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CREATIVE CITY NEWSLETTER: NOVEMBER
2003
ISSUE 9: DESIGN AND PLANNING
ISSUE IN FOCUS
NEWS YOU CAN USE
CREATIVE CORNER
CREATIVE
CITY COMMUNITIES
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
UPCOMING
EVENTS
CREATIVE CITY COMMUNITIES: What HAVE they
been up to?
ROCHESTER
Center
City Master Plan
Mid-Sized
City Forum
Adaptive
Reuse
Revitalization
Initiative for East Street Main
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Cities Page >>
City of Rochester Center
City Master Plan
Rochester’s Center City Master Plan was approved by City
Council in March, 2003 and culminates a unique four year "grassroots"
planning process that began in 1999 with the adoption of a
new city comprehensive plan entitled "The Renaissance
Plan". The master plan articulates a long-range development
vision and implementation framework for Center City as the
vibrant, dynamic heart of a larger metropolitan area that
includes over1million people.
The plan addresses a variety of critical issues within Center
City. These include: reducing office and retail vacancy rates
through adaptive reuse of buildings; developing unique festivals
and entertainment venues that attract new businesses, residents
and visitors; developing Center City as the region’s
24-hour activity zone; increasing the number of Center City
residents through affordable as well as market-rate housing
development; creating a strong, competitive and marketable
identity for Center City; creating better physical connections
and design relationships between neighborhoods and districts
within Center City; and, enhancing streetscapes, the public
realm and private development within Center City through new
urban design standards and creative architectural form.
The plan outlines 89 unique public and private implementation
actions. These include new housing and mixed-use development,
new parks, pedestrian trails and walkways, new entertainment
areas, a transit center and performing arts center, a revitalized
Genesee Riverfront and Main Street and new transportation
projects. The plan also includes broad development objectives,
specific design principles and an extensive Plan for the Public
Realm which, when taken together, emphasize the importance
of design excellence in the community and recognize that "great
cities are made from great streets". Key elements of
the public realm plan include new design standards for streets,
pedestrian trails and gateways as well as the creation of
a new "Walk Center City" trail system that will
connect and enhance a variety of public spaces, entertainment
venues and development parcels.
Many ideas and recommendations from the plan have already
been implemented as part of the adoption of the city’s
new zoning ordinance. These include a new Center City Core
zoning district with broad development objectives based on
the Center City Master Plan as well as specific design standards
for public and private development projects and that is implemented
through a new, comprehensive design review process. Typical
land use controls have been removed in Center City, in favor
of a more design and performance related regulatory system
and environment.
The
Mid-Size City: Exploring its Unique Place in Urban Policy
Rochester hosted a forum on "The Mid-Size City: Exploring
its Unique Place in Urban Policy" in November of last
year. This forum was undertaken in association with Partners
as part of the Creative Cities agenda.
Adaptive
ReUse
Rochester, New York Mayor Bill Johnson’s Adaptive Reuse
project, a Partners publication independent of the Creative
City agenda, is nonetheless tapping into the sixteen-city
network, receiving submissions from Roanoke, Marquette, Louisville,
Rochester, and Indianapolis. This undertaking focus’
on building types that no longer serve their primary purpose,
but have been reused by the community for the betterment of
the neighborhood as a whole. If your city has a building or
structure that fits this agenda, please contact Partners for
more information. For more information on Bill Johnson’s
ADAPTIVE REUSE
Project please contact Jun Mitsumoto at Partners.
Mayor Outlines Revitalization
Initiative for East Street Main
Mayor Johnson discusses East Main Street Initiative Working
Group with elected officials and interested property owners
to outline progress on an agenda of goals and strategies for
stimulating development along that vital city corridor.
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article >>
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