Urban Design Process Kicking -off the Urban Design Effort · 30/5/2007 · Kicking -off the Urban Design Effort FRIDAY Guidelines Advisory Committee Downtown Neighborhood Stakeholders

1

A2D2Winter & Company +

RACESTUDIO

A2D2 Community Urban Design WorkshopMay 30, 2007

• Review and discussplanning and urbandesign process

• Discuss urban designissues and analysis

• Urban designobjectives fordowntown’s designcharacter areas


RACESTUDIO

A2D2 Process

Goals and

Polices Update

Zoning and Guidelines

Draft Plan

A2D2

WORK PLAN

Historic Preservation

Zoning

Parking and

Transportation

Development Process

Urban Design

Vision and Policy

Framework

Implementation Plan


RACESTUDIO

Urban Design Process

• STEP 1: Urban DesignObjectives forCharacter Districts

• STEP 2: Urban DesignFramework

• STEP 3: DesignReview Strategy andDesign Guidelines

• WORKSHOP #1:Establishing DesignObjectives

• WORKSHOP #2:Testing the UrbanDesign Framework

• WORKSHOP #3: DraftDesign Standards andGuidelines Documents


RACESTUDIO

Kicking -off the Urban Design Effort

FRIDAY

Guidelines Advisory

Committee

Downtown NeighborhoodStakeholders

City and ParkPlanning

Staff

Greenway Coalition

Team Manager

MONDAY

Downtown Walking Tour

andPhotography

TUESDAY

AIA 150 Architects

DDA Capital Improvements

Committee

Architect and DevelopmentConsultants

Local AIA

Architects

Downtown CitizensAdvisory

Committee

WEDNESDAY

Historic Preservation Stakeholders

Guidelines Advisory

Committee

WorkshopPreparation

Community Workshop

THURSDAY

A2D2Project

Managers

Workshop Summary,

Urban Design Strategies

and A2D2 Integration

Strategies

Combined A2D2Committees


RACESTUDIO

Preliminary Input on Urban Design Issues

• Pedestrian experiences– Streetscape and pedestrian comfort– Connections between “social/commercial” districts– Neighborhood linkages– Open space

• Scale and character transition between “Core” area,neighborhoods, and Historic Districts– Traditional residential-scaled blocks and contemporary

commercial and densities• Defining what “good design” means in Ann Arbor

– Context-based review approach (buildings of their time andplace)

– Connection between land use and design objectives• Design review process and responsibilities

– Design review as part of the development review system– Tools and responsibilities– Submittal requirements A2D2

Winter & Company + RACESTUDIO

Workshop Agenda

• Case studies from peercommunities

• Design analysis andobservations

• Identifying DesignObjectives– Defining character districts– Urban design framework– Character district objectives– Design review approach

• Summary and Next Steps

2


RACESTUDIO

Peer Cities Design Review Programs

• Boulder, CO• Athens, GA• Davis, CA


RACESTUDIO

Case Study: Downtown Athens, Georgia• Design standards in

underlying zoning• Overlay of sub-areas• Alternative compliance

through design review.• Stakeholder participation.

Athens, GA


RACESTUDIO

Downtown Athens: Character Areas

A. Historic DistrictB. West DowntownC. East DowntownD. Dougherty St.E. RiverF. West end


RACESTUDIO

Downtown Athens: Site Design- Building Setbacks


RACESTUDIO

Downtown Athens: Building Design- Horizontal Articulation Standard


RACESTUDIO

Downtown AthensBuildingDesign- HorizontalDefinition

• Alternativecompliancethrough designguidelines

3


RACESTUDIO

DowntownAthens:Site Design- BuildingSetbacks


RACESTUDIO

Case Study:Design Guidelines in Downtown Boulder

Noré Winter, Winter & Company


RACESTUDIO

Oops….


RACESTUDIO

1987 - Retail & Office “Wrap”


RACESTUDIO

Case Study: Boulder, Colorado

• Storefront atsidewalk edge

• Offices onsecond floor

Parking Structures with retail and office “wrap”


RACESTUDIO

Boulder: Infill & Adaptive Reuse

4


RACESTUDIO

1999 - Sustained policies

700 cars with retail wrapA2D2


Boulder: Façade Articulation

Parking Structure with Retail Wrap

This retail wrap provided a revitalizing link between downtown andthe East Pearl mixed use district.


RACESTUDIO

Boulder:Transitional Areas• Retail and Offices in

Front Building• Residential in

Buildings to Rear,as transition tosingle familyneighborhood

East Pearl Street Mixed UseInfill A2D2


1917 Davis


RACESTUDIO

Defining Central Davis: Neighborhoods


RACESTUDIO

Community Values

5


RACESTUDIO

Informing the Discussion


RACESTUDIO

Testing Planning Concepts and Guidelines


RACESTUDIO

Downtown Character Districts

Character Districts: Results


RACESTUDIO

Linking the University to Downtown


RACESTUDIO

B Street Edge

Qualitative Guidelines


RACESTUDIO

Quantitative Standards

6


RACESTUDIO

Mixed-use and Parking


RACESTUDIO

Urban Design Framework Analysis and Issues

• Street types• Open space• Character

districts


RACESTUDIO

Street Types: Shopping

Washington Street

Main Street

So. University

State Street

Liberty StreetKerrytown


RACESTUDIO

Street Types: Mixed-use Residential

So. University

Huron Corridor

Division Area

Kerrytown/No. Main


RACESTUDIO

Open Space


RACESTUDIO

Scale and Character Transition Between “Core” Area,Neighborhoods, and Historic Districts

