The Moderate Urban Champion

Rules for Sustainable Traditional Neighborhood Development

2011-10-26T12:36:00.000-04:00

Greetings to anyone who may still check in here from time to time. While I've been diverted from my endeavor in this space, things on the urbanism front are quite active and going well. Reconnect Rochester recently held our first ever Critical Mass Transit day in an effort to encourage use of our transportation system utilizing the premise that every dollar spent on gasoline vanishes from the local economy. Restorative work on houses in the Clifford-Conkey area is approaching fruition as two properties are getting close to rental availability. I'm now a track car operator at the New York Museum of Transportation and this year's carrot harvest from the South Wedge Victory Garden exceeded all expectations.

The following piece is something I prepared in July for the express use of Reconnect Rochester. Now that Inner Loop reconfiguration is a hot topic, I'd like to at least publish it somewhere before the timeliness is lost. That said, we may see it cross-posted over there.

Imagine a Rochester without an noose-like expressway dividing downtown-adjacent neighborhoods on the north and east sides. An obstacle to true connectivity for over 50 years, imagine the loop and its ramps filled in to grade instantaneously at the snap of your fingers. Naturally the next question arrives in our minds immediately, 'How will we utilize this reclaimed real estate?' If the goals are to reconnect severed neighborhood conduits, promote commerce, reduce car dependence, ensure ease of navigation, and foster a dynamic and vibrant streetscape, the answer lies not in a grandiose vision of the future, but more likely in our historic roots.

Consider the example of Alexandria, Virginia. Originally platted in 1749 on land donated by Philip and John Alexander, six fundamental tenets of Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) differentiate this inviting river city from generic drivable suburbanism.

Rule 1: The Center

Each neighborhood should have a clear center. The focus of this central meeting point should be on commercial, cultural, and governmental activity.

Rule 2: The Five Minute Walk

Residents of Alexandria are rarely more than a five minute walk from their daily needs, including retail and occupational sites, some of which are located at the same site.

Rule 3: The Street Network

Alexandria’s streets form a grid of small blocks which allow for numerous routes connecting one point to another. Traffic is more easily diffused by presenting the individual with added navigation options. As the streets travel parallel and perpendicular paths, ease of orientation is enhanced.

Rule 4: Narrow Versatile Streets

The narrower streets found in our older cities have a calming effect on traffic. This makes the sidewalk pleasant and safe to walk along. Further enhancements are made to a pedestrian-friendly environment by widening sidewalks, the presence of shade trees, and the outdoor room effect creating by buildings close to the street.

Rule 5: Mixed Use

Multiple uses for a building help to ensure a constant rotation of users of the street space as well as constant monitoring by occupants. Buildings should be arranged by their physical type, not by their use. Use-based segregation is the case in common restrictive zoning laws which would render a place like Alexandria illegal to replicate today.

Rule 6: Special Sites for Special Buildings

Traditional neighborhoods locate important structures such as schools, places of worship, and other civic buildings at prominent sites within the street grid. These larger structures, generally of higher architectural quality, serve to terminate vistas, in a pleasing as well as orienting manner, as residents and visitors travel along the corridors. Alexandria’s City Hall sits back from the streets on a plaza, one of few buildings in town to do so. This plaza takes on added importance on Sundays as it hosts an area farmer’s market.

A fine example of TND carried out on a blank canvas is Memphis’ Harbor Town. Envisioned as a pre-war, pre-automobile style neighborhood by Henry Turley, ground was broken in 1989 at a site just northwest of downtown Memphis on what was previously a sandbar in the Mississippi known as Mud Island. A design review process for each new house ensured a neighborhood fit and enhanced the building process. Commercial tenants in Harbor Town include a small grocery store, a gift/garden shop, a bilingual daycare, and a hotel.

A significant infill project in the TND idiom was undertaken in Safety Harbor, Florida only a few years ago. The anchor, known as Harbor Pointe offers up 15,000 square feet of ground floor retail (Ice Cream, Wine, Cell Phone, and Coffee shops) with a 5,000 square foot restaurant tenant at the corner of Main Street and Bayshore Boulevard. Rule 5: Mixed use was certainly ascribed to as this development boasts 25,000 square feet of office space on the 2nd and 3rd floors and is the first stage of a development area that would add residential in the form of condominums.

With an eye toward sustainability, reuse and restoration are an important part of neighborhood development. In 2003, Ken Marquis of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania bought the Casey Laundry building in nearby Scranton. Constructed in the 1920’s, the building originally served as an ancillary services annex for the since demolished Hotel Casey complex. The refurbishment created three large apartments, one on each of the upper floors of the building. The 1st and 2nd floors host a loft-style art and frame store as well as a small coffeehouse.

Traditional Neighborhood Design has shown itself to be up to the challenge of some of the most seemingly intractable neighborhood improvement issues. Let us return to our Inner Loop example. Imagine we are told that the expressway will never be removed. This was the scenario presented to the residents of Columbus, Ohio’s Short North neighborhood. The routing of Interstate 670 isolated this neighborhood from the rest of the city, leading to the type of crime and abandonment issues seen across the country in neighborhoods destroyed by freeway construction. The solution to the lack of connectivity was the I-670 ‘Cap.’ The cap actually consists of two additional bridges erected on either side of the overpass. Each bridge is host to buildings that front on High Street, in much the same way that Rochester’s Main Street Bridge used to function. As a result of this pioneering design, pedestrians and diners at sidewalk cafes don’t even realize they are on a bridge over an interstate. Now connected to the convention center district at the north end of downtown, the Short North has seen spillover development in the form of 160 new housing units on a 3.2 acre site called Victorian Gate.

In closing, obstacles to the common sense approach that is TND still exist in the form of single use zoning, financial policy, traffic engineers, perceptions of open space, income segregation, the development industry, taxation schemes, permitting processes, and the diminished role of architects. What we as citizens can do is play the role of the generalist, one whose focus is not narrowly limited to issue such as traffic, housing, schools, crime, or the environment. These issues are largely interrelated and can be successfully addressed if taken together in the context of the neighborhood. The generalist’s role in advancing this approach is to champion change in local governmental policy by demanding that:

Community Design be put back on the agenda.
In order to be effective, policy that impacts the physical environment must be preceded and justified by a specific physical vision.
Regulations be rewritten.
Do not try to fix old zoning codes, the best way to upgrade a development code is to start from scratch to avoid creating an even more confusing code.
Government be proactive.
The local planning department must be empowered and encouraged to propose development patterns ahead of the private sector.
Planning be regional in nature.
Local municipalities must act with the understanding that the most meaningful planning occurs at the regional scale.
Public participation is encouraged and ideas implemented.
Citizen participation in the planning process has proved to be the most effective way to avoid mistakes.
Future government buildings follow these guidelines.
Location and design of municipal buildings sets an important example.

For more on Traditional Neighborhood Design, see the following reference material:

Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream

Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck
New York : North Point Press, 2000
Central Library: 307.7609 D812s

Home from Nowhere: Remaking our Everyday World for the Twenty-first Century

James Howard Kunstler
New York : Simon & Schuster, 1996
Central Library: 307.12 K96h

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

Jane Jacobs
New York : Random House, 1961
Central Library: 711 J17d

Case Study - Schenectady, NY

2011-01-10T11:48:00.001-05:00

On December 4th, my wife and I embarked on Amtrak train 284 to Schenectady for a short weekend of exploration coinciding with the city's downtown holiday open house and a Dickensian performance by a local theater group.

The location of our arrival makes for a good starting point in discussing the physical form of Downtown Schenectady. A standard 1970's-issue shitcube analogous to those found in Rochester or Depew is currently tucked into the elevated track platform (a platform that was reduced in width during that era). That which preceded it (pictured in its prime, I didn't have the heart to show it during demolition...) was the stone-faced 1908 Union Station, built by the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad in the Beaux-Arts style, eventually demolished in 1971.

Luckily not only discussion, but action has been taken in an effort to replace this monstrosity with a true intermodal station, complete with a weather-protected connecting corridor to State Street and the Capital District Transportation Authority services. This project appears to be close to its target funding figures with an August 2011 construction start date.

From what I could discern via my experience observing the environs, this focus on form at the train station site is an extension of a good urbanism initiative undertaken by the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation. The corporation administers state Housing and Community Renewal funds in a unique and successful 'Main Street' Improvement Program which consists of:

...a matching grant program to assist and property owners within the approved target area on State Street between Erie Boulevard and Washington Avenue, and South Ferry Street between Erie Boulevard and State Street in renovating vacant first floor commercial and upper floor residential spaces.

In addition, the improvement corporation funnels funds from the Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority (more on them later) into a facade grant program.

...for commercial properties within the boundaries of the Downtown Special Assessment District (DSAD). Leveraging a dollar-for-dollar match from property owners, the program encourages property owners to make repairs and improvements to the exterior of their buildings. The DSIC recognizes the importance of incorporating energy efficiency improvements in projects.

The authority, funded through dedicated sales tax revenues (this is crucial!), seeks to expand the county's property and sales tax bases, focusing on key commercial corridors and business parks strategically located throughout the County with a special emphasis on redevelopment of the downtown area in the City of Schenectady. The authority appears directly responsible for much of the newly constructed or renovated (and sometimes it is hard to tell the difference!) Class A office space along State Street, all of which respects the public realm and is integrated well with commercial functions including live performance and motion picture theaters.

The reinvestment is paying dividends in the usually frustrating arena of public perception. A 2008 Siena Research Institute poll commissioned by the authority noted that 80% of county residents visit downtown and 82% say they have an improved view of the district.

Many of my previous case studies were glorified travel guides. This has certainly taken a turn toward the programmatic. In an effort to not completely abandon the notion of understanding through experience/immersion, here are three areas in Schenectady worth exploring, all withing walking distance of the Amtrak Station and downtown hotels.

The Stockade

Immediately west of the station, centered on Union Street, is the Stockade Historic District. Continuously inhabited for over 300 years, this neighborhood is home to a wide variety of Dutch and English 17th and 18th century buildings. Greater than 40 of the historic period homes are over 200 years old. The Stockade was recognized as New York State's first historic district. Notable accomodations in the district include the 1818 Stockade Inn and the 1760's English Garden Bed and Breakfast. For Jazz enthusiasts, the Van Dyck Lounge, which has seen Coleman Hawkins, Dave Brubeck, and Thelonious Monk pass through its doors, is considered one of the top listening rooms in the United States.

Union College

The first comprehensively planned college campus in the United States (Ramee 1813-1814), Union is arranged to form a large, open courtyard, facing the West and the Mohawk River valley. The true gem and centerpiece of the campus today is the fully restored Nott Memorial. Open to the public for visitation, the memorial was was designed by Edward Tuckerman Potter to honor his grandfather, legendary Union College President Eliphalet Nott. The center of the memorial is completely open to the top of its dome 102 feet overhead. Two-hundred eighty-eight restored stained glass windows bathe the interior in colored light.

Jay Street

Off-limits to motor traffic between State and Franklin, Jay Street is a mecca for pedestrians and independently operated businesses including a french crepes bistro, a tremendous bookstore, a store for all things Irish, salons, and coffee houses. Further north, beyond the iconic Federal-style McKim, Mead, and White City Hall building and James Knox Taylor's 1912 Classical Revival Post Office, lies a concentration of Italian bakeries and eateries.

Urban News Vol. 69

2010-11-09T12:53:00.001-05:00

I felt the need to comment on this news piece as I'd just had a conversation with some colleagues about fallacies in the design thought process of 60's and 70's housing projects.

City Mulls $20 Million Housing Project

by Brian Sharp, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Some credit is due here to the much-maligned Bret Garwood of 72 Conkey Avenue fame, officially the city's director of business and housing development. It seems that the minds of some members of council are firmly planted in the superblock approach to housing development, the dangers of which can be seen below.

The consequences of wholesale neighborhood clearance in order to impose the suburban ideal include:

Complete loss of the small-scale commercial spine on Clinton, Joseph, and Hudson Avenues

Pedestrian connectivity between neighborhoods north of Upper Falls Blvd (a contrived car-mover itself) and downtown is effectively obliterated by this single-use zoning bonanza.

Concentration of Poverty

While the design is despotic, it is repeated all over the Town of Brighton to less deleterious effect. The stigma attached to the city versions of housing projects is class driven and the crime associated with it a result of more desperate circumstances.

Car Ownership Mandate

It was established in my first point that even residents of the neighborhood may now live so far from the segregated commercial agglomeration that car ownership is seen as necessary. My second point established that these are the people who can least afford it. This is a recipe for continued financial struggle, disenfranchisement from society of the elderly, and a wasteful squandering of additional energy resources.

In conclusion, the Voters Block project (a 3-story, a renovation, some singles, some doubles) is EXACTLY the pattern of development that the West Side should be employing. There is already a car centric barrier to activity across the street on the old State Hospital site. Those days are over!

I wanted to comment on another story weeks ago and since I can't guarantee any sort of posting timeframe anymore, I'll just tack this on.

City Townhouse Plan Taking Shape

by Brian Sharp, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

All I want to say here is that these would be an extremely excellent addition...if they were on Washington Street, the next block to the West. I fear they lack the scale for a major downtown street such as Plymouth as well as the attendant commercial vitality that makes streets like Toronto's Bloor Street West popular.

National Transportation News/Policy

2010-09-06T12:01:00.004-04:00

I attempt to close the longest posting gap in the history of this blog on this cloudy Labor Dabor through somewhat lengthy prose. Thanks to dear old Mom for sending me the piece with the following exclamation, "Should be more than 4000 miles!!!!"

Obama to Propose Massive Rebuilding Program Costing at Least $50 Billion
by Julie Pace, The Associated Press
Proposals to see 150,000 miles of roads, 4,000 miles of railways, 150 miles of runways constructed or rebuilt

I think the best way to attack this is to post an excerpt from my reply:

I cant fault this administration compared to any other in history when it comes to rail investment, but yes, this is still heavily loaded toward maintaining the personal motoring system. I fear this is probably the only way they can get it passed because a consensus of people with the right mindset just doesn't exist yet. It is higher fuel prices (or scarcity), not high unemployment, that would drive a paradigm shift as we started to see 3 years ago.

Any money thrown at airports at this stage of the game is money thrown directly into a black hole in my opinion. On top of the business model issues any airline faces when crude oil reaches the $85 per barrel region (it currently trades at $74.41), they seem to have no regard for the constant alienation of their customer base through hideen taxes and fees, new baggage fees, and if that wasn't enough, horrificly uncomfortable conditions.

When we went to Philadelphia and other coastal cities in April, we figured we'd save a lot of time by flying back from Baltimore. When we returned in August, we just decided to take the train all the way home, a 10 hour trip, but infinitely more comfortable, enjoyable, and humanist. And the trains are jam-packed these days. A piece of the original stimulus went to building new rail cars. The sorry state of the Amtrak fleet previously could not add any additional capacity or trains not due to demand, but due to limitations in physical numbers of rolling stock.

When all is said and done, 4,000 miles is 19% of what Amtrak currently operates on. I suppose there is not yet a breakdown as to how those miles are to be broken up into freight only operation, shared freight/passenger alignment, and local subways/light rails/streetcars. Conversely 150,000 is 3.75% of the utterly preposterous 3,995,644 miles of roads in the United States, many of which should never have been built.

At this point I'd go into my diatribe about why the post office is losing money, but you've probably had enough...

First let me say that there is a modicum of disingenuousness in my accounting (there are lies, damn lies, and statistics, right?). 4,000 is actually 2.84% of all railway length in the U.S., but I assume this is largely targeting the public transportation side of things. I don't believe Class II and Class III railroads are considered at all for this type of funding.

I spared my mother a rant on the efficiency and economic viability of postal service (before and after the proliferation of suburban sprawl and the rejection of the railroad), but you, the world-at-large, will have to indulge me my key points. What you didn't have to put up with was a short missive on Kidney Bean pod growth.

Massive post office buildings of high architectural quality have been destroyed or sit empty in downtowns across the nation
Most are situated close to rail stations or their historic location
The cost to mail is regionally flat - the cost to mail a letter from downtown Rochester to downtown Syracuse is the same as mailing it from Webster to Baldwinsville

There really isn't much more to it than that, and there really doesn't need to be. The increased reliance on many many more letter carriers traveling in many many more vehicles is breaking the system as we have spread out to create inefficient metropolitan regions. We now duplicate and triplicate postal facilities on the periphery of cities as centralization was executed in favor of ample parking.

Unfortunately this blog is facing the spectre of another sizable posting gap. I have not lost interest in the topics of urban infill development, resource scarcity, mass transportation systems, and local food production. Quite the contrary, I consider them more critical than ever. What has happened the past two months has been a significant extension of volunteer work.

The following organizations comprise what is essentially my personal urban action plan:

So if you don't hear from me in a while I'll either be doing these things or a rare leisure pursuit. Another factor, no doubt, is the drying up of capital streams which has rendered new development project announcements few and far between. I expect this to continue as we unwind bad debt and persist in a deflationary circumstance.

On that note, I'm not really one who is into overtly telling people what to do, but I recommend the following strategy for the seemingly transitional months and years ahead.

Pay down all debts
Reinvest in your property, strive for energy efficiency
Move your money from too big to fail bank to local credit union
Buy local food, strive for cane sugar over HFCS, meats are increasingly a local item too
Acquire as many practical skills as possible
Locate along transit lines/walkable areas, get acquainted with local transit
Support local businesses regardless of cost differences
Get involved in community events, build strong bonds with neighbors
Have standards and be principled!

Urban News Vol. 68b

2010-07-23T17:33:00.005-04:00

An addendum and a retraction.

To further my answer to City Engineer Jim McIntosh's open question regarding which connections to the neighborhood should be made, I decided to develop a series of drawings illustrating my Union Street plan.

To begin, the talk has been of removing the inner loop as far north as Charlotte Street. As shown in the previous post, I am inclined to agree with the idea in the 2007 RRCDC Downtown Charrette Report of using the existing earthen ramps where they converge at East Main. This will have the added DOT benefit of taking one more bridge, and a wide one at that, off the maintenance rolls.

The image below shows my partial vision for the Union Street advanced corridor. This drawing reflects buildings that are currently extant (even an empty suburban throw-away Kentucky Fried Chicken).

It is pretty apparent where the Inner Loop runs and how much developable land it swallows up. One of the big connectivity features is an emphasis on making sure each alley runs to Union, even it it means breaking up the tree-lined median. I'm not sure Rochester has ever fully appreciated the role of alleys in good urbanism. They allow for more orderly street life by placing utilities, garbage collection, deliveries, and car storage in the rear of buildings, out of the way of the public realm. Just today while riding a bus on Park Avenue, a restaurant's delivery truck was double parked, causing great congestion and noise on the corridor. This is an originally well programmed part of town and should retain that quality.

For comparison to a place that REALLY loves their alleys, this is a neighborhood on the south side of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Streets run northwest to southeast. Avenues southwest to northeast. Courts and Places are alleys. All of this alley grandeur was accomplished despite the land generally sloping upward to the southeast at a fairly significant grade. Alleys are connecting other alleys here so that those who live on 'streets' instead of avenues also get alley access for garages, outbuldings, whatever.

My new Union Street has two 11 foot wide travel lanes, two 10 foot wide parking lanes, and an 8 foot wide tree planted median. Some effort was made to illustrate turning lanes in instances where new major intersections have been created. My next task will be to update the drawing with potential development forms and I will post it when complete.

Finally, I'd like to post something I've read which would cause me to soften my stance on the Winfield Grill's parking plans. I'd be very interesting in seeing those original plans. From RichTyson.com:

As (Chris DiMascio) stated he is not typically in favor of removing houses in the city, as is typically the guy renovating properties, but his first option was not going to be allowed by the city. His primary plan included parking to the rear of the library, Winfield, across Mayfield and over to E Main. Seeing the plans, they were fantastic. Not only parking but a bike and walking friendly path to make for a village environment. For reasons that he chose not to share there was push back on the plans.

Urban News Vol. 68

2010-07-19T11:21:00.009-04:00

An anonymous commenter linked me to a news piece seen on YNN/RNews Friday evening. To me it highlights individual businesses acting according to their own selfish interests. Their actions regarding convenient at all costs parking will ultimately undermine what has made theirs a quality neighborhood up to this point and will likely ultimately be looked upon as wasteful folly as vehicle miles traveled continue to drop in an age of renewed localism.

The big story in Saturday's Democrat and Chronicle encapsulated the notion that an Inner Loop fill operation, which has been the desire of the urbanist community for some time, would be the MORE finanically prudent path in the long term.

Inner Loop Plan May Save Dollars, Beautify
by Brian Sharp, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Newly completed study by Stantec says filling the loop makes financial sense ($1.8M over 30 years)
Initial investment estimated at ~$22 million
Would open 460,000-920,000 square feet for other uses
Could generate $3.43M to $6.86M annually in property tax
Roundabouts at Monroe Avenue and Charlotte Street bound the focus area
Inner Loop bridge/wall/pavement maintenance estimated at $23.7M over the next 30 years
Bridges scheduled for repair or replacement in 2014

I'm glad Joni Monroe stood up for the north side neighborhoods still impacted by this Futurama-inspired disgrace, as they (especially, oh I don't know, the REGIONAL TRAIN STATION!?) are the ones who could use the connection moreso than Park Avenue, but that isn't the topic on the table.

I was prepared to raise big questions on this course of events based on what I saw in last year's TIGER grant application. I had previously questioned the meandering route taken by the proposed boulevard. Questionable was how it did not properly treat existing buildings along the east side of Union Street and the inherent inefficiencies in reclaiming land for development around an extraneously curved route.

While I don't have access to this new Stantec study (does anyone out there?), the wording of a specific paragraph in the article is cause for optimism:
The preferred alignment of the new boulevard would follow the Union Street corridor, with roundabouts at Monroe Avenue and Charlotte Street. Traffic would be reduced to one or, at times, two through lanes with left turn lanes as needed. Pitkin Street would be retained from East Main Street to East Avenue. Charlotte Street would be reconnected.
I will explain why I consider this a decent, albeit incomplete plan, and answer Jim McIntosh's lengthy line of questioning contained in the article. First, I'd like to take it back to '35 for a little visual history lesson.

Shown above is the southern transistion from downtown to what is now commly referred to as the South Wedge. The old canal bed, easily discerned in this image, says Rapid Transit and Industrial Railway. This was our subway 75 years ago (sigh). Notable things to take away from this map:

Union, the last significant diagonal in the upper right, terminates at Pearl, not Broadway
Pearl travels between Alexander and Union (obvious to the observer walking southwest on Alexander even today, was co-opted for Sears parking)
Monroe pushed through to Washington Square, an appropriate terminating vista
Wadsworth Square was the practical center of a real neighborhood
South STREET, now St. Mary's, further defined the blocks south of the armory to Griffith

And now, here is roughly the same view of what we actually have to work with. A fellow writer that I know refers to this mess as 'the interchange that destroyed Rochester.' The violations to the urban fabric are pretty obvious. Unfortunately, even in a near-perfect world, I don't see a removal of the Interstate occuring. What I would lobby for is a removal of the redundant 490 East ramp rising above the real South Avenue that was meant to be access to a 'complete' 390 which would have eviscerated Swillburg. The south side of Broadway near Meigs, Averill, and Alexander faced the wrath regardless. A bonus would be removal of the two land-hogging cloverleaf re-route-abouts from the Inner Loop to South Clinton and 490 East respectively.

The near east side.

Pitkin historically did not travel south of East Avenue
Court Street (no such thing as Broad yet) created an important node at East and Union (would be termed undesirable by traffic engineers of the last 60)
Vine Street still exists, hence 2 Vine Restaurant

With all of this in mind my personal incomplete yet modest proposal would see the Inner Loop originate and terminate at Main where University has bisected old Anderson Park (which would be made whole again, see diagram from RRCDC 2007 Center City Charrette Report). In addition to Charlotte, Haags Alley, Richmond Street, Parker Alley, and University Avenue would all be restored. Due to the current ramp configuration at that interchange, the Main Street Bridge would no longer be necessary either.

Union Street needs to be the basis for the 'new' boulevard. It cannot be treated as a frontage road for a surface version of the loop. Simply raising the expressway to the surface, even if speed limits are lowered, does nothing in terms of reducing the pedestrian impediment. For examples look at Martin Luther King Blvd, President Street, portions of South Howard Street, and portions of Light Street in Baltimore.

