Design for Green and Walkable Cities

DESIGNS FOR GREEN AND WALKABLE CITIES

DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR FORT WORTH

Urban Design Studio CPLN 702 The University of Pennsylvania School of Design Spring 2011

EDITORS Jonathan Barnett Michael Saltzman CONTRIBUTORS Adam Paul Amrhein Emily Leckvarcik Jaekyung Lee Pamela Lee Anthony Riederer Akua Nyame-Mensah Annie Michaelides Joanne Tu Purtsezova Alaleh Rouhi Karen Thompson

A FEW WORDS OF INTRODUCTION

Jonathan Barnett American cities and regions are full of opportunities to create infill neighborhoods in easily accessible locations, where there are supporting utilities already in place, but where older commercial and industrial uses are failing. There are also opportunities to restore the landscape in such places, which can enhance their value and make them more competitive with green-field locations. Another group of opportunities: creating new walkable centers with a mix of workplaces, shopping, and residences in both existing and developing urban areas, instead of endless housing tracts and underused commercial corridors. If such places could reach their development potential, central cities would have stronger economies, roads and transit could be more efficient, and over-all urban growth could be much more sustainable. The reasons these opportunities generally go unrealized is that they are places which present some form of complication; an investor can’t just acquire a property and build according to the code. Sometimes the code itself is the problem, sometimes it is an undesirable adjacent use, sometimes public investment is needed, often the complication is an infrastructure issue, or parts of key locations belong to a government agency, or the site is in multiple ownerships that would require cooperation

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

among investors. The real-estate market constantly supplies developers with sites that

4

don’t need so much up-front work, so these more complicated situations are often not considered.

To test the potential of opportunities that conventional development passes by, we turned to Fernando Costa, the Deputy City Manager – and former Planning Director - of the City of Fort Worth, who arranged for us to receive an inventory of some 60 such locations, identified by Jocelyn Murphy, Zoning and Land Use Manager, and Eric Fladager, Comprehensive Planning Manager, of the Fort Worth Planning and Development

URBAN CENTERS

Walking is the most flexible and efficient means of transportation. Traditional city and town centers are walkable. Once you arrive, you can spend a day going to and from a variety of destinations. You can live in a traditional downtown, work in an office there, go out to lunch or the health club, even go to a theater or movie, without using transit or moving the car. But recent growth in the U.S. has not produced many new, walkable centers. Home, work, schools, entertainment, and shopping are all in different directions, often a long way from each other. Doing daily errands means driving from one store to the next. This new pattern had its advantages: more living space for less money, better access to the outdoors, work places away from downtown congestion, but these desirable qualities began to disappear as more and more people took advantage of them. Today traffic congestion is proverbial, the lower costs of suburban housing are cancelled by the high costs of journeys to work, and the support system of roads and utilities plus the loss of natural landscape become more and more unsustainable as metropolitan areas spread out. One response: more cities are building public rail transit, which can take people out of cars and creates walkable destinations around transit stops.

In Fort Worth a new commuter line connecting to downtown and to DFW Airport creates opportunities for walkable mixed-use centers at the new stations. The City suggested we plan walkable centers at the southern terminus of the commuter line at Summer Creek and at the Berry Street stop near Texas Christian University.

They also suggested we review the plans for developing the Walsh Ranch, more than 7,000 acres in one ownership at the extreme southwestern edge of the city, currently in discussion for annexation. Walsh Ranch is way beyond existing transit, or even streets and utilities. The question there is whether, when it develops it can be planned with compact, walkable centers that will conserve the landscape, cut the need for new roads and utilities and support future transit.

8 Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

1

A NEW SUBURBAN CENTER WITH RAIL AND HIGHWAY ACCESS

Summer Creek Station Emily Leckvarcik Summer Creek is a rural area just southwest of Fort Worth. The character of the area is rapidly changing. In what was historically prairie and ranch land, single and multifamily housing has been emerging to the east and north of the station with more planned to the south. Additionally, two major projects are slated for development that will significantly alter the future of Summer Creek. A new commuter rail line is proposed for this location that will run north through downtown Fort Worth to the DFW airport. Also, the construction of a toll road interchange is planned here along the southwest parkway connecting I-30 to Cleburne. Current market demands combined with plans for rail and highway access, will dramatically increase Summer Creek’s regional importance and development opportunities.

This plan proposes a dense, transit-supportive development around the commuter rail station and highway interchange rather than existing patterns of auto-oriented commercial and suburban residential development in the area.

The proposal respects and enhances local hydrology and sensitive ecosystems while presenting options for dealing with power lines and rail infrastructure to create a walkable mixed-use center of lasting value.

9

PLANNED TRANSPORTATION The Fort Worth Transportation Authority (also know as the “T”) initiated the southwest-tonortheast rail corridor project in 2007. The commuter rail line will utilize existing freight rails throughout much of the corridor and terminate at Summer Creek in the southwest and the Dallas Fort Worth airport (DFW) in the northeast. The proposed system is projected to use self-propelled vehicles with either locomotive-hauled passenger coaches or diesel multiple units. The train ride between Summer Creek and DFW is expected to take approximately 70 minutes and run every 20 minutes during peak commuting hours. Because Summer Creek will be an end-of-the line station, the T anticipates that the station will draw from a Planned transportation improvements for Summer Creek include a new commuter station, parkway and two interchanges, and local road extensions. Because Summer Creek will be the terminus of the commuter rail line, a layover station for trains is proposed between the rail line and parkway.

wide geographic area and attract mostly commuters. A station area plan is proposed for Summer Creek with a 600 car parking area directly east of the station. The parking area proposal contends with the existing floodplain plain of Summer Creek and avoids the transmission line right-of-way parallel to the rail corridor.

The North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) also has plans that will impact the future of Summer Creek Station. A new southwest parkway toll road (SH121) is proposed between I-30 and Cleburne to ease traffic congestion. The tollway transverses the area around

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

Summer Creek from north to south, crossing over the train tracks ¼ mile north of the

12

station. Local roads, such as Bryant Irving and Sycamore School Road are also planned to extend south and west, respectively, in order to connect to the train station park and ride and toll way interchange.

Existing development plans around Summer Creek Station

Based on the existing residential market demands and future highway and train access, several developments have already been proposed for Summer Creek. The initial development plans propose a large residential development on the west side of rail line with some mixed use surrounding the station and auto-oriented commercial uses to the east side of the tracks. The T, in partnership with the City of Fort Worth and private sector stakeholders, convened a charrette in 2008 to brainstorm visions for the station area and review and refine the development concepts. Alternatives to the existing proposed

Existing SpreadPlans Title

EXISTING DEVELOPMENT PLANS

development were created and include a denser town center with a greater mix of uses, more residential offerings, and enhanced pedestrian environments. However, the alternatives still show the town center concentrated around the rail station and ignore the most accessible areas of the site.

All the existing development proposals took the T’s proposed parking area for granted and did not address floodplain issues surrounding Summer Creek. The plans do not recognize the opportunity to connect the east and west sides of the track in a unified development,

Alternative development plans for Summer Creek Station from a 2008 charette sponsored by the “T�

relying on an existing at-grade crossing on Sycamore Schoolhouse Road instead.

Furthermore, the existing plans miss the opportunity to increase the value of the town center by moving or burying the transmission lines.

13

GREENWAYS In planning Summer Creek beyond the station, the first proposal was to create a network of greenways to protect the sensitive ecologic areas and save on infrastructure costs.

The greenways are located in areas of steep slope, over natural drainage channels, and provide buffers between the development and surrounding land uses. The greenways will be programmed with active and passive recreation opportunities. Over three miles of non-vehicular recreation trails are contained within the greenways to encourage commuting options and provide exercise circuits for residents and workers.

CIRCULATION This proposal determined the primary circulation in relation to the greenways, landscape features, existing road network, and future highway and road extensions. Access to the area surround the station was maximized to accommodate daily commuters from the immediate vicinity and region.

LAND USE

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

The highest densities and the greatest mixture of land uses are proposed surrounding the

14

station, at the most visible intersections of primary roads, and adjacent to the off-ramps of the toll road interchange. A gradient of medium to low density residential is then proposed from a Âź mile around the station outward. Civic spaces are designated at primary intersections internal to the Summer Creek development to provide for places of worship, schools, libraries, and community centers.

The land west of the Summer Creek, owned by the Sid Richardson Foundation, is intentionally left undeveloped. Longhorn Park and the riparian area surrounding Lake Benbrook should be augmented and the historic prairie landscape on this parcel preserved indefinitely for environmental value, recreation opportunities, preserved in perpetuity.

ILLUSTRATIVE PLAN The heart of the Summer Creek proposal is the town center located within a five minute walk of the rail station. In contrast to the existing plans for the Summer Creek, a link is made over the tracks by moving or burying the power lines. This unites otherwise unrelated areas of development, forms the core of a new urban center, and adds significant value to the properties along it. Additionally the 100-year floodplain is retained, enhanced, and incorporated into the design as a distinctive attraction and important piece of the development’s stormwater infrastructure.

The key elements of the town center proposal include an office cluster around the eastern traffic circle at the toll road interchange on Sycamore Schoolhouse Road. The corridor leads north from there into the main commercial center of the development with outdoor clothing and gear supplier, such as REI, anchor across from a hotel. Between

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

Legend

16

1. Grocery store 2. Neighborhood commercial 3. Civic space 4. Low to medium density residential 5. Medium to high density residential 6. Greenway 7. Walk-up apartments and condominiums 8. Town houses 9. Commercial 10. Commuter parking structure 11. Existing gas well 12. Summer Creek commuter rail station 13. Wetland restoration with boardwalk network,

environmental education signage, and shelters 14. Hotel 15. Outdoor gear and clothing retailer 16. Office building 17. Existing substation 18. Existing multi-family housing

the commercial core and train station, the existing floodplain has been transformed into a functioning wetland with a network of boardwalks, shelters and lookout towers.

By relocating two poles to the wetland corridor, the transmission lines can be rerouted around the station area or buried for this distance. This creates high-value development opportunities right at the train station as well as increasing the value of surrounding parcels. The road bridging the tracks is gently sloped to accommodate people with disabilities and two to three levels of parking are accommodated on either side of the tracks behind the commercial fronts for daily commuters and commercial patrons. The two parking structures on the west side of the tracks are capped with living green roofs for stormwater management and to achieve sustainable building standards.

