LARIMER AVENUEGreenway
Nenha Young - UDream 2013
Transforming a public right-of-way arterial street into a more livable residential street.
In the beginning...
Larimer
is a neighborhood in the East End of the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Larimer was originally settled by Germans in the later half of the 19th century. By the early 1900s Italians became the dominant ethnic group. In Larimer somewhat nicer detached brick homes where built with small yards. Before long, Larimer residents had built and were running concrete foundries and commercial bakeries along Lincoln Avenue towards Two-Mile Run (some of which still exist today), and a successful commercial district at the intersection of Larimer Avenue and Meadow Street. The 1960s were a turning point for Larimer. Residents began to move to the suburbs in the early part of the decade, and the urban renewal of East Liberty and the construction of a 320-unit high rise housing project on Larimer Avenue near the entrance to Larimer from East Liberty. Today, aside from a few remaining businesses along Lincoln Avenue, no vestige of the neighborhood’s Italian community remains. The once-proud brick houses are now either abandoned or neglected by absentee landlords, and the residents, largely African-American, are among the poorest in Pittsburgh. In 2008 over 125 residents, business owners, community organizations and partners in the Larimer neighborhood came together to create a community plan. Through funding from the Urban Redevelopment Authority this plan was generated. After 30 years of decline and the failure of past planning initiatives the neighborhood was able to organize to outline projects that would change the
Aerial image of the City of Pittsburgh. Source- maps.google.com
HIGHLAND PARK
Community Opportunities identified in the
LINCOLN - LEMINGTON - BELMAR
Larimer Community Plan (2008): • Proximity to East End development • Flat, developable land • Proximity to major transportation corridors • Committed political partners (city, county, state) • Vacancy is also an opportunity to rethink land use in the neighborhood
LARIMER EAST LIBERTY
HOMEWOOD
Community Challenges identified in the
Larimer Community Plan (2008): • High vacancy (regional problem) • Older housing stock (regional problem) • Physical isolation and poor visibility (no one know Larimer is there) • Shrinking population (regional problem) • Poor image: o History of crime o Lack of “curb appeal” – many buildings, road, and side walks in poor repair
SHADYSIDE
Aerial image of the neighborhoods in the East End of the City of Pittsburgh. Source- maps.google.com
Images of existing street conditions
LARIMER AVENUE BRIDGE
FAIRFIELD
TARGET
LIBERTY GARDEN
Aerial image of Larimer. Source- maps.google.com
Planning in Larimer
2009 - 2010
Larimer Vision Plan
A long-range green vision for the community over 20 years. A roadmap for future development. A tool for accessing resources and for negotiating with city, county, developers, and landowners.
Rendered image of Larimer neighborhood
Larimer Avenue plan features: • Village Green • Recreational complex on the north side of the avenue • Housing on the southeast side of avenue • No retail or commerical uses
Rendered image of Village Green
Rendered image of Larimer Avenue
2010 - 2012
Larimer Vision-to-Action Plan
A neighborhood framework for reinvestment. Larimer Avenue plan features: • Single - family housing and green open space on northwest side of the avenue • Single - family housing on the southeast side of the avenue • No retail or commercial activity • Larimer Avenue as a greenway and linkage to new open spaces and to East Liberty
Rendered image of Larimer
Map of plan highlighting green areas
Image of a greenway
2012 - 2013
CNIG Housing Plan
A housing development plan to be included in anticipation for a HUD Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant (CNIG)
Rendered image of Larimer Avenue
Larimer Avenue plan features: • Larimer Avenue as a mixed - use street and core business center of the neighborhood • Commercial and housing on both sides of Larimer Avenue • Village green as the only open space on Larimer Avenue
Rendered image of Larimer Avenue
Rendered image of Larimer Avenue
Why does Larimer need a greenway? A greenway is a long piece of land, where vegetation is encouraged, which is managed for public recreation and slow travel.
Examples of Greenways
Greenways can be part of a Smarth Growth design policy that encourages green infrastructure. This policy is called Complete Streets. Complete Streets are designed to enable safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities. Complete Streets make it easy to cross the street, walk to neighborhood amenities, and bicycle to work. They allow buses to run on time and make it safe for people to walk throughout their neighborhood. Adopting a Complete Streets policy means that every transportation project will make the street network better and safer for drivers, transit users, pedestrians, and cyclist. The objective of this project is to explore the idea of expanding the public right – of – way of an arterial street, Larimer Avenue, to include private property, along the southeast side of the road, for the purpose of creating a more livable residential street. By extending the right – of – way 20 feet we are able to design Larimer Avenue as a greenway and complete street. Achieving these two goals will allow the implementation of ecologically and pedestrian friendly designs throughout the Avenue. These new design principles will greatly benefit the neighborhood and its residents and can potentially be used on any street.