A restoration of two-way traffic to Union Street, even if it involves widening to 3 total lanes for turning would be acceptable. Nothing more is necessary. I'll give points to what I read in the article regarding discontinuance of Pitkin Street as there is no historic basis for its existence below East Avenue. I would not add any additional punch through between Union and Alexander, but Gardiner Park would be expected to take on added importance in the neighborhood. I would be in favor of allowing 2-way traffic on Howell, but a close to 90 degree angle with Union should be retained to link the revamp to Monroe while not promoting increased speeds.

Infill along Union would closely resemble the lower half of the illustration at left. The mix, of course, would be apartments/condos above retail businesses approximately 3-4 stories in height. As best as could be possibly could possibly be achieved, a restoration of some elements of Savannah Street should be attempted during this infill development. Could a restored George Street line up with the only redeeming Manhattan Square Park programming and miss the tennis bubble while not compromising Strong Museum's precious parking?

To cap off the post, there is nothing earth shattering about my proposal. It is firmly rooted in the tradition of a rich urban fabric. What I will say is that no matter how it finally goes down, we had better get serious about fixing these types of urban vivisection while we still have the wealth and the artificial motive power to do it.

A side note: Howard Decker has done a tremendous job illustrating the efforts of those doing home restoration for the good of the community on the near north side. If anyone would like to volunteer to help expedite the arduous process, I'll be organizing a crew on July 31st. More details to come. Please contact me if interested.

Breaking with Tradition a Third Time

2010-07-14T08:37:00.005-04:00

I don't have anything today that could be described as 'news,' but I would like to comment on a very interesting D&C piece as well as herald some of the community activism calendar for the remainder of July.

On the story in today's paper, I absolutely love painted brick advertisements from the past. Contemporary ones are great as well, don't get me wrong, but I deeply wish that more building owners would follow the Michaels-Stern lead and renew these works of art through a simple repainting. I wonder what it would take to create a city-wide art project along these lines. Any ideas?

'Ghost Signs' Clinging to Their Old Rochester Haunts

by David Andreatta, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

On the Calendar:

Reconnect Rochester will be holding their second meeting of the month next Tuesday at the Design Center in order to continue to identify key short and medium-term objectives. A good amount was accomplished on this front on Monday. If you'd like to get involved, please send me ideas for objectives our transit group in the areas of Education/Outreach and Active Advocacy and I will put them before the braintrust.

RTS will be holding a Customer Town Meeting next Thursday the 22nd at the Gates Town Hall, Annex Meeting Room, 1605 Buffalo Rd from 6pm-8pm. Buses that service this location: 3B Lyell/Westmar & 9 Jay/Maple.

July Critical Mass will take place Friday the 30th. Meet at the Liberty Pole at 6PM.

Finally, a pair of fragments. RGRTA has released their 2010-2011 Comprehensive Plan. And kudos to Harris RF Communications Division who, in honor of their 50th anniversary, will be sponsoring a Habitat for Humanity house to be built at 56 Grape Street in old Dutchtown. Ground will be broken next week!

Discarded and Forgotten: RIT's Downtown Campus Vol. 4

2010-06-30T12:31:00.012-04:00

The era of acquistion and razing had been in full swing for over four years by the time Armistice Day, 1958 rolled around. On this day, the moniker 'Concrete Campus' would be passionately reinforced and symbolically stamped on the forehead of The Institute at the dedication of Veteran's Memorial 'Park.' This sterile conrete patio, where the Clark Union once stood, and focused inward at nothing in particular, became the largest, though not the first, 'missing tooth' in RIT's urban tapestry.

Beginning with the acquisition of the Graflex, Inc. Clarissa Street plant (and its precious 138 car parking lot) in October of 1955, RIT would eventually own almost everything between Troup, Broad, Plymouth, and Clarissa. Their zeal was justified by overwhelming enrollment numbers, resulting in overcrowded accomodations and facilities. As early as the beginning of the 1956-57 school year, a large number of freshman were forced off-campus due to lack of space. Rumored Middle States Association accreditation, which would finally arrive in May of 1958, only served to swell the ranks that much more.

Despite rejecting roughly half of all applicants, the 56-57 school year would see an anticipated enrollment of between 1800 to 1900 students. Of that number, about 800 would be freshmen. At approximately the midway point of that campaign, President Mark Ellingson issued the following address:

"It is agreed thoroughly that a men's dormitory and student union building are two of the most necessary structures in our expanding transitional period. Our Board of Trustees has set up a committee and has made preliminary plans with respect to size and possible location. It is our expectation that a men's dorm would house from 500-600 students and the student union building could accommodate the Medical Department, Counseling Center and all of the food services of The Institute along with student facilities."

Only 48 days later, on April 4, 1957, a 25-year loan transaction valued at over $1 million was completed by RIT and the Housing and Home Finance Agency to finance the purchase of the Hotel Rochester from the Manger Hotel Corporation. This arrangement would place The Institute in debt for the first time in 40 years, but was deemed necessary to satisfy a desperate need for men's student housing.

The acquisition of the hotel would increase the total housing accommodations by 225 beds as inadequate barracks buildings would be razed and use of Clark Union (102 Spring St.) as dormitory space on upper floors would be disontinued. Floors 3 through 10 would be utilized as dormitory space for 450 male students. Banquet rooms would be retained as meeting rooms and additional classroom space. According to Ellingson, major considerations in negotiations for an existing structure versus building new were the cost per occupant ($2,475 vs. $4,500-$4,600) and the timeframe involved in bringing a new building into operation.

More property acquisition was not far behind as just one month later a house containing five apartments at 170 Spring Street was purchased solely to be razed in order to provide more parking behind the gymnasium. 143 Spring Street, the property of RIT alumnus Paul Wilde, was also acquired with the intention of razing, but with no further information on future use of the grounds.

Upon returning to campus for the 1957-58 school year, students found a familiar landmark, The Clark Union, nearly completely demolished. Having served as men's residence hall and student union for over a decade, the building orignally known as 'The Jenkinson' was built on the site the first mayor of Rochester, Jonathan Child, built his first home in 1829. The Jenkinson was said to have contained the first hydraulically operated elevator in the city. The 'Barracks' residence halls, rumored to have been sold to RIT for the cost of shipping from an Army base in South Carolina, met their demise shortly thereafter.

As a result of the demise of Clark Union, the Student Association was forced to look elsewhere for student union facilities. They found a home at 90 Troup Street, a home owned by the institute that had not been used in the past year. In a very different era, association leaders decided that refinishing of the interior could be accomplished by student groups in order to keep the cost under the $3,000 budget set by the institute administration.

The biggest story on campus come fall 1958 was proposed increase in the price of student parking permits from $5 to $10 per year. Contentious student council votes and negotiations with the administration failed to pacify the 360 motor owners who officially protested through petition. Despite an increasing expense report related to lot improvements, in classic automobile operator fashion, it was expected that someone else would bear the cost for daily storage.

Despite the exhibited angst, acquisitions for expanded parking facilities continued through the purchases of three properties on Clarissa and Spring Streets. The former Hathaway Bakery on Clarissa Street was the target in this instance, an inconvenience precluding 53,000 square feet of ground from being used for its intended purpose, Institute student parking.

More to come...

As a pair of asides, this February 14, 1958 piece encapsulates the feeling of the time regarding the Monroe County Civic Center, our disgraceful Courthouse/Jail complex and its accompanying plaza, barricaded from actual civic participation by a chainlink fence perched atop an artificial bunker-like embankment used to park cars. Note the other differences between what was envisioned and what was ultimately built.

In the picture to the left, note the Campbell-Whittlesey House as the original incarnation of the inner loop bends to travel over the river.

Work is now underway on Rochester's 43 million dollar Civic Center which is to be located on Plymouth Ave. near the traffic "loop." Within view of RIT, this project will cover 26 acres of city-owned land in the heart of town.

Dr. Leo Smith, dean of instruction at RIT, feels that the Civic Center will indirectly increase the value of RIT property, since we are located so near the building site. Property value in the area will raise considerably, as the Civic Center will improve the entire RIT neighborhood, states Dr. Smith. "If nothing else," he comments, "it will provide us with a nearby group of new buildings and a plot of green grass to look at."
Construction will begin with the public safety building, which is expected to be completed by the summer of 1959. Consisting of four buildings, a large plaza, and an underground parking area the center has been one of Rochester's most controversial subjects for quite a few years. The newly constructed War Memorial Building and the Rundell Library are considered a part of the entire Civic Center and the new buildings will be similarly constructed. The buildings will be of steel construction, sheathed in off-white limestone, matching the War Memorial in color.
Important to solve parking problems, the underground parking area will have approximately 1300 car spaces and will be made available for evening parking for those who are attending War Memorial events. Past parking problems show that additional parking spaces are a definite necessity at the War Memorial. Excavation for the two-level underground parking area will start this summer.
With the plazas the central point of the center, one of the buildings, the city-county office headquarters will be approximately twenty stories high and will house office workers in both departments. In addition to the four buildings near RIT, two additional buildings will be constructed across the river adjacent to the Rundell Library.
Crowded space in the court house and city hall make new construction a necessity for both city and county governments.

Urban News Vol. 67

2010-06-24T08:42:00.008-04:00

There are a lot of goings on in the downtown core to report on in addition to two important events sandwiched around the weekend.

PAETEC Building Deal with City Nearly Done
by Jim Stinson, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Framework of an agreement with the city is in place
Renderings show a 3 1/2 story, 225,000 square foot building meant to invoke grand train station ambience
PAETEC employment base has grown by 143 in Rochester region from 2007 to present
New headquarters would cost $55 million to build and reuse the 1972 Seneca Building
Midtown Tower renovation on site (Christa/Morgan) would add 186 apartments and 24 condominiums to the immediate area

While the building looks very attractive, I have concerns about scale and programming. Ideally this would be 5 stories tall to match the retail portion of the Sibley building. There also will need to be mltiple entrances along Clinton Avenue to avoid the result that Blue Cross hath wrought on South Avenue. I realize this is not standard for corporate buildings, but it needs to happen.

Upsetting is the loss of the B. Forman building, really the only decently designed retail building on Clinton Avenue for the last 30 years. The rooftop garden is intriguing and a welcome site. I wonder what, if any, effect it would have on energy consumption.

Midtown Demolition Will Be More Evident
by Brian Sharp, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Article Key Points:

B. Forman department store will be first to go down, then proceed toward Main Street
Skywalks to be removed on weekends
PAETEC and Midtown sites sites should be ready by April 2011. First tenants would move in by early 2013
State has comitted $55 million for asbestos abatement and demolition
Additional site prep funds need to be acquired
Midtown's former owners are litigating against the city for a bigger purchase payment
MCC will announce a downtown campus site by year's end
Work has begun on the flagship building of the Alexander Park project on Monroe Avenue

Good riddance to the skyways, I only hope the buildings that 'lose' those connections can patch up the wounds. Much of those site prep funds refer to the re-layout of infrastructure such as new streets. The combination of projects I've seen for the Midtown site give me some confidence that the area will be reasonably vibrant and certainly designed with street life in mind. Fortunately, any developer attracted to this site already has their precious underground parking garage and will not swallow up any additional land. Whether that capacity proves to be necessary is a moot point I suppose, the decision to build it occured when I was -20 years old.

Nothnagle Prepares to Move West
by Jim Stinson, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Nothnagle Realtors progressing on $4M renovation of 217 W. Main for use as new headquarters
26,000 sq. ft. building will be refurbished with an emphasis on recycling, for instance bricks removed to be re-used in interior
New investments for the west side of downtown could include 480 residential units, 58,000 square feet of office space, 130,000 square feet of retail space, and 210 new hotel rooms
Proposals soon to be accepted by the city for 242 W. Main Street

The west side of the river, and especially the Cascade District is rife with surface parking that could be converted to more productive use. Unfortunately the big obstacle for West Side reintegration is I-490 which is unlikely to go anywhere even if the Inner Loop is obliterated. Cheers to Nothnagle for their eye toward preservation and reuse in the process.

Commercial, Residential Projects Percolate Near Midtown
by Sheila Livadas, Rochester Business Journal

Article Key Points:

$500K-$700K being invested in a renovation of 488 E. Main
RDDC office tracking $734M worth of projects downtown
Stalled housing conversion at 67 Chestnut for sale
H.H. Warner project pushing ahead with 48 luxury apts
Cox Building on St. Paul St. has seen investment of $7.1M to develop 70 apartments and retail space
SUNY Brockport refurbishing 161 Chestnut for use as Education Opportunity Center

On to the events.

This Friday is another installment of Critical Mass where cyclists reassert their right to the road as legally defined. We will meet at the Liberty Pole at 6PM. This June ride is being billed as a 'No Drill-No Spill' by some (though the rides are not officially, and rarely in practice, political) as, now more than ever, we hope to make more Americans cognizant of alternatives to oil consumption.

On Monday, the Rochester Regional Community Design Center, in partnership with Empire State Future, Reconnect Rochester, the George Eastman House, the Rochester Rail Transit Committee, and the Samloff Family Fund, is hosting a free screening of PBS' eye-opening film, Blueprint America: Beyond the Motor City.

The documentary is touring cities across America to raise questions—and seek answers—about the future of transportation in America. Can we build the “infrastructure of tomorrow” today? Can the cash-strapped and car-dependent cities of the so-called Rust Belt become new models for fast, clean, public transit?

This event comes to you absolutely free thanks to our sponsorships. There is only one showing, at the Dryden Theatre on the Eastman House grounds, at 7PM. A panel discussion will follow. Hope to see you there.

Urban News Vol. 66

2010-06-15T13:16:00.005-04:00

An awful going on today in the local transit/development world. Unfortunately I do not have the time required to expound in great detail on all of the topics.

Midtown Demolition to Start in July

by Matthew Daneman, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Hopefully there are no plans to reinstitute any 'skyways' that get taken down. The state budget impasse unfortunately takes on additional importance to downtown developers.

City Sour on Developer's Housing Plan

by Brian Sharp, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Mark IV's last public attempt to sway city council before tonight's vote (if interested in attending and speaking, this portion of the meeting begins at 8PM). Next efforts are likely litigation. I am not in favor of a Corn Hill Landing copy in that location (certainly no large automobile zone for frontage!), nor a Stone Street punch-through for what its worth. Ultimately, I'm not sure how serious this really is, and to bring it up now is way too late.

Planning Commission Recommends City Council Reject Mortimer St. Proposal

by Brian Sharp, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Unlike the Fastrac debacle at Union and Main, Planning refuses to rubber stamp something variant from master plan mandated code.

Forum Addresses Upstate Hopes for High-Speed Rail

Jon Campbell, Gannett Albany Bureau

An agreement was recently reached allowing the state to build passenger tracks within 30 feet of existing CSX trackage in certain practical instances, exceptions to an odd exclusion zone agreed upon earlier. Here's an idea, give CSX a tax break that allows them to be more competitive with trucking and airlines, or credits for adding capacity, and they're likely to build two passenger-only tracks in a fraction of the time and for a fraction of the cost.

Midtown New Site for RBTL Theater

by David Andreatta, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

This was the only real logical choice. Hopefully no additional parking facility will have to be built due to the underground Midtown structure. I like the look so far, especially along the restored Cortland Street running along the west side of the new theater. Do I think the auditorium is in dire need of replacing? No. However, if they are going to do this, it should be done properly.

Urban News Vol. 65

2010-06-08T07:58:00.009-04:00

Apologies for the large delay between posts. Here are a pair of local pieces regarding the built environment and an editorial on a bigger national issue.

Wegmans Offers Compromise on Plans for East Avenue Renovation
by Brian Sharp, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Wegmans is seeking variances and special approvals from planning, zoning and traffic control boards, as well as City Council
Building face is largely brick or stone, but city code requires 70 percent transparency
None of the old Brighton Village buildings are found on the national register as a result of significant modifications to the original structures
The signal at Probert Street would be moved to facilitate parking lot access

I'm not sure where the compromise is here. I suppose it is in the alternate designs that city boards can press the issue of selection for or against. Wegmans apparently proved that the owner of the Fountain Bleu has his price and will be devouring the entire block. The parking lot will be utterly massive, larger than the store itself, an urban disgrace. Hopefully someday when the motoring paradigm fails us, townhouses could be located along the east side of Probert Street, baring their proverbial asses to the mega-mart.

Brighton Charrette Leads to Many Suggestions for Monroe Avenue
by Ashwin Verghese, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Town leaders, residents, and business owners were brought together to envision improvements to the town's main commercial corridor
More than 100 people attended the event, exceeding expectations of the town
Main suggestions included adding more green space to the busy corridor, reducing traffic from four lanes to three, and giving storefronts a uniform aesthetic look
Ideas will be incorporated into a report that the town will use in its next comprehensive plan update

From Old Brighton to Current Brighton we go. I was unable to attend, but from what I understand, participants in this charette went outdoors to immerse themselves in their focus areas. I suppose I don't understand what the intention behind the clamor less green space is in such a lot density area. I'm hopeful that it means less seas of asphalt. A uniform aesthetic is tricky business. I am all for codes that promote uniformity of scale and programming, but towns that require uniform facades or building materials are the epitome of 'fake' and undermine the diversity that actually creates vibrant density.

The following may end up being an incoherent rant. I hope it makes some sense to you or fosters some level of inspiration to take personal action. Mostly, I feel the need to write for the sake of my own mental health.

I'm largely appalled at the unchanged behavior of the masses here on the 50th day of worst environmental catastrophe in the history of this nation. I'll refrain from posting any pictures of oiled birds because quite frankly, I can't bear to fucking look at them anymore. Instead I'll picture the ignorant U.S. American public and their high stupidity. The dumbasses pictured to the right are far more worried about how their beach time might be affected by this disaster than potential health hazards to the ecosystem, and more importantly and more immediately, THEMSELVES! The cleanup crews leave no skin exposed in dealing with this shit. Nothing says summer vacation like dodging tarballs.

For those who don't choose to daydream though life, the time for action was yesterday. Mr. Kunstler, as usual, writes a solid piece this week which calls for radical restructuring of our daily lives. Unfortunately he fears we have squandered our national treasure on a built environment of the poorest quality (see the utter fucking disgrace that is Atlanta), incompatible with human-scaled activity not involving personal motors, and may be unable to remedy the situation due to the global deleveraging of wealth and capital.

Essentially I'd like to make another call for intense conservation efforts at all levels. Recycling is no longer good enough. Re-use is the action that necessitates less production in the first place. Start by identifying objects normally thrown away that have instrinsic value (the backside of single sided copies and printouts makes excellent scrap paper). Recycle everything else humanly possible. Ruthlessly strive for efficiency. Reduce your electrical and natural gas burden (electricity is NOT really clean energy by and large). Walk or bike everywhere you can. Position yourself strategically near the most transit options (I realize this is difficult, but I'd also prefer to do it while I can still dictate some or all of the terms). This country represents 24.3% of the world's daily oil consumption (2007) despite constituting 4.53% of the global population. We can surely reduce our consumption to a level that would render offshore drilling pointless without an accompanying surge in the price of the commodity, but we won't.

Urban News Vol. 64

2010-05-18T11:36:00.009-04:00

My mind posesses a distinct penchant for certain activities that go along with adaptive reuse projects such as repainting faded brick-painted advertisments. Another of my favorites, the unbricking of original window openings (as Stantec is purported to be undertaking at High Falls), stresses the importance of place while promoting the street as an inviting and well observed public space. The following piece on the redevelopment of the Culver Road Armory claims window restoration, but I'm skeptical that more is lost than is gained.

Armory Redesign Pleases Culver Area Residents
by Brian Sharp, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Developers to transform Culver Road Armory into neighborhood meeting place/office building
Plans delineate Class A office space, boutique restaurant, and possible fitness center
More than 80 percent of the building surface will not change (mostly south side)
Construction could begin this summer after June 14 public hearing
Less than 3 acres of the remaining site reserved for future housing development
Developer committed to environmental cleanup and energy efficiency
2nd floor will be added inside former drill hall
Main entrance shifted to the north side of the structure
Co-chair of neighborhood group coalition happy with plans

I would have to see more renderings for me to expound too deeply on the seemingly liberal application of what Fred Rainaldi calls 'modern' additions. What jumps out to me as distastefully autocentric is the orienting of the primary entrance toward the parking lot and 490 off-ramp. An entrance to a building of this magnitude should reinforce the relationship with the street/adjacent park and allow its passers through a modicum of grace and enjoyment upon arrival/departure.

While on the topic of adaptive re-use, I feel compelled to shout about comments by sitting city council members reflecting a desire to get the block cleared, referring to the north side of East Main between Clinton and St. Paul, the Renaissance Square site.

This outdated and insane thought process is precisely what city leaders need to avoid. I truly can't believe anyone still thinks like this. I maintain that wholesale demolition of that block is a poor course of action for a preponderance of reasons. There are historic preservation, urban planning, increments of finance, and energy concern/sustainability components that all weigh in against an all-or-nothing approach.

A refacading along historic guidelines with upper-floor apartment conversion seems like a no-brainer for these properties steeped in history. On the urban planning front, this would preserve the multi-entryway discrete building format that lends to sidewalk activity. Our downtown does not need any more block long buildings with one or zero poorly demarcated entryways such as we saw for years with Midtown Plaza (now woefully obsolete and being broken up into smaller blocks).

Financing a project that council might deride as 'piecemeal' has become the realistic option compared with adherence to the old paradigm in our post-financial crisis economy. Demolition coupled with insistance on large-scale development runs the risk of no development materializing whatsoever, an urbanistic algae bloom of sorts. A closer look at what is occuring on that block, with or without the big bureaucratic financial aid packages, shows that small-scale organic redevelopment will take place regardless of the best efforts of politicans. An eatery is open and a notable downtown grocery (not just a mini-mart) is being fashioned out at the Stone Street vista terminus now that the emminent domain noose has been removed from the necks of the building owners.

Finally, I must continue to bang the drum on embodied energy. The idea that the greenest building is the one that is already built is no lie. Factor in not only demolition and site prep costs, but also the original energy that went into the original construction of the buildings on the block. We as a society are no longer in a position of great wealth that allows for wiping clean the slate on a whim, nor would we want to based on my earlier points.

My reasoning firmly established, the following are projects that respect their history, embrace mixed use, and conserve whatever existing elements possible, are currently underway, and set a fine example for the future of troubled downtown blocks:

Renaissance at 500 - Lackawanna Ave. - Scranton

Restoration and reconstruction of eight historic buildings along the Lackawanna Avenue historic district
Street level - Restaurant & Retail space for lease on Lackawanna Avenue and the Plaza
Main street level plaza will feature performance space, open café dining, seating areas, etc.
Upper floor residences: Open Floor Plan, High Ceilings, Stainless Steel / Granite Kitchens, Wood Floors, 1 1/2 Baths
The Bogart Boutiques - Leasable market-like space in rear alley
An upper level park utilizing existing green space (elevated former railway bed)
New Street and Walkways: A portion of Lackawanna Avenue will be reconstructed to include a banner-lined median, lit brick crosswalks and a street clock tower. The sidewalks will be transformed into a lit tree-lined pedestrian walkway
Color renderings above

The Mills at High Falls, Phase II - State St. - Rochester

Adaptive reuse and substantial rehabilitation of a four-building former commercial and residential row, part of the last 1840s-era standing block in Rochester
The development will include 21 units for low-income families and residents with physical disabilities, as well as market-rate lofts and apartments.
Additional funding is being provided by state and federal historic tax credit programs
Project estimated at $6.8 million in October
10 one-bedroom apartments on street level, 11 two-bedroom multi-level apartments ono upper floors
To integrate with mixed-use buildings on the same block
Eligible for listing in the state and national registers of historic places as significant early 19th-century commercial architecture
Grayscale renderings above

An Evening (and afternoon) with John Robert Smith

2010-05-12T09:35:00.006-04:00

*Cross posted to Reconnect Rochester

Members of Reconnect Rochester had a unique opportunity Monday afternoon. We were invited to sit in and participate in a roundtable discussion featuring representation of the Genesee Transportation Council, the Empire State Passengers Association, the Rochester Rail Transit Committee, and the keynote speaker of that evening's lecture, John Robert Smith.