The development immediately west of the tracks is primarily a high-density residential neighborhood. With apartments, townhomes, and condominiums provided here, residents can choose the lifestyle that is best for them in the heart of the new town center. The western traffic circle on Bryant Irving Road is lined with civic institutions and local-serving commercial such as a place of worship, grocery store, and pharmacy.

Spread Title

LEFT: Bird’s eye view of town center

LEFT: Section A through ramp over station

100 FT

B. Section through station

100 Ft

19

PROGRAM Office

425,500 sf

Commercial

221,750 sf

Local-serving Commercial

350,300 sf

Town Houses

425 units

Duplexes

150 units

Apartments

600 units

Condominiums

400 units

Single Family Homes

900 units

Parks and Open Space

200 acres

Recreation Trails

3 miles, including 1/2 mile of wetland boardwalk

Station Area Parking

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

Phase 1

20

1,200 spaces

To accommodate the commuter station development, the commercial buildings and ramp over the station should be the focus of phase one. This necessitates construction of the

Phase 2

primary circulation routes and initial reroute of the transmission lines around the station

Phasing

PHASE 1

to east. Surface parking is constructed first with the foundations of structured parking planned for future phases. Residential neighborhood development is begun in the first phase as well to help finance future construction. Development of the commercial corridor begins concurrently with the wetland restoration efforts.

PHASE 2 The commercial is augmented with the main retail anchor. The office cluster is begun at the eastern traffic circle. The residential development to the west of the station begins and residential development in the periphery of the station commences. The hotel and office space is begun to the east of the tracks. The remainder of the housing development in Summer Creek is completed.

Phase 3

PHASE 3 The local serving commercial and civic space surrounding the western traffic circle is completed to serve the Summer Creek residents. The remainder of the office cluster is completed and the hotel is constructed. The parking areas are converted to structured parking, and the green roofs on the two to the west of the station installed.

21

22 Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

2

MAIN STREET HIGHWAY INTERCHANGES

Walsh Ranch Joanne Tu Purtsezova Walsh Ranch is a 7,275-acre property located in Tarrant and Parker Counties at the junction of Interstates 20 and 30 at what is currently ranch land at the extreme southwestern edge of Fort Worth. Annexation of this land to the City is currently in negotiation. While the land surrounds the junction of two important highways, the three interchanges that would permit connections to the surrounding development have not yet been constructed. This creates an unusual opportunity to design the interchanges and the street system at the same time. However, the land for the interchanges belongs to the state Department of Transportation, which means that joint development of the public and private land around the intersections will require negotiation. The pay-off for the extra work would be highly advantageous to the development.

Instead of the conventional clover-leaf or diamond interchanges which create large gaps at the points of maximum access, the proposal shows how a local street could both link and become part of the interchanges at I–20 and I–30, creating main streets for walkable centers located with the best access from all directions, rather than a town center cluster relegated to a quadrant of one interchange, which is the current proposal.

23

Existing Conditions

RIGHT: Site summary plan for Walsh Ranch

General location of Main Street Highway Interchange for I-30 Town Center Community

Landscape view to south of Interstate Highway 30

25

OPPOSITE: Illustrative diagram with land uses for I-30 Town Center Community

DESIGN CONCEPT The proposal significantly scales down the amount of total road lengths that are needed

PROGRAM SUMMARY

to support local and regional mobility in order to save on infrastructure costs. Further, as

I-30 Town Center

a response to changing demand in a time of financial uncertainty, this plan offers a wider

Retail

960,000 sf

Commercial

500,000 sf

MF Residential

4,800 units

SF Residential

1,696 units

OPPOSITE: Walsh Ranch proposed master plan with three town center communities as nodes

variety of housing choices in order to address a broad concern for efficiency and economy in an era of increasing fiscal restraint. This plan also seeks to propose a modest alternative that drastically scales down the proportion of built-out land to unbuilt land and seeks to lay the groundwork for future transit development.

This present proposal is intended to be implemented based upon the Vision North Texas plan outlined by the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), in which growth pattern scenarios and options are each considered and weighed against one another. However, rather than envisioning the Walsh Ranch property as a sprawling extension of downtown, this plan envisions the Walsh Ranch property as a separate community. The reasoning behind this simultaneous appeal to and departure from the NCTCOG Vision Plan is that historic land use models have indicated that growth occurs

Opposite

where land is bounded by growth areas and that land urbanizes when it is bounded by

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

urbanized areas. Consequently, sprawl has historically occurred along and outwardly from

26

highways somewhat unrestrained. This present plan attempts to reign in some of the perceived potential for additional sprawling to occur.

This proposal draws on the plans already produced by HNTB and their economic impact numbers, site selection, and general vision are all carefully considered and integrated into this new plan to the extent possible. The central feature of the proposed design is set of three main street highway interchanges that are positioned where communities in the existing Walsh Ranch plan are already proposed. Each main street highway interchange is configured with a retail hub that bridges the portions of each community to either side, extending outward with a central block of main street retail frontages. Office buildings,

Courtyard Apartment with Ground-Floor Retail

Main Street Bridge Shopping Center

Attached House Single-Family House Playground Parks and Open Space Wooded Area Retail Commercial Office Commercial Sidewalk

I-30 Town Center Community

Parking Garages

High-Density Residential Medium-Density Residential Low-Density Residential Road 300 ft

Pond

27

OPPOSITE: Illustrative Diagram with Land Uses for I-30 Town Center Community

which provide opportunities for residents to live near employment, are clustered, creating walkable and accessible main street frontages. This integrated configuration is a central theme in the overall design concept. These office clusters largely cap the main street

PROGRAM SUMMARY

blocks to either end of the highway and are formed around roundabouts that slow down

I-20 Town Center

vehicular traffic in order to encourage pedestrian traffic.

Retail

880,000 sf

Commercial

500,000 sf

MF Residential

3,200 units

SF Residential Attached

424 units

plan aims to build the road infrastructure in such a way that clustered development implies

SF Residential Detached

392 units

fewer overall miles of road being necessary for efficient traffic circulation. The purpose of

Phasing will be used in order to ensure a timely but sustainable build-out of Walsh Ranch.

A road connecting I-30 to I-20 based on the 2010 Major Thoroughfare Plan, but adapted to the present proposal is one of the main infrastructure components needed. The phasing

decreasing the total lengths of arterial roads is to make the present proposal more costeffective during both the comprehensive master planning process and subsequent work

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

RIGHT: Example of ground Floor retail for residential apartments in Addison, TX envisioned for Walsh Ranch

28

Opposite

Courtyard Apartment with Ground-Floor Retail

Main Street Bridge Shopping Center

Attached House Single-Family House Playground Parks and Open Space Wooded Area’ Retail Commercial Office Commercial Sidewalk

I-20 Town Center Community

Parking Garages

High-Density Residential Medium-Density Residential Low-Density Residential Road 300 ft

Pond

29

OPPOSITE: Illustrative diagram with land uses for Overlook Town Center Community

done via the aforementioned public-private partnerships. All infrastructure should be put into place in advance of building construction in order to address City staff concerns regarding overextension of municipal resources to outlying areas. Site remediation will also occur during this first phase, as needed. Phase two calls for the construction of the first of

PROGRAM SUMMARY

three mixed-use town centers, including housing, commercial, office space, parking, and

Overlook Town Center Retail

920,000 sf

Commercial

2,000,000 sf

MF Residential

7,200 units

SF Residential Attached

530 units

SF Residential Detached

784 units

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

RIGHT: Courtyard housing example from Legacy Town Center in Plano, TX

30

Opposite

public space. The final two phases include the construction of the second and third town centers, respectively.

Courtyard Apartment with Ground-Floor Retail

Main Street Bridge Shopping Center

Attached House Single-Family House Playground Parks and Open Space Wooded Area’ Retail Commercial Office Commercial Sidewalk High-Density Residential Medium-Density Residential Low-Density Residential

Overlook Town Center Spread Community Title

Parking Garages

Road 300 ft

Pond

31

RIGHT: Illustrative diagram of the three main street highway interchanges over existing Walsh Ranch concept diagram

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

PROGRAM SUMMARY

32

Retail

2,760,000 sf

Commercial

3,000,000 sf

MF Residential

15,200 units

SF Residential Attached

2,650 units

SF Residential Detached

1,176 units

Courtyard apartment with integrated parking from Legacy Town Center in Plano, TX - similar integration is envisioned for Walsh Ranch

1250 ft

Conclusion

CONCLUSION By drawing upon existing comprehensive planning efforts, this proposal attempts to approach the development of Walsh Ranch from an environmentally-sensitive and preservationist perspective. At the same time, market factors must be considered, so single-family houses from the original program have been included and the proposed single-family houses are to be moderate in size and scale. The inclusion of assorted housing types is intended to reflect changing market needs resulting from current economic conditions. Overall, he plan as outlined above seeks to schematically lay out a trio of individual communities that can be viewed in the aggregate as a comprehensive Walsh Ranch master planned community while maintaining unique identities. The most important element of this plan is that it captures the entire residential and commercial program from the existing Walsh Ranch plan while decreasing total infrastructure costs and increasing total preserved land area in parkland and preserved natural areas. This type of compact development makes future transit development more feasible and likely.

Section of Main Street Highway Bridge in I-30 Town Center

25’

10’ 10’ 10’ 7’ 40’ median 7’ 10’ 10’ 10’ widen existing 7’ emergency lanes to 10’

33

34 Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

3

UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CENTER AT A NEW RAIL STATION

Texas Christian University - Berry Street Pamela Lee The proposed Texas Christian University-Berry Street commuter rail station, located along the Southwest-to-Northwest Commuter rail in Fort Worth, Texas, creates development opportunity for a University Research Center. However, seasonal flooding impacts the area, presenting a challenge to any development plans. Until stormwater management efforts are employed to mitigate seasonal flooding, the potential development opportunities of this study area cannot be fully realized.

Addressing the seasonal flooding challenges by implementing an urban stormwater management district will enable parcels adjacent to the new commuter rail station to be a destination with development opportunity. By using the leverage of the neighboring institutions, an office campus including commercial and research/laboratory space will support the innovative and academic pursuits of both TCU and Paschal High. Also complementing Paschal High School’s exceptional academics and athletics, a mixed-use championship soccer stadium will be proposed on the study area to create a destination for both innovation and recreation.