• Historic commercial blocks

• Historic residential blocks

• Traditional neighborhoodsadjacent to downtown

7


RACESTUDIO

Early Opportunity Site

Later Opportunity Site

Flood Zone

DRAFT

Source: DowntownDevelopment StrategiesReport


RACESTUDIO



Flood Zone

DRAFT

(Central) West DowntownCommercial and Residential Mixed-use

(North) West Downtown and KerrytownResidential Mixed-use

Division Street AreaCommercial Mixed-use



RACESTUDIO



Flood Zone


DRAFT

South UniversityResidential Mixed-use

(South) West DowntownMixed-use


RACESTUDIO

Character AreasDRAFT


RACESTUDIO

Historic Center/Main StreetCommercial Mixed-use

KerrytownResidential Mixed-use

West Downtown Industrial Character AreaMixed-use

State Street Character AreaCommercial Mixed-use

University CampusCharacter Area

South University Character AreaResidential Mixed-use

DRAFT

Character Districts


RACESTUDIO

An Overview of Design Guidelines

Promoting Appropriate Designin Downtown Ann Arbor

8


RACESTUDIO

Standards vs. Guidelines

• Standards:– Prescriptive– Can be measured– Compliance is “Yes,

or No.”– All standards must

be met.

• Guidelines:– Discretionary– Performance-based– Qualitative; requires

judgment– A sufficient number

must be met– Considers

interaction/trade-offs


RACESTUDIO

When Guidelines are Effective:

• An established context should be respected• Variations occur in context within

neighborhoods and zone districts• Investment will occur over extended period• Property owners want flexibility• Owner-occupied improvements will also

occur


RACESTUDIO

Features of a SuccessfulDesign Review Program

• FAIR.• PREDICTABLE.• EFFICIENT.


RACESTUDIO

Application of Design Guidelines

• Voluntary / Educational• Advisory Review• Special Conditions or Incentives• Mandatory Compliance High Predictability

of Outcome

Low Predictabilityof Outcome

Voluntary Reviewand Compliance

Advisory Review SpecialConditionsReview

MandatoryReview andCompliance


RACESTUDIO

Workshop Assignments


RACESTUDIO

Assignment #1: Defining Character Districts• On your team’s map,

review the edges andcenters of downtown’scharacter districts.– Identify design characteristics

for shopping street,residential, industrial anduniversity areas.

– Identify areas where youwould modify the boundariesof proposed characterdistricts.

– Circle streets or blocks youfeel best represent designcharacteristics in eachdistrict.

– Identify two or threeimportant existing designfeatures in each characterdistrict.

9


RACESTUDIO

Assignment #2: Urban Design Framework• Imagine you your future travel

experience to downtown. What isit like to arrive? What are thesub-districts and how are theyphysically different from eachother? How are they connected?What is the relationship ofdowntown’s traditional residentialneighborhoods with downtown?– On your team’s map, identify:– Design characteristics for open

space, gateways, landmarks andfocal points;

– Primary travel routes intodowntown;

– Important gateway locations andtypes (land use, scale, character,etc.);

– Existing and future open spaces;and

– Landmarks.A2D2


Assignment #3: Character District Design ObjectivesMassing Roof

ShapeArchitec-turalFeatures

MaterialsandColors

StreetEdgeDesign

PublicParksandStreet-scape

PrivateOpenSpace andLandscape

Other Zoning/Standards

Qualita-tiveGuide-lines

No Action

HistoricCenter

KerryTown

StateStreet

UniversityArea

IndustrialArea

Other

Other

Other

Other

Other

DivisionDistrict

Stepdownnearhistresid

Gable athist residParapet/storefrontbuildings

Raisedporchesat resid

Brick-shpgResid.wood/brick

Residyardsstorefront

ResidyardsWideside-walks

Internalblockcommons

Opp forplaza?

Yesmassing

Yes street edge


RACESTUDIO

• For each character district,identify three importantdesign objectives on theteam matrix. These couldinclude:– Shape and massing of

buildings;– Roof and building form;– Street edge and orientation;– Dominate materials and colors;– Character of

landscaping/streetscaping; and– Other important features.

Assignment #3: Character District Design Objectives


RACESTUDIO

• Using the team’s matrix,identify the best way toprovide design guidancefor each objective.Should it be voluntaryand advisory, codifiedwith mandatorydevelopment standards,and/or supported byqualitative designguidelines?

Assignment #4: Design Review Approach


RACESTUDIO

Reporting back

• Tell us ONE EXAMPLE on how you havemodified the character district boundaries.

• What gateways and open space did you add?

• Pick ONE character district and tell us yourobjectives.


RACESTUDIO

Summary and Next Steps

• May 31, 2007 (tomorrow) review of findingswith A2D2 committees

• Draft Character District Objectives• June 11, 2007 City Council work session• June 18, 2007 City Council recommendations• Draft Urban Design Framework• July Workshops

– Review with committees– Community workshop and meetings