Not all of the biggest statements came from Smith himself, but his insight into federal agencies and funding acquisition from said agencies was very valuable to our coalition. Also heartening was the recognition by all parties of potential energy realities. This acceptance set the imperative tone regarding the necessity for improved transit in the region.

Smith's greatest criticism, one that was repeated during the public lecture, was a lack of obvious attraction marketing, and the associated transportation options, to downtown hotel guests and travelers who arrive by train. The implication is that we aren't successfully steering travelers with money to spend to restaurants and other cultural amenities. A set of newer signage as part of an enhanced wayfinder system was installed recently, but it is proving to be geared toward motorized tourist travel.

A narrated tour that Mr. Smith received from the Design Center's Roger Brown immediately prior to our meeting provided him a glimpse of the built, natural, and streetgrid environments. From this impression, John Robert proclaimed that the Main Street corridor from the Cascade District to the East End would make an excellent fixed-rail transportation candidate. Also noted was the physical orientation of the original train station and the plaza (now occupied by Greyhound), that could lead to a transit gateway/spine for the region at the advent of a non-shared right of way, more reliable rail service.

According to Smith, this national Department of Transportation detests structures like our inner loop, chokers of connectivity and pedestrian activity, and a contributor to the feeling that the train station/post office are somehow out of downtown, which is historically not the case. Operatives in this administration have been involved in senate committees for years learning the ropes while their ideas were largely stifled. Now the same people wield great transformative power to the benefit of our built environment. This broad authority and funding stream should help to bridge the issues encountered by overlapping constituencies and the multiple layers of bureaucracy with divergent interests seen in New York State/City/County relations.

The big programmatic takeaways for those in the group include a pair of resources developed by Smith's national coalition, Reconnecting America. The Transit Technologies Worksheet is a review of specifications of the seven standard types of transit technology. The Federal Transit Administration shares a collection of documents on Transit Oriented Development that function as a manual and were also prepared by Smith's Reconnecting America. These resources will be permanently linked to in the sidebar henceforth.

The big lecture event, which was reasonably well attended, served as an opportunity for John Robert to apprise the community at large of Reconnecting America's mission within the context of what that national organization can do for regional planning in terms of long-term techinical support lent for the duration of transit oriented developments.

An increasingly self evident set of 21st century challenges - gasoline prices, energy concerns, changing demographics, and a broken infrastructure system - provides us with an imperative for sustainable transportation systems. An impending affordability crisis, decling public health statistics, a desire to be economically competitive globally, and a desire to see true community revitalization are all aspects of a coming reality that demand efficiency in the transportation equation for the future.

Smith notes that transit demand is at a 40 year high, that demand for walkable urbanism is increasing in terms of percentage of the housing market, and that TOD investments in an area generally halve the number of car trips in that same area. These types of demand-related factoids translate quickly into increased property value and leveraged development in the immediate vicinity of major transit nodes. Meridian, Mississippi, a much smaller city than Rochester that Smith shepherded for 4 mayoral terms leveraged $135 million in development on a $6.5M intermodal station development.

Smith's advice to Rochester on the whole is to develop a multi-sector investment strategy for transit oriented development. Investing in existing places is cited as the first example of playing to our own unique strengths as a region. In addition to this, the preservation of the city core through restoration/reuse projects (we cannot allow the loss of the Post Office Building in the event of abandonment) is of paramount importance.

Case Study - Major East Coast U.S. Cities

2010-05-03T14:43:00.018-04:00

Tia and I returned on April 27th from a 7-day whirlwind tour of all the major cities in the BosWash megalopolis sans Bos. This post will serve as a summary of what we liked and didn't like about our firsthand experiences in each city and on each mode of transportation.

For the record, here's the travel itinerary and transit systems used:

Day 1 - Rochester to New York (RTS Bus 50, Amtrak Empire Service, MTA Subway N/4)
Day 2 - New York to Philadelphia (MTA Subway 4/R, Amtrak Keystone Service)
Day 3 - Philadelphia (SEPTA Subway Broad/Market-Frankford Lines, SEPTA Subway-Surface Trolley 34)
Day 4 - Philadelphia to Washington (SEPTA Subway Broad/Market-Frankford Lines, Amtrak Carolinian, Washington Metrorail Red/Green Lines)
Day 6 - Washington to Baltimore (Washington Metrorail Red/Green Lines, MARC Camden Line, Charm City Circulator)
Day 7 - Baltimore to Rochester (Maryland Transit Administration Light Rail Blue Line, AirTran, RTS Buses 2/5)

What we liked:

Brooklyn Heights, New York: Very quiet despite proximity to expressway due to cantilevered overhang (Brooklyn Heights Promenade)...superior italianate Hummelstown Brownstone architecture...Chip Shop on Atlantic's deep fried pizza, burger patty, and macaroni and cheese ball + Dry Blackthorn Cider on tap...Pete's Waterfront Ale House with Original Sin Cider on tap.

Upper East Side, Manhattan: Carl Schurz Park...Chicken Roll at Bagel Mill...reasonably human scaled urbanism, walkups 5 stories tall means less energy intensive going forward.

Amtrak, Northeast Corridor: Tracks owned by Amtrak themselves make for minimal delays...fast travel even on non-Acela trains between New York and Philadelphia.

Center City, Philadelphia: Loads of cultural history lessons...Rittenhouse Square and other squares laid out by William Penn himself always teeming with life, properly programmed around their edges...Underground Transit Concourse integrates 3 systems and provides huge capacity to serve patrons at times of heavy ridership...extremely narrow carriageways still intact with high quality townhomes...Reading Terminal Market, the best public market we've ever been to(compared to By Ward - Ottawa, Broadway - Baltimore, St. Lawrence - Toronto, Rochester Public, Central New York Regional, Eastern - Washington)...Prevailing scale of urbanism due to pre-1985 'William Penn's hat agreement'...general affordability of goods/food compared to the others...small size of blocks promotes walkability (carried our luggage from 30th St to Broad/Locust).

University City, Philadelphia: Amtrak's (Pennsylvania Railroad) 30th Street Station is simply magnificent. Well planned interior, integrated access to subway/trolley/commuter trains, dueling collonades reinforce importance of place and function, electro-mechanical departure board, seating in waiting area maximizes flow of foot traffic and proximity to gates...University of Pennsylvania campus massive, yet walkable, proximity to Rittenhouse Square.

South Philadelphia: Pat's King of Steaks, the original Philly Cheese Steak...9th Street quasi-arcaded Italian Market district, Anthony's Chocolate House's smore creation.

Alexandria, Virginia: Much more newer building fabric integrated into the original design than I expected...Saltwater taffy at Candi's Candies at King and Fairfax...malt balls at The Sugar Cube on Lee...would have liked to take an affordable river cruise, but were preempted by charter...good scale, walkability, transit connections.

The District: Union Station, quality allegorical sculpture inside and out, functions as strictly massive rail terminal more like a contemporary airport in layout and commercial offering...new Nationals ballpark reasonably priced, quality views, accessible by foot and metrorail...Metro System well laid out and maintains high standard of cleanliness, headway notification a plus...Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street is legendary...Eastern Market and accompanying 8th Street SE restaurant district very vibrant...once again sights abound for historical buffs and Democratic-Republic fans.

MARC Train, Camden Line: $7 frequent service from D.C. to downtown Baltimore.

Fell's Point, Baltimore: Excellent preservation efforts retain townhomes tiny by today's standards...good restaurant base...connection to Water Taxi...large scale expansion/restoration of Broadway Market about to commence...streetcar track still extant in belgian block streets.

Downtown Baltimore: Charm City Circulator, tremendous free electric-hybrid bus service between B&O Rail Museum to Harbor East, many electronic and internet enhancements...Sheraton City Center Hotel allowing us to check in at 9:45AM for some much needed rest.

Harbor East, Baltimore: Excellent urbanist programming for community of exclusively newer construction...well integrated into the existing street grid...good mix of retail offerings, office space, residential space, services even if overly upscale.

There were a few experiences that were generally positive, but some subtext cast a dragnet that soured the place or service to some degree in our minds. Eastern Market almost fell into this category due to the loss of all other historic Washington D.C. markets (its size cannot possibly serve the entire district), comparison to the abundance of markets in Baltimore, and such dominant recent memory of Philadelphia Reading Terminal Market.

In contrast with Amtrak service along the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak service upstate continues to be plagued by issues related to leasing track from CSX and the lack of capacity on the old New York Central mainline. We were delayed for 45 minutes halfway between Rochester and Syracuse while a broken down freight was repaired and then moved out of the way. The trip was still more pleasant than driving to New York, but it made it that much longer.

We've generally had a good time at Baltimore's Inner Harbor and I don't know if it was the rainy weather or what, but I've kind of soured on the mall-like pavilions on Light and Pratt Streets. It seemed as though more shopfronts were empty than usual, but I did get the preposterously good 'Crab Pretzel' from Phillips Seafood Express, a soft pretzel with a crab meat/cream cheese mixture integrated into the gaps with additional shredded cheese melted on top.

I am never against a light rail system, and Baltimore's seems to have stabilized Howard Street to a certain degree (compared to Park Avenue), but its greatest utility is shuttling business travelers to the airport. This is a feature I have utilized, but now feel there is little future for air travel. This sounds like a guilty conscious issue I need to deal with. At any rate, the light rail will continue to have utility in shuttling passengers between Penn Station and the downtown proper as more MARC trains at more times during the business day service the Penn line.

What we didn't like:

I feel I owe more than sentence fragments if I am going to criticize. Let's start with Midtown Manhattan. Penn Station is our collective national disgrace as far as I am concerned (considering what came before the current incarnation). The low ceilinged bunker of a train station in the basement of a basketball arena is our national monument to the unenlightened behavior of the 1960's that rejected quality and ornament in favor of the space age. Difficult to enter, let alone navigate, or god forbid sit down, we certainly got "what it admires, will pay for, and, ultimately, deserves." Another criticism of Midtown is the dehumanizing scale. Each avenue forms a canyon of hypertrophic urbanism, not necessarily poor programmed, but tremendously energy intensive (though not per capita), and impossible to operate/renovate without reliable energy inputs unlike the neighborhoods described earlier.

We had flown AirTran Airways a number of times, but never remembered being as cramped as we were on the 717 aircraft for our return home. Add to this the $15 checked bag fee, dehumanizing security procedures, interminable waiting periods, the inefficiency and pollutants per passenger mile inherent in jet fuel, and I can't imagine we'll ever voluntarily board a domestic plane again.

While its obvious that Philadelphia knocked our socks off, we were greatly disappointed in Penn's Landing on the Delaware. Created in a time that truly believed people would frequent an amphitheater made of poured concrete steps at extraneous and haphazard geometries, Penn's Landing is impersonal, overly caters to automobiling, and is isolated by the I-95 freeway. Honorable mention goes to Geno's obnoxious cheesesteaks across the street from Pat's who refuse to serve non-English speakers and sell the tired trope 'Freedom Fries.'

While the Washington Metrorail System itself was a big positive, the administration of fares is completely asinine. Unlike New York, where once one fills a Metrocard with money, it functions as a debit card regardless of who uses it, in Washington each person must carry their own card. A zonal system makes fares variable depending on which two stations you intend on travelling between. The situation is compounded by incorrect signage at stations which do not always reflect price increases. As such, fare is actually debited from the pass upon exit from the system, necessitating 'exit fare' machines to add additional money to your card. What does one do who doesn't have any additional cash? Are they doomed to ride the rails forever? The entire scenario gives the classic American heartland impression of 'Washington' making something overcomplicated in their efforts to do the opposite. In terms of daily and weekly passes, one can purchase weekly bus passes and daily rail passes, neither of which let you use the other mode of service.

The emerging Navy Yard neighborhood in Washington is falling into a trap in my estimation. While generally pleasing condo and apartment towers are going up, they are doing absolutely nothing at ground level for the pedestrian (in fact, the ground floor at Capitol Yards includes a security desk where we were forced to show official identification to be put on a visitor log). There doesn't seem to be a coherent plan to introduce retail as was done expertly in Baltimore's Harbor East mentioned above. The result is an impersonal neighborhood that is not only car dependent, but largely encourages car ownership through the ease of underground parking below each building.

Walking around a larger portion of Downtown Baltimore than usual, I noticed a pair of stunning trends. The first is that every single attraction in Baltimore, right down to Lexington Market, must have a sizable parking garage attached to the building. I don't have to say what this portends for street life, but the existence of the arrangement reeks of suburban fear of race and class. Baltimore, moreso than other places, has created surface level pedestrian impediments. President, Light, Lower Howard, MLK Jr, and Russell Streets all function as multi-lane (greater than 4) car movers that dissect downtown areas and add danger to pedestrian activity. A system of 2nd floor open-air walkways designed to connect Inner Harbor shopping with downtown hotels (though not advertised anywhere anymore) also diverts pedestrian life from the street, though Baltimore has begun removing some of these sections. One final minor gripe involves the B&O Railroad Museum not being open at 3PM despite posted hours until 4PM. It's my understanding there is an inclement weather policy. Seems that Baltimoreans are not a hearty bunch. I'll bet the place was a madhouse during the March snowstorms.

And there you have it. Not much of a restful vacation, but that's just how it goes with us. On deck for the blog is a comparison of Scranton's 500 Lackawanna project to possibilities for the Renaissance Square block, more RIT downtown campus history, and of course the John Robert Smith meeting and lecture. All of this can and probably will be preempted by any big breaking urban development news, but stay tuned. Oh, and thanks to you, the reader, for an improvement in April traffic of 76% compared with April 2009!

An Evening with Dr. Lawrence Frank

2010-04-29T19:01:00.005-04:00

Transit riders are 3.42 times more likely to get enough moderate exercise in a week. Youth from households with no cars were 6.8 times more likely to walk a half-mile per day. Technology breakthroughs will only account to 45-50% of the emissions reductions necessary to hit targets. This emphasis on statistics was the backbone of the presentation Brighton native Larry Frank gave to approximately 140 catechumens of sustainability interested in the unhealthy consequences of the sprawl living arrangement.

What began as a university grant designed to help metro Atlanta devise a plan to improve air quality by evaluating travel tendencies blossomed into a statistical data set complete with Bayesian factors. These figures show significant correlation between those who live in suburban neighborhoods only traversable by automobile and significant health costs for the maintenance of that lifestyle.

A man who calls himself a "Pracademic," Frank seeks to bridge knowledge and action through many actual measurements. The effect of what actually happens on the ground coupled with statistical inference yields nearly irrefutable truths such as that time spent in a car is a better indicator of obesity than walk distance, that Metro Atlantans drive over 100 million miles per day (incidentally longer than the distance to the sun), and that for men, walkability is a predictor of high Body Mass Index, but not for women, whose BMI is inclined to increase directly corresponding to access to fast food (but not for men, interestingly).

Frank feels neighborhood design for health is consistent with dense traditional neighborhood design. Noting that the State of California will see its senior population double in 10 years, he advocates for even sidewalks and short street crossings. He advocates for auto insurance reform which would make insurance vehicle use an incremental cost rather than a sunk cost to deter unnecessary motoring. Especially harmful from an emissions standpoint, says Frank, are the exceedingly short trips like traveling from the parking lot at Pittsford Plaza to the parking lot of the Pittsford Wegmans.

Frank wrapped up his remarks by appealing to leadership to engage creative youth in the policy discussions steering transportation investment, that which drives the direction of development.

The final lecture in this year's Reshaping Rochester lecture series will be held May 10th at 7PM at the Memorial Art Gallery, once the University of Rochester's Cutler Union. John Robert Smith, President and CEO of Reconnecting America will present "Getting on the Right Track." Reconnect Rochester has a hand in the promotion of the event (click for more promotional material) and will be party to a joint meeting with Mr. Smith and top Transit Authority representatives.

Urban News Vol. 63

2010-04-28T14:29:00.004-04:00

I'm back from my tour of four iconic Mid-Atlantic cities, and while I couldn't bring myself to write any additional RIT downtown history, I thought I'd chime in with my unfiltered stance on the new downtown bus terminal plans as a sort of raw dress rehearsal in case I am compelled to speak at the next meeting.

Rochester Bus Terminal Plans Unveiled

by David Andreatta, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Last chance to spend $52 million in federal and state funds
11 of 19 speakers were against project
73,000 square feet with 26 bus bays
'I know none of you would like to have a bus station next door to you, so what's changed?' -Anthony DiMarzo, H.H. Warner Building Owner
Mayor Duffy wants to reduce bus traffic on Main Street that he says is hampering growth
Next public input session at 7PM May 5th at Carlson Commons, 80 Coretta Scott Crossing

A blog piece at the City Newspaper domain reports that bus riders were under-represented at the first public input meeting held last night on Webster Avenue. Construction unions predictably are in favor while those with an interest in nearby housing developments are opposed.

This is asinine.

As I posted in my comments to Ms. Fien's blog, in a city that is serious about denseness, living within a short walk of transit nodes is a selling point, not a detriment. I would indeed like to have the main station of a system like this at my front door. It would enhance a completely car-free lifestyle, something we, as a society, need to get more serious about.

Some other things in the con argument that rankle me include:

The racial undertones sensed by Loretta Scott are very real. I've read elsewhere comments about "the types of people who ride the bus." What the hell are people afraid of? I guess its me, that dastardly type with the multiple engineering degrees. I've never had a problem with another rider. People are simply trying to get from point A to point B. Nobody is willing to waste their day waiting for a specific whitey to get on in order to harass/attack them. "Getting the buses off Main" is a thinly veiled political gimmick in the same vain unlikely to have any impact on 'growth.'
"Getting the buses off Main" is also highly impractical. Main is one of 2 East-West through streets through downtown. Broad is inefficient beyond the innerloop (and this situation could be exacerbated by the canal project). All routes fan out from Main to some extent. People will still want to catch buses on Main at the ends of downtown in order to transfer at the hub.
Pedestrian safety will be no different than any other corner where vehicles make turns governed by traffic signals. Buses will not indiscriminately blast out of the portal. Signalling will become especially intricate if the narrowed Mortimer is allowed to remain alongside the building.
People don't really understand why they want 'intermodal' or what they want out of it. Washington's tremendous Union Station is not at the major junction of intra-city transport. The role of RTS is to serve the daily needs of Rochesterians first and foremost. We also don't need to isolate our train/inter-city bus stations on a transit island that preempts any walking to it from downtown residences. The restoration of the street grid and removal of the inner loop would allow for a dense spine that re-establishes the station as part of downtown. It would not take much to run a short shuttle route between stations an hour before and after the 8 current train departures on a very short headway like an airport parking lot shuttle.

In reality I'm not even a huge backer of this station or this location, but I am tired of those who don't use the system, and know nothing about it, labeling this as some sort of heinous development that will have the new downtown bourgeoisie choking on fumes all day long.

It is interesting when looking at the limited files available that the pavement inside is not completely sawtooth in nature. It makes we wonder if such a facility would be easily convertible into a streetcar station.

I have three posts in the works. The first will be a recap and review of tonight's Lawrence Frank lecture. Second will be a pseudo-review of things we liked and disliked on our whirlwind tour. Finally, I will get back into the RIT series.

In the Community - April 28 - May 1st

2010-04-20T10:38:00.007-04:00

I'm going on vacation starting tomorrow. We will be riding Amtrak, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington Subways, MARC Commuter Train, and Baltimore Light Rail in the next seven days.

I will be working on RIT Downtown material en route, but likely will not post until the 1st of May. In the meantime, there are three important events taking place in the community right after I get back that I would like to encourage participation in.

April 28, 7PM - Strong Museum - Lawrence Frank Reshaping Rochester Lecture

Lawrence D. Frank, Ph.D., AICP, CIP, ASLA, is the Bombardier Chairholder in Sustainable Transportation at the University of British Columbia, Senior Non-resident Fellow of the Brookings Institution, and President of Urban Design 4 Health. He specializes in the interaction between land use, travel behavior, air quality; and health and the fuel consumption and climate change impacts of urban form policies. Frank has been studying the effects of neighborhood walkability on travel patterns and sustainability for 20 years. He works directly with local governments to help translate results from research into practice-based tools that provide direct feedback on the health and environmental impacts of alternative transportation and land development proposals.

April 30, 6PM - Liberty Pole - Rochester Critical Mass

Critical Mass is a group bicycle ride which takes place at regular intervals (last Friday of each month) whose purpose is to "celebrate cycling and to assert cyclists' right to the road." They are free mass participatory events, with no leaders or fixed agendas. However, the broad aim is to celebrate cycling and sustainable transport, and to give cyclists safety in numbers. Come join us as we wish a 'Happy Friday' to those walking, working, or dining on the sidewalks and see parts of the city you haven't seen before at a more human speed.

May 1st, 8:30AM - Genesee Valley Park - Rochester Clean Sweep

More than 15,000 volunteers have demonstrated their pride in Rochester by working alongside City crews to clean and beautify just about every street in the city. In addition to removing litter and debris, volunteers do such things as planting flowers, pruning trees and performing other neighborhood beautification projects.

Saturday Clean Sweeps begin at 8:30 a.m. where volunteers arrive to receive a team assignment and hit the streeets by 9 a.m. Tools are provided, but volunteers are encouraged to bring their own. They return to the staging ground at 1 p.m. for a picnic to build on the community spirit that is the most lasting benefit of Clean Sweep.

Please contact me if you are interested in joining us for any or all of these important events.

Urban News Vol. 62

2010-04-14T10:42:00.005-04:00

Quick hits today as the RIT research continues. Look for expansion through acquisition in the next installment.

$23 Million Connell Building Downtown Project Back on Track

by James Haggerty, Scranton Times-Tribune

Article Key Points:

Project to include 89 rental units and 3 floors of retail/office space
Planned to open in October
6 retail tenants on ground floor along N. Washington Ave.
13 lofts, 56 one bedrooms, 20 two-bedroom units
Last funding hurdles cleared via state grants, $5.5M loan, and $3M federal tax credit

Not a whole lot to say here except that it is obviously good news for that stately structure. Amid the good development news, such as the 500 Block of Lackawanna (which I still need to profile as an alternative to Rochester's defunct Renaissance Square project), Scranton is running the risk of creating a pod-like downtown where surface lots and parking garages begin to outnumber the buildings. The loss of the Community Bake Shop, Quint's, and the former Pub Charles building cannot be understated. The preservation of the Connell Building is a triumph for urbanism. Too bad a parking garage had to be built as a condition to greenlight such a project. This will change.

Obama Bicycle Policy Wins Love From Cyclists, Scorn From Trucking Industry
by Joan Lowy, Associated Press

Article Key Point:

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says new government transporation policy is to give bicycling and walking the same importance as automobiles in transportation planning and the selection of projects for federal money

As would be expected from a dying inefficient, pollutant, and wasteful industry, the response from the trucking industry and right-wing politicos was defensive and childish. CSX shares rose today after profits were way up from the year before, beating forecasts. This is not an accident.

While more bicycling for transportation is a positive for the American people in many ways, I'm left to wonder why transit doesn't garner the same zeal from the administration. I suppose I should reserve judgement for a time on the 'livability initiative,' as both can and should be promoted not just as alternatives to personal motoring, but as the priority program if we are serious about reducing energy consumption, improving efficiency, and strengthening core neighborhoods.

Since time immemorial, federal transportation expenditures have shoveled preposterous amounts of dollars into the highway system. We now have a complex infrastructure that will prove impossible to maintain, undercuts the viability of other agencies (Eg. the Post Office) due to its inefficiency, and promotes unhealthy and sometimes violent behavior by the citizenry.

Unable to fight the urge to bring engineering into everything I do, I come armed with just the facts of the FY11 Federal DOT Budget Authority.

20.8% of the $79.176 BILLION budget will go to the Federal Aviation Administration
13.3% will go to the Federal Transit Administration
3.6% will go to the Federal Railroad Administration which includes monies appropriated to Amtrak
A whopping 55.8% of the FY11 transportation budget is slated to go to some combination of highway agencies

It is 2010. We supposedly have a more progressive attitude toward rail travel. Many regions are taking a lot of flak from their respective screaming eagles on upgrading rail infrastructure, but really the contributions are peanuts.

I want to end with one last statement on the rail-to-trail concept. These are almost always not more direct routes than riding on existing streets, they are for pleasure cruising. The real bicycling as transportation does and will take place on our non-highway roads. I just hope that these conversions are an effective form of land banking if nothing else. I truly believe these routes have strategic importance and will be needed to carry freight by rail in a future dominated by increasing energy concerns. We simply can't afford to be wasteful anymore.

Actually, I'll end by appropriately saying that the next Rochester Critical Mass bicycle ride will be April 30th. Meet at the Liberty Pole at 6PM to see the city at something approaching human speed in the company and safety-in-numbers of other bicyclists.

Discarded and Forgotten: RIT's Downtown Campus Vol. 3

2010-04-07T10:20:00.018-04:00

The campus map distributed to incoming freshmen in the fall of 1956 contained one very notable addition. The Ritter-Clark Memorial Building at Spring Street and Livingston Park had been operational since December of the previous year. Named for Frank Ritter, a founder of The Institute, and George H. Clark, a 43-year trustee, the building represented the first tangible structure resultant from an ambitious capital campaign, the 125th Anniversary Fund. Billed as a panacea to student apathy, the gynasium hosted an undefeated basketball team in its inaugural season, the first RIT team to be called 'Tigers.'

Although demolition and site preparation had been going on for months, plans for the sporting complex were not unveiled unil January of 1955. The centerpieces of the facility were the 60ft. by 90 ft. basketball court, convertible into two cross courts for intramural play, and the first indoor artificial ice skating rink in Rochester. The lower level would incorporate a practice room for the wrestling team, a large recreation room for fencing and ping-pong, a women's exercise room, a physical therapy room, locker rooms, and coaches' offices. Six tennis courts would adorn the grounds immediately adjacent to the building.

The laying of the cornerstone ceremony concluded the activites of 'Registration Day' on September 9th, 1955. At 4:00PM, F. Ritter Shumway, Brackett H. Clark, and Mark Ellingson placed a large metal box containing names of alumni who contributed to the fund into the hollow stone at what would become the northeast corner of the edifice.

"The cornerstone was laid with the original trowel used by George Eastman in 1900 on the Eastman Building and again in 1946 by the late George Clark on the building named in his honor."
-RIT Reporter, September 26, 1955

Announced as early as the previous March, a 'Carnival of Sports' was to have opened the new gym on December 9 and 10, 1955. The 'grapplers' would oppose Case Institute of Technology and Colgate University, the 'cagers' (basketball) would battle Potsdam State Teachers College, and the swordsmen would duel St. Lawrence University. This grand plan was not to be, but for good reason. While ultimately blamed on delivery delays of backboards, bleachers, and hardwood flooring, a noble one-month delay early in the demolition phases would force the basketball team to Jefferson High one final time.

Mark Ellingson himself was responsible for a partnership between The Institute and the Rochester Historical Society that would deconstruct, rather than destroy, the historic 1825 Livingston Park Seminary. Ellingson ordered a stop to work while the Society for the Preservation of Landmarks in Western New York could raise $30,000. This money allowed for the storage of doors, windows, moldings, trim, a circular staircase, original fireplaces, columns, and stonework pending reconstruction at a later date. The Gospel Tabernacle Mission was the tenant immediately preceding purchase by RIT. I am unable to find any record of the reconstruction (If anyone reading this has more information, please comment!).

The long-awaited gynasium finally opened to little fanfare on December 16 as an RIT vs. Roberts Wesleyan basketball game was the opening event. More pomp accompanied the proceedings on January 20, 1956, the official dedication. An open house to the general public, a tribute to donors, and a presentation of keys by John D. Pike of the Pike Company preceeded an 98-49 walloping of Ontario Agricultural College. Simultaneously the first ice rink of its kind in Rochester opened its doors to students, faculty, and staff for free noon-time skating sessions. The use of speed skates was expressly prohibited.

While the bulk of The Institute dreamed of enhanced physical education instruction, Ellingson was targeting a major expansion of men's dormitory facilities to house the ballooning numbers of freshmen reporting to campus. Exceedingly short of funds for the $1.5 million undertaking, the Anniversary Fund was unknowingly about to be boosted tremendously by a Rochester legend.

Ritter-Clark Memorial Building Construction Photos

More to come...

Urban News Vol. 61

2010-04-02T13:18:00.006-04:00

A quick interlude between chapters of my RIT series...

I've said both bad and good things about Neal Bauman's grip on the corner property at Main and Clinton in the past. 10NBC reports on a positive development undertaken on both his behalf and that of another property owner previously under siege during the Renaissance Square rollerskate limbo. I've seen permits and renovation occuring for the grocery and Food (hilarious name, by the way) is already open. I have a feeling this block will stir itself back to life whether a large governmental program is involved or not. In fact, this smaller-scale demand-based organic growth will do more to recreate good urbanism than a superblock misinvestment.

It goes without saying that I hope Mr. Bauman is wrong about the ultimate demise of those buildings. After I finish my downtown RIT saga, I hope to show similarities between the block and a tremendous restoration project of similar scale undertaken on the 500 Block of Lackawanna Avenue in Scranton.

Next on the docket is young entrepreneur Jeremy Fisher opening a high-efficiency laundromat on Humboldt Street featuring machines that save water and energy compared to most contemporary equipment. My wife and I think this is excellent and are tempted to take a load there just to try these machines. My only beef with the whole thing is author Erica Bryant calling it a complex and a plaza. It is a city building! Everything cannot be characterized in suburban terms!

2010 Clean Sweep dates have been announced. From the city website:

Saturday Clean Sweeps begin at 8:30 a.m. where volunteers arrive to free coffee and donuts. They're given a free t-shirt, assigned to a team and hit the streeets by 9 a.m. Tools are provided, but volunteers are encouraged to bring their own. They return to the staging ground at 1 p.m. for a picnic to build on the community spirit that is the most lasting benefit of Clean Sweep.

I will be promoting these city volunteer opportunities on the Reconnect Rochester and other facebook pages in the near future. I will be present for all but the Northeast event this year.

The dates:

Southwest Quadrant- May 1st at Genesee Valley Park, 131 Elmwood Ave.
Northeast Quadrant- May 8th at Northeast Neighborhood Service Center, 500 Norton Street
Northwest Quadrant- May 15th at Edgerton Park, 41 Backus St.
Southeast Quadrant- May 22nd at Cobb's Hill Park, Culver Rd. and Norris Dr.

Finally, and most importantly, Reconnect Rochester has become part of the organizing committee for John Robert Smith's May 10th lecture entitled 'Getting on the Right Track' to be given at the Memorial Art Gallery. We are intent on promoting this as hard as humanly possible to fill the auditorium with receptive individuals as we promote intermodality in local transit. A reception with the speaker sponsored by The Community Foundation will immediately follow the 7PM lecture. Fifteen dollar advance tickets are available at Parkleigh, Wegmans, and through the RRCDC via Paypal.

More on Smith, the President and CEO of Reconnecting America and former mayor of Meridian, Mississippi:

John Robert Smith is the former Mayor of Meridian, Mississippi, and a long-time activist on behalf of passenger rail. He is co-chairman of the National Forum on the Future of Passenger Rail, is a member of Amtrak’s board, and a member of the transportation committees of the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. He is a veteran of the station-centered community development movement, and led the drive to renovate the City of Meridian’s Union Station, a $7 million historic restoration project that created a new multimodal transportation center, dramatically increased use of the station, raised property values and city tax receipts, and lowered crime in the station's neighborhood. He served on Reconnecting America’s board for five years, and was a founding partner and board member of Reconnecting America’s predecessor organization, the Great American Station Foundation, voting to expand its mission and change its name in 2004.

Discarded and Forgotten: RIT's Downtown Campus Vol. 2

2010-03-29T13:05:00.013-04:00

The more things change, the more they stay the same. No matter what contemporary students may think are the differences between generations, the historical record shines the light of truth on those assumptions. This may or may not come as a surprise, but RIT appears to having been battling student apathy since the beginning of time. A segment in the Reporter entitled "Tech Talks" once posed the question to students, "It has been said that RIT students are not so friendly as students from other colleges. What do you think about this?" Of five students polled, one agreed entirely while two others tapdanced, indicating reluctant agreement. Near constant refrains regarding mistreatment of lounge facilites, open pessimism and ridicule of instructors, and lack of support for varsity athletic clubs litter the pages of 1950s Reporters.

A more surprising common thread spanning the years is the participation in intramural parking situation criticism. The true dawning of the motor age, practically still under ten years old, had already created a monster that compares favorably or unfavorably, depending on your point of view, with today's hyper-convenience demands. Whether bemoaning the snowy conditions of the student parking lot at Troup and Clarissa, the vexing actions of hypocritical police officers, or the cost of the student lot privilege, RIT students were exhibiting the first glimpses of a national behavior that would sacrifice our most efficient, energetic, and charismatic public places to the mythical 'God of the Open Road.' Quizzically, a rash of pointed Reporter pieces in 1953 cast a harsh glare on reckless motoring and the lack of emphasis on safety. By October of 1954, discussions were beginning about restricting the ability of students to bring cars to campus. Ultimately complacency and economic factors offering virtually cost-free convenience would win out over community.

One student who was both behind his time and ahead of it was Bruce Davidson. His October 28, 1953 captures the viewpoint of the rare appreciative student:

Editor, Reporter:
We can boast about our campus! Although our campus has little plush grass, looming trees, or spaciousness, we have in our immediate midst a huge campus, practical, efficient, and honest in this modern world. In opposition to most other college campuses, which tend to shield the student from life as a reality, RIT's camus is life itself; life and its realities are all around us. Here at RIT we have the opportunity to know our instructors as personalities trying to help us learn; not Gods garbed in robes dictating truth, and to be feared and never questioned. Our teachers live on our campus. Their homes are in some instances small apartments. Others are ordinary rooms in the dorm. However unpretentious their homes may be, they are always open for visits from the students. Many have sought personal aid from a teacher over a cup of coffee. Let us find the things here that are here.
BRUCE DAVIDSON

With elements of campus life likely in mind, Ellingson and the trustees forged on in the collection effort for the 125th Anniversary Fund. Kate Gleason's 3434 East Avenue mansion, valued in the tens of thousands of dollars, was a gift to this fund which by May 10, 1952 had reached the princely sum of $3.6 million. The campaign received a sizeable shot in the arm in late 1953 upon the death of Trustee George H. Clark, for whom the Clark Building and Clark Union were named. Clark provisioned in his will 10,000 shares of Kodak common stock plus one quarter of proceeds from the estates post taxes and fees to be used, "if and when the Institute shall determine the construction of such a gymnasium to be advisable." Much less newsworthy at the time, but not in retrospect, was a meeting of ice skating enthuasists from RIT and the surrounding area sponsored by the man appointed to replace Clark on the Board of Trustees: F. Ritter Shumway.

At the beginning of the 1953-54 school year, RIT's bread and butter was still evening classes. A record number of approximately 4,300 night school students combined with almost 1,200 full-time collegiates comprised the student body. The introduction of four-year programs for the 54-55 duration would change this dynamic significantly. The anticipated ranks of the chemistry department swelled by 66% prior to the fall of 1954 and necessitated a complete overhaul of the chemistry facilities in the Eastman Annex. The Institute entered their trademark scheduling territory that fall with the introduction of the quarter system. Programs requiring co-op, Chemistry, Electrical, and Mechanical, became five-year programs, requiring 12 quarters of schooling and EIGHT co-op quarters on the job.

The 125th Anniversary fund had grown to almost $5.5 million and student debate was ramping up over the prioritization of the expansion plan with nearly all students advocating for a new men's dorm or gynasium as the antecedent project. The May 7, 1954 Reporter began to shed some light on the scope of land acquisition The Institute had in mind. Included in these parcels was the mansion on Livingston Park at Troup Street housing the Irondequoit Chapter of the DAR. In a straight trade, The Institute would compensate the DAR with the George C. Gordon home at 1099 East Avenue in exchange for the 1837 Hervey Ely House with possible plans for conversion into The Institute's library according to Ellingson. These plans were scrapped and a retraction printed just two weeks later, however. A combination of the difficulty of adapting the Gordon's house along with a looming zoning battle (!) to establish the chapter in a residential zone swayed the opinion of the chapter president. The building still functions today as a museum, genealogical library, and meeting place for the DAR.

Just four months after outlining targeted acquisitions, demolition began on the Buell House and RIT Faculty Apartment Building immediately north of the DAR house to make way for the new $650,000 gynasium. In order to provide for the establishment of first-class physical education programs at The Institute, six other structures on Livingston and Spring would meet their demise. Previously, the varsity basketball team engaged its foes at the Jefferson High School gynasium, the swimming club forced to trek to the city-owned natatorium on South Ave. The small gym located in the Eastman Annex was only adequate for fencing and wrestling practices.

"With the rapidly expanding enrollment at RIT, the need for the gym kept growing, and the recreation and athletic facilities that will be made available to the students, will help fulfill the program of all-round development that is the goal of the school."
-September 24, 1954

Meanwhile, another force conspiring to change the face of The Institute forever first reared its head on November 20, 1953 in an otherwise innocuous story about spring tennis practice. RIT's three tennis courts were to be confiscated in the near future for the completion of Rochester's new Inner Loop. By all accounts, this was not even the grade separated Inner Loop that we know today, object of much scorn and derision from those who seek to restitch our lacerated urban fabric. Nevertheless a thematic precedent had been established that would become the obsession of area traffic engineers for the next twenty years.

More to come...

Discarded and Forgotten: RIT's Downtown Campus Vol. 1

2010-03-27T12:36:00.012-04:00

Institute's Gynasium Plans Revealed blares the headline at the top of the January 31, 1955 edition of the RIT Reporter. Inconceivably, in less than ten years, the former Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute would begin work on a new campus in the swamps of Henrietta, abandoning the city entirely.

This is a story of tangible loss. It marks the end of the urban campus dynamic for the City of Rochester. Like so many other stories of U.S.A. urban cannibalization, this one is 'driven' by the familiar refrain of perceived parking hardship and interstate highway money. It is a story that RIT certainly does not grandstand about nor even mention. And it is a story that could not be further from the consciousness of an 18 year-old prospective student from Scranton, Pennsylvania, marveling at and reveling in The Institute's seemingly 'modern' environs 11 years ago.

The RIT Reporter, which today takes the form of an alternative weekly magazine, began its run as the bi-weekly student newspaper of The Institute in late February, 1951. Through tremendous foresight, Reporters published from 1951-1970 can be viewed in PDF format at RIT's Digital Media Library. These periodicals open a tremendous window to the world of 50's campus life. They are high quality and in color to boot. RIT was and is after all, a leading printing/imaging school.

The production of this issue of the RIT REPORTER has been accomplished under the direction of the Department of Publishing and Printing. Composition was accomplished utilizing Linotype and Intertype equipment, Ludlow, Monotype, and foundry type. The paper was printed on the ATF Webendorfer periodical press (offset). The eight-page issue was run off at the rate of 12,500 impressions per hour. Conventional process linseed ink has been used on St. Regis white standard 40-Ib. paper. Plates used were surface zinc—Pitman U. V. albumen.

-RIT Reporter April 6, 1951

Mark W. Ellingson had already been President of RIT for 15 years at the inception of the Reporter and his reign would last another 18 years. Under his shepherding, The Institute would add departments, balloon the endowment, rename itself, develop a downtown campus, build from scratch an entire suburban campus, and add the National Technical Institute for the Deaf into the fold. He was so revered that the largest building on the new campus, Ellingson Hall, bears his name. Those familiar with RIT will find that in many ways, Ellingsonian Policy is still de facto Institute Policy as carried out by his successors.

Beginning in 1946 when the George H. Clark building (Printing, Photographic, and Mechanical Departments) was dedicated and The Institute given its current appellation, the core of the campus was one exceedingly dense city block (pictured, left) bounded by Broad, Washington, Spring, and Plymouth. The Bevier Building (Department of Art and Design) was a gift of the art patron Susan Bevier and opened in 1911. Art reference libraries and exhibition room were amongst the Bevier's supporting functions to decades of art student, establishing RIT's still significant reputation in graphic arts. Clark Union (Student Center, Men's Dormitory), formerly the Jenkinson Apartments, was located at 102 Spring St. on the site of Jonathan Child's (first mayor of Rochester) 1829 home and featured the Carnegie Room, a place for students to listen to an extensive institute vinyl collection.

The possibly satirical E-shaped Eastman Building housed the lion's share of institute departments and ancillaries. On the first day of classes of the 1953-1954 school year, it was home to the administrative offices, library, assembly hall, bookstore, cafeteria, Hospital and Foods Administration, Retailing, Social Sciences, Chemical, Electrical, and Evening School departmental offices. The 'hole' in the doughnut was filled by the Eastman Annex, a long narrow building fronting on Broad Street that housed the Commerce Department (acquired in an recent merger) and meager practice facilities for the three varsity athletic programs, Basketball, Wrestling, and Fencing. Other buildings not on the main block, but still within another block of the center were Kate Gleason Hall, the former Fontanec Apartments converted for use as the women's dormitory in 1940, the school for the American Craftsmen, and assorted 'Barracks' buildings for additional men's housing.

Campus life at RIT in the mid-50's was characterized by an intensely urban dynamic. The integration with and reliance on community business was ubiquitous as the most popular recurring advertisements in student publications were for diners on Exchange, Plymouth, and Main, laundry services on Spring, the Hotel Rochester Barber Shop, Rowe Photo at Main and Broad, and an optician on Gibbs Street. Landmark downtown hotels such as the Powers and the Seneca were utilized frequently for formal occasions. Jazz Legend Count Basie and his orchestra played Spring Weekend '51 at the Knights of Columbus Civic Center, now the Montage Music Hall on Chestnut Street. This was true urban living, just as vibrant at its scale as that seen in the cores of today's megalopolises.

The first inkling that major changes were in store for The Institute were reported in the Reporter on November 16, 1951. James E. Gleason, member of the Board of Trustees for whom today's Engineering building is named, announced a $30 million expansion and modernization program to take place over the following ten years. Under the fundraising theme of the 125th Anniversary Fund, this blustery announcement included lavish bankrolling of $12 million to build, equip, and endow a new Graphic Arts Center across Washington Street from the Clark Building. A new Student Union, Men's Dorm, additions to the Clark Building, and a compartively paltry $850,000 gymnasium were also part of the ten-year plan. The optimism was tempered however by what can be inferred today to be the Korean War. "It is hoped that by 1954 the critical international situation will have eased, making possible the actual erection of some of the buildings," read the column by Al Booth.

Just one and a half years later, at an Alumni Banquet, Ellingson formally declared a desire to petition for the ability to confer a Bachelor of Science degree. This action would transform a "glorified trade school," as denominated by student Paul Holzwarth in the May 8th, 1953 edition of the Reporter, into an institute of increased prestige and enrollment.

More to come...

Great American Architecture Vol. 7

2010-03-22T13:53:00.008-04:00

I had intended to profile what is today the Monroe County Clerk's Office building. This was once the 3rd Monroe County Courthouse. A typical roundabout internet journey, the original impetus of which I've already forgotten, led me to an architecture example, Chicago's Grand Ballroom, and the reason for its continued existence, the heroic ShoreBank community development bank. The stories of both are noteworthy and give hope and inspiration to the ardent urbanist.

Erected in 1923 at the corner of South Cottage Grove and East 64th Street, the originally named Frank Loeffler Building is a fine 13,000 square foot example of Renaissance Revival architecture. Modest in height at only two stories, the edifice features 2nd floor tri-fenestrated bays, decorative brick and stone spandrels between arches, an attractive stone-carved cornice, and plated iron balcony gates with flagholders.

Relatively modest by the standards of its day, the Lowenberg Associates designed structure and its eleven street level storefronts have endured where the previously adjacent Tivoli Theater has succumbed to urban decay. But the story of the Grand Ballroom's perserverance cannot be told without a detour into the world of a quartet of 60's era idealists who attacked redlining head on...by opening their own bank.

Redlining can be defined as, 'denial of credit and services to customers in poorer areas,' but the American version of mid 20th century vintage was far more insidious due to overt racism. ShoreBank is an institution directly descendent from the bold action of Ron Grzywinski, Milton Davis, Mary Houghton, and James Fletcher in 1973. These four social crusaders became practicing bankers overnight via their purchase of the South Shore Bank on 71st street, a tactic designed to prevent capital flight following white flight.

Today Shorebank boasts branches in many Chicago neighborhoods as well as locations in Cleveland and Detroit. They have become a pioneer in environmentally responsible lending. A banking corporation with the motto, 'Let's Change the World,' still managed to report a $5.3 million net income in 2006 while not losing sight of its mission. 'Investing in people and their communities to create economic equity' has proven to be a trailblazing success despite the widespread skepticism of the time.

It is with this in mind that we return to the story of the Grand Ballroom. Argentinian immigrant Andy Schcolnik has been rehabilitating dilapidated Chicago properties since 1991. After establishing a strong track record, Andy began to do business with ShoreBank in 2000. A $3 million renovation embarked on in 2003 and financed by ShoreBank has become a showpiece for the bank's work, a rare architectural gem in a still struggling district.

The end result:

The architecture continues to exhibit the glass slipper motif throughout the interior and exterior details. The stage, originally designed as the inside of Cinderella‘s carriage, retains the fine points of the original plaster ornamentation. Wood framed windows and prominent features of the 60-foot art deco bar made entirely of oak have also been brought back to life through the restoration. Through the preservation of the building the developers were given the opportunity to conserve and incorporate beautiful architectural treasures from other significant buildings in Chicago. Among these gems are: antique fixtures from Camile, an opera performed at the Lyric in 1930; crystal chandeliers and room dividers from the Drury Lane Theater.

The Ballroom has been a part of the city and neighborhood history for many years. It carries with it several decades of stories and events that tell of the dynamic development and importance of the south side and its residents. The restoration of the ballroom establishes it as a neighborhood landmark. It brings renewed character, interest and vitality to Woodlawn and the magical promise of good fortune to come.

-Beth A. Johnson

Center City Circulator Feasibility Study

2010-03-21T20:59:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow at 4PM a public input meeting will be held regarding the potential implementation of a Center City Circulator. The following is the meat and potatoes of the brief address I will be delivering.

Much of my understanding of the official positions and procedures to be followed with respect to the circulator effort has been gleaned from document #6352, the Scope of Work for the Center City Circulator Study. I’d like to begin by praising some of the recognitions made by the primary stakeholders in the background portion.

I consider it a positive development that city governments have come to the conclusion that building parking garages is an unsustainable practice. Setting aside for a moment the idea of what makes a city a vibrant and desirable environment, trends indicate that the age of personal automotive transportation reached its crescendo in 2004 before embarking on a decline beginning in 2007. A combination of higher fuel prices, vehicle financing issues, enthusiasm for various forms of public transportation, and a cognizance of the health benefits of walking or bicycling have contributed to the first national year-over-year reduction in vehicular miles traveled since 1980.

I’d also like to applaud the preparers of the documentation that I have read to date for not precluding any potential modes or vehicle types. I am not here to advocate for any one particular type, though I do have my personal preferences. I am here to simply reinforce a few ideas so that the circulator implementation is appropriate in concert with a broader city-strengthening approach.

The document cited earlier defines the Study Area as a focus on the Center City district, but that it is not limited to this region. This is crucial. An attempt to serve one population segment will likely bear less fruit than one designed to serve business, student, and entertainment populations. Fully realizing the general small scale of something labeled ‘circulator,’ I would encourage further studies to consider connecting to the closest institutions of higher education, namely the University of Rochester and Monroe Community College, at meaningful times to the student bodies. I would also encourage serious consideration of short services to the nearest neighborhoods on the center city perimeter such as the Frontier Field/High Falls area and its accompanying parking facilities, the intercity bus and train stations, Marketview Heights and the Public Market when appropriate, Corn Hill, and near South and East side vibrant districts. We must begin to think in terms of a city not choked by an Inner Loop around its neck, but one of seamless integration of proper densities, a model transect.

I’d like to conclude with a request to truly consider non-obvious destinations for enhanced transit. Dependent on the ultimate scope of the circulator and mode chosen, an opportunity exists to spur reinvestment as well as new development in urban locales which have experienced rampant disinvestment in more modern times. For instance, the Genesee Transportation Council’s satellite transit center study determined that Bulls Head represented the most traveled non-downtown RTS transit node. This once important hub of urban activity can be so once again thanks to careful and forward-thinking transportation planning.