35

Southwest -to-Northwest Commuter rail route

Site Context

LEFT: Highlighted opportunities

700 ft

Texas Christian University

37

Example of existing retail along Berry Street

In anticipation of the TCU-Berry commuter rail station, two plans prepared by HOK and URS have considered this area, concentrating on the Berry Street and parcels within a walking distance of the transit station. Both suggest a mixed-use development for Berry Street, but suggest modest increases in development density. Neither one of these plans take into consideration the seasonal flooding challenges.

The main goal for both of these plans is to enliven Berry Street to better connect the future commuter rail station to both Paschal High School and Texas Christian University.

Mixed-use retail and parking towards the rear of new development is suggested. Mixeduse building prototypes were also suggested, but do not fit within the context of the area and are located on parcels that are prone to flooding. These plans do not reflect the true potential of this area.

III. VILLAGE PLANNING

Consensus Development Plan

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

Urban Village Plan prepared by HOK in 2007

38

LEFT: Commuter Rail Station Plan prepared by URS in 2003

High School is located on the largest site closest to the train station with a single owner and has great development potential. By omitting this parcel as a location for potential redevelopment, the plans are limited just along Berry and the smaller parcels near the train station to create a dense, compact and walkable neighborhood. By utilizing the Paschal High parcel, a more dynamic and effective plan to promote walkable urbanism can be suggested for this site.

Previous Plans

Both plans also omit Paschal High School from any potential development. Paschal

Proposed TCU-Berry Station Site

Figure 10: TCU/Berry Station Area Framework Plan

The T

25

TCU/Berry Station Area Plan

39

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

RIGHT: Inundation map depicting parcels most affected by season flooding. Map and images courtesy of the City of Fort Worth. Red lines indicate existing stormwater infrastructure

40

Examples of flooding in and around the study area

Spread Challenges Title

There are major challenges towards achieving walkable urbanism in the TCU-Berry Street study area. Most importantly, the seasonal flooding impacting the area must be addressed in order to protect existing and future infrastructure including the rail right of way and the future train station. Infrastructure must be protected in order to justify the viability of the development of this area along Berry Street and near the station. Parcels one block north and one block south from the future commuter rail station flood fifty percent of the time during intense seasonal weather events.

The pipe infrastructure constructed sixty years ago must be supplemented with facilities

Forest Park-Berry Watershed

that have increased stormwater retention capacity to relieve the current infrastructure.

0

0.5

ADAMS

WILLING

HENDERSON

5TH

BALDWIN

6TH

WILLING

RYAN

COLLEGE

ADAMS

RIPY

LAUGHTON

5TH

ADAMS

WILLING 8TH

JAMES STANLEY

COLLEGE

RYAN PLACE

6TH

WILLING

8TH 8TH

RYAN

8TH

RYAN

JAMES

STANLEY

8TH

COLLEGE

PAFFORD

FOGG

ADAMS

5TH

DREW

DREW

MASON

BOLT

BOLT

FERGUSON

FL IN

T

ADAMS

STANLEY

STO N

GORDON

HENDERSON

TOWNSEND

NE

LIVINGSTON

LIVINGSTON

BEWICK

WAGGOMAN

5TH

FLINT

BEWICK

DICKSON

LIV ING

WAYSIDE

MERIDA

MCCART

BOLT

SHAW ORANGE

DICKSON

PAFFORD

DREW

SHAW

WOODLAND CURTIS BIDDISON

RIPY

JAMES

WAYSIDE

FOREST PARK

FRAZIER

WAGGOMAN

BARR

BOLT

CL EB UR

UR

NE

WAYSIDE

CL EB

M P

TOWNSEND

MERIDA

DICKSON

DEVITT

LOWE

ORANGE

BIDDISON

RIPY

5TH

GORDON

WAYSIDE FRAZIER

FOREST PARK

MCCART SANDAGE

RA

E RI DG

COCKRELL

0.25

ALLEY

HIGH DEVITT

BALDWIN

´

DICKSON WAGGOMAN

BERRY

MONDA

FRAZIER

SUFFOLK

LUBBOCK

BOLT

RAM P

N

BOWIE

BEWICK

PAFFORD

COCKRELL

development its good location.

LIVINGSTON

FOREST

FOREST PARK

SANDAGE

MERIDA

LUBBOCK

WAITS

GREENE

WAITS

COCKRELL K PA R

IE GR LD AN BU RY UNIVERSITY

an appropriate proposal that works financially for all parties if they are to consider any

BOWIE

CAPPS

LO WD E

LOWDEN

ORANGE

BUTLER

BUTLER

DRYDEN

W IN F

renovation and/or reconstruction of the school’s campus. The school district would need

MISSION

BEWICK

MC CART

and the challenge of relocating both the school’s playing fields and student body during

UNIVERSITY

E RI DG

HARWEN

K

adjacent uses may be more difficult due to the neighborhood support of this school

CANTEY

SHAW

MP

BIDDISON

BIDDISON

BERRY

DEVITT

RA

BENBROOK

LAMESA W OR TH HI LL S

PA R

in the city. Reorganizing this parcel for future development and capitalizing on its

BOWIE

H G ILL RA S NB UR Y

academic reputation. It is a respected institution providing a curriculum of advanced

UNIVERSITY

ODESSA

WABASH

As identified by the City of Fort Worth, Paschal High School is not only a part of the

PARK HILL MCPHERSON

LOWDEN

MERIDA

WRIGHT

BELLAIRE

ownership closest to the future train station, there are challenges in acquiring this site.

courses and preparatory courses for the college bound not offered to all high schools

PARMER

MAIN

PRINCETON

LUBBOCK

Though Paschal High School has been identified as the largest parcel under single

CANTEY

UNIVERSITY

School and the future commuter rail station.

GREENE

NORTH DRIVEWAY TCU

and may prove to decrease property values along Berry Street near TCU, Paschal High

Independent School District, but it is a premier public high school with an excellent

ROGERS

MCPHERSON

ROGERS

Without expanding the stormwater filtration capacity, no development is safe from flooding

UNIVERSITY

Flash flooding poses a serious threat to the safety of both residents and their property.

COCKRELL

Forest Park neighborhood watershed boundaries. Courtesy of the City of Forth Worth

1 Miles

41

Existing street improvements along Berry Street.

This proposal creates a stormwater management district acting as both a policy and program, to employ several stormwater management strategies to reduce the impact of seasonal flooding in the neighborhood. Stormwater management districts are traditionally regional in context, encompassing an entire watershed. Within a stormwater management district several facilities can be combined to make a difference in protecting infrastructure by increasing water infiltration and retention, while encouraging public awareness and resident participation in addressing neighborhood flooding due to stormwater management. The TCU-Berry study area could greatly benefit from an urban stormwater management district that plays an integral part within the watershed to maximize water infiltration and retention to protect surrounding residential units by utilizing street infrastructure, commercial and institutional uses. Fort Worth currently charges a stormwater utility fee and the funds from this revenue stream could be applied to watershed and stormwater management district to improve infrastructure and promote public awareness. One such program could be a program coordinating residents and volunteers to plant rain gardens throughout the area. This urban stormwater management

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

RIGHT: Section of Berry Street showing improvement to provide stormwater management facilities

42

face similar issues. Though these efforts may not solve the stormwater management problem, it reduces the risk to residents and their personal property in the interim until more substantial stormwater infrastructure and facilities are proposed further upstream to mitigate the problem more effectively. Demonstration projects will be implemented using Fort Worth’s existing stormwater management utility fee. The following projects are suggested for the area: •

Improved street infrastructure that installs bioswales and produces greater

amounts of permeable surfaces

•

A program to subsidize rain barrels for all residences

•

Encourage rain garden landscaping on all commercial properties

•

Promote community garden space

•

Install permeable pavers for all surface parking

•

Plant trees along all streets throughout the district to increase infiltration and

provide shade

•

Install retention facilities, whether they are permanent water features or temporary

holding basins, where appropriate

Paschal High School playing fields can be used as a temporary retention basin during large rain events.

Urban Water Management Spread District Title

district model can be replicated throughout the City of Fort Worth in neighborhoods who

43

44 Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

school’s playing fields into a stormwater retention facility. By sinking the field plane 3 feet below grade, the fields can retain ten million gallons of rain water. Phase 1 also includes the development of the train station and supporting parking structure creating an attractive destination for commuters. Berry Street will also benefit from improvements including large median bioswales, street trees and pervious pavers for on-street parking. Phase 2 will continue to address the stormwater issues by constructing underground stormwater retention facilities beneath structured parking and continuing on-street improvements to increase water retention through bioswales and pervious surfaces.

An office building will be constructed adjacent to the commuter rail station, enabling a carless and walkable commute for those who work there. This office will also front Berry Street with available space for a coffee shop on the lower level, enlivening the street.

A new hotel is introduced on Berry Street, with the goal of developing the train station into a true destination that relates to TCU. The closest hotel to TCU is a fifteen minute drive away, requiring visitors to rely on an automobile to travel and stay near TCU. Locating a hotel within a 25 minute walk down Berry Street is a great option for major TCU events including graduation, homecoming and major sporting events. Conference space in the hotel will be very useful for TCU, future office, commercial, retail and research tenants to hold private events. Also across the street are two research and laboratory facilities that will provide space for the expansion TCU’s science departments and/or local science related businesses. College campuses nationwide are facing scarcity of campus land due to increased student enrollment and providing development potential for TCU to extend their facilities, academic or otherwise further eastward and closer to public transit would be a

OPPOSITE: Phase 1 stormwater management

Stormwater Management Phase 1

In Phase 1, the stormwater management issues should be addressed by reorganizing the

great expansion opportunity. Paschal High School’s current building and practice fields will remain in Phase 1 in order to minimize the disturbance to the academic schedule and allow the school to continue the most important functions for as long as possible.

45

In Phase 2, Paschal High School will be renovated and built a new campus that will better complement its current academic needs. The high school playing fields, though, will be relocated outside the study area but within the neighborhood to parcels upstream that will serve as retention facilities that will better mitigate the neighborhood flooding. One practice soccer field and open courtyard space will be available on the Paschal High campus.

