Venable Neighborhood Plan

Transcription

1 Venable Neighborhood Plan

2 Acknowledgments The 2006 Neighborhood Plans were developed through a collaborative effort of our neighborhood residents, city staff, the City Planning Commission, UVA students and a design team from the Charlottesville Community Design Center. Professional services were provided by Site Works. Facilitation and process design was provided by Becky Clay Christensen. NEIGHBORHOOD LEADER Bobbie Bruner and Mort Roberts NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES PLANNING STAFF Dan Clark CCDC DESIGNER & