Image by Opticos Design

Just north of downtown, the Portage Street Market was developed in the 1960s as a neighborhood center. As development patterns and demographics shifted the center needs to reposition itself. Working with Opticos, Urban Advisors helped provide a development strategy and feasible vision for the site. The primary challenge was building a program of uses that would serve local demands and compete in the retail market place, while maintaining affordable rents. Our team provided demographic data on local market preferences and support for local retail uses. This led to the recommendation of a smaller, 12,000 square foot neighborhood grocery with ancillary hardware store. The rest of the 40,000 square foot building could be inexpensively retrofit to sub lease stalls that would form a market arcade especially for small food service providers and artists.

Image by Principle Group

The Woonasquatucket River was once a center of economic activity and employment adjacent to downtown filled with historic mill buildings. Although many have been demolished leaving vacant sites, the district is still home to industry, fabricators and artists. Working with Principle Group, Urban Advisors helped shape a plan for the district by providing economic analysis and pro-forma analysis of development scenarios to “Maker Lofts” evaluate public costs and benefits. A primary concern of stakeholders was preserving affordable working space. One of the design and development solutions for a building typology in the neighborhood was “Maker Boxes”: inexpensive concrete sheds for artists and fabricators to incubate their businesses. The evaluation of potential catalyst sites helped shape priorities for the City and provided a framework for evaluating public investments.

Although Avon’s population is not rapidly increasing, the Village was confronted by growth pressures as developers proposed large new projects near the historic village center. A building moratorium was called while the Village updated its comprehensive plan to make sure new development contributed to the existing character. Working with Steinmetz Planning Group, Urban Advisors provided an economic background to understand the shifting demographics and trends shaping future market demands. GIS analysis of existing land by development potential demonstrated the amount of infill development that could be accommodated under moderate design changes to the highway leading into town and within the village itself. This helped the village calibrate the land use intensity in shaping regulations.

As part of the Somerville by Design neighborhood planning charrette process, Urban Advisors worked with Principle Group and City staff on a plan for the Winter Hill neighborhood. Responding to neighborhood concerns, we examined the market for grocery services explaining why a store had recently closed and identified a new location where a store would be viable. Urban Advisors provided pro-forma analysis to guide feasibility of proposed development including parking, and allotments for affordable units.  The plan included recommendations for feasible mixed use development along the neighborhood main street as well as infill development along and under an existing freeway.