A championship soccer stadium integrated into a mixed-use retail will be built below to complement Paschal High’s exceptional athletic program. This facility is meant to be jointly used by the high school, TCU and other sports programs throughout Fort Worth. This will be a unique facility, creating a destination where spectators from all over the city and region can access using the new commuter train. Lastly, retail along Berry Street across the street from the stadium will be developed to enliven the corridor.

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

New boulevard vista from the new commuter rail station to the office park campus down Townsend Drive

46

New Chamption Soccer Stadium

University Research Center Phase 2

LEFT: Phase 2

60 ft

47

Summary of Proposal LEFT: Phase 2 Complete

300 ft

- New Paschal High Campus - Championship soccer stadium - New retail (190,000 sf) - New office campus (408,000 sf) - Structured parking and retention facilities - Improved infrastructure along Berry Street and Townsend Drive

49

URBAN JOBS

Keeping jobs near where people live is an important issue as metropolitan areas continue to spread out. It is often a long commute outwards for people who live in the inner part of the city. For some people who live there, jobs are out of reach.

Community Colleges have an important role in training the urban work force.

Tarrant College in the Fort Worth region has five locations with diverse course offerings designed to help people become productive workers. But there are sometimes gaps between courses and the experience necessary jobs.

Another typical problem is that job centers in urban areas are often located where the people who work there can’t afford to live. Again the problem is a long commute, this time from housing on the urban fringe into the central job location.

The City of Fort Worth asked us to look at two situations related to creating and maintaining the urban work force. They identified the south campus of Tarrant College, which is situated on a large, partly vacant tract of County owned land, as a possible site for an industrial park where jobs could be related closely to course offerings at the College. Our proposal shows that the site is an excellent location for an industrial park, but its advantages have not visible in the marketplace because the site is publicly owned. However, because the site is publicly owned, the job development campus must clearly serve a public purpose.

The City also asked us to look for opportunities to create new housing near the Naval Reserve Base, one of Fort Worth’s largest employers. People who work at the base often must commute an hour or an hour and half each way, every day.

Having housing close by has been identified as important issue in keeping the base in Fort Worth. There turns out to be available land right near the main gate to the base, mostly in the Village of Westworth, an independent community within Fort Worth. Our proposal shows how the land could become two new residential neighborhoods with housing keyed to the needs of people who work at the base.

52 Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

4

LEARN AND EARN CAMPUS

Campus Drive,/TCC South Alaleh Rouhi Tarrant County College offers many job training courses. Its south campus is part of a large county-owned tract with a substantial amount of vacant land.

This land is situated at an interchange of I-20, the ring-road around the city, and one interchange away from the junction of I-20 and I-35, the NAFTA corridor. This is a prime location for industrial development. The concept creates a work-force development site based on the potential synergy between the already existing resources and substantial vacant land available.

The proposal is for a walkable business campus that provides flexible facilities that can be used for manufacturing, distribution, offices, or research while providing access to the job development courses offered by Tarrant County College (TCC). At the core of the business campus is a walkable center, which supports the college, the existing Veterans Administration clinic, and the proposed business park. Green infrastructure and restoration of the natural environment are also part of the proposal, showcasing the potential for developing sustainable and green jobs.

53

The ultimate goal is to help stabilize Fort Worth’s inner city neighborhoods by training community leaders, promoting and generating job and career options, and educating residents about reducing their energy usage. The Learn to Earn concept is designed to encourage students to enroll in higher level education so that they may be better equipped with skills to help prepare the incoming workforce for available jobs in Fort Worth metropolitan region. This proposal also strives to create greater awareness of the exciting career opportunities with local companies and to encourage students to consider entering these careers.

Site location along the highway I -20 only one exit away from its intersection with NAFTA Highway (I-35)

This proposal has three goals. First, it seeks to promote industrial development by establishing an industrial park. Second, it protects nearby residential areas from encroachment by commercial and industrial uses. Third, it attracts highway-adjacent commercial uses that will result in a development that has lasting value.

EXISTING CONDITIONS The study area for this proposal is approximately 1,182 acres, located south of downtown Fort Worth near two main highway corridors and a rail freight line. The location is at an

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

interchange of Interstate 20 and Interstate 35. Interstate 20 is the ring road around

54

the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and I-35 is also known as the NAFTA Highway or MidContinent Trade and Transportation Corridor which extends from Mexico through the U.S. to Canada.

The site is bounded by I-20, local roads and freight lines. The west side of the site is bounded by a tributary of the Trinity River that irrigates Carter Park on the western edge of the study area. The topography ranges to 131 feet of elevation with the prison sitting at the highest point of the site.

LEFT: Street section types

44 ft

68 ft

106 ft

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

Campus drive streetscape (main BLV.)-section

60

15 ft

infrastructure. Industrial uses include an industrial park with a work-force development center, offices, warehousing , and flexible industrial space, as well as an automotive technology shop and medical devices workshop. Educational-related development includes an expansion of TCC facilities and the previously mentioned automotive shop that can serve as a hands-on classroom. Green infrastructure includes a public park that doubles as stormwater management facility, urban agriculture and nursery, green parking and green roofs, and an urban forest that functions as a buffer between the prison and surrounding buildings.

The site would also be an exemplar of green design with the goal of supporting and

Circulation diagram

Design Spread Concept Title

The proposal suggests three types of development: industrial, educational, and green

promoting a more sustainable lifestyle while educating the future workforce, and creating public awareness to both residents and the city by showcasing sustainable development and green jobs.

61

66 .25 miles

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

5

A WORKFORCE NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR A MILITARY BASE

Fort Worth Naval Air Station Jaekyung Lee For almost seven decades, the Naval Air Station (NAS) Joint Reserve Base (JRB) Fort Worth has been an integral force in the City of Fort Worth. It has been a source of great community pride and a station that has contributed to national defense efforts. Despite its reputation and important role in the city as a major employer, the base fails to provide the amenities it needs to support the on-base employees. There is little housing provided on or near the base and most employees commute daily by automobile over an hour everyday.

Solving the workforce housing problem is critical to keeping base operations in its current location and reducing the commute time for employees. This proposal aims to solve this issue by suggesting two walkable residential neighborhoods near the base, utilizing existing vacant land and a design to accommodate nearly 1,000 more units of housing within an affordable price range for NAS employees. These two neighborhoods are linked by a mixeduse urban village located at the main entrance gate, created from restructuring an existing intersection. This urban village will house a new elementary school, community center, and a park system to provide amenities for residents and to integrate the new neighborhood into the surrounding community.

67

LOCATION

Existing land use

Covering 443 acres, the City of Fort Worth Naval Air Station is located six miles west of downtown Fort Worth and 4 miles immediately south of Lake Worth in Tarrant County. The study area is located near the intersection of State Highway 183 and Interstate-30. NAS Fort Worth has been occupied as a military since 1941. In 1993, the base underwent a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process and the site was converted to NAS, JRB in 1994.

The land use in the southwest portion of the study area are more suburban in character, and is a mix of commercial uses (fast food restaurants, Sam’s Club and Walmart) and some residential development. A private golf course sits on northwest side of the study area, adjacent to the commercial strip along Highway 183. The remainder of the study area is primarily vacant with some scattered single family residential land uses and a church.

Winding through the site is a river tributary that eventually discharges to the Trinity River that flows through downtown Fort Worth. Lastly, there is an interchange in the middle of the study area that connects the site to the region. However, there are plans to move the

MILITARY HOUSING REQUIREMENTS

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

2006

68

2009

2014

TOTAL

2,779

2,392

2,740

MILITARY FAMILY

2,059

1,788

2,061

HOMEOWNERS

652

707

787

RENTERS

1,327

1,001

1,274

UNACCOMPANIED PERSONNEL

691

578

650

68

79

92

517

397

445

HOMEOWNERS RENTERS

military base entrance causing the interchange to be underutilized with very little traffic.

OPPORTUNITIES & CONSTRAINTS

The NAS JRB base has been an important asset to the City of Fort Worth for decades. It is the third largest employer in North Central Texas and employs civilians as well as those serving on active duty, the National Guard, and Naval Reserve as well as more than 150,000 retired military personnel throughout the region. The installation has also played a major role for local economy proving an annual economic impact of approximately $4.2 billon. NAS base plays an important role not only for national defense but also for local and regional economy.

70 Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

Transportation system

DETAIL PLAN

One proposed neighborhoods is located east of the golf course. Single family homes will be located around the district center which will include an elementary school surrounded by townhouses. Single family homes with wide pedestrian streets and open space are also being proposed on the eastern edge of the residential neighborhood. Moreover, by locating commercial development and a church adjacent to the main street, traffic will be reduced in the residential areas.

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

Green network

72

The other neighborhood,planned for the southwest area will include mixed-use buildings along the main street. There is heavy traffic flow on the main street, and these traffic congestion issues must be addressed. The mixed-use buildings will have underground parking, commercial and office uses on the first floor and residential on the upper floors. These buildings will bring more varied and interesting life by introducing multiple uses. They will also create the opportunity for people to live close to their place of work. Also within the study area, a community center and three stories apartments with semi-underground basement parking lots will be constructed. Through the basement parking system, automobiles will be blocked from entering into the community and it will make the neighborhood safer and more comfortable.

Structure plan

Finally, the interchange at the center of the study area will be replaced by a street intersection. The existing underpass will be used as only as a pedestrian underway to connect the two communities and the greenway. The new intersection will provide safer and more convenient traffic flow between highway 183 and Pumphrey Drive, eliminating an excessive amount of underutilized land and dangerous traffic conflict areas caused by the interchange. The underpass will be only for pedestrians and will be essential link to connect two separated communities and will be the development that will restructure the space.

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

Key map

74

OPPOSITE: Illustration of main street RIGHT: Aerial view of mixed-use corridor. This mixed use district offers a harmonious mix of residential, commercial and retail venues due to the community’s focus on walkability and human scale. The area is a focal point where residents and visitors gather to work and play, helping to sustain the special sense of community and place.