Great Rivers Greenway, St. Louis, MO
Greenways and complete streets may include: • Sidewalks • Seating • Bike Trails/Lanes • Water harvesting • Flood prevention • Gardens • Increased tree canopy • Habitat • Median Islands • Roundabouts • Curb extensions • Public transportation stops
Benefits:
The Highline, New York City
• Safety • Health • Public Transportation • Economic Revitalization • Lower Transportation Costs • Livability
Beneficiaries:
• Children • People with disabilities • Senior adults • Commuters • Joggers and strollers • Property owners along greenway
Atlanta BeltLine, Atlanta, GA
Larimer Avenue
Features:
Exisiting Conditions
• Narrow streets • Narrow sidewalks
• Vacant land • Wild landscapes • Poor street maintenance
Complete Street
Features:
Indy Cultural Trail, Indianapolis IN
• Permeable surfaces • Sidewalks
• Crosswalks • Bioswales • Bike lane
• Wayfinding • Bumpouts • Bike Parking
Arterial Street
Features:
Neighborhood Street
Features:
9th Ave New York City
• Bike lane • Sidewalks
• Median/Pedestrian Refuge • Bioswales
Epping North Melbourne Australia
• Medians • Sidewalks
• Rain gardens • Bioswales • Bike lane
How can this be implemented in Larimer?
Larimer Avenue Greenway plan from Larimer Vision Action Plan (2012) Existing Street Conditions
Larimer Avenue Greenway achieved by Easement
44’
44’
44’
44’
24’
40’
Larimer Avenue Greenway achieved by Subdivision
56’
40’
44’
24’
40’
56’
24’
20’
20’ 40’
40’
40’
Larimer Avenue is a poorly maintained road. The street and sidewalks are narrow and vary in width. The surfaces of the streets and sidewalks are cracked and in some cases crumbling. There is little to no landscaping along the public right of way and if there is it is over grown. Existing Roadway Conditions include: • Buildings built to various setbacks • No restriction on curb cuts • Portion of street are wider and allow for on street parking • Sidewalks vary from 4’ to 7’ and are generally in poor condition • Very few street trees with none is the public right of way
An Easement is the right of use over the property of another. Traditionally the permitted kinds of uses were limited, the most important being rights of way and rights concerning flowing waters. The easement was normally for the benefit of adjoining lands, no matter who the owner was, rather than for the benefit of a specific individual.
Subdivision can be used to create a new parcel for community benefit, owned by the community, a non-profit, or the City government. Property size is reduced by the amount of the greenway. Property taxes will be reduced as a result of the parcel size reduction.
A Conservation Easement is a specialized type of easement that is used to manage and conserve natural resources. It is recorded in the local land records. The grant becomes part of the chain of title for the property. Property ownership does not change and the property owner is responsible for maintenance of the property within the easement. However, a Conservation Easement enables a non-profit stewardship entity to improve and manage the land.
The landowner who grants any type of easement may receive significant state and federal tax advantages. Either method is intended to create: • 20’ deep continuous greenway on the southeast side of the Avenue • Fee simple parcels • Management plan for the greenway
Who is responsible for the greenway? Designating ownership is essential to the success of the Larimer Avenue Greenway. Whether it’s a small group of individuals or a large organization, ownership will dictate how it will look, who and how the property will be managed, and how it will be funded. Here are three different options for management.
Local ownership
Larimer Avenue Association of Property Owners Home owners are responsible for funding The funds are in lieu of taxes
Neighborhood ownership
Larimer Neighboord Improvement District (NID) Larimer Association/Consensus Group Neighborhood is responsible for funding Funds are raised through events
Holmes Place Example of Local Ownership
Foxway Commons Example of Local Ownership
Baum Grove Example of Neighborhood Ownership Friendship Community Group
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Example of Regional Ownership
Franky Llyod Wright’s Falling Water Managed by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
Allegheny Land Trust Example of Regional Ownership
Regional ownership
Conservation organization/Land trust Various funding sources
Regardless of who owns Larimer Avenue Greenway, it is designed for the people. In the 2008 Community Plan it was stated that the residents wanted the neighborhood to “move forward” after 30 years of neglect. Rebuilding a community with the principles of green and sustainable practices is forward thinking. The intention of redesigning Larimer Avenue as a greenway and complete street from Broad Street to Larimer Avenue Bridge is to encourage safe pedestrian street activity and community building. These designs take action in a making a difference in Larimer.
Larimer Avenue as a Greenway and Complete Street
before
after
Examples of infrastructure that can be used in Greenways and Complete Streets