On the agenda for future installments are a look at the Grand Ballroom in South Chicago and the role of ShoreBank in its restoration as well as a comparison between Scranton's 500 Block of Lackawanna Avenue project and the possibilites for our similar situation, the former Renaissance Square site.

Urban News Vol. 60

2010-03-10T18:55:00.006-05:00

Reconnect Rochester is gaining a lot of momentum very quickly. I will admit that there is inherent efficiency in Facebook for building groups and building buzz. The first words were printed on its Facebook page just 4 days ago and already there are 125 'fans.' I've linked to the more traditional site (because that's my style) in the Rochester Resources sidebar.

Onto today's news:

UR Planting Seeds for College Town Project
by James Goodman, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Article Key Points:

UR's 2008 Campus Master Plan calls for a College Town on the west side of Mt. Hope between Crittenden and Elmwood
The process moves ahead this spring with a request for proposals
Seven undisclosed firms have shown interest in the site, UR is likely to sell the land to the chosen developer
The city has rezoned the corridor 'dense mixed-use'
Current neighbor concerns characterized by uncertainty
Frontage from 29 properties will be seized for street widening
A road will be built between East Drive and Mt. Hope
Groundbreaking still likely two years away

This article, while long, doesn't actually say much in terms of concrete project progress. Some of the changes to the major roadway were discussed briefly in a previous volume of Urban News, though I failed to discuss the street implications on what is currently private property. I applaud breaking up the superblock (the road referenced would run east-west just north of Goler House, the large apartment building in the southwest corner), and I would even suggest an additional north-south roughly halfway between East Dr. and Mt. Hope Ave. to further improve walkability on the site and a sense of tight-knit community.

The passage about rezoning was funny to me because in a way, isn't that a fancy way of saying the corridor was de-zoned? Why must the adoption of form-based codes always be baselined against zoning verbiage of some sort? Is it now impossible for people to understand that zoning was a man-made invention (one that implies segregation) and that there was a time not so long ago that it didn't exist?

Lastly, the final few paragraphs are troublesome. What RIT got in Park Point is exactly what the UR does not want. What RIT got on a former wetland was a greenfield development with only two mixed-use buildings. As part of the deal, they also received 1 commerical building, 29 apartment pods not very close to the rest of it, and an absolute pile of impervious pavement for parking cars. The cherry on top of this asphalt sundae is the shuttle RIT students must now ride just to go to the BOOKSTORE. Wilmot, who is a mall developer, cited potential for broader mixed use in the UR project (good...). Office space would also be looked at as an offering (good...), as would a parking garage (wtf?!?!?!?!?!). The whole point of this is to create a more rewarding, WALKABLE, off-campus to campus gateway. The U of R already greatly discourages parking on campus, oftentimes through draconian measures. I suppose I, and the good people of my neighborhood who currently walk quite a distance to U of R institutions, shouldn't expect anything less from the operators of Eastview, Marketplace, and Pittsford Plaza.

Going forward on the blog front, I am way overdue for a post on Great American Architecture. In fact, it has been just over 14 months since I've profiled a building. I promise that will change with my next entry. In the meantime, be sure to keep following Reconnect Rochester for updates on the ways you can make a difference in the future of Rochester transit options as well as reshaping downtown to promote neighborhood connectivity.

One last thing that I forgot in my initial publishing, a very thoughtfiul op-ed in the Boston Globe by Edward L. Glaeser entitled, "Why the Anti-Urban Bias?" It is a clear and concise call for policy change from the top down in this nation regarding the treatment of dense areas.

Breaking With Tradition Again

2010-03-06T18:51:00.005-05:00

Almost two years ago to the day I threw the usually regimented format of this blog in the trash temporarily in order to riff aimlessly like a latter-day Andy Rooney on topics ranging from Walkscore.com to the utility of the still operational Midtown Plaza. I'd like to do the same today with a rare Saturday post as I have a lot of short bursts (all pertaining to Rochester) to relate.

I'll start by saying I've finally succumbed and been sucked into the black hole of Facebook. As we all know, the Internet is serious business. Mike Governale of RochesterSubway.com has begun an action group soon to be known publicly as Reconnect Rochester. The people behind it are part of the Reconnecting Rochester Facebook group. If you the reader are interested in assisting our advocacy of a return to layered multi-modal transportation options, please apply for admission (have your SAT scores handy?) to our band of merry urbanists.

Two more blurbs while on the topic. First, the City will be holding the first public meeting regarding a Center City Circulator Feasibility Study. It is being billed as a reassessment of the downtown parking situation and consideration of a circulator transit service. While the project page does not explicitly state so, a streetcar will be considered. I have in my possession documentation from RGRTA requesting $1M for their own feasibility study and alternatives analysis to "assess the opportunities, benefits, and impacts that the investment in a center-city fixed guideway circulator system would have on the center city area and the entire region." Time and place details for the meeting are as follows:

March 22nd, 2010 - 4:00PM - 6:00PM
Kate Gleason Auditorium - Rundel Library (Bausch & Lomb side)

Secondly, I have completed my Main Street Streetcar in RTS livery drawing. I want to take a second and pitch for the Memorial Art Gallery's Creative Workshop where I received the training to do something like this at a very reasonable monetary rate. I'd recommend their beginning drawing and sketchbook classes for anyone looking to develop drawing skills, especially perspective, in order to sketch the built environment.

Moving right along regarding streetcars and transit, the following are projects in the pipeline that the city's official transportation planner, Erik Frisch, announced in the comments at A Town Square:

Inner Loop East - Phase I, Monroe Avenue to Charlotte Street
The city's first Bicycle Master Plan
The aforementioned Circulator Study
Narrowing and restoring two-way traffic to major downtown streets
Artwalk 2 - University Avenue from Goodman to Union

I would love the opportunity to transcribe an interview with Mr. Frisch in this space as he seems to be projecting a positive official platform from the city planning department. It appears that the right conversations are about to take place.

On Friday night, my wife and I ate dinner at Captain Jim's on Main near Winton. Afterward, we boarded the 8 - East Main toward downtown. During a brief layover at the RTS Headquarters, something caught my eye. RTS is testing out an electronic real-time arrival notifier. We returned this afternoon to take the photo to the right. Unfortunately the photo makes it look non-functional, this is due to the minimal exposure of our digital camera and the refresh rate of the LED display. What it actually said was:

8B - Gen Pk Blvd/Strong Loop 12:47
Mar 6, 2010 12:20

This is a fairly attractive feature that would be an excellent addition to downtown shelters. I appreciate it as a marketing device in the present. Its scalability over a widespread area is questionable as there are just too many bus stops, almost none of which on land owned by or leased by the authority. It is also not inherently sustainable energy-wise, but I'd imagine 'riders of choice' will not need to be 'convinced' to utilize transit in the event of a terminal energy crunch.

Largely unrelated to anything else, I'd like to give some credit to Providence Housing as possibly the only area homebuilder building the classic double. A family of obviously newer South Scranton-style doubles line Brown Street between Terry and Wentworth. Their work in the Plymouth-Exchange neighborhood just off the ass of Corn Hill is also exemplary. In addition to good homebuilding that properly treats the city street, they must retain planners who understand the importance of street connectivity.

In the place of standard issue 1960's housing projects, Providence has run Champlain Street all the way through to Ford and built Carlson Commons in and around the area (also creating Lunsford Lane and Correta Scott Crossing). Their Plymouth Manor Townhouses accomplish the same thing just a couple of blocks south where Edith Street was allowed to carve up a former project superblock and connect with Doran.

Finally, I'd like thank the burgeoning readership of this blog for taking the time to keep coming back and reading my opinionated analysis. And I'd also like to thank those of you visting for the first time who might be relatively new to the urbanist movement. Traffic is up week-over-week since early January resulting in an 89.8% increase in pageviews in February as compared with the same month in 2009. Again, thank you all for reading and livening up the discussion with your comments!

Inner Loop East Reconstruction and Realignment

2010-03-02T16:20:00.006-05:00

The City of Rochester recently sponsored a TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant application. This represents the first outward sign that the administration seeks to attempt to heal this tremendous scar on the map. More on the specifics to come, but I'd like to talk a bit about the other grants applied for by New York State and the trend in those awarded nationwide.

According to the Federal Department of Transportation:

"The TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Discretionary Grant Program was included in the Recovery Act to spur a national competition for innovative, multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional transportation projects that promise significant economic and environmental benefits to an entire metropolitan area, a region or the nation. Projects funded with the $1.5 billion allocated in the Recovery Act include improvements to roads, bridges, rail, ports, transit and intermodal facilities."

Municipal bodies, authorities, and the state DOT submitted applications for 60 different projects. Somewhat interesting, but not surprisingly, six of the nine applications submitted directly by the DOT were highway related. The two that were rail related were extremely notable, so much so that the Moynihan Station application, attempting to rectify a 50 year national disgrace, was the only New York project awarded federal funds this year.

The other New York rail-related DOT application was incredibly ambitious, but incredibly intelligent. Requesting 'only' $29.3M of the $56.35M total cost, a project entitled, "Restoring the
Rail Freight System in Upstate New York's Economically Distressed Region," would 'rehabilitate critical rail freight tracks and structures to a State-of-Good Repair on portions of 17 of the 21 short line railroads serving the economically distressed Upstate New York region to protect existing jobs supported by these services, as well as to position these railroads and areas for future growth.'

While it is unfortunate that Rochester's sole project wasn't included for immediate federal funds, a pattern emerges in those projects which did receive funding that for once does not pay lip service or ignore the stated mission of the discretionary grant program. Just 17 of 51 projects are geared toward motorway improvements. Cities such as Tucson, New Orleans, Detroit, Portland, and Dallas will see streetcar installation or improvement. Numerous multi-modal facilities will be built in smaller cities across the Midwest. Rail corridors as well as their interface with seaports will be enhanced. Even 15 years ago this list would have looked something like this:

I-4 FL
I-5 CA, OR, WA
I-8 CA, AZ
I-10 ... you get the idea

Back to Rochester and the Inner Loop project.

Unfortunately the areas mentioned for fill in only include Monroe Avenue to Charlotte Street. It seems as though the emphasis is still on car movement, retaining the connection from the new boulevard to 490 East via the goofy South Avenue 1-leaf clover. Also, if this was ultimately phase 1 of an inner loop retro-fit, why not go all the way to Main Street and restore the original path of University as well as the other half of Anderson Park?

Page 22 has some figures attempting to illustrate the concept of "reclaimed land" that concern me. The unnecessary curving of the boulevard creates a situation where some of Union St. will be dug up for absolutely no reason. On top of this, I believe a maximum of reclaimed is achieved by pasting the boulevard to Union and attempting to restore the orthogonal grid.

Gardiner Park only connects to the northbound segment of the boulevard, in much the same way Atkinson connects to Ford on the phony edge of Corn Hill. Broad Street looks like its being routed through Dryer ALLEY for connection with Alexander. Ugh.

Maps exist that describe in great detail the way this once was and is supposed to be. Why is that so difficult for today's planner who insists on leaving their idiosyncratic marks on absolutely everything?

But, you know what? As I said in a comment on the RochesterSubway blog, fill the damn thing in and we'll argue about the particulars of reclaimed land later. This all shows some amount of enlightened thinking on the part of those with the power to shape our future built environment.

I feel the urge to end this installment with some over-the-top historically significant rhetoric. Read into it what you want.

"Any city gets what it admires, will pay for, and ultimately deserves...We want and deserve tin-can architecture in a tin-horn culture. And we will probably be judged not by the monuments we build, but those we have destroyed." (New York Times Editorial - October 28, 1963)

Urban News Vol. 59

2010-02-24T19:15:00.005-05:00

Quick status report on the state's railway investment award and a superior blog that recently caught my eye.

High-Speed Rail Plans for New York Take Shape
by Steve Orr, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Incremental steps to be taken to stretch 'high-speed' corridor between Albany and Niagara Falls
Design work to begin soon on 11-mile test track in Genesee and Monroe counties
85 trains per day currently use CSX tracks between Buffalo and Rochester including 8 Amtrak trains
While New York sent in applications for 39 projects, only 7 were funded
1 application was deemed incomplete, the largest one, intended to fund the entire corridor
State intends to build track record with $151M granted in this round of federal funding

This piece served as a nice status update as well as an elucidation to the widely reported news regarding the wholeness of the state's applications. My dose of irony for the week came in the sidebar:

"The stretch of track that New York state intends to build is roughly 20 miles east of the site, on the same railroad right-of-way, where a steam-driven locomotive dubbed the Empire State Express No. 999 became the first man-made conveyance to break the 100-mph barrier. The history-making run occurred west of Batavia in May 1893. No. 999 hit an unofficial top speed that day of 112 mph — faster than 21st century Amtrak trains will go on the new track."

This reminds me of J.H. Kunstler's popular lament that the state of the railroad system in this nation is such that the Bulgarians would be ashamed of it. The talk today of 'high-speed' rail is a large misrepresentation by Eurasian standards, but in a good way. We shouldn't encumber ourselves at this point with expensive lofty goals. Simply attempting to restore capacity and service to Pre-World War II levels represents a simply massive undertaking due to our wholesale rejection of the transit mode through policy, taxation, and direct action over the last 60 years.

Yesterday I came across a blog that combines planning and architectural expertise with the best humanist common-sense aspects of avowed urbanists. Howard Decker, former curator of the National Building Museum, has made Rochester home for the past 3 months and is diving headlong into our history. His blog, titled 'A Town Square' looks at heady proposals for shaping the city such as the Olmsted/Brummer Plan of 1911 (some good ideas), the Bartholomew Plan of 1929 (which sowed the seeds of our intractable disgraces), and platting decisions made by Nathaniel Rochester in 1811. His two most recent posts represent the most coherent and eloquent Rochester-specific urban social commentary that I've seen on the internet. Much less condescending than this scattershot, Decker's works, some of which he has compiled into a volume entitled, "The Next City: Shaping a Useable Future," will be linked in the friends of the M.U.C. sidebar henceforth.

Urban News Vol. 58

2010-02-22T11:01:00.006-05:00

The Democrat and Chronicle released a special report on the state of downtown in yesterday's print and online editions.

Downtown: Despite Recession, City Gears for Big Plans
by Brian Sharp and Jim Stinson

Article Key Points:

Recession compromising speed of downtown redevelopment
220 workers inside Midtown prepping for demolition
$200 million deal in negotiation for Sibley Building
11 corporate HQs have either expanded, moved, or plan to move downtown
Scope of development could rise if Cultural Center Commission acts on $20M, 74 housing unit project near Eastman
Half of the $752M worth of projects in process or in planning are private
Today's downtown includes 2,700 residential units (4,000 people), 600+ units in the pipeline
Downtown population has doubled in the past 20 years, 21 structures renovated for apartments in the past 10
Today 15 renovations are proposed or underway, with Midtown Tower accounting for roughly half of the 45 For-Sale units
97% of downtown housing is currently rental
Patrick Dutton has sold 6 of 19 Capron Lofts, needs one more to satisfy lenders and proceed with further construction
Lending from banks has largely ceased for less endowed developers such the Wood's Chestnut St. effort.
$4M overhaul of the Kirstein building will add 191 apartments to the north side of downtown
Experts claim retail will follow a critical mass of residents and offices

There is an awful lot here, and an awful lot that speaks for itself (The Kirstein Development is within WALKING distance of the Amtrak station! A pedestrian gateway to Chicago, Toronto, Boston, and New York). I will focus on a couple of themes I noticed that are troubling and reflect some dangerous attitudes with respect to downtown development.

The first is with respect to the quote, "In five years, if you walk to Main and Clinton, you won't recognize the landscape." This is the kind of potentially misguided exuberance that saw heads of goverment smiling as they laid the first blow of a sledgehammer into opulent movie houses in the name of "progress." The same thing could have been said 50 years ago at the corner of Clinton and Broad and look how that turned out. Yes, Midtown turned its back to the street, but some of its constituent components, namely the former B. Forman Building, represented the last fully functioning retail on all of Clinton Avenue as recently as two years ago. That original street treatment is worth saving or at least emulating going forward. It's important to break up that block, but some selective diligence (as was seen in the decision to save the tower) should be done to ensure what we are looking for doesn't already exist. To finish with a 'green' cliche, the greenest building is the one that is already built.

This brings me to my second minor criticism. Twice in the piece, the phrase "tired storefronts" is used to describe those on the northwest corner of Main and Clinton and extending westward on Main. Where some see a tired storefront, others see a redevelopment opportunity. Phase 2 of the Mills at High Falls project seeks historic designation for pre-1900 buildings lining State Street directly across from Kodak Headquarters. An 83 year old building on Arnett Blvd. in the 19th Ward was the renovation target of a Perinton entrepreneur. The once deteriorated Harry Foreman Building at 116 St. Paul is now a shining example of the original mixed-use paradigm. Its owners reside on the 3rd floor, rent out apartments on the 2nd, and commercial space at street level. I once slammed a man named Andrew Stainton regarding Renaissance Square and its transit implications. Part of Mr. Stainton's anti-RenSquare platform was historical preservation and he was 100% correct in that area. To quote a planner friend of mine, "Nobody does superblock projects anymore." These buildings aren't just an important piece of our city's past, they possess that elusive 'character' that loft developers can never duplicate with today's building materials or designs. Hell these buildings already are residential/office over retail (pictured, above left)!

On the streetcar front, Mike of RochesterSubway.com is attempting to arrange a meeting of interested stakeholders in the comment thread immediately following his wonderfully crafted "Rochester's Case for a Streetcar Line." In the meantime, I've been working on some artwork in support of the project. Embedded to the right is an early sketch of what a Rochester Streetcar might look like plying Main Street. I've obviously got a lot left to do. Will post the finished version in the near future.

Urban News Vol. 57

2010-02-16T14:20:00.005-05:00

I was unable to attend a meeting last Thursday held by the Upper Mt. Hope Neighbors regarding redevelopment of the corridor. As it turns out, the discussion was solely about roadway changes. While that usually puts me off, these changes all appear to be designed to improve pedestrian safety as well as lay the groundwork for future development.

Left turns by motor vehicles would largely be eliminated between Crittenden Boulevard and Elmwood Avenue due to the presence of a tree-lined median according to the city's project manager (RNews). As far as I can tell from the rendering, motor traffic to existing suburban-style businesses would be routed behind them via an access road as is done on stretches on Monroe Avenue in Pittsford.

A stated goal is the widening of the road, which is troublesome. Some of that width will be put to reasonable use through the inclusion of curb bump-outs to facilitate on-street parking (D&C). While not a natural barrier, on-street parking would serve to tame traffic and provide an additional pedestrian buffer.

I touched very briefly on a potential starter streetcar line two posts ago. Based on an ongoing discussion I'm having with Mike of RochesterSubway.com, I decided it might be useful to plot an integration of the bus system into the streetcar line with Google Maps. The embedded map below shows the spoked routes, but is limited to showing the first 7 pairs of routes. Click on the link below the map to get 2-page functionality for routes 8-11, 18-19, and 24 as well as additional description of my proposal.

View Rochester Starter Streetcar Proposal in a larger map

As I alluded to in the margin of my Google plot, there are 14 mandatory streetcar stops along the line. There would likely be more, but these currently line up as bus launching points. I've ranked them based on a connectivity score that reveals which intersections would house the most significant bus-streetcar interchanges if buses no longer plied Main Street.

Main and St. Paul (4)
Main and Chestnut (4)
Main and Clinton (3)
Main and State/Exchange (2)
Main and Genesee (2)
Main and Plymouth (2)
Main and Broad/Ford (2)
Genesee and McCree (2)
Goodman and Webster (2)
Main and Goodman (1)
Central Park and Union/Niagara [Public Market] (1)
Main and University (1)
Goodman and Central Park (1)
Jefferson and McCree (1)

Where connectivity scores were tied, these were ranked in order of subjective importance (attractions if any, which bus routes, etc). The idea behind this is that the resources dedicated to supporting infrastructure would be greatest at locales at the top of the list. In general, stops not on Main Street, such as 8, 9, 11, 13, and 14 would be curbside stops functioning the same as our current bus stops.

Some other notes:

The proximity of stops 9 and 10 to each other potentially implies a more important combined stop, a potential 'level 3' transit node that might be implemented at the Goodman-Webster-Garson 'Wedge.'
The Public Market stop likely would not be at the corner listed as people have proven themselves so lazy as to require a shuttle between the market and their cars across Union Street
Nathaniel Rottenchester asked in a comment on a previous post about fitting the streetcar on Union Street. My answer to this is that the streetcar would only be running one-way (north) on Union as it has then entered a large turnaround loop.

Urban News Vol. 56

2010-02-09T15:22:00.005-05:00

Some unrelated miscellany that opens the door for me to rhapsodize on the role of sports as cultural events that strengthen a downtown.

Developers Say They Will Put $200 Million in Sibley Building
by Brian Sharp, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Boston developers interested in buying and renovating Sibley Building - $200M investment
Initial phase involves commercial/retail on lower floors
Later phases to include mixed-income residential or student housing
Building has amassed more than $19M in debt, largely delinquent PILOT
WinnCompanies has put down a deposit
Winn hopes MCC considers staying in Sibley, MCC has not ruled out any property

I'm not sure what, if any, outside assistance, or even pressure is coming from the city administration on this deal but it sounds like one that would be foolish to allow to fall through from their perspective. Even if some PILOT is forgiven, the possibility exists to collect going forward though there is no guarantee Winn will be any more responsible than Wilmorite.

This is a very difficult property to redevelop, at least in the original department store area. Large retail floors without suitable partitions or window access are not conducive to residential redevelopment of any real value. Keeping MCC as an anchor tenant and building off of that seems like the only viable strategy save the occurence of a miracle (or an acute energy crisis) that would render Walmart's inventory system non-cost effective.

Courage Bowl Moving Downtown
by Jim Mandelaro, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Annual game between St. John Fisher and the University of Rochester moved to Marina Auto Stadium
Soccer stadium seats 13,500 versus 5,000 at UR and 2,100 at Fisher
Officials hope larger venue and more parking helps to attract general fans

Very quickly, its funny how the scale of the event and the quality of the preceeding facilities colors the perception of our rectangular stadium in this instance. The region's pseudo-soccer fans have done nothing but throw a shit fit since they got their wish of a soccer specific stadium. Most of the wailing is elitist in nature, directed at the surrounding neighborhood and precious motor storage situation. Count me among those who is looking forward to this game in this quality venue.

I was asked once whether I ever write about hockey on this blog. I have written some things on an area message board regarding the relationship of the local AHL hockey franchise to their parent NHL team. I told the man that I never mix the two since this blog is topical and sticks to urban issues. Well, this story gives me an excuse to pontificate a little bit on the idea that sporting events downtown add to the cultural richness of place.

While the economics behind sport at the major league level are often derided as distortions of reality, community gatherings of sports enthusiasts are as old as civilization itself, and in my opinion, equal in stature to more refined endeavors from a urban vitality standpoint. Yes, the minor league scale certainly does not lend itself to a sustained economic generation situation like you'd see immediately outside ballparks in Cleveland or Baltimore. But, the treatment of the public realm by the major Rochester sporting venues is generally of high quality and could serve as district anchors at the advent of more residential urban infill.

Case Study - Toronto, ON, Canada - Vol. 3

2010-02-03T12:53:00.011-05:00

I departed on Amtrak Train 63 bound for Toronto on Friday with the intention of showcasing The Danforth, a tremendous example of vibrant scaled urbanism that could serve as a model of aspiration for many of Rochester's neglected arterials. While I still intend to touch on the subject, some other things experienced in my days there serve as inspiration to draw some transit comparisons and unveil a starter streetcar proposal for downtown Rochester. (All photography use covered by Creative Commons licenses)

Danforth Avenue is an East-West corridor that functions as Main Street for the entire east side of Toronto (with apologies to Queen St. in Leslieville). Everything imaginable can be found for purchase along its roughly 4 mile long spine. The western end which doubles as Toronto's Greektown is especially dense, boasting banks, library branches, multiple grocery stores, bicycle shops, dry cleaners, shoes, lingerie stores and much more. Food offerings are rooted in Greek offerings like Alexandros Take-Out featuring quick street friendly items like Souvlaki, but also branch into the populist American/Canadian tradition at places such as Brass Taps Pizza Pub (which has downtown Toronto brewed Steam Whistle Pilsner on tap!). Rounding out the fare in the immediate area are quasi-fancy Italian restaurant Il Fornello juxtaposed against Wild Wings Sports Pub which boasts a preposterous 105 flavours (sic) of chicken wings (for the record, I went with 'Bacon and Cheese' and was not disappointed, the wife sampled Maple BBQ).