75

Main Street & Mixed Use

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

Key map

76

OPPOSITE: Illustration of new park space RIGHT: Green space is an open space where meets city continuously. If block type of park grows into the city lengthening like a long thread, the possibility of linear green site will extends the value as urban park or open space. Greens of the area inspires life and vitality facing with city, and encounters with people. Linear open space faces with water and nature whenever and wherever, and amplify performance and arts.

77

Water Front & Linear Green

Key map

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

OPPOSITE: Illustration of pedestrian tunnel

78

RIGHT: Diagram of street and pedestrian tunnel

50 ft

Section

40 ft

79

Underpass

80 Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

OPPOSITE: Aerial view of site massing

Overall, the most urgent and important issue on the study area is to provide enough

Land use

available land to meet the housing needs of the military base. The majority of the base employees have long daily commutes causing traffic congestion which may be causing the base to consider moving their retail and housing off-base due to the security risks the traffic brings on-base. There needs to be a happy medium between providing the amenities the base employees need, while reducing traffic congestion to improve safety and security in and around the base.

For these reasons, the proposed two residential communities will be a great opportunity not only for the workers but also surrounding communities. Approximately 1265 units will be provided and it accounts for about 46% of the military housing requirement in 2014.

Furthermore, this project is built to a walkable scale, where visitors and residents alike can find everything they need on-foot while experiencing a friendly, close-knit community. This suggestion will be a great example of a military base neighborhood that retains the benefits

Program & Conclusion

CONCLUSION

of walkable town life, while remaining an important community in a metropolitan area.

It is through this proposal that NAS Fort Worth will become a wonderful place to live, work and shop, offering diversity in housing, amenities, and services.

PROGRAM SUMMARY MF Residential

450

SF Residential Attached

380

SF Residential Detached 155 Mixed Use Residential

280

Commercial

605,484 sf

Institutional

400,752 sf

Public Open Space

51 acres

Parking

1220 spaces

81

URBAN LIVING

Urban neighborhoods with a mix of housing types, and with schools and convenience stores in walking distance, were standard in the first part of the 20th century. More recent development is likely to be in housing subdivisions, where all the houses are the same size and price, and schools and services are a long way away. Today older urban neighborhoods have become a first choice for many buyers, a competitive advantage for cities.

The City of Fort Worth asked us to look at two situations which could be desirable opportunities for urban living. The first is along Camp Bowie Boulevard, where an over-extended commercial strip has many vacant stores and buildings. The strip separates two residential neighborhoods to the southwest of a cluster of development which the City has already designated an urban village. Our proposal shows how the street can be landscaped to be more in keeping with residential development, and how new and desirable town houses and apartments can be introduced along the street which will add choices to the existing single-family house pattern, allowing children to stay in the neighborhood and older people to move down to a more manageable housing without losing long-established neighborhood connections.

Fort Worth South is a large area immediately south of downtown which contains a mix of older commercial and industrial buildings, many of them now vacant or under-used, and pockets of older houses and apartments. The location makes it a prime candidate for urban living, and a planned new streetcar will enhance its connections to downtown. Our proposal demonstrates how apartments and town-houses, supported by parking and street improvements, can be introduced into Fort Worth South. We started with the area closest to downtown, along the proposed street-car route, showing how existing employers can stay in business, while the area is transformed into a desirable place to live.

84 Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

6

WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOOD FROM A COMMERCIAL STRIP

Camp Bowie Boulevard Karen Thompson Camp Bowie Boulevard is zoned for commercial development in a narrow strip pattern which backs up closely to desirable residential neighborhoods. The older part of the commercial district can become part of a compact, walkable mixeduse center, but much of the rest of the strip is not doing well, with vacant buildings and low-quality uses. The strip also interrupts what was once a coordinated design for the neighborhoods on either side. Land in this less successful part of the strip can be converted to townhomes and apartments that will support the remaining commercial uses, and add a desirable mix of other housing types to the existing single-family neighborhoods. A program of separately financed parking garages can support the apartments and commercial frontages. The public open space and landscaping plan for streets and sidewalks shows how to knit the neighborhoods together again and support walkability.

85

CAMP BOWIE BOULEVARD Camp Bowie Boulevard runs southwest through the City of Fort Worth from University Drive in the city’s Museum District, through I-30, to 183 where it continues south as Route 377. Camp Bowie Boulevard is under the jurisdiction of the Texas Department of Transportation. The street has historic significance for Fort Worth as it was once a main thoroughfare for a World War I Army Training Center. As Fort Worth expanded, Camp Bowie Boulevard extended further southwest of the city. Historically, a street car traversed Camp Bowie Boulevard, but was removed in the 1950s. Residential and retail developments sprung up along Camp Bowie Boulevard in line with the city’s expansion immediately before and after World War II. The western portion started to develop in the 1950s, and continued has continued since then.

The study area focuses on an approximately one mile segment of Camp Bowie Boulevard, around the 1940s Ridglea retail and residential development and historic Ridglea Theater.

The study area is approximately five miles southwest of downtown Fort Worth. Several A photograph of the Ridglea Theater, ca. 1951. The theater was part of an early commercial development in the study area

buildings from the original 1940s development are extant while others, including motor courts and a 1950s department store have been demolished. The current development

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

pattern along Camp Bowie in the study area includes large-footprint stores set back from

86

the road with abundant expanses of surface parking, as well as fast food restaurants and drive-through banks. There is limited bus service along the street which is a six-lane arterial with turning lanes. The conditions found along Camp Bowie Boulevard are typical in the United States, making this study area an ideal prototype for similar situations elsewhere.

EXISTING CONDITIONS The corridor is lined with commercial buildings. The northern portion of the study area features a recently designated historic theater; across the street are related retail buildings dating from the same time period. There is also a 1940s church and a Modern former

several retail centers and strip malls, which have been recently renovated. A prominent feature throughout the study area is the surface parking surrounding the commercial and retail buildings. The southernmost portion of the study area is a vacant big-box store and a gas station. Another vacant parcel sits across the street where a 1950s department store building was demolished for a proposed strip mall shopping center that has yet to move

A view of the Ridglea Urban Village section of Camp Bowie Boulevard

forward.

Urban Village The northern segment of the study area also contains portions of the Ridglea Urban Village, as designated by the city of Fort Worth. Urban villages are areas approximately one square mile that are designated and zoned for high density, mixed-use development to encourage transit and pedestrians. With these urban village designations, Fort Worth aims to encourage redevelopment in older commercial areas while preserving the area’s heritage. In 2007, HOK drafted a plan for the Camp Bowie urban village, defining its boundaries, suggesting future development locations, and establishing character guidelines that drew from both the historic development along the corridor as well as from contemporary sources.

Form-Based Code

An image of the mid-century Modernist building, designed by a Houston-based architecture firm in 1956. Photo courtesy of Eric Green

History & Existing Conditions

insurance building, designed by a Texas architecture firm in the late 1950s. There are

Gateway Planning, a private consulting firm, drafted a form-based code for the segment of Camp Bowie Boulevard for the 2.5 mile section of the street south of I-30. The code specifies different zones and designates minimum and maximum heights and setbacks, as well as land uses. The proposed interventions in this proposal work within the form-based code but deviate from the maximum height of three stories in the southernmost portion of the study area by proposing five-story apartment buildings. Five-story apartment buildings are easier for developers to implement while still using stick construction methods.

87

Surface parking lot on the grocery store parcel

Business Improvement District In 2000, businesses along the entire stretch of Camp Bowie Boulevard formed Camp Bowie District, Inc., a business improvement district. Initially intended to serve as a revitalization and beautification effort, the organization hosts events and undertakes various advocacy initiatives to increase economic activity along Camp Bowie. Camp Bowie District, Inc. has divided the district into four sub-areas, each with their own branding. The study area is within the “Ridglea” sub-area, as defined by Camp Bowie District, Inc., and gives the following description of the sub-area: “The architecture of Ridglea has a 1940s Mediterranean style influence and is home to shopping and dining destinations as well as commercial businesses.”

DESIGN CONCEPT Changing the Character of Camp Bowie To transform this wide, auto-oriented corridor into a multi-modal street into a vibrant and

The southern portion of the study area has vacant and underutilized parcels with redevelopment potential

walkable neighborhood, Camp Bowie Boulevard must be redesigned so that residents and visitors are encouraged to use this area as pedestrians. Increasing the greenspace along

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

the corridor will be a key factor in changing Camp Bowie to become a more walkable

88

place. By adding additional buffers, more street trees, along with new housing typologies to create density, Camp Bowie Boulevard can truly transform to meet the needs and desires of the residents.

Typical development along Camp Bowie Boulevard: a strip center set behind a large surface parking lot

Previous SpreadWork Title

LEFT: A page from HOK’s Urban Village plan for the Ridglea Urban Village

89

A view of THe Ridglea Urban Village portion of Camp Bowie Boulevard

Bringing Density to the Corridor The intervention proposes greater residential density, following two completed projects that introduce apartments to the single-family neighborhood. This density is achieved with apartments and townhouses, housing typologies not typically found in this area. These housing typologies provide more choice and will draw a variety of residents, from young singles to families to older adults looking to downsize. By redeveloping larger blocks that are either vacant or underutilized along Camp Bowie Boulevard, the character of the existing neighborhoods north and south of the corridor can be maintained while still adding the necessary density to support walkable development.

Apartments/Lofts Apartment buildings are key to this proposal to increase density. Throughout the study area we propose a five-story apartment building with elevator, interior courtyard, and parking garage. The fifth floor houses larger “penthouse” units while the other floors feature studio, one bedroom, and two bedroom options to meet a variety of housing needs and incomes.

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

Townhouses

90

The north side of Camp Bowie Boulevard has two blocks of existing 1940s housing, separated from the road by a twenty-five foot landscaped buffer and access road.

Our proposal retains and extends this buffer along two narrow vacant or underutilized parcels and proposes townhomes for these lots. These townhouses feature detached rear garages, accessed by alleyways that also provide a buffer for the single family neighborhood immediately adjacent. These garages are two stories, with a small apartment or “granny flat” as the second story. This type of unit also increases density without detracting from the character of the existing single-family neighborhoods.

OPPOSITE: Illustrative Plan showing full build-out

Proposal 300 ft

91

Bird’s eye view of Camp Bowie Boulevard proposal

Mixed-use In the center of the study area is a recently remodeled grocery store with surface parking.

