Seaside and the last is a pretty slick flyover of what Alys Beach's eventual buildout will look like...

CNU Week: Sustainable Street Network Principles

I had planned to attend this years CNU21 in Salt Lake City but unfortunately won't be there.  It is one of those places where people interested in walkability, place making and quality development can go to nurture their inner geek.  This week, I'll be posting  a number of my favorite things about the new urbanist movement.

Let's call this Transportation Tuesday...  One of the most important aspects of our built environment is our transportation infrastructure.  Sidewalks, Streets, Roads, Highways, Railways, etc.. One of the most frustrating parts of good urban design is the fact that a DOT can crush a good development because the roads are poortly designed or because they won't allow proper widths due to a number of voodoo reasons that we won't get into here.  CNU has been working for a long time with the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) through the CNU Project for Transportation Reform to come up with guidelines that will help build more people friendly places.  In 2012, the released their Sustainable Street Network Principles.

Here are the main points.  If you would like to dive into them, download the pdf.

Principles

1. Create a Street Network That Supports Communities and Places
2. Create a Street Network that Attracts and Sustains Economic Activity
3. Maximize Transportation Choice
4. Integrate the Street Network With Natural Systems at All Scales
5. Respect the Existing Natural and Built Environment
6. Emphasize Walking as the Fundamental Unit of the Street Network
7. Create Harmony With Other Transportation Networks

Key Characteristics

1. A web of streets and travel modes that maximize connectivity
2. Desirable places where multiple networks overlap
3. Inherently complex
4. Major streets designed and spaced properly
5. All streets safe and walkable
6. Wide variety of street types, each with a role in the network

CNU Week: The Best Books of the New Urbanism

I had planned to attend this years CNU21 in Salt Lake City but unfortunately won't be there.  It is one of those places where people interested in walkability, place making and quality development can go to nurture their inner geek.  This week, I'll be posting  a number of my favorite things about the new urbanist movement.

Next up for CNU Week are my top books that espouse what the new urbanist movement is all about.  Some are very accessible and others are wonky..

Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream - Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Jeff Speck

You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. - Morpheus, The Matrix

Suburban Nation is THE red pill of the built environment.  It will change your views on a lot of things.  I guarantee that.  It gets a little wonky at time but for the most part is a very accessible read and it is highly entertaining and witty.

Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time - Jeff Speck

This one is easily the most accessible of all the books listed here.  It came out last year and has done very well for a general audience.  It is packed with stats on why walkability trumps virtually every other measure when considering what is needed to build a great place.  Speck lays out the four requirements of a good walk and the 10 steps to get there.  Most places in the US have a long way to go.

The Language of Towns and Cities - Dhiru Thadani

This is really the encyclopedia of the New Urbanism.  I'm not sure how long Dhiru worked on it but it is a master piece.  It is not a book you read but you definitely want to flip through it and go back to it for reference.  It is well written and beautifully illustrated.  I mean, BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED.

City Comforts: How to Build an Urban Village - David Sucher

City comforts is a more fun version of the Language of Towns and Cities written from the perspecetive of a layperson to help people who love great places but need help illustrating the principles of great places to others.  There are tons of pictures and it's very fun to flip through.

Curbside Chat: A Candid Talk about the Future of America's Cities, Towns and Neighborhoods - StrongTowns.org (Chuck Marohn)

The Curbside Chat is where you want to go if you are a fiscal conservative and are wondering if this urban vs. sprawl argument has any substance.  Chuck Marohn of StrongTowns.org lays out some pretty compelling cases that our sprawl development pattern is going to eventually cost much more to maintain than the revenue it will produce.  It's a quick read or you can just watch a Curbside Chat on YouTube from RoswellNEXT's Town Hall Roswell in April 2013.