The Danforth is served frequently by its namesake subway, the Bloor-Danforth Line (or green line as shown on most maps), an army of buses, and to a certain extent (at either end) by the King, Dundas, and Carlton streetcars. A recommended course of action when traveling to Toronto on the weekend is to purchase a $10 day pass. On Saturdays and Sundays, this pass allows 2 adults and up to 4 children or one adult and up to five children to ride unlimited on all TTC Subways, Streetcars, and Buses. My wife and I utilized it to great effect this past Saturday, enjoying $54 worth of individual cash fares for the cost of one day pass.

One mode of transportation utilized by us that day that we hadn't encountered before was the 510 Spadina streetcar. Originally billed as LRT, the Spadina streetcar represents a hybrid between traditional streetcar service and the more regimented boarding areas of a true light rail system. Islands separate regular traffic from the streetcar tracks, implying implementation on an orginally wide thoroughfare such as Rochester's Main Street.

From Wikipedia:

"Stops along 510 consist of a raised concrete platform with a partially covered shelter and railings along the entire boarding area. Platforms are located on the far-side of most intersections, to make room for left-turn lanes on the near side. TTC streetcars are equipped with a Surface Vehicle Automatic Stop Announcement System (SVASAS) which calls out the stops through the public address system and on the L.E.D. board (e.g., Next Stop: College Street)."

I understand completely that comparing Rochester public transit and its needs to that of Toronto is folly for the time being. I am still particularly interested in examining how a seemingly lower cost rail system that still contains some enhanced features would serve as a small starter line. Rochester's system is significantly outpacing other comparable sized bus transit systems in terms of ridership growth (J. Halldow - RGRTA, 2/1/2010 D&C). It is currently an all-bus system that moved 17 million riders in 2009, or over 46,000 per day on average. One potential solution to the demise of the Renaissance Square project which perpetuated the lack of a central intracity bus terminal is my starter streetcar line. If run at a critical frequency mass, buses would be able to originate from many points downtown, serving business people from more portions of the region's primary commercial district.

Starting at the Four Corners, the proposed route would head 'east' on Main Street (imagine Main to be the image to the lower right, squint if necessary) before turning left onto Union Street. This creates the beginning of a functional turn-around loop since the streetcars in question are assumed to be unidirectional. This also connects downtown more solidly and permanently with the Public Market.

A right turn onto Central Park creates land value increase and redevelopment potential for a neglected boulevard which boasts a potentially attractive grass median. Another turn onto lower North Goodman serves the beginning of a traditional arterial and also the fanout point of the 2 Parsells, 3 Goodman, and 8 Main northeastern bus routes. A final right turn would serve the broader cultural district including the Armory, Auditorium Theatre, and the new Blackfriars Theatre before rejoining the 'main line.'

At the other end of the line just past the Madison Avenue stop for the Susan B. Anthony House, the streetcar would turn onto a street in desperate need of real (read: not fancy light poles and benchs) economic stimulus, Jefferson Avenue. Rights on McCree and Genesee would reposition the car for eastbound travel at Bulls Head (below, left), home of the most traveled transit node in the city according to the Genesee Transportation Council Satellite Transportation Center Study as well as St. Mary's Hospital and another mini-business district in need of revitalization.

The entire loop is roughly 7.15 miles in length. I would propose modern streetcars if possible as I absolutely do not perceive the reintroduction of surface rail as some sort of heritage novelty. Curbside stops as opposed to traffic islands would be suitable for non Main Street areas of operation. If pressed on the location of car barns/maintenance shops, I'd suggest the large empty lot behind Rite Aid and Skip's Meat Market on the east side of Goodman at the Central Park intersection.

I realize that this leaves out the intercity train station, the stadia/High Falls, and the heavily traveled South Avenue corridor to the hospitals and Universities. Those would be my first extensions (especially after our sardine experience taking a 5 South bus home from the train). I'm very interested in comments on this very rough concept.

***EDIT 2/4 8AM - Fixed typos, grammaticals, some wording. No content change.

Urban News Vol. 55

2010-01-28T09:08:00.008-05:00

One day after the State of the Union address, the applicables to my narrow focus are the limited (8 out of 787 billion dollars, ~1%), but better than nothing funding grants to "high-speed" rail projects around the nation. I say high-speed somewhat sarcastically because this will be nothing approaching the heights of rail technology seen in parts of Europe or Japan, but I don't mean to diminish the importance of ANY rail enhancement, maintenance, or expansion. We would do well as a country to institute a national program to restore rail service to 1945 levels. This doesn't necessarily mean all work must be conducted with federal dollars and performed by state Departments of Transportation. Simply eliminating the tax burden on railroads, which doesn't exist for the heavily subsidized international airport roster and interstate highway system, makes the prospect of railroad expansion more enticing to existing or potential new private enterprises.

Here is the news on a macro-local scale:

Obama Administration to Give New York $151 Million for High-Speed Train Service

by Brian Tumulty, Gannett Washington Bureau

Article Key Points:

Upstate New York projects were awarded $151M
Repair and improvement of the Rochester train station
Rehabilitation of the Buffalo-Depew station
Engineering analysis on 3rd track development between Buffalo and Rochester
Improved grade crossings south of Albany
Build second track between Albany and Schenectady
$3M for a 3rd track north of Albany toward Montreal/Vermont
$1M for continued planning of the Empire Corridor
Travel time between Rochester and Albany will be reduced from 4:07 to 3:14 by 2018

Pictured to the right of the bulleted list and this paragraph are images of what once was on Central Avenue between Clinton and Joseph. We are unable as a society at this point in time to blend excellent urban gateway programming with meaningful and uplifting archticture such as this. What can this repair and improvement possibly entail while still leaving millions for the critical trackage improvements? I hope this renovation effort isn't considered a permanent solution, but I'd be lying if I wanted highly anticipating any release of plans. Pictured below and to the left is the station I'll be inhabiting tomorrow afternoon (for a short period of time compared to the hassle inherent in 2010 air travel!) while I wait for The Maple Leaf to whisk my wife and I away to the urban paradise of Toronto.

With romanticism completed for the morning, it's time to look at the upstate improvements as a package. It appears the emphasis is on reducing travel delays between Buffalo and the Capital Region. Part of the inability of this region's railroad to even operate at 1945 levels of service is the dynamics of track ownership and the implication on freight vs. passenger train prioritization. This is in no way a swipe at CSX who I think does a reasonably good job in the area trying to balance it all. And I don't for a second think that we don't need more freight trains as opposed to our diesel truck empire. In the past I have lamented the loss of a connection between the Public Market/demised wholesalers and their original supply delivery method and can see usefulness in it in the future. The bottom line is that until the energy situation forcefully dictates otherwise, the railroad must do everything it possibly can to polish its image versus air travel. To this end the number one complaint about Amtrak's brand of intercity passenger rail service from non-urbanist cheerleaders (and even by huge urbanist cheerleaders like Duncan Crary) is the unreliability of schedule.

And here are the highly touted pieces of the national picture:

Obama to Distribute Billions for High-Speed Rail Lines
by Michael Doyle, McClatchy Newspapers

Article Key Points:

Washington will spend $8B worth of stimulus money on rail expansion and improvements to existing rail lines
31 states will receive funding
California will receive $2.25B for LA-Anaheim, Fresno-Bakersfield, Fresno-Merced, and SF-San Jose corridors, $99M will go toward smaller corridors served by conventional trains
$1.1B for Chicago to St. Louis
$1.25B for Tampa to Orlando
$244M for Chicago to Detroit
$810M for Madison to Milwaukee
$400 for Cleveland to Cincinnati
North Carolina receiving $520M for Raleigh to Charlotte track improvements to allow 90 mph, also station improvements
Washington State to receive $590M to eliminate bottlenecks between Portland and Seattle
24 states submitted 45 corridor applications

The Cleveland to Cincinnati corridor is LONG overdue in my opinion. I believe this will run through Columbus, the state capitol, the largest metropolitan area in the country without passenger rail service. This development ought to please the folks at Cincinnati Streetcar and somewhere Over-the-Rhine (or more likely downtown) Chris Heckman and Kristen Myers are likely smiling. I don't have any big opinions on the others, they all seem to be reasonable implementations that help repair the nationwide rail network.

Urban News Vol. 54

2010-01-25T16:23:00.004-05:00

New developments amongst local development companies would appear to be affecting big change in the drawn bid procedure for the 'Rascal Site' at Main and Gibbs. This saga has made appearances in this space before. Urban News Vol. 29 dealt with the solicitation and reception of five new proposals in August of 2008. Urban News Vol. 6 was a commentary on four designs rejected by the Cultural Center Commission in February of 2008.

Plan for East Main St., Gibbs St. Project Scaled Back

by Brian Sharp, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Article Key Points:

The remaining developer in the running for the Block F development has scaled back its plans
A DeWolff/Christa/Morgan partnership expects to reduce a $63 million, 10 story tower to a $20 million four story neighborhood block
The residential scale is said to be preferable to the surrounding Grove Place neighborhood
Financing issues are making it infeasible to build a costly high-rise
A developer was selected last year, but agreement was not reached
The revised proposal would be built of brick, limestone panels, and glass
Retail space will augment five for-sale brownstones and 250 apartment beds

Interesting that the quantifying term chosen to relate apartment capacity is 'beds.' It's as though they were planning a small hospital. Joking aside, I have spoken before about increments of finance and how they will play a role in shaping the future of development. I still maintain that the days of these full block, or worse, superblock projects are over.

In this instance, what I believe was selected by the commission (right, above) was an utter disgrace, and what got my vote 16 months ago was DeWolff's first entry (left, below). By the sound of this article, what will be built will be a pretty tasteful blend of the DeWolff proposal and standard Christa infill (think Sagamore, South/Hickory) and ought to blend in nicely with, and potentially be better than, the high end condos on Grove and Gibbs Streets.

My thought process has shifted in the last year with respect to the heights of downtown buildings. I believe that anything built to last through any type of energy disruption should not usually be designed any taller than roughly 6 stories (due to energy inputs for things such as HVAC and elevators). As such, I'm not heartbroken to hear that the 10-story tower is no more. Let us hope that by the time the design is finalized, city codes on minimum parking provisions have been revised as I read about today regarding Washington, D.C.

James Howard Kunstler in Rochester

2010-01-08T10:33:00.004-05:00

Author and noted social critic James Howard Kunstler will be in Rochester tomorrow evening to introduce a staged reading of his three-act play 'Big Slide' that he wrote while recovering from hip replacement surgery. He will also remain on hand for discussion I'm assuming at the conclusion.

While I consider the Duany-Suburban Nation book and the Jacobs-Death and Life of Great American Cities to be something akin to urbanist bibles, my favorite work on the topic is Kunstler's Home From Nowhere. An acerbic criticism of the result of 60 years of misguided American urban development (or lack thereof), this work is at the same time humorous and tragic, but offers more solutions than its predecessor, The Geography of Nowhere.

Jim has gone on to pen non-fiction in the realm of resource scarcity and its implications in addition to new works of fiction depicting life organized more simply and more locally. He and Duncan Crary of Troy, NY also produce a weekly podcast that get Jim back into a urban treatment frame of mind while sprinkling in harsh criticism of the suburban arrangement and energy issues.

In addition to the live action tomorrow, L. David Wheeler of the Canandaigua Daily Messenger published Wednesday a short interview he conducted with Mr. Kunstler, a 1971 SUNY-Brockport drama major (the image is what he may have looked like around these parts!).

Also, and this is very short notice, a taped interview will air on WXXI's 1370 Connection at 1PM. The broadcast can be heard on good ol' fashioned AM Radio at 1370 kiloHertz (that's a technical term) as well as streamed live on WXXI.org.

Urban News Vol. 53

2010-01-07T19:16:00.004-05:00

I went to the very topic of today's post to purchase a 44-cent postage stamp and saw these renderings hanging on the walls. I was wondering how I would be able to analyze and share them as images, but the D&C wasted no time in springing them on the public.

Wegmans to Double Size of East Avenue Store
Staff Reports, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Wegmans has released new designs for a proposed East Avenue store replacement
New store will be more than twice the size of the previous store
Store to be built behind the existing store site

Comments on the story are generally useless as usual (panning the owner of Fountain Bleu who refused to sell out), though some raise valid points about the treatment of University and East Avenues. While I agree with the sentiment regarding the lack of entryways on East and the conversion of University frontage into an underground parking gateway, I think the real disgrace is the idea that the current surface lot will be doubled as well once the old store is removed. The surface parking crater will proceed to resemble the concrete wasteland of Pittsford Plaza, finishing the job of removing the dignity of the apartment buildings and rowhouse apartments on Probert Street. The lot will likely be as miserable to traverse on foot as its Pittsford inspiration. I wonder what will happen to the "Park Terminal" of the RTS system. This is an opportunity to enhance it for customers (and other East Side employees who are heading downtown, we don't ALL work at Wegman's!!!), but the rendering shows essentially what is there now.

To be completely fair, there are a couple of things that could be positive in this design. As seen in the South Elevation, there is not only a 2nd story, but 2nd story windows. I don't know whether this is a reflection on the location of store offices. The loading dock scenario will be greatly improved compared to the tractor-trailers using University Avenue as a staging area. Yes, I know the loading system renders most of the Winton Road frontage a wasteland, but if we are stuck with a suburban style bourgeois food palace boasting 6 wings for $6.99, this is a reasonable way to handle the issue of shipments. Even Metro in Toronto (incredible 24-hour grocery store in the basement of the old College Street Eaton's) requires some sort of truck ramp.

Overall, my attitude toward Wegman's brainwashed cheerleaders and how universally positive this all is viewed was summed up nicely in a comment by 'urbanexplorer,' who has commented on this blog in the past, "Rather than insist on great design we settle for something simply because 'it's better than what is there now.'" I wouldn't characterize this as an upstate New York thing solely (I also don't agree with the sentiment that a Wegman's wall is better than the original Village of Brighton on the Erie, but I digress...). I'm afraid this will continue to be an issue nationally (excepting rare dense metropolitan cases) until a societal consensus is reached regarding the downgrading of the value of the automobile in everyday life. Unfortunately we (as a society) continue to mount a campaign to sustain the unsustainable (largely because we are lazy and/or xenophobic). Just look at how transportation stimulus dollars are spent.

Satellite Transit Center Study

2009-12-28T12:08:00.006-05:00

In a very roundabout way, via this RochesterSubway.com story, I stumbled upon a study prepared for RGRTA by the Genesee Transportation Council regarding the establishment of satellite transit centers at highly traveled nodes across the more urban portions of our region.

Noting that Congresswoman Louise Slaughter had secured $800,000 in federal stimulus funds for a 'Mt. Hope Station Transit Center,' my interest was piqued. It turns out the study was finalized in May of 2009 and planning appears to be well on its way. The study is a fascinating look into how the preferred site for the first transit center of its kind in our area was determined.

The Genesee Transportation Council is a metropolitan planning organization whose existence is mandated by the U.S. Department of Transportation if the region hopes to qualify for the recipt of federal highway and transit funds. I hate to blatantly copy their executive summary word for word, but I feel it does a tremendous job of encapsulating what we are talking about and what went into it.

An evaluation of the viability of 19 potential sites to serve a satellite transit center address the following criteria:

Transit Functionality (routes, ridership)
Market Assessment (proximity to residences and activity-generators; commercial potential)
Site Suitability (vehicular and pedestrian access; availability of land)
Partnership Opportunities

Four sites were selected for further consideration: Mt. Hope Station (Strong Hospital); West Main Street; Brighton 12 Corners and CityGate. The potential for the Lake/Ridge site to be developed for transit in conjunction with economic development should be addressed in a future study.

Six sites were recommended for enhancements:

Medley Centre (Irondequoit)
Irondequoit Plaza (Irondequoit)
Greece Ridge Mall (Greece)
Marketplace Mall (Henrietta)
Monroe Community College (Brighton)
Winton Road/East Avenue (Rochester)

In addition to sufficient platform loading space for buses, the satellite transit center design needs to include indoor waiting area, ticket booth or kiosk, real-time bus schedule information, video security system, benches, bicycle lockers, trash receptacles, pedestrian access, parking, and landscaping. A building of approximately 10,000 square feet is recommended to accomodate ancillary commercial or service uses in addition to space for passenger waiting and ticket sales. Anticipated costs include land acquisition, demolition and site preparation, site development, construction, and design/legal/administrative fees.

Mt. Hope Station

The preferred site would be part of the proposed "Collegetown" development on the east (West?) side of Mt. Hope Avenue between Crittenden Blvd. and Elmwood Ave. Alternative sites are located along the west (east?) side of Mt. Hope Ave. and the south side of Crittenden Blvd. A transit center at Strong would need to require loading space for 8 buses at any one time. Four alternative conceptual designs for the Collegetown site and one each for the two alternative locations were prepared. Costs are estimated at $8-9 million. Joint development is encouraged in conjuction with the private development of Collegetown.

West Main Street

The preferred site is located at Bullshead Plaza, located southwest of the intersection of West Main and Genesee Streets. A transit center in this location would require four bus bays. Several off‐street and onstreet designs were considered. The most effective design from a transit operations perspective would require the demolition of a portion of the Bullshead plaza building. Costs are estimated at $14 million.

Brighton 12 Corners

Enhanced bus shelters are recommended, utilizing Town‐owned land in the “triangle” at the center of 12 corners. Custom designed and constructed shelters are recommended.

CityGate

A transit center with three bus bays is recommended to be constructed in conjunction with a parking structure. A joint development agreement with the developer of CityGate is recommended.

There is a lot of information contained in the study's 44 pages regarding what exactly constitutes transit 'enhancements' at sites not ultimately chosen for more detailed discussion, but I am going to focus on the Mt. Hope Station as it WAS chosen and I live just about 1/2 mile from the preferred site.

A sizable piece of the land in question was once a Wegman's Supermarket, but now accomodates surface parking for the medical center. The rest hosts the UR Towne House, once a 50's era motel that now contains a modicum of student housing and some other university offices, and the Mt. Hope Professional Building, purported to be host to a smattering of private health practices.

The University of Rochester intends to make all of this land available for private development as a Collegetown, featuring a mix of residential and commercial uses. Apparently driven by the Mt. Hope Avenue Task Force (I need to get in touch with this Dan Hurley), a transit center is envisioned in conjunction with development on the site.

Insofar as transit functionality is concerned, the area is a hotbed of converging bus routes on business days. 8 RTS Routes (5 - South Ave.; 8B - Genesee Park Blvd./West Ave./ W. Main St.; 12 - 19th Ward to MCC; 18 - Plymouth Ave.; 19 - Elmwood Ave./Winton Rd./University Ave.; 24 - Mt. Hope/Marketplace Mall; 50 - Mt. Hope/MCC; 91 - E. Henrietta Rd./Avon) in addition to 2 University shuttles currently make stops in and around Strong Hospital.

When talking about site design, options are presented that accomodate both inline and sawtooth (like a Greyhound Depot) loading configurations. This brings me to my first point of contention. Of the four 'options' on Page 15, the only one that has my total support is Option B. For me, inline loading is a must if we are ever to easily convert the station for the accomodation of an electric street railway. Option A is disqualified on this criteria. Options C and D are too land hungry in my opinion. Both to me would really torch pedestrian connectivity between the college-owned facilites and the Collegetown. Option B also does the best job (as far as can be gleaned from a massing model) of properly treating Elmwood, Mt. Hope, and Crittenden from an urbanist standpoint. Remember, the neighbors in the Upper Mt. Hope neighborhood should benefit from improved urban fabric, not have it turn its back to them like the U of R's apartments on Plymouth Ave.

Figures 5 and 6 on Pages 18 and 19 show alternative locations if for whatever reason the station was not integrated directly into the collegetown. As of today, the casualties of using alternate site A would a McDonald's and a Bruegger's which may make land acquisition costly, but otherwise is not a net loss of any quality urban fabric. Alternative Site B, however is a goddamned disgrace. A decent bank building and between 18-20 occupied homes would have to be demolished while leaving a miserable auto repair shop on the corner. I honestly hope this isn't ever actually considered.

Ultimately the Mt. Hope Site was chosen over the Bulls Head site not due to ridership figures, but more likely due to affluence/reason for travel/employment center and the ability to piggyback on other development versus the prohibitive land acquisition costs reported in the study for the West Main Street station option. The study is definitely worth a comprehensive read.

Case Study - Wellsboro, PA

2009-12-07T19:16:00.010-05:00

If this were a magazine story, I'd be inclined to title it "The Scale of Urbanism: Why You Don't Need 'Manhattan' to Go Car Free." A recent visit to relatively tiny Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, my second in a span of two months, serves as the inspiration for a discourse on a belief of mine regarding the definition of urbanity.

The county seat of largely rural Tioga County, Wellsboro is a small town that James Howard Kunstler would be inclined to characterize as a place that possesses a meaningful relationship with an agricultural hinterland. The distinction that all areas in and around Wellsboro are either urban or rural has been blurred a bit, fortunately not to the extent of larger municipalities. Yet, what makes Wellsboro unique from the bulk of Small Town America at or past its demise are the innately useful amenities of retail within walking distance of any point in town.

Declaring the functional center of Wellsboro is not a simple task. But whether the choice is the properly programmed (and surrounded!) courthouse square, or the fully functional and historic Penn Wells Hotel & Dining Room, the feeling that one is in a place of importance, insofar as the business of Tioga County is concerned, is unmistakable. Wellsboro's commercial district boasts one of the last independent downtown department stores in Dunham's, complete with home improvement, furniture, clothing, toy, and housewares departments.

Complementing this gem, the likes of which have been seemingly lost to yesteryear, are menswear, outdoor gear, candy, jewelry, and book stores intertwined with real estate, finance, and legal offices. Less desirable building forms nevertheless provide a pharmacy and supermarket just a block from the denser village center. While a minor disappointment in terms of pedestrian emphasis in a place otherwise brimming with possibilities, the lack of a supermarket at the core is often cited as an obstacle to urban living in much larger cities.

Wellsboro no longer enjoys a diverse blue collar employment spectrum. Once a center of trade for a wide area that necessitated the service of denizens in institutions as varied as fruit evaporators, flour and woolen mills, milk-condensing plants, marble works, saw mills, foundry and machine shops, and manufactories of cut glass, chemicals, rugs, bolts, cigars, carriages, and furniture, Wellsboro appears to have two major employers in the local Sylvania Light Bulb factory and the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital.

Transportation to and from Wellsboro is severly restricted to five local bus arrivals and departures per day to and from nearby Mansfield on EMTA's Route 30. A railroad, the Tioga Central operating on Wellsboro & Corning trackage, still operates 34 miles of track north to a yard at Gang Mills, NY. Preservation of this equipment is crucial despite its current use as an excursion platform. Wellsboro isn't serviced by any national intercity bus service.

Finally, I'm pleased to discover that the braintrust steering little Wellsboro is ahead of many American townships with respect to the preservation of what makes them great. In addition, the promotion of future quality development has been addressed thanks to the September 13, 2004 adoption of the Borough Zoning Ordinance. This form-based code renders legal once again the replacement or expansion of the quality urban fabric that gives places like Wellsboro their charm. Notable excerpts pertaining to the Central Business District are the phrase "strong pedestrian orientation" and no minimum building lines, the death sentence for good urbanism in a lot of locales.

If one subscribes to the notion of a return to localization, diverse economies on a more managable human scale, a lot of lessons can be taken from Wellsboro. At the city scale, one can see how cities of the past were orientied along multiple similar commercial corridors surrounded by comparable radii of denser residential neighborhood structure. Immaterial of scale, one can see the energy savings inherent in the lifestyle when properly programmed. This is the challenge facing thousands of municipalities across the nation, some clinging to the status quo, and others waking up to a new reality and starting the conversation about the role (and benefits) of quality dense built environment in everyday life.