Rather than demolishing the store and redeveloping an empty parcel, which would eliminate the only nearby grocery store for the neighborhood, the proposal instead fills in the lot with mixed-use buildings, a parking garage, and a small surface parking lot screened with trees. The first floor of the mixed-use buildings will provide retail space that lines the parking lot, with a wide sidewalk for pedestrians and shoppers. The surface parking lot, attractive for the grocery store, is concealed by trees. Four floors of residential units sit above the retail.

Active Adult/Senior Housing Demographic research suggests that neighborhoods near the study area are home to many adults who are retirees and “empty nesters,” which have grown children who have moved out of the neighborhood and into their own homes. As these adults grow older, many seek to downsize to smaller residences. By providing “active adult” and senior

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

Existing residential at the southern end of the study area is set behind wide green buffers

92

housing units, this new housing choice allows neighborhood residents to stay in the area and provide an option to ‘age in place’. These residents will enjoy a walkable neighborhood where they can run errands safely and comfortably, without relying on a car.

GREEN CONNECTIONS Attractive streetscaping is essential to creating a pedestrian realm that is inviting and encouraging walking along Camp Bowie Boulevard. Shaded pedestrian areas are particularly important the Fort Worth, Texas climate, where high temperatures and sunny conditions can make unprotected walking uncomfortable and undesirable. The business improvement district already in place in the study area has made great strides in planting trees and adding other plantings. Our proposal seeks to improve upon these initiatives.

Proposal

The landscaped, buffers, medians, and green spaces also serve stormwater management functions as there is a small runoff issue in the area. Creating more landscaped areas will allow for greater retention and prevent flooding.

A variety of native vegetation will be added to the center medians along Camp Bowie Boulevard and the southern portion of the study area. Additional trees should be planted along the sidewalks to create a comfortable pedestrian environment.

Providing shade and landscaping along Camp Bowie Boulevard is just one way to establish green connections throughout the study area. Improving the pedestrian environment along the streets that connect the Boulevard to the northern and southern neighborhoods is also vital to creating a walkable neighborhood center. Vegetated medians already exist along Bernie Anderson Avenue leading to a country club. This proposal calls for additional vegetated medians along Ridglea Avenue north of Camp Bowie Boulevard, creating a connection from the neighborhood park to the north to the country club to the south.

Street trees should also be planted along other north-south streets within the study area.

A street section showing Camp Bowie Boulevard with green buffers added

25 ft

93

94 Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

300 ft

A section of the grocery store parcel with a new residential building and additional green buffer on Camp Bowie itself

Proposal

OPPOSITE: Emphasizing and reinforcing the green connections down Camp Bowie Boulevard and north and south to the neighborhoods is key

50 ft A section showing the first phase with the new residential building, its parking garage, and the scale compared to existing single-family housing

50 ft

95

Phase 1 including redevelopment of vacant parcel and construction of townhouses

PHASING The first phase begins with the redevelopment of the southernmost portion of the study area, where the vacant big box store now currently sits. This redevelopment will include the creation of the green buffers and a five story apartment building. The building will be set back behind the green buffer, an access road, and a wide sidewalk. The redevelopment of the narrow, vacant parcel across the street, as well as the underutilized commercial parcel next to it, into townhomes also occurs during the first phase.

The second phase of redevelopment includes the lot next to the vacant big-box store. This

Phase 2 with development of additional apartment buildings

parcel is currently a site for storage units. The construction of another apartment building, located on the parcel adjacent to the Modernist mid-century insurance building is also part of this phase. This Modernist building is retained because of its unique architectural character which contributes to the overall character of the corridor.

The third phase of the proposal includes the infill of the grocery store parcel with retail and residential mixed-use buildings, the apartment buildings at the rear of the Village at Camp Bowie parcel, as well as a row of townhouses adjacent to the church. This phase also

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

includes the construction of a new building and plaza at the corner of the Ridglea Theater

96

parcel. The plaza will serve as public space and a place for those attending performances Phase 3 including grocery store parcel, additional townhouses, active adult apartments, and gateway building and plaza

at the theater may sit before or after a show. The building may house a restaurant and bar, taking advantage of its proximity to the theater. The entire space can serve as a new gateway for the Ridglea urban village and to the new, walkable neighborhood created as part of this proposal.

CONCLUSION As noted, the form of Camp Bowie Boulevard’s built environment can be found in most cities across the United States. The large parcels assembled for big-box stores that line auto-oriented corridors present opportunities for redevelopment closer to the central

Phasing

city. By increasing the density in these types of environments without overwhelming the existing single-family neighborhoods bordering these commercial corridors, we can provide additional housing choices for people who are looking for affordable homes without moving to the sprawling edges of cities.

Adding residential to these commercial corridors helps to re-knit together the neighborhoods severed by these wide roads. Tying these neighborhoods together with additional density allows for additional local serving retail for nearby residents who can walk or bike to the stores, rather than larger footprint retail that might attract customers who drivers from farther away. “Greening� neighborhood streets creates a pleasant environment that encourages pedestrians and cyclists from the neighborhood. Trees and other vegetation beautifies the area as well as provides shade, stormwater management, and other environmental benefits.

LEFT: Illustration of the redeveloped grocery store parcel

97

98 Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

7

BEGINNING A NEW NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR DOWNTOWN

South Main Street Akua Nyame-Mensah The northeast section of the Near Southside region, located just south of downtown Fort Worth, is currently a mix of industrial and service commercial uses, with many vacant buildings and properties. It is a location that is ideal for a residential neighborhood because of its proximity to downtown Fort Worth’s restaurants, theaters and SunDance Square. The City of Fort Worth is planning a modern streetcar to better connect this area to downtown and regional transportation. This proposal creates a transit-ready infill residential neighborhood and restaurant area similar to the Uptown neighborhood, near downtown Dallas.

Our proposal demonstrates a starting point for a new neighborhood, clustering new modular apartments and townhouses with pockets of public open space and paths that are supported by separately financed parking garages.

By

establishing a mixed-used community alongside South Main, the proposal aims to revitalize the northeast section of the Near Southside area into a walkable, urban neighborhood near downtown Fort Worth.

99

100 Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

Located within walking distance to downtown, the northeast section of the Near Southside area, that will be referred to as the South Main area in this proposal, is bordered by three primary streets: Vickery Boulevard to the north, Jennings Avenue to the west and South Main Street to the east. North Broadway Avenue borders the proposal area to the south.

OPPOSITE: The development context of the proposal area. The map highlights the numerous organizations and businesses that are members and financial supporters of Fort Worth South, Inc. Close-up of existing businesses and amenities in the proposal area.

This map illustrates how the proposal area is within a TIF District and connected to the Trinity Railway Express.

South Main Street, once a vibrant retail corridor, was the heart of the Near Southside neighborhood but became riddled with crime and high vacancy as the city continued to expand outwards. The area was also unfortunately cut off from downtown by an elevated highway. The city has made an effort to better connect South Main Street to downtown once again. Well-protected pedestrian walkways line South Main Street, and Jennings Avenue to the west, as both streets come under the elevated highways. The northern portion of the South Main area is also connected to the Trinity Railway Express Train with service to downtown Dallas and hopes to be connected to the rest of Fort Worth by a

Revitalization Efforts

THE PERFECT LOCATION

modern street line. Redevelopment and two medical districts also currently surround the area. By providing a range of housing options and spaces for community amenities, this

Close up image of study area

proposal takes advantage of the South Main area’s perfect location and demonstrates how residential urban infill can be the first steps in attracting private development and bringing the South Main Street retail corridor back to life.

FOCUSING ON REDEVELOPMENT The South Main Street area not only has a unique location but also is covered by Fort Worth South Inc., a private, member-funded, non-profit development organization that is dedicated to the revitalization of the entire Near Southside region. Forth Worth South Inc. was established in 1996, has been involved in urban renewal throughout the Near Southside region and has over 300 members. Since successfully implementing a strategic plan for the Southside Medical District, Fort Worth South Inc. has been involved in developing vision plans and form based code for the entire Near Southside region. With

101

RIGHT: Historic Apartments and Branch Smith Printing Buildings to the left, vacant lot to the right with the Fort Worth Skyline in the background. These buildings are along St. Louis Avenue.

Existing amenities along Vickery Boulevard

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

Highway divides Near Southside area from downtown. This is the view down South Main Street.

104

south of the proposal area: Broadway Baptist Church and the historic Temple Beth-El.

View down Vickery Blvd. To the left is the Park and Ride and to the left is a building that the neighborhood would like to preserve.

Currently the area has some open space, as much of the interior land is open, vacant land. There is also a lot of surface parking. These parking lots are especially well used on particular days and times during religious services but are mostly empty during the remainder of the day, even with two light industrial printing companies. The proposal outlined in this chapter takes full advantage of the area’s vacant land, higher density zoning and proposes a set of different housing types that could be inserted throughout the South Main Street area without greatly disturbing existing character while supporting the existing historical, cultural, retail and light industrial uses.

OPPORTUNITIES Municipalities receive a higher return on mixed used development that is closer to urban areas over single use and sprawling development. Urban infill consumes less land and does not increase municipality investment on public infrastructure. The South Main area is ripe for redevelopment and the proposal suggests a variety of development components

This is the view down Daggett Street towards South Main. To the right is the Cockrell Printing Building. This photo illustrates some the constraints there are to providing enhancing the pedestrian experience along some of the existing buildings (especially along the Cockrell Printing Building) as this particular buildings has a shallow setback and imposing facade.

Exisiting Conditions

important buildings in the South Main Street area include two places of worship to the

that would focus on creating a stable neighborhood to anchor the former South Main retail street.

COMPONENTS To transform South Main into successful mixed use, infill neighborhood the proposal suggests a toolkit of ‘insertable’ development options that include a diverse set of higher density housing typologies. The components in the proposal include: (1) townhouses with alley access, parking space and a private garden; (2) Texas Doughnut Apartment with a private courtyard; (3) maisonettes, or three-level flats with internal stairs, that can be attached to garages; (4) walk-up Apartments that can be linked or separated; and most

105

Street area to provide a space for community gatherings. The incorporation of natural amenities into the proposal will help brand the area and also increase property values.

A line of townhouse will front the pedestrian only street above West Dagget Avenue.

