While looking around for examples that might instruct us on how development in Eastwood should be designed, I came across an excellent about.com article, Stop Sprawl: How to Design a Walkable Neighborhood. It’s a quick read but better than that, it has great photos illustrating the points made.
To better understand the options we have if the city’s comprehensive plan is taken into account when designing one of the corners of James and Midler, take a look at the following:
This is what it looked like in February, 2009
This building follows the Guidelines, is interesting to pedestrians and drivers
This is what we'll get if we're left out of decisions and waivers of the Guidelines are allowed
There are many possibilities for develping the corners of James St. and Midler Ave. Just as they did with the Kingsley-True House, professional architects and planners could come up with a design that makes sense for an urban environment, promotes sustainable development on James St., allows for appropriate parking, and doesn’t degrade the value of residential properties.
How would you like to see this intersection developed?
Those visuals are great! The image of development that follows the zoning law (aka guidelines) is far superior to the existing (and dreaded future) conditions.
Jim
Should be sent to the Byrne family and city departments considering options for the corner and property. Would be nice if Eastwood became
a model for doing things right. Other areas in the city seem to be making headway- why not here? Wonder if TNT might think about having a voice in this?
I remember a few years ago how the parking lot in front aided as a very convenient getaway spot for the robbers who robbed the Byrne Dairy…that is what you get for convenient in-and-out parking lots that front the street. I would also agree that the photosims are very good. How did you do it? So quick?
Good point on the quick get-away, Maureen! I did the photo sims myself using an old shareware photo editing program. I saw the Byrne gas station in North Syracuse while driving past it. Turned around and took a picture with my phone. Later I trolled the internet for a building that might fit in a walkable way. Found it near downtown Syracuse. It takes several hours to do these photos, but I’m on spring break this week. :-)
In 2001, SMTC completed a James St corridor study. One of the
recommendations was that the City create a parking master plan for the
James St. business district. To my knowledge, this has never been
done. The TNT neighborhood plan also recommended that the City submit
a request to the SMTC to study the parking situation and create a
neighborhood parking plan – I do not know if this request was ever made. A few initial thoughts:
1) there are definitely options other than plunking down a drug store
(or gas station or whatever) with parking in front
2) we could get into a whole other debate about whether Eastwood is
“dense” or “urban” (as compared to what?). But here’s what I know:
from my house I can walk to at least two parks and playgrounds, a post
office, a library, cafes, bookstores, banks, drug stores, convenience
stores, a movie theater, and many other small businesses (sorry if I
missed any specifics!) – to me that is certainly urban. If “village”
suites you better, that’s fine, too. People pay a premium to live in
“new urban” developments that attempt to replicate what we’ve already
got! Whatever we label it, I think we can all recognize that we have
something special that deserves to be preserved.
3) That said, there will always be people that will drive to the
Eastwood business district. Successful “main street” business
districts allow people to park once and walk to multiple
destinations.
4) No corner parking lots!
5) Before we start debating whether businesses should be encouraged to
purchase lots for parking (as the Palace and Bank of America have
done), I think we need to complete a thorough and objective inventory
of the available parking supply, documenting locations, ownership, and
regulations for both off-street lots and on-street spaces and how much
of that parking is occupied at various times of the day/week. A
common conclusion from parking studies in both large and small
business districts is that there is plenty of parking available,
people just need to know where to find it and how to use it.