Urban News Vol. 52

2009-12-01T09:01:00.003-05:00

The D&C ran a story this morning rehashing the history and proposed future of development monies pouring into a small section of the city immediately across the Genesee from the University of Rochester.

Brooks Development Too Speedy for Some

by Brian Sharp, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Article Key Points:

The West Bank of the Genesee, between the major bridges at Elmwood and Ford has seen $65 million in development and improvements since 2000
An additional $45M is projected to be spent on future projects
The next phase of Brooks Landing proposes a restaurant/85 bed student housing/drive up ATM/Jewish Center (pictured)
Developer Ron Christenson envisions spending another $20M on possible Brooks Landing Condos
City study underway to determine contamination cleanup procedure for the Vaccum Oil/junkyard site bought last year by local businessmen for $660k, assessed at $208k
Neighbors have suggested a building moratorium due to issues arising from increased traffic
City is unwilling to sell any additional land for development until a Brownfields Opportunity Area grant can be secured to pay for a comprehensive development plan, possibly in partnership with the RRCDC

The next phase of the Brooks Landing project looks reasonably good. It fills in a gap in my mind that I could never close regarding the positioning of the hotel that was built initially. Unfortunately a new building like this that should be promoting density and walkability is touting a drive-thru ATM as a FEATURE. Quality urban areas feature ATM's built into the street-facing side of the building or in lobbies/vestibules. If motoring continues to diminish, we will have missed our chance at creating good urbanism while the ability to do so still exists for the sake of making sure we can wrap a car lane around each and every building.

In a way, I believe the configuration of Brooks Landing is more to blame for Ms. Martin's traffic woes than the quantity of development. Prior to hotel construction, Brooks Avenue continued to the river where it T'd into Plymouth Ave. It is no longer possible to use Plymouth to get from Brooks to Elmwood so all North-South traffic in the neighborhood is routed to Genesee Street. I believe this is a case of over-correcting the misuse of waterfront in generations past. Rather than turn our backs to the river as was the case downtown, great effort was taken to focus the hotel meeting areas and window exposures on the river. Plymouth Avenue however, was not a concrete heavy elevated expressway or anything of the sort, it was a thoroughfare designed by Olmsted himself to traverse AND CONNECT the northern end of Genesee Valley Park with the Brooks-Genesee-Plymouth area.

Pollutant remediation and a comprehensive plan are crucial elements of the augmentation of this neighborhood as an extension of the University section of the city. I am worried however about the proposed rail bridge refurbishment, not specifically this instance, but the overall trend in this country. The best use of this former Erie Railroad bridge and right-of-way that formerly terminated just south of the War Memorial would be as part of a new comprehensive rail transit system. The idea of a pedestrian bridge is nice, but signals a continuation of the collective consensus that serious transit reform is simply not in the mind of the public or of our leadership. That said, any maintenance performed is generally a good thing, provided it doesn't preclude the ability of the bridge to accomodate trains (from a load bearing standpoint) in the future should the prevailing attitudes shift.

An Evening with Emily Talen

2009-11-17T07:47:00.005-05:00

Somewhat appropriately on a night in which the air smelled faintly of Kodak Fixer, I was off to the theater attached to George Eastman's house for the latest installment in the Rochester Regional Community Design Center's 5th Annual Reshaping Rochester lecture series. Emily Talen, professor at Arizona State University in the both the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning and the School of Sustainability expounded on Diversity and the Power of Place.

While most immediately conflate the term diversity with the term ethnicity, in Talen's studies diversity can mean many things. The central thesis of the address as well as Ms. Talen's 2008 book, Design for Diversity: Exploring Socially Mixed Neighborhoods, is that the city is a sum of its communities and that the most successful communities are often those that are the most diverse in terms of four key factors: income, age, family structure, and lastly ethnicity.

Leading off with praise for what she deemed quality urban material in many sections of Rochester and a backhanded swipe at her adopted hometown of Phoenix, Talen proferred encouragement for the prospects of continuing urban rebound by stating there are three forces converging that are good for urbanism in cities across America. First, there is a noticeable focus on climate change in the mainstream implying that people are consciously beginning to make efforts to live more efficiently (Eg. living close to life needs, driving less) and reduce their environmental impact. Second, the ongoing recession has had a huge impact on the grandiose ideas of some developers/planners (from a financing standpoint) and put the brakes on not only the perpetuation of sprawl, but also poorly thought out urban superblock projects. Finally, Talen cites demographic shifts, namely smaller household size, as a driver of urban real estate demand going forward.

Not content to rest on those three premises, Talen took the discourse one step further and invoked the name of the great Jane Jacobs in proclaiming a trend toward smaller scale diversity. What is meant by smaller scale diversity is a lot-by-lot reassessment and redevelopment which promises to bring the greatest variety of uses to a community by virtue of avoiding the trap of paying too strict attention to zoning and its segregation of not only uses, but also people.

The following are Ms. Talen's fundamental traits of a socially diverse urban area:

Economic Vitality
Cross-fertilization of Ideas
Equitable Distribution of Resources
Eliminate Concentrated Poverty
Reduce Miles Traveled
Different Users at Different Times of the Day (another Jane Jacobs cornerstone)
The Ability to Age in Place if Desired
Neighborhood Resilience

Posing the rhetorical question, Did we ever live in truly diverse conditions?, Talen produced some simply fascinating late 19th century studies of London performed by Charles Booth who mapped entire city districts based on income class as well as nationality maps of Chicago produced by the Hull settlement house. The short answer is that yes, due to onetime technological constraints, people did live in diverse environments. The caveat comes in the form of recognition of the social controls in place during the era. Class mobility was not generally achieveable nor was it socially accepted. The challenge for our 'more enlightened society' is to return to a scenario like Booth's London without antiquated social mores. The charge presented to the designers of the built environment is to provide quality urban fabric that might foster this.

The remainder of the lecture delved into social similarities to agricultural monoculture, the prevalence of separation and its direct relationship to maladies afflicting urbanism, the unaffordable nature of Ebenezer Howard's ideal Garden Cities, supporting the integration of building types through form-based codes as opposed to undermining vibrant areas such as ethnic enclaves, and the concept of the Civic Desert as a space lacking in focal points and civic gathering places. All of these topics mesh together to paint a picture or create a mantra stating that if we want truly sustainable cities with lower carbon emissions, less energy requirements, fewer impervious surfaces, less disruption of natural habitat, etc, we must be willing to live closer together. To take this theme the extra mile, considering the audience assembled last night, the designers of today's new built environment must be willing to assume a leadership role in achieving this end both technically and politically.

The next lecture in the series is slated for February 10th at 7PM at the Jewish Community Center on Edgewood Avenue in Brighton. The guest speaker will be Christopher Leinberger, visting Fellow of the Brookings Institution, professor at the University of Michigan, and author of The Option of Urbanism.

Urban Redesign Vol. 2

2009-11-11T10:37:00.005-05:00

Apologies for the delay in getting Volume 2 up here. I did some preliminary renderings some time ago, but got whacked by the flu last week and fell off the map.

As I unveil some massing renderings that detail the three distinct components of my mixed use structure, I'd like to address the anonymous comments in my last installment. First, thank you for somewhat endorsing my original idea. As shown in the renderings, I did keep a residential component on Winton Road in the form of the apartment building.

A lot of the blanks still need to be filled in. All I have really denoted is a main entrance to the building. I am debating whether it would be flanked by first floor apartments (roughly 5 feet above street level) or street level retail spaces. If I were to go with retail spaces there, would they have secondary street entrances or doors immediately to the left and right in the 'lobby?' I believe most apartments would be 600 square foot one-bedroom apartments. One other note on this section: As drawn, there is a very slightly pitched roof. I may ultimately want to do something more traditional with a cornice to really drive home the 'dignity in urban architecture' in which case a more conventional apartment building roof would be instituted. Thoughts anyone?

Again to the commenter, I do realize that there are very few townhouses in the area and zero properly programmed ones (there are some tucked away suburban style between Main and Mayfield west of Winton). What am I trying to accomplsh there is a slightly larger residental property than an apartment (the 3 townhouses would be a nominal 1440 square feet each) that makes the most efficient use of the land available. I do plan on adding some detail on the front and back of these, but the outlines are shown in the renderings. I've allowed 20' of 'backyard' that also functions as a courtyard for the entire complex.

About the retail programming, basically I'm looking at the ideal situation. I'm also trying to make a connection moreso with the Mayer Hardware block than anything toward Browncroft or Main. On the topic of the corner retail 'building,' the store/restaurant can either be rather large with corner access or a 2nd more narrow storefront could occupy the first floor to the facing Winton Road. The 2nd floor of this classic corner building could either be 2 offices or small apartments.

I feel as though the project is taking on the character of 3 smaller projects, which in my mind gives it a better improvised urbanist feel as related by the blog Suburban Empire in the process of criticizing downtown Winooski, Vermont's 'downtown at once' redevelopment. I would likely use a different brick for each segment with differently designed windows for differentiation.

Next time: More rendering detail, apartment building floorplans, thoughts on parking.

Urban Redesign Vol. 1

2009-10-27T12:05:00.005-04:00

I'm pleased to launch a new series of posts today. I suppose they will eventually manifest themselves as quasi-pro bono architecture/urban planning. I hope the process will be somewhat interactive and that some amount of learning takes place on my end. A lot of reality will need to be suspended here in the arenas of zoning, brownfield status, finance, etc. The end result is not to be confused with a real proposal, but an idealist site plan.

The first site I'd like to tackle is the intersection of Humboldt Street and Winton Road at the north end of the North Winton Village. The bulk of the site was previously a gas station and is now a vacant lot. Across Humboldt Street there is additional vacant property due to the demolition of a structurally unsound building adjoining what is now Captain Tony's Pizza and a barbershop (still visible in the Google aerial). Across Winton Road is a Kwik Fill gas station and multifamily residences. All buildings are massed in the model seen to the right (roughly oriented properly with North at the top).

My first thoughts for the site were strictly townhouse development, but as I thought about it further, I decided the corner should have a corner-facing store entryway anchoring it. While I was unable to acquire any official maps, using satellite imagery, I ascertained that the lot is essentially 116 feet by 152 feet from rear property lines to the sidewalk. If the store footprint were 30 x 30, this would leave enough room for four 24 foot-wide townhouses along Winton Road. Along Humboldt Street and above the storefront, I would have proposed apartments in the same style as the rest of the construction for an L-shaped complex structure.

Discussions with a colleague pointed out some amount of backward thinking in this proposal. Walkup townhouses would fit in better with the residential character found west on Humboldt moreso than the main traffic thoroughfare of Winton Road. While this would cut down the number of townhouses to 3 (yes, I could make them narrower, but I currently live in a much narrower townhouse and I don't consider it the proper width for good urban construction, 24 foot is 4 rods, a reasonable platting as discussed on page J3 of The Lexicon of New Urbanism), it allows for additional retail frontage on Winton Road and likely fits in better architecturally with the brick building to the North.

I have not thought much about the land vacated on the Northwest corner, but I'm predisposed to a standard commercial building with an apartment or two on the second floor that would blend in with the existing attached neighbor.

Anyway, I will attempt to mass model my vision in the next few days (and eventually I hope to do some hand sketches of the architectural detail), but I am completely open to suggestions on just about anything including use, scale, sidewalk width, outbuildings, ancillary uses, anything really!

Urban News Vol. 51c

2009-10-19T12:37:00.005-04:00

Back to this pertinent topic one more time as Chaintreuil, Jensen, and Stark have put out a very attractive preliminary package of renderings and floorplans.

Plans for Midtown Tower Unveiled This Morning

Author Unattributed

Article Key Points:

Christa Construction released drawings and floor plans for Midtown Tower
On the residential side, there will be 186 rental apartments and 24 for-sale units
Condos reside on floors 14 through 17 with terraces
8 relatively large footprint commercial spaces occupy floors one and two
PAETEC still plans to establish a world headquarters on South Clinton Ave.

I am pleased to see that a hair over 1/3 of the rental apartments are 600-660 square foot one bedroom units. This ought to lend itself to affordability, possibly even to college students, though the rent range remains to be seen.

The 14th floor condo units are preposterously awesome, some boasting terraces that are larger than my entire townhouse due to the narrowing of the tower at this point. The six units on the 17th are all 'penthoused' as they'll be merged with what is currently the 18th floor.

The exterior is lacking, but there's only so much magic you can work on no-thought 1960's construction (I won't even call it architecture). My wife's concern is about the financing increment that I've been harping on lately as a real drag on major development projects. I think the involvment of Christa/Morgan gives this an excellent chance to become reality. The partnership is paying 91.5% of the upfront project cost through a line of bank credit. I've got to think that their reputation and credit is in reasonably good shape due their Sagamore experience.

Here is the complete package in PDF form. I found it to be an enjoyable and encouraging read. Something I found exceptionally interesting is the plan to re-divide the superblock, re-establishing Cortland Street and rerouting others. One can see where Paetec is slotted to fall in. I'd really like to see some news on that portion of the Midtown Redevelopment, the silence doesn't bode well to me.

Urban News Vol. 51b

2009-10-17T10:25:00.004-04:00

The results are in and the Christa/Morgan combo is the big winner.

Local Developer Picked to Renovate Midtown

by Brian Sharp, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Expanded plan estimated to cost $71 million
Concept purported to include additional development beyond the tower
Officials desire to integrate other structures into Midtown redevelopment (Eg. Cadillac Hotel, 88 Elm)

I've got three thoughts on the results here. One is that Christa has plus-rated experience in programming good urbanism in downtown Rochester. Their Sagamore on East is now full and boasts an upscale restaurant, a more casual grill, and a music store on the first floor. Citizens Bank offices on floor 2 and condos above round out a quality mixed-use operation. Christa will likely employ quality architects and use quality materials in the reskinning of a pretty putrid modernist design.

The Sagamore leads me quickly to one of my concerns about this development. Downtown condos aren't generally affordable to the target demographic. The young professional is generally not in a position to buy in the Sagamore/Grove Place/Capron due to outstanding student loan debt, relatively low entry level salary, and propensity to spend on other interests. I do understand that this will be mostly apartments, but if they are done in an overly bourgeois style, they won't be serving the larger interests of reurbanization.

Finally, the Chestnut Street implications are intriguing. I am somewhat familiar with 88 Elm from my Webster bus transfer days. I have a feeling that restoring a non-superblock street grid will open up streets like Atlas, Elm, and Euclid to useful pedestrian traffic. I've blogged before about another Chestnut/Elm property bought by a young father/son developer that has not since begun renovation effort, perhaps this strategy will create a ripple effect. Chestnut Street has an inherent problem, however. It is too wide as it designed as a motor mover. Historically, the original Chestnut Street ended at East Avenue. Its express routing to move cars North resulted in the cluster that is Liberty Pole Way/Franklin and the disconnecting of Stillson from the Grove Place neighborhood, creating a functional void between things like Harro East Ballroom and the Eastman School.

On a side note, I finished my base site plan rendering for the Winton/Humboldt corner. I will be initiating that series of blog posts this week. Looking forward to great ideas from you all.

Urban News Vol. 51a

2009-10-15T08:03:00.003-04:00

Significant details are expected to be announced today regarding the reuse project at Midtown Tower. There will likely be more to report this afternoon so keep an eye out for installment 51b possibly later today or tomorrow morning.

Duffy to Announce Developer, Plan for Midtown Tower

by Brian Sharp, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Midtown Tower is the only structure in the six-building Midtown complex that will be saved
Two development teams - Harmony Group and Christa/Morgan still vie for selection
A $4M state grant application has been endorsed by City Council independent of developer choice
Harmony's proposal would preserve much of the facade while Christa would retain only the skeleton
Harmony would offer only rental housing while Christa would make condos available on upper floors

While I would have also liked to see the B. Forman Building (Peebles) spared the ultimate indignity (the last properly proportioned retail building on Clinton Avenue), the energy conserved through preservation of the 18-story tower is significant and officials should be applauded for some amount of consciousness whatever the motivation.

Also here's a quickie on money earmarked for Geva Theatre exterior renovations. The 1868 former Naval Armory is facing deterioration of roofing and masonry.

Urban News Vol. 50

2009-09-22T11:24:00.006-04:00

For the 50th installment of Urban News, I'd like to take a look a very worthwhile program that not only helps stabilize at-risk neighborhoods, but also reintroduces the neglected trade school concept to area youth failed by mainstream educational programs. In addition, I've got some links from around the country on diverse topics related to urbanism and transit-oriented development.

Young Adults Learn Skills While Upgrading Rochester Homes

by Gary McLendon, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Article Key Points:

VOA's Neighborhood Revitalization Program is teaching young adults home renovation skills
Participants work 40-hour weeks learning trades while earning $8 per hour
Participants also receive budgeting skills and resume writing training
The program is assisting homeowners by providing labor for minor repairs
Senior project manager hope to see a trickle-down effect on other similar properties
Program is funded by a $50,000 grant from RochesterWorks

Now this is an excellent way to serve two social deficiencies with potenially permanent benefits. One factor working against the improvement of impoverished neighborhoods is the absence of community standards with regard to property maintenance. Another is a lack of emphasis on education, and more specifically, education in an appliable line of work discouraged by curricula and modern culture.

While I consider other things that begin with 'trickle-down' to be arrogant insanity, I'm willing to give trickle-down home improvement a fair shake. Since moving to the city, I've invested in a new energy-efficient furnace, windows, and doors. The pride I have in my neighborhood and in the city manifests itself in my mind as a type of duty to keep my townhouse in excellent condition. I realize its easy for me to brag about capital improvements but no so simple to finance them. This is where a program like this picks up the slack. Something like window installation would be an excellent extension if bulk standard sized windows could be obtained from a factory direct supplier at a reasonable cost. It would also extend the benefits of the program into a 3rd social realm, that of improved efficiency/decreased energy use.

The following is a collection of links I rounded up today on New Urban themes, enjoy!

In Phoenix, Weekend Users Make Light Rail a Success - New York Times
Beaverdale Plan a Model for Other Neighborhoods - Des Moines Register
Obama and Congress Start Putting the Pieces Together (Federal Hiring to HUD and DOT, Legislative Proposals) - New Urban News
Commentary: New Urbanism is About Better Living - New Urban News

Just wanted to say that I'm making some good progress with my Sketchup rendering of the Humboldt-Winton corner site. I believe I'm going to turn that project into an interactive series of posts and take reader input into account. Hopefully the process will be interesting and informative.

Urban News Vol. 49

2009-09-18T10:49:00.004-04:00

The local cable news network formerly known as RNews, which I will always refer to as such, ran a piece on television yesterday about the unveiling of a new parking lot at the public market. Their internet version apparently did not merit full treatment and its not very long so I'll go through it line by line (more or less).

'A busy weekend at the Rochester Public Market should be made easier by the addition of 200 parking spots.'

Ugh. A former wholesaler building with rear railroad access was razed, likely never to return again, for this unproductive purpose...

'City officials celebrated the completion of the new parking lot across from the market's main entrance.'

Congratulations! Way to create more 'open space' I guess!

'Parking has long been an issue at the public market, where crowds of 30,000 or more show up on weekends. "It seems whenever we add, people just fill them up. The market's grown in popularity. Not just our market, but markets nationally," said Jim Farr, Rochester Public Market.'

A trend toward eating higher quality unprocessed food is a healthy thing. The stark aversion to walking it back to your car is an unhealthy thing. I'd imagine you are expecting me to say something about how a handful of people utilize the bus system for their saturday market voyage, but I'm going to blast right into FULL-ON SOAPBOX MODE (Warning: Self-righteousness Ahead)! It is interesting how just as quickly the throng of 30,000 departs the Marketview Heights neighborhood, leaving no lasting investment impact beyond what the more permanent merchants have constructed. My version of logic dictates that living within walking distance of the Public Market would be highly desirable. There are excellent units for sale for a reasonable price in addition to more traditional standard homes that require some re-investment that are absolute steals. As is unfortunately the case in U.S. America, misperception is reality. And yes, I know, I don't live there, so I lack credibility. I really do believe in the potential of that neighborhood though.

'Public market officials are also negotiating with CSX to purchase an additional two acres of land for parking.'

What impact would this have on a future expansion of railroad service along the old New York Central mainline? On its face it doesn't sound good.

'Future plans also include a trolley to transport people from the parking lot to the market.'

I have to admit that through reading this sentence in isolation just now, I have a completely different interpretation and a completely different motivation for even bringing this into the fold as Urban News.

On the television version of this story, Casey Bortnick stood on a small railroad bridge adjacent to the mainline that once served as a spur to the market. To the untrained eye, I would have thought this was once the way deliveries of wholesale produce made their way to market. The impression I got from the broadcast was of a trolley to avoid the prospect of parking anywhere near the market, but it appears I was mistaken. As described the proposed trolley likely would serve the purpose of an airport conveyor belt for the extra-lazy.

Undaunted, I had hoped to continue with a thought exercise that would comment on logistics if a downtown to market trolley were posited. Unfortunately, a closer look at aerial maps reveals that the right of way for this particular track extends only as far as Scio Street due to the construction of Freddie Thomas High School. An opportunity to curve toward Portland Avenue is blocked by what appears to be a junkyard. I would have said that it is important to use a track of a gauge that could accomodate passengers or freight in the eventuality of decreased reliance on trucking.

This entry is quickly going down in flames but its almost entirely written so I am loathe to scrap it. Much of the talk around improving transit options in Rochester starts with a starter streetcar that would ply Main Street from reasonable end to reasonable end. This configuration could be expanded at later dates into a city-wide service as it once was. Since a loop at each end would simplify operation and allow for more cars, I would propose a wide loop that encompasses the Public Market by traversing Union Street, Bay or Central Park, and Goodman Street.

I realize this post is lacking in useful material, but feel free to comment on my streetcar routing proposal or chat about City Real Estate.

Urban News Vol. 48

2009-09-03T14:53:00.004-04:00

A quick hit from the pages of the D&C as the High Falls true community evolution continues.

High Falls Revival Gets Boost from $9.5M Grant for Rochester

by Brian Sharp, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Funding sources close to finalization for Commercial St. and State St. conversions
A former trolley barn, 61 Commercial St. to be converted into offices for Stantec Inc., using $2.6 million in state grant funds
An $800K construction loan is being considered for the second phase of the Mills at High Falls.
Urban League officials hope to get a historic designation for the 1840's era commercial building at 364-392 State Street
Sale of 104 Platt Street has attracted interest from four potential buyers, all of whom plan a restaurant.

I had no idea a potential renovation of the State Street structures was tied into the Mills project. Refurbished to provide desirable amenities and restored to their original civic programming, a small commercial strip like this would do a lot for the emerging district while reinforcing its historic character.

Finding out recently that the former Jimmy Mac's was closed and for sale was disappointing to say the least. If the circumstances enumerated in this piece are to be believed, that action was not precipitated by lack of business. I'm looking forward to that void being filled for pre and post Red Wings barfood jaunts.

I'll finish up today by saying that the major hole preventing a more functional and attractive integration of Frontier Field into the High Falls District is the massive surface parking lot southeast of Platt between Plymouth and State. Well programmed commercial space fronting Platt across from the Kodak Cube would tastefully finish off a corridor leading straight to the Genesee River gorge (and the Genesee Brewery by extension) from the ticket windows.

Urban Resources Vol. 7

2009-08-21T12:34:00.005-04:00

Inexcusably I have not posted once in August. Now that my introductory drawing classes are complete, I have several site plan massing/architectural rendering projects in mind that I hope to unveil over the coming weeks and months. In the meantime I've got three weeks worth of riffing ready to escape.

I have several things I want to cover in today's post, but decided to resurrect the series entitled urban resources since the lion's share of material will focus on the availability, efficiency, and individual cost-effectiveness of public facilities both recreational and instructional. Examples cited will largely be from Rochester, but there is likely to be a parallel in any mid-major to large metro area.

Other topics covered in a sort of free form will be national deleveraging of debt and its impact on the increment of urban redevelopment and the relationship between geography/terrain/climate and the sustainability of land development.

Informal and certainly non-scientific observations seem to assert that the vast majority of U.S. Americans would rather wear a winter coat on a 90 degree day than step foot in a public swimming pool. I wasn't pre-programmed this way. While many of the families of my childhood friends had pools, and we made great use of them, there were times when we utilized the public option at Nay Aug Park.