These green spaces could also provide spaces for natural infiltration during large rain events. Maintaining a tree canopy along all streets in the neighborhood will increase the neighborhood’s value and provide shade. Providing green spaces could be an important attractor to young, more creative individuals who could be a good population to attract to

Components

the proposal, there is also a pedestrian-only street within the middle of the South Main

the South Main neighborhood.

PHASING Without the structure parking, the proposal could not be achieved. These structures would provide shared parking for both the residents, employees, church and temple-goers and retail customers. The proposal suggests that they can be financed independently or through other financing options available through the non-profit organization, Fort Worth South Inc. Reducing automobile traffic on the street will ensure that pedestrians will be able to use the small pockets of green space proposed and that the streets will be able to accommodate of variety of transportation modes safely.

Developing the townhouses and maisionettes, attached to the garages, will be the next step in the proposal, followed by the walk-up apartments. Lastly, the ‘Texas Doughnut’ should be constructed.

109

A

B

D

C B

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

B

110

E

Illustrated site plan for the proposal area.

A. Structured Garage B. Townhouses C. Maisonette D. Walk-up Apartment E. Texas Doughnut

A

2 miles

A

B

Type

Number

Square Footage

Parking

Townhouses

41

1,000 ft2 x 3 floors

On-site

Maisionettes

6

750 ft2 x 3 floors

Structured

Walk-up

7 buildings,84 apartments

1,000 x ft2/ apartment

Structured

Texas Doughnut

1

± 5,700 ft2 x 5 floors, ± 30 apartments, 900 ft2/ apartment

Structured

Parking Garage

3

± 24,000 ft2 x 4 floors, ± 4,000 ft2 or ± 2,500 ft2 retail space

± 80 parking spaces/ floor

Apartments

Spread Proposal Title

PROGRAM SUMMARY

111

URBAN NATURE

We often forget that cities are part of nature, and nature within cities has often been brutally suppressed. Hillsides are bulldozed into valleys, streams channeled into culverts, and little respect is paid to nature as an ecosystem. The result has often been desolate expanses of partly used parking lots, streams that are little more than drains, and – nature’s payback for mistreatment – increased episodes of seasonal flooding.

Lake Worth is a principal park and recreation resource for the City of Fort Worth.

The City has been engaged in a major planning effort for the Lake and the neighborhoods that surround it. They asked us to look at repairing the natural systems and increasing the usefulness of three locations that together form a gateway to Lake Worth. Casino Beach is a former recreation area on the banks of the Lake that is now open space, but could be a more active recreation destination. The Jacksboro Highway connects Lake Worth to an interchange at the ring-road. Its four traffic lanes occupy a right of way of more than 300 feet which was cleared for a proposed elevated highway which is now unlikely to be built. At the interchange is a large expanse of vacant land that was cleared and regraded but has for the most part not yet been redeveloped. Some of this site is in the safety zone of the runways for the Naval Reserve Base, making it unsuitable for conventional development.

Our proposal is to knit these three areas together and create appropriate new uses by landscape restoration. Casino Beach is redesigned to be a seasonal restaurant and vacation destination. The highway right of way becomes part of a regional greenway system, and the vacant land near the interchange includes urban agriculture, a farmers market, an urban resort, and a water park, all designed to complement Lake Worth as a recreation destination.

114 Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

8

GREEN GATEWAY TO LAKEWORTH

Fort Worth/Lake Worth, Tx Annie Michaelides Casino Beach Park on Lake Worth was an entertainment destination in the early 20th Century and part of the plan is to restore a recreation or entertainment destination to this area. The Jacksboro Turnpike, which is a principal access to Casino Beach and Lake Worth, crosses the city of Lake Worth as four lanes of traffic within a 320 foot right-of-way which was cleared for a highway link that will not be built for a long time, if ever. The Jacksboro Turnpike connects to Interstate 820, part of the metropolitan ring road, at a point where there is a substantial amount of undeveloped land, much of which is within the safety zone or the high-level noise contours of the naval base.

The proposal is to develop a recreational destination on the vacant land, which will also support a seasonal restaurant destination complex at Casino Beach. Intensive urban agriculture is proposed in the safety zone, which will help supply quality ingredients to an adjacent farmers market, to the seasonal restaurants at Casino Beach, and to the restaurants in a proposed regional entertainment destination. The green corridor along the Jacksboro Turnpike becomes a showcase for urban agriculture. Open land around the interchange and along the Jacksboro Turnpike can also be used for agriculture.

115

Existing elevated commercial island in the empty Stonacker Properties study area

The project area covers sites in both the city of Fort Worth and the suburb of Lake Worth, located just northwest of Fort Worth. The proposal is composed of three parts: Stonacker properties in Fort Worth, the largest piece of the site, Lake Worth Drive/Jacksboro Highway, an arterial that connects Lake Worth to Fort Worth, and Casino Beach, a former recreation and entertainment hub until the 1970s, and is now currently used as an undeveloped lakeside park.

The physical connectivity between the three sites can create an identity for the area, a powerful destination, which can culturally and financially enhance Lake Worth. This proposal’s vision is to provide a regional green gateway to Lake Worth that supports a year-round fine dining district, accompanied by a recreational and agricultural center.

View from Jacksboro Highway’s commercial and retail strip.

LOCATION The study area is located 8 miles North West of downtown Fort Worth and 4 miles North of the Naval Air Station. The Stonacker properties study area is boarded by the 820 Loop and Jacksboro Highway 199, which also boarders Casino Beach with the lake.

The Stonacker property is largely empty, apart from a collection of big box stores that were Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

part of a previous plan to establish programmatic connectivity between the empty site

116

with the heavily populated Jacksboro Highway commercial strip. The 274 acre site is also located just west of a single family area that is situated 1/2 mile away from the lake front.

View from the Jacksboro Highway bridge towards Casino Beach.

Jacksboro Highway is a 300 ft wide right of way, enveloped by commercial and retail development. The right-of-way was widened from 60 feet to 300 feet in 2006 in an attempt to minimize the traffic congestion moving from Lake Worth over the bridge to Casino Beach, and to make way for a highway overpass. However, plans for this overpass were never carried out, leaving an unused 180 foot wide green space along the road.

Opportunities diagram

boardwalk, ballroom and amusement park, as well as other lake-related uses. An increase in housing units, along with decreasing water levels in the lake, significantly affected the number of visitors to Casino Beach, to the point where investment was running out and in 1971 it officially closed and has remained an underutilized park area. Tying these three sites together provides greater potential than addressing each individually. Once combined, the sites can complement each other to develop into a town center for Lake Worth.

OPPORTUNITIES & CONSTRAINTS Demographics indicate an increase in Lake Worth’s population, as well as 10% increase in employment growth by 2015. These three sites provide the foundation for a small town center which relates to an existing commercial center and a adjacent neighborhood, which

Constraints diagram

Existing Conditions

Casino Beach was a popular destination between the 1920s and 1960s, featuring a

has direct highway access to downtown Fort Worth. In addition, Lake Worth is served by the Lake Worth Independent School District. This district was one of 24 Texas school districts that were awarded a total of $1.4 billion by the USDA. The program’s goal is to introduce fresh healthy vegetable lunch diets to the students while enhancing health education and supporting outdoor programs. In addition, the October 2010 master plan developed by the City of Fort Worth, indicated some areas in the Stonacker site to have agricultural potential which can be utilized to serve the district’s dietary program.

While there are many opportunities provided by the sites, there are a number of development constraints as well. The danger zone and noise contours for the nearby Naval Air Station are shown in the map below. These contour lines reflect the noise levels created by base flight patterns. The western part of the Stonacker property is included in the danger zone, while the rest of the site apart from the commercial island, is within the noise contours. Other constraints include the various natural gas pad sites, scattered throughout the study area, and a flood plain along the north side of the site that will make future development difficult.

117

OPPOSITE: Illustrative plan

SELF-SUSTAINABLE “EDIBLE CITY” Urban agriculture is a great investment for the site and has numerous beneficial social

PROGRAM

and environmental impacts. The waterpark center on the Stonacker property is an also a

Agriculture

112 acres

Commercial and Office

605,500 sf

return on investment, and require substantially less on-going capital re-investment. In

Institutional Space

400,750 sf

addition, they offer a range of new generation attractions and incorporate environmentally

Open Space

50 acres

friendly technology, and can create jobs for the local community and enhance surrounding

Structured Parking

2,420 spaces

strong investment for the site. Research has suggested that waterparks offer a superior

businesses. The waterpark is accompanied by a year-round hotel resort and solar energy parking lot. The parking lot can be easily accessed from the highway for those who wish to stay short-term at the waterpark, while those who will stay longer can be accommodated at the hotel resort, located only 1/4 mile walking distance from the waterpark.

Jacksboro Highway is transformed into an elongated recreational and agricultural park that aims to activate both sides of the highway, and make the crossing more engaging.

The Casino Beach site features an expansive park space, restaurant bungalows and restaurant barges that enhance the dining experience, a space for temporary commercial

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

structures served by a linear pedestrian promenade, and a seasonal beach bungalow

120

resort (owned by the main hotel resort in the Stonacker site) that becomes the site’s main attraction, utilizing both the park and the lake appeal of that location.

600 Ft

121

Illustrative Plan

Stonaker Spread Property Title

LEFT: Detail plan of urban agriculture in relation to the farmers market and ecology center.

Section cutting through the enclosed urban agriculture, the street and the farmers market structure

50 ft

123

streets bridging the surroundings to the park, and creating experiential walkways surrounding the different playground facilities, including a kids’ carousel as the central piece. In addition, the park block is enveloped by trees, serving to diminish the noise and pollution produced by the highways. The dark pink in the drawing represents the showcase

OPPOSITE: A zoomed-in plan of the Jacksboro Highway park site, showing the meandering pathways activating both sides of the highway and bringing pedestrians inside the park. Its main attractions are the urban agriculture cultivating plots, and seasonal flowers and trees showcase sections, while enveloped by an array of trees that block the noise and pollution production from cars.

location of seasonal flowers and trees on display for visitors. Climate-controlled urban agriculture plots are found on the south side, aiming to engage the visitor in the cultivating process.

LEFT: Detail plan of one of Jacksboro Highway’s playground parks.

