UrbanAdvisors worked with Dover, Kohl & Partners and Geoffrey Ferrell Associates through a public charrette process to develop a master plan for downtown Fayetteville, Arkansas. As part of the Downtown Plan, UrbanAdvisors investigated local demographic trends and interviewed a wide range of community representatives to understand the local economic and development conditions. Collaborating with Dover, Kohl & Partners, UrbanAdvisors provided implementation and development strategies to make the designs and vision a reality. Recommendations included actions for policy changes, public private partnerships, parking organizations, neighborhood revitalization assistance, downtown market enhancement, and business recruitment and retention.

The Heart of Peoria Vision Plan, created in 2002 by internationally known Duany Plater Zyberk began a process of revitalization for Peoria Illinois. To implement the vision Urban Advisors and Code Studio worked on a team led by Ferrell Madden Associates to create detailed designs of selected study areas of the city with matching form-based code and implementation strategies. Like many american cities, the downtown had been loosing population and was physically divided by wide highways. Peoria is one of the few cities where manufacturing employment is on the rise. But the jobs at Caterpillar are mostly in engineering- and a different life-style segment than traditional skilled laborers. By examining trends and projections in employment and demographic segments, we discovered a pent-up demand and potential market for urban residential products that were largely unavailable. Providing the neighborhood amenities and products preferred by the unserved market required design and road improvements and code amendments. We were able to develop a revitalization strategy that addressed the underlying causes of past decline and built on existing opportunities in conjunction with a new legal framework.
 

 

 

Working through a two week charrette process, UrbanAdvisors assisted Dover, Kohl & Partners and Hall Planning & Engineering with planning to guide the next 20 years of growth in Fayetteville. UrbanAdvisors researched employment, future demographics and current and past land use densities and patterns to help create an innovative plan that will create a series of new neighborhoods and prevent sprawl. We provided analysis of development scenarios under alternative policies, and were able to graphically and numerically demonstrate the costs and required land for conventional sprawl versus traditional neighborhood patterns. Besides being more cost effective and land efficient the SmartGrowth policy recommendations laid the foundation for extending the scale of the existing, historic neighborhoods and commercial districts. The new plan forms a legal framework for the use of form based code citywide. The plan won an award from the Arkansas APA for comprehensive planning, and a 2007 Charter Award from the Congress of the New Urbanism.

The Broad Avenue charrette was undertaken to provide a test case of the use of form based code within the newly revised Memphis city-county code prepared by Duncan Planning. Working with Lee Einsweiler of Duncan Planning, Ferrell Madden Associates and Rick Hall Transportation Planning, Urban Advisors identified economic strategies for the redevelopment of the corridor and revitalization of the surrounding low income neighborhoods. Retail services included convenience and liquor stores and homes were not being maintained for a variety of reasons including absentee landlords, and simply the cost of repairs. Through engaging in talks with the community, local developers, CDCÕs, the local churches and businesses, Urban Advisors formulated step-by-step action plans, goals and financing strategies for two, five and ten years. Recommendations included strategies for the creation of affordable housing, housing rehabilitation, code enforcement, and creation of space at a cost to allow for new business and minority entrepreneurs. Most importantly to the community, we were able to demonstrate unexpected market support for neighborhood serving retail which generated interest from a local grocery chain.
 

Working with Leland Consulting, Edward Starkie led a project team to determine feasible land uses for the west side light rail station areas.  He synthesized information from over 60 rail projects in the United States to define the potential demographics and land markets adjacent to the light rail.   The project was undertaken in close association with the property owners along the light rail and resulted in changing plans for big-box retail to transit-oriented village concepts.   The completed development is one of the best known examples of Transit-Oriented Development.

 

 

Montgomery Alabama has one of the most historic downtown areas of any city in the United States. Our assignment required understanding and being able to demonstrate how the historic downtown was a potential asset in the marketplace. As part of a team led by Dover Kohl & Partners, Urban Advisors analyzed real estate markets and provided strategies for implementing change in Downtown Montgomery. Our research showed that the city was suffering not from a lack of market support, but from non-market factors. Working with the design team, we enumerated the challenges and provided design, implementation and regulatory plans for reaching achievable short and long-term development of housing, retail and office. This was accompanied by specific strategies for each development type, listing supportable square feet of retail categories and office space. Together with Zimmerman Volk Associates, we determined the target market and identified the supportable number of different urban residential products. Financing strategies included identified sources for small businesses, renovation of buildings in the historic district, and neighborhood revitalization. During the process, over 800 people participated during a week of design, and Ken Groves, planning director, believes this to be the most significant plan ever completed for the City of Montgomery.
 

 

 

The City of Kirkland retained UrbanAdvisors to understand how its land is being used, how to retain and attract business, and how to tailor zoning and city actions to achieve economic development. We provided an economic study that included analysis of space use by business type, evaluation of future business vs existing space and new zoning actions for attracting and retaining business, and specific area recommendations. Corrolating tax assessor data with GIS layers, we were able to show the disconnect between existing zoning and the existing actual land use of businesses in the aging industial district. Further analysis showed that the district was obsolete for traditional manufacturing, but based on the underlying land values and development intensity had potential to redevelop with a mix of residential and commercial uses. One of the major findings was that because of changes in light industry, it is possible to combine many light industrial uses into mixed-use environments that are compatible with adjoining residential. The Deputy Mayor called this Òthe best economic development study I have ever seen.

 

 

 

 

Implementing Urban Villages along Highway Corridors

UrbanAdvisors worked on a team with Cascade Design to evaluate the physical and economic potential for redeveloping the highway corridors with Urban Villages in South Hill.  We provided research and analysis of demographic trends, housing demand, retail and consumer spending, and employment trends and projections.  The resulting study provided implementation strategies and tools including specifications for the adopted “UV” zoning category, which has provisions for mixed-use, frontage requirements, and building massing.  Additional recommendations regarded the streamlining of approvals and modifications to street design.

 

 

Developing Main Streets and Revitalizing Urban Neighborhoods

We worked with Winter & Company to formulate guidelines for the infill development of main street corridors and neighborhood center revitalization. Issues included zoning that conflicted with city goals, student housing in single-family neighborhoods, scattered patterns of service and retail uses and under utilized corridors of strip development.  We identified local trends in land use and researched national trends in order to provide economically viable development goals for infill and redevelopment.  As a result of the study, infill development is now occurring in the corridors and neighborhoods adjacent to downtown Lexington.

 

 

Working with Winter & Company, UrbanAdvisors researched local market trends and found that the historic downtown was one of the primary engines driving Truckee’s growth with high-end demand.  Developers were missing the upward trend market, which values historic quality units.  UrbanAdvisors was able to show developers the opportunities and benefits of historic renovation to capture changing markets.  UrbanAdvisors received a 2004 California Preservation Foundation Design Award for their work on this project, as well as the California APA and California Governor’s Award.

UrbanAdvisors worked with Winter & Company and Swift Associates through a public workshop process to develop a masterplan and development strategy for historic downtown Walla Walla.  Downtown Walla Walla is the cultural and banking center for the southwest Washington region where a growing wine industry acts as a local economic driver and draws tourism. UrbanAdvisors interviewed local stakeholders and conducted analysis of employment, demographic, and tourism trends with implications for downtown real estate markets.  Additional advice was provided on national trends in downtown redevelopment, retail markets and “place-making.”  We used the market trend analysis to determine realistic program goals for housing and retail uses to support the vision of the historic downtown, including strategies for planning and permitting, neighborhood revitalization, downtown redevelopment and parking.