Fast forward to this past Monday when the mercury hit 90 in town. After the Red Wings' shellacking at the hands of Syracuse, my wife and I took the #4 Genesee Street bus to Genesee Valley Park's Sports Complex. For just $2 (TWO DOLLARS!), citizens can swim for hours at varying levels of seriousness (lanes are blocked off and can be reserved for individual training). The sports complex itself does an excellent job of seasonal metamorphosis. I've actually been there many times before to utilize their ice skating rink, the cheapest indooor rink in the area for open skating. Immediately adjacent to the building and pool is a regulation size baseball field with lights for nighttime adult amateur games and beyond that the Genesee Waterways Center where one can rent a canoe or kayak to paddle on the Genesee or Erie Canal.

The complex gets excellent bus service as buses 4, 12, 8B, 18, 19, and 6 (in the evening) pass by along Elmwood Avenue. It is also located an easy bicycle ride away from residents of the South Side (19th Ward, South Wedge, Strong). My sincere hope is that institutions like this can weather economic woes during any restructuring period that American culture is likely to go through during an oil depletion phase. Their value will remain high and likely increase in a more community oriented society.

Some other City of Rochester funded or sponsored public resources:

Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (of course)
Municipal Archives and Records Center (extensive photo collection)
Public Market
Recreation Centers

The recent political destruction of the Renaissance Square project and the seemingly increasing difficulty regarding the expediency and execution of the Midtown Plaza demolition/redevelopment both point to a trend in urban development that sounds the final death knell for "Superblock" projects.

I cannot claim to have any kind of education in high finance, but I feel its patently clear that there has been enough of an attitude shift among the masses regarding savings that economic "recovery" to levels seen at the height of the easy credit era may never be on the table. The idea that the base consumer can spend enough to reinvigorate an economy largely based on wealth transfer instead of tangible production is not only unrealistic but undesirable if we are ever to shake our materialistic mindset.

How does the spectre of a deleveraging depression affect the built environment? It seriously limits financing available to speculative developers in turn driving down the scope of needless development. You'll remember I sang the praises of the new South Hickory project in Urban News Vol. 46. In addition to its architectural and programmatic quality sorely lacking in this nation for the last 50 years, the project is emblematic of the increments of financing and construction scale of a type of society regaining a sense of standards as well as restraint. This design respects traditional urban scale over grandiosity -- energy common sense over constant convenience.

I side with the predictions of those who posit that this is the manner in which urban infill will continue. A manner not dissimilar to the original traditional development of our urban cores and neighborhood commercial corridors. Midtown Plaza was a knee-jerk reaction to suburban encroachment on the retail share of traditional downtown shopping. It ultimately did little to serve the public realm. While the elements of Renaissance Square may have had individual virtue, the impetus behind their clustering was an outdated attitude about clearing away large swaths of 'blight.' And I think all of this is a good thing for the concept of urban 'vibrancy' that politicians bandy about. Take a look at the programming of Chase Tower (and bunker) downtown to see what the alternative gets you.

The last thematic thing I plan on rambling on about is the concept of the speculative city and more specifically the desert city. With no geographic significance, unforgiving climate creating a reliance on imported goods, and requiring huge energy inputs and engineering feats to deliver something as simple as drinking water, cities such as Las Vegas or Phoenix are quite possibly a tragic misallocation of resources destined for ultimate failure.

My interest in saying something on the subject was piqued by an article sent to me by a friend that told the tale of California City, California (very original). The jist of the piece, which I won't link to since it was on a motoring forum and had somewhat of a slant, is well summarized in this paragraph from Wikipedia:

California City had its origins in 1958 when real estate developer and sociology professor Nat Mendelsohn purchased 80,000 acres (320 km2) of Mojave Desert land with the aim of master-planning California's next great city. He designed his model city, which he hoped would one day rival Los Angeles in size, around a Central Park with a 26 acre artificial lake. Growth did not happen anywhere close to what he expected. To this day a vast grid of crumbling paved roads, scarring vast stretches of the Mojave desert, intended to lay out residential blocks, extends well beyond the developed area of the city. A single look at satellite photos shows the extent of the scarred desert and how it stakes its claim to being California's 3rd largest geographic city, 34th largest in the US. California City was incorporated in 1965.

Seriously? I think the lessons here are self-evident. But what of California City's more established brethren? Phoenix and Las Vegas are considered major cities, but their lack of sustainable arrangements is rather alarming. Lake Mead, the very thing that allows there to be a Las Vegas is down to 43% of its capacity, threatening to render the raw water intake system inoperable as quickly as 2010. Compounding this major issue is the mechanism by which goverment in Clark County, Nevada has been able to escape reality for the last 40 years, taking other people's money, is in irrepairable decline. July marked the 13th straight month that the number of visitors declined. The fallout from this includes a de facto moratorium on obscene casino/resort construction decimating the true fundamentals of a leisure economy, that is building more leisure destinations.

Phoenix, billed as the new low-tax retirement haven of choice for the last 25 years or so also has an issue with construction. A poster child for drive until you qualify, Phoenix is our national monument to an economy of new home building, one seemingly with no limits, but now revealed to be heavily vulnerable to oil shocks and the home devaluing seen in exurbs across the land. Two convergent events have conspired to turn the Phoenix Metro into L.A. East: Diminished retirement accounts and loss of equity has created job seekers out of those thought to be in early retirement at the same time as boundless growth is catching up with municipalities in terms of the services provided and maintenance performed (not something done heretofore in such a relatively new place) versus tax dollars collected.

The near-term future of these places has long-term implications on the direction of national policy with regards to resource squandering. While state governments have almost no choice but to mount a campaign to sustain the unsustainable, it remains to be seen if national officials will allow places with no future in a non-growth economy to dematerialize as they seemed hell-bent on doing to city centers across the heartland in a more 'prosperous' time.

There are two things I'd like to address/correct with less formality.

First, the main entrance of the Canandaigua National Bank branch opening on Alexander Street on the grounds of the old Genesee Hospital IS going to face Alexander Street. I saw the partially completed building as well as a publicity rendering on August 1st.

And because I won't participate in the hate-fest that is the D&C commenting section I have to come to the defense of RGRTA. I really never want to make anything personal on this blog, but this needs to be said.

Andrew Stainton, quite possibly the staunchest private citizen critic of the entire Renaissance Square effort continues to spew needless and uneducated hate toward our current transportation system and its administration.

In an article regarding Mayor Duffy shutting out public stakeholders from a meeting with the private development sector intended to spur a different type of Main/Clinton development, Stainton chimed in with, "Hopefully no one turned away had to endure a painfully slow rts busride in the heat." This on the heels of endless criticism of 'thousands of buses per day driving in circles,' which is simply not backed up by the facts leads me to this:

Andrew, I admire your opposition to Renaissance Square on the grounds of preservationism and limited/embodied energy. I am an enormous proponent of regional rail transportation and battled futilely for it at the Broad Street Aqueduct public sessions. I am also a monthly RTS pass holder who rides over 50 buses per month on average. You are way off-base. The buses are not slow, and they are certainly not hot. They are probably the only justifiable use of vehicular air conditioning from an energy conservation standpoint. The current downtown deployment system makes infinitely more sense than moving the main junction to Central Avenue. The station as proposed would have improve conditions for the riders and made the service more attractive, it would not have added one bus to Main Street traffic. It doesn't sound like you make use of the transportation system we have, but you are quick to bash it. This is counterproductive. It is incumbent on the citizenry to increase ridership to levels that provide incentive for alternatives. The transit authority is certainly stubborn, but we as Americans have largely rejected transit out of hand in favor of personal entitlement.

I've certainly blown a lot of smoke today. Here's to some new and interesting urban development news in whatever increment of finance. Otherwise, I'll be working on a Humboldt/Winton site massing plan.

Urban News Vol. 47

2009-07-31T11:18:00.003-04:00

Today's news has little to do with the methodology or increments of finance associated with other urban infill I've noted and commented on. Instead, a story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette shined light on an urban tragedy I had not been previously aware of in the process of relating the story of a small group that I feel espouse the correct philosophies and attitudes regarding community building.

First some background:

Rock Bottom for Decades, but Showing Signs of Life

by David Streitfeld, New York Times

Article Key Points:

Population of Braddock, Pennsylvania under 3,000 after peaking near 21,000 in 1940.
Mayor John Fetterman encourages acquisition of cheap real estate with intent to rehabilitate the properties and the development of urban farms to employ area youths.
Despite a Master's Degree from Harvard, Fetterman directly invests in local properties such as a former church intended to become a community center.
Largest accomplishment to date is enticing an alternative energy company to relocate to the home of the first Carnegie Library.
'If struggling communities don't preserve their architecture, there's no chance of any resurgence down the line.' -Fetterman

And today's news:

Making Old Steel Towns Shine
by Huyen, Vu, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Article Key Points:

The Transformazium, a community arts projects collective, is rehabbing an abandoned North Braddock church by hand, rejecting synthesized mechanical energy.
The group of five females have integrated themselves into communities where the risk of violent crime is four times the national average.
'If I want my home to be safe, beautiful, sustainable, then it's up to me to do what I can to create that reality.' -Harrell
Great effort is going into sorting the construction waste materials for reuse and preventing pollution by contaminants.
Frugal lifestyles and hyperingratiation to resistant neighbors have begun to brighten the community and initiate simple sustainable practices.

The people in these articles are the true pioneers carrying out the most important work a idealistic urbanist could imagine. Ms. Harrell's quote encapsulates everything I believe in regarding urban living. The wide perception is that it is the role of goverment or police or socioeconomic factors to produce a 'safe,' desirable, and tight-knit community. The police are not the public's bodyguards. It is imperative that the individual takes responsibility for their own safety, providing a positive presence on the street, reasserting their right to traverse any public space in this nation, and defying not just the pre-programming of the consumptive American lifestyle and fear of the lower classes, but also those who seek to hold onto perceived power over a weary populace through intimidation and maintenance of the status quo.

The environmental principles espoused here go above and beyond what could reasonably be expected of urban rehabilitators and deserve an additional round of praise. Ultimately Braddock became a victim of automotive addiction. As noted in one of the articles, Braddock did not even suffer due to catastrophic loss of employment as was the case in so many other small Western Pennsylvania cities. The original Carnegie Steel mill is still operational and employing over 1,000 workers. Rather than producing a tremendous vitality in Braddock through reinvestment, the individual capital generated by this endeavour has been spewed across a much larger and inefficient landscape.

The story of American urbanism for the fifty years immediately following World War II has been one of convenience over principle, of economy and quantity over quality, of moving out at the first hint of trouble instead of working harder for societal stability, of simply building anew instead of stemming decay through reinvestment or hard work. Mayor Fetterman and these brave women have dug in their heels at what can only be considered rock bottom. I hope their efforts are a resounding success and serve as an example as we enter the backside of the resource depletion curve; our societal attitudes can simply no longer afford not to change.

RTS Facility Redesign Public Workshop

2009-07-29T12:45:00.005-04:00

I received a request to attend on behalf of the RRCDC an event that RGRTA billed as a Facility Redesign Public Workshop. My charge was to get a feel for how the transit authority conducts a public workshop as well as reporting what the points of contention are and gauge the concern of the neighborhood. I will continue with this more as journalism than an opinion piece.

Prior to the offical convening of the meeting, I was able to peruse some renderings/site plans to verse myself in what exactly RTS had planned for the main bus storage and staging area on East Main Street. The major reconfigurations would be expansions of the administration and operations buildings including a full fourth garage to accomodate a fleet expanded greatly since its construction in 1972. In farflung corners of the campus, new warehouse and non-revenue vehicle buildings would be erected (at right are a recent aerial view of the site and a site-plan I drew up showing the additions).

The major affront to urbanism in the renderings is the reconfiguration of employee parking. The current employee parking lot would be converted to parking for the bus fleet as well as staging areas to repair 20 articulated buses. As a result, the entire East Main frontage from the east end of the addition to the Administrative Building to Federal Street would be converted from a currently vacant grass lot backed by a retaining wall into 166 standard employee parking spaces. I was told these lots were once the site of homes and businesses.

The seeming aim of the neighborhood association is to create a larger green space buffer than shown in the renderings with better disguised parking. It appears that RGRTA already owns the property so there is no real option of meaningful infill development.

While billed as a workshop, the actual meeting took on the form of a hearing with public comment. John Caruso of Passero Associates presented the entire range of changes to the site and claimed an improvement over previous designs shown to and discussed with the neighborhood.

The Beechwood Neighborhood Coalition were out in full force despite the chosen location of the hearing, a church on Humboldt Street in the North Winton Village. In addition to concerns about snowplow overflow compromising sidewalk navigability and the quality of the buffer, President Kyle Crandall made an impassioned statement insisting that there has been no give-and-take as a result of previous input sessions. While neither Crandall nor the North Winton Village Association representative condone any surface parking lots in front of businesses, the Beechwood neighbors were looking for the slightest compromise in that the row of parking closest to Main be removed and accomodated in the rear of the facility in order to widen the green space on either side of the suburban style parking buffers landscaping.

I left the meeting before all residents had a chance to comment in order to catch my bus home, but I got the distinct impression that despite the recording of concerns on easel pad, that ultimately RGRTA does not consider the location or size of this parking lot negotiable. They will continue to accept written comments until 5:00pm, August 3rd at the following addresses:

RTS Facility Redesign

c/o RGRTA

1372 East Main Street

Rochester, NY 14609

rts.customerservice@rgrta.com

Subject: RTS Facility Redesign

Urban News Vol. 46

2009-07-17T14:25:00.004-04:00

While I don't have a ton to relate today or even a new topic (the story is a progression of something first reported in Urban News Vol. 44), I felt it important to show the latest rendering of 661 South Ave. I now consider this to be the finest city development project that has been undertaken since I began writing this blog.

I suppose I should clarify on what grounds I give it this distinction. These would be a combination of programming, architecture, respect to the pedestrian, rental rates, scale, and character. So, in summary, I think pretty much everything about this is well executed so far.

New Life in South Wedge

by Tom Tobin, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Groundbreaking held Thursday
Four story, 40,000 square foot building - 33 Apartments, Ground Floor Retail
Restaurant + Mix of Store Types
Studio, One, and Two Bedroom apartments: 650-1000 square feet

I read in City Newspaper that South Wedge Planning Committee Director Robert Boyd had specifically requested Konar be involved in the design and development of the parcel. By the looks of this rendering, they made the right decision.

Looking previously at aerial photos and angled aerials of the site, I assumed that this project would be confined to the grassy lot adjacent to Solera, but this image shows the new development flush against the building at 683 South. This would complete the commercial block on the west side of South Avenue, possibly the most critical development parcel in the heart of the South Wedge. I'm impressed.

I'll finish my love affair with a single rendering by pointing out the Mansard roof styling of the 4th floor on the ends and in the center that give it symmetry in its attempt to look like Old North St. Louis. Also I see what appears to be some ornamentation at the peaks of 'buildings' 2 and 4. Maybe there is hope for architecture and craftsmanship!

Urban News Vol. 45

2009-07-08T10:11:00.004-04:00

Some quick news today describing additional development that is not quite downtown, but integral in strengthening the Monroe-Chestnut Center City Gateway District.

Former Genesee Hospital Campus Seeing New Signs of Life

by Jim Stinson, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Construction has begun on a Canandaigua National Bank branch on Alexander Street
To be followed in August by two new buildings with 100,000 square feet of office space
Buckingham Properties expects to add or renovate more than 750,000 square feet on the old Hospital grounds
The medical and office buildings are purely speculative ventures
Previous project on site, a renovation at 220 Alexander attracted a major tenant so quickly that consideration is being given to leasing additional space as it becomes available

Some early comments to the article, despite being urbanist in nature, were highly critical of the site plan. I would certainly say that the bank entrance should face Alexander Street, and I'll agree that the drive-thru and surface parking perpetuate the whining and crying and laziness involved in a car dependent society. BUT...I'd also say that the larger buildings that address the Monroe Avenue frontage appear to be of precisely the correct type and scale required there.

I acquired a second rendering of this plot from Buckingham's website. The main office entrance on Monroe is well-defined, fenestration is reasonable, and ground level treatment implies appropriately sized retail spaces. All in all I consider this a very solid addition to the Monroe Avenue business corridor and applaud Mr. Glazer for showing the ultimate faith (building on spec) in the redensification of Great American Cities.

On a personal note, tonight I start drawing classes at the Memorial Art Gallery in an effort to develop the skill enough to create my own site plans and architectural renderings. I hope to make proposals for vacant city lots rooted in good urbanist principles a recurring blog entry series in the coming months.

Urban News Vol. 44

2009-06-17T10:29:00.007-04:00

Some really fresh urban re-development news coming from Rochester today. One is a finished product, the other the announcement of tax breaks necessary to fill a yawning gap in the fabric with something potentially very worthwhile. One last thing I decided to add at the last minute involves reprogramming a city park that was designed on the proper scale.

A New Housing Option in High Falls

by Matthew Daneman, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Article Key Points:

An 183 year-old stone building in the High Falls District is now full of luxury apartments and commercial space
18 months of renovations have created six one and two bedroom apartments and six office/apartment spaces
Commercial space available in the basement and on the first floor
The nearby Mills at High Falls are roughly half occupied
Renovations cost about $2 million
Taxpayer funded incentives allowed for rehabbing more than just the first floor and exterior

I am always an advocate of re-use before tear down and this is a quality job. While I'd expect these units to be pricey, the High Falls area is still in need of housing as it reinvents itself into a self-contained neighborhood. I'm also pleased that all architectural features seem to have been retained right down to the above-grade freight doors and hook lift.

COMIDA Gives Breaks for Building Complex in South Wedge
by Jim Stinson, Democrat and Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Gregory Street Transfer LLC said it will build a $4.8 million, four-story apartment building on the vacant lot at 661 South Avenue
COMIDA (County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency) approved breaks worth $460,000
Konar Properties announced construction could begin in August with completion next April
Building would have 7,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor with 33 apartments on upper floors
Apartments would range from 600-1000 square and rent at approximately $1.10 per square foot

This is incredible news and it sounds as though the developer understands the proper design for such a site. If the lot includes not only the grassy field, but also the pavement immediately north of Mise en Place (though this seems unlikely), this could completely fill the only major gap between Hickory and Buckhard in the heart of a neighborhood that currently features a quality mix of business. Four stories is significant in that it will likely rise above both Solera and the nearby market but it is not outrageously out of scale. If work could possibly begin in August, there must be some architectural renderings somewhere. I will work on digging something up.

Fountain Next Step in Jones Square Park's Rehabilitation
by Brian Sharp, Democrat and Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Jones Square neighborhood in northwest Rochester is home to about 2000 people
Workers are installing a 8-9 foot tall fountain to be ringed by rose and mulberry bushes
Neighborhood leaders stuggled with prioritization, placing covered bus stops second to entice investment in the neighborhood
Separately, local nonprofits will resume housing rehab on two for-sale houses in the area
The first professional baseball game in Rochester was played at Jones Square in 1869
George Eastman owned a house to the south before moving to his East Ave. mansion

Let's start by saying that Jones Square is one of few remaining properly scaled and ringed public squares in this city. The next best example would be Anthony Park off of Madison and King Streets close to the Susan B. Anthony House. While socio-economically not a 'great neighborhood,' I don't think there's a better place to take your Nick Tahou's takeout. The three keys to these attractive public spaces are:

The ringing of the square with either houses or sometimes commercial buildings.
Grading the site flat to cut down on non-visible areas from any vantage point within the park.
Proper programming. Usually a reasonable mature tree canopy as well as benches and footpaths leading to a focal point at the center, either a fountain, monument, flagpole or some other anchor preferably with ties to neighborhood history.

Jones Square currently accomplishes each of the first two and seems to be on its way to number three. Another good example of this square implementation is Washington Square Park (this is no accident, both were designed by Olmsted!) at Clinton and Court Streets though one-way traffic on Clinton does diminish the effect to a certain extent.

Because I can't stop talking today (I am enthused by today's news stories!), I'll continue on my survey of urban public squares in Rochester.

Manhattan Square Park, our insane modernist labyrinth does a tremendously poor job of the things I mentioned before, especially on the western side, owing to so much manipulation of concrete. A historic public square marginalized by superhighway development is Wadsworth Square Park at Marshall St. and Broadway. Enclosed on two sides by Inner Loop related superstructure, half of Wadsworth Square Park has been turned into a parking lot. Brown Square near Kodak's Headquarters appears to have been chopped in half to accomdate some sort of sparse light industry. What remains suffers from being surrounded by parking lagoons and intentionally uneven elevation. I could be wrong, but it appears the only other purposefully programmed public square in the traditional style sits at the corner of Avenue D and North Street and goes by Pulaski Park. I have not had the pleasure of visiting, but it appears to be greatly elongated and a solid place for a neighborhood football game.

Urban News Vol. 43

2009-06-16T13:14:00.004-04:00

A long overdue newsblast post focusing on some recent developments along Rochester's Main Street (especially the Cascade District) as well as an architectural paradigm revisited in Portland, Oregon coincident with the resurgence of streetcar implementation in that city.

Businesses Leave Suburbs for City

by Mike Hedeen, RNews

Article Key Points:

Nothnagle Realtors announced it is moving its headquarters from Brighton to Downtown Rochester
Nothnagle interested in trying to help out the relocation momentum of companies to Downtown - CEO Armand D'Alfonso
"What we're trying to do is create an environment where people do want to come." -Mayor Duffy
Brighton Town Supervisor Sandra Frankel call Brighton, and especially Monroe Avenue, a real estate hot spot

This "article" may be the most well balanced piece of journalism I've seen in over a year of doing this regarding the city-suburb business balance. RNews did a fine job of focusing on the positives of each situation.

In terms of regional planning, Brighton completes the inner radius of the city physically in my opinion. It is quite possibly the most walkable and best served by transit of the suburban towns. I wholeheartedly agree with Frankel's assessment that Monroe Avenue is their primary development corridor, but I'd like to see some improvements in the form of development there. What could be Main Street, Brighton is still cheapened by 70's cubic office buildings, a plaza facing the wrong way, and deep street setbacks.

Projects Bring Fresh Vibrancy to Rochester's Main Street
by Brian Sharp, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Article Key Points:

Fifth Year Productions will create a street level video editing studio in the Granite Building
Asbestos abatement in Midtown Plaza to begin in the coming months
The city will solicit development proposals for a parking lot and the former Josh Lofton Charter School on West Main
Groundbreakings may take place on Renaissance Square and a Mixed Use complex on what is now a surface lot at Main and Gibbs
Fifth Year, a partnership with CGI Communications promised 100 new hires by May 2010
Buckingham Properties is handling the $4 million Nothnagle renovation
Nothnagle and Fifth Year will receive $3.7 million in city assistance with both expected to seek tax breaks
Fifth Year has received a loan that can turn into a grant depending on jobs created and jobs filled by city residents

Noting that tax breaks are used by competing cities to lure business away from the Northeast, I like the slant on the assistance given by the city to Fifth Year regarding residency credits. I also like to see activity in the Cascade District. An area currently dominated by parking lots, the Cascade contains a lot of what would be considered ideal loft-conversion stock as well as some gems like the former Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railroad offices.

Portland's Streetcar Architecture -- Past Becomes Future
by Fred Leeson, Portland Oregonian

Article Key Points:

Historically, buildings on commercial streets were built with storefronts flush to the sidewalks and with one or two stories of apartments or offices above
Historians and architects call them streetcar architecture
They add human density and retail services on streets served by public transit
Portland is slowly rebuilding a streetcar system that in 1919 had 197 miles of track
Portland has used its zoning code to encourage housing above retail since the 1980's
Without service for 60 years, streetcars will return to Portland's East Side in 2011
The 3.3-mile loop (bringing the total to about 7) will include 28 stops

I'm not sure streetcar architecture is an appropriate name considering Traditional Neighborhood Design is not the sole domain of towns serviced by electric street railways (and in fact predates it), as many completely walkable smaller towns exhibited the same styling and function along their Main Streets. Regardless, the point of the article is to show how fixed guideway transit systems plant a sense of permanence in the minds of developers and attract quality development due to the limited footprint available. Trends pointing toward taller units underscore a demand in the marketplace for walkability. Six stories is an accepted limit on this type of construction from sustainability standpoints.