Jacksboro Spread Highway Title

Jacksboro Highway’s playground park detail (below) illustrates the meandering interior

Bird’s eye view of the Jacksboro Highway park

125

Detail plan of the restaurant riverboats in relation to the pedestrian promenade and bungalow restaurants.

25 ft

Casino Spread Beach Title

LEFT: Section cutting through the temporary commercial structure in relation to the pedestrian promenade and the beach bungalows

CONCLUSION These three sites presents an immense opportunity to re-establish a town center and a regional getaway for Lake Worth and Casino Beach that would cater to local residents and tourists from Fort Worth and other nearby cities. By introducing urban agricultural features, Lake Worth will become a unique place to live, work, while engaging in urban agriculture that supports the surrounding restaurants. These amenities aim to complement one another by increasing density, creating new jobs and expanding existing businesses to revitalize Lake Worth and Casino Beach by once again re-establishing it as a pedestriancentered destination for the Fort Worth metropolitan region.

127

URBAN REVITALIZATION

Downtown Fort Worth is just one of many business locations in the Dallas – Fort Worth Region. It has been reinforced by Sundance Square, which has taken the old retail district and repositioned it as an entertainment destination, and by recent residential development on the west side. It will also benefit from a new commuter rail line that will run to DFW Airport, and from downtown south-west to Summer Creek. Downtown had also benefitted from the relocation of the I – 35 viaduct, which used to run above Lancaster Avenue on the south side of downtown.

On the other hand, downtown is also under strong competitive pressure from adjacent new residential and entertainment developments in the West Seventh Street Urban Village, and in the proposed Trinity North development.

The City asked us to look at two largely vacant areas downtown. The first is the Lancaster Avenue corridor, where the street has been restored and landscaped after the removal of the I – 35 viaduct. The second is ten blocks of vacant land between Jones and Calhoun Streets, a series of parking lots between the Convention Center and the new transit terminal.

Our proposal is that these two vacant corridors are really part of one development situation: the need for a new southeast downtown gateway that will balance the pull of development trends to the north and west. While the current streetscape for Lancaster Avenue is a big improvement from the days when the street was under the expressway, it is not the grand entrance the City needs. Our proposal is for a new, landscaped urban boulevard that will combine Jones and Calhoun Streets for the ten vacant blocks, arriving at a traffic circle that will then connect to Lancaster, where the landscaping will be enhanced to make the whole composition a single grand boulevard. This public improvement will energize the creation of a series of new districts that will take advantage of the rail stations and highway entrances that will be connected by the boulevard.

130 Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

9

A NEW DOWNTOWN BOULEVARD

Downtown, Fort Worth Adam Paul Amrhein and Anthony Riederer The southern portion of downtown provides a unique and valuable opportunity for walkable urbanism within the City of Fort Worth. Not only is the land surrounding Lancaster Avenue and between Jones and Calhoun Streets extremely well served by bus and rail transit, it is close to several highway interchanges as well. Yet, due to irregularly shaped and sized parcels and blocks, which are remnants of previous redevelopment efforts, the site has failed to attract the level of investment and development to produce a thriving urban environment.

We propose two new boulevards for this portion of the downtown, which will pivot around a new roundabout. These boulevards will not only provide a literal and figurative entrance to the City when entering by car, but will provide an opportunity for a vibrant, pedestrian scaled street environment. Along these boulevards we propose six new walkable nodes. These six nodes will be accessible by the modally diverse opportunities of the site and physically linked by the new boulevards. Through these nodes and along the boulevards high quality and well programmed public open space isthe focus, and the central organizing principle to create a vibrant, exciting opportunity for the citizens and visitors of downtown Fort Worth.

131

OPPOSITE: Existing conditions of project site -note the parking lots on the northern portion of the site and the irregularly shaped parcels in the south

Downtown Fort Worth was initially laid out on the gridiron model so common in western American cities. The area near the present-day Phillip Johnson-designed Fort Worth Water Gardens became known as “Hells Half-Acre” a notorious area of saloons and houses of illrepute, catering to the cowboys and cattle drivers of the city’s early era. With the addition of long-haul railroad service and a healthy dose of civic boosterism, Fort Worth also became a center for meatpacking.

Lancaster Avenue before the highway circa the 1940s.

In 1956, in an effort to combat the decline of the downtown, the city hired Victor Gruen to create a new plan for the urban core. The plan called for a pedestrianized downtown area, ringed by highways and served by underground tunnels and large parking garages at the periphery. Though the plan was not accepted, it could be seen as the early manifestation of the segment of elevated highway that would, in 1964, be driven through the southern end of downtown, severing the main Post Office and Texas and Pacific train station from the remainder of downtown.

As Fort Worth emerged as a center for natural resource extraction, downtown saw strong decades of urban development through the 1970s and 1980s. This era included the construction of the Water Garden and Convention Center. The former of these projects

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

modified the historic block pattern, covering three continuous blocks and requiring the

132

deviation of an urban arterial to allow for the convention center’s loading dock area.

Lancaster Avenue with highway in circa the 1970s.

In 1993, after a lengthy court battle, the overhead segment of Interstate 30 that had once cut through the southern downtown was dismantled and relocated, rather than expanded in place. The relocation of the elevated highway allowed the southern boundary of downtown Fort Worth to return to its original location and created new developable parcels along Lancaster Avenue. While significant investment has been made on this corridor, it has not been sufficient to create a critical mass of redevelopment.

Public Open Space Diagram:

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

This diagram shows the main thrust of our proposal - two new downtown boulevards linked by a traffic circle. Due to the irregularly shaped parcels left over from previous redevelopment efforts, the sites along Lancaster Avenue and Jones and Calhoun Streets have been unattractive as development opportunities. Our proposal provides for larger parcels, which will be more attractive to developers, linked by walkable, public opens space along the boulevards. Each end of the boulevard is anchored by a substantial plaza, which not defines the boulevard as a place but provides a balance to the design as well.

134

300 ft

A view of Lancaster near the T&P warehouse looking east.

34’

5’ 8’

13.5’

13.5’ 11’ 13.5’ 140’ ROW

13.5’

8’ 5’

15’

LEFT: Section through Jones Boulevard

A view of Jones Street looking north towards the Intermodal Transit Center and Downtown

10’

5’ 7’

6’

11’

11’

11’

11’

11’

Jones - Lancaster Spread Boulevard Title

LEFT: Section through proposed Lancaster Boulevard .

6’ 7’ 5’ 10’

111’ ROW

135

PROGRAM SUMMARY

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

Residential and Retail District

136

Retail

593,000 sf

Residential

830 units

Parking

1,615 spaces

RIGHT: Illustrative plan of retail and residential district

100 ft

RIGHT: Illustration of proposed retail redevelopment Lancaster Avenue showing T&P warehouse

Section through sky bridge connecting urban big box retail development

Residential and Retail District

LEFT: Existing conditions on the south side of the Texas and Pacific warehouse building

100 ft

137

PROGRAM SUMMARY

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

Civic and Commercial Plaza

138

Public Open Space

3.1 acres

Retail

70,000 sf

Condo

155 units

Commercial

902,000 sf

Government Office

523,000 sf

Parking

1,456 spaces

RIGHT: Illustrative plan showing new civic plaza enclosed by city office building and new condominium development.

140 ft

LEFT: Section through civic plaza

20’

32’

28’

100’

22’

34’

12’

42’

20’

310 ft A view of the Texas and Pacific Station building as rehabbed into condominiums

Civic and Commercial Plaza

A view of the Fort Worth historic Post-Office building

139

PROGRAM SUMMARY

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

Hotel and Traffic Circle

140

Hotel

700 rooms

Retail

30,000 sf

Parking

545 spaces

RIGHT: Illustrative plan of traffic circle, adjacent hotel and commercial development

100 ft

Site of proposed hotel

Hotel and Residential District

LEFT: Illustrative massing of traffic circle, boulevards, and hotel

141

PROGRAM SUMMARY

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

Highway Related Commercial Core

142

Public Open Space

1.5 acres

Commercial

651,800 sf

Retail

20,000 sf

Parking

1200 spaces

RIGHT: Illustrative plan of proposed Commercial Core showing rooftop park system and traffic circle View of site of the proposed Commercial Core from Lancaster Avenue

100 ft

PROGRAM SUMMARY

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

Convention Center Expansion

144

Public Open Space

4.8 acres

Expansion Space

442,200 sf

Retail

10,000 sf

Parking

600 spaces

RIGHT: Illustrative plan of proposed Convention Center Expansion showing green rooftop park and bridge over Commerce Street

100 ft

View of existing conditions from the ITC looking towards the site of the new plazas and transit related development.

Transit Related District

Bird’s-eye view of hard and landscaped plazas adjacent to the Intermodal Transit Center and proposed development.

Section through the plazas

50 ft

147

Designs for Green and Walkable Cities

name Adam Paul Amrhein degrees MCP / Urban Design ‘11 BA In History of Architecture & Art contact apamrhein@gmail.com

name Akua Nyame-Mensah degrees MCP ‘11 Bachelor of Growth and Structure of Cities contact ak.ua.n.m@gmail.com

name Emily Leckvarcik degrees MCP / Urban Design ‘11 Bachelor of Landscape Architecture contact emilyl@mail.org

name Annie N. Michaelides degrees Master of Architecture II / Urban Design Certificate ‘11 Bachelor of Architecture contact michaelides.architect@gmail.com

name Jaekyung Lee degrees MCP / Urban Design ‘11 BS In Urban & Civil Engineering contact jklee1127@gmail.com

name Joanne Tu Purtsezova degrees Master of Urban Spatial Analytics ‘11 Bachelor of Urban & Environmental Planning contact j.purts@gmail.com

name Pamela Lee degrees MCP / Land Use & Environmental Planning ‘11 BA in Sociology contact pamelaklee@gmail.com

name Anthony Riederer degrees MCP / Urban Design ‘11 BA in Historic Preservation & Community Planning contact anthony.b.riederer@gmail.com

name Alaleh Rouhi degrees Master of Landscape Architecture / Urban Design Certificate ‘11 Master of Architecture ‘09 BS in Architecture contact arouhi@design.upenn.edu

name Karen Thompson degrees MCP / Urban Design ‘11 BA in History contact thompson.karen.a@gmail.com

151