Garden City’s New Land Uses Imply…..
Garden City’s governing body is encouraging specific areas of change in their community character. Currently the most obvious place to observe evidence of this is in their recently adopted Land Use Plan. The document itself is quite interesting in its presentation, but somewhat challenging in the concepts it intends to project, and in the highly anticipated changes.
Even in a cursory examination one notes the ‘Special Opportunity Areas.’ Just what does this mean? As developers are we to call the City and ask….. but wait, there is more. We also see ‘Mixed Use Commercial’ along Chinden Boulevard all the way north to Adams Street. Here the purple shading changes to yellow -- which now indicates ‘Mixed Use Residential.’ To the east of 36th and Orchard we see the “Live, Work /Create.’ All interesting terminology, and a bit out of the ordinary for those other than developers, architects or planning officials, who are experienced in reviewing land usage maps. Clearer definitions of such terminology might provide new, potential investors a ‘speedy’ Plans Review process.
However, from one interested in real estate, community planning and development, the most eye-catching graphics are the rose-colored circles at all major intersections. These indicate ‘Transient Oriented Development.’ So, is the city expecting enlarged bus stops, perhaps underground parking, or do they want the existing convenience stores to be restyled by their major oil company owners? With a new Director of Planning the answers to all of these should be easily accessible through the Garden City Planning Department.
Realistically, it is apparent that Garden City is expecting future investors in their community to come to Preliminary Plans Review with new and creative ideas as to what might be built in these high-lighted areas. Hopefully such creativity will encourage the changes anticipated, modify the community character, and in turn, enhance their community. Presently the City Planning Staff attitudes are those of strong cooperation.
From the perspective of an experienced planner, the challenge is to realistically discern the precise differences in the requested ‘Mixed Use Residential’ and ‘Mixed Use Commercial.’ Traditionally we think of mixed-use as a mixture, or blending of commercial, retail and residential structures. More often in areas of higher density, such as an inner city scenario where many infill options are considered. In larger planned unit developments (PUDs), or as in the current trend toward “Life Style Centers” the residential portions can be segregated, or clearly defined into particular sectors of the development. Easily accomplished…. where land is plentiful and faster moving traffic can be cordoned off by the larger buildings, or using landscaped expanses of parking necessary for retail activity.
In a smaller community with well-established traffic patterns, the request for an emphasis on residential, indicates that careful consideration has to be given to where people can live-quietly, park-securely and play safely. Children and retail parking lots are a bad combination. Therefore, a compact urban corner seems questionable, unless very well planned, designed, and conscientiously built.
Similarly, for a municipality to request ‘Mixed Use Commercial’ we can expect the emphasis on services versus products, and on vehicles versus pedestrians. This places significant limitations on the nature and sizes of new retail participants. With limited space for parking, the ideal retailer will be the smaller ‘Mom & Pop’ business versus the larger-scaled medium ‘box stores.’ Retail will be oriented to those businesses where short quick visits for product pick up are the most desired…. take-home pizza stops or dry cleaners as examples. An obvious alternative will be underground or stacked level parking which being somewhat expensive is unlikely along an established Boulevard such as Chinden today. Such parking systems are only minimally accepted and used in downtown Boise.
As result of the new Land Use Plan, the more ideal environment foreseeable in Garden City, is along Adams Street where the ‘Mixed Use Commercial’ must harmoniously blend with the new ‘Mixed Use Residential.’ Large portions of the city’s current Urban Renewal effort is focused here on Adams and south along 42nd street.
What ever the future implications of this new Land Use Plan, some of the more conspicuous changes will be seen in the Adams Street corridor. This is a short, neighborhood street that currently needs strong community support. Already new brick sidewalks are in place to encourage new and safer pedestrianization. And what ever the required “Mixed Use Residential” produces, those proposed single-family homes, town homes, garden apartments, or combinations there of, will be on opposite sides of Adams; and will face the end products of “Mixed Use Commercial.” The result? Most likely a new concept in Garden City lifestyle will evolve, and likely to be very different from other examples of current contemporary urban life.
The future holds many interesting changes for Garden City. As of July’ ’07, planning consultants are busy at work with the city, charged to produce the public policies for Council’s implementation of this new Land Use Plan. Given the physical limitations of existing open or changeable spaces in Garden City, the creative ideas generated will be interesting examples for greater Boise’s future urban lifestyle.
The bottom line is that whenever land use definitions are vague, or left open for interpretation, planned growth and community changes can be drastically slowed. Garden City is now challenged to clarify their definitions for managed change. In doing this, reasonable, profitable development will be encouraged and costly delays in the entitlements process could be eliminated.
Joel “Tick” Vicars is an Associate Broker with Selequity Real Estate - Boise, ID. Trained as an architect with experience in Urban Design, he has substantial background in working with governmental agencies on issues ranging from growth management to private entitlement projects for Corporate entities in Washington, California, New Mexico and Idaho. His areas of personal interest include evolution of urban form, cultural migrations and cooperative entitlements planning.
“Tick” may be contacted at 208.853.9412 or e-mailed @ JVicars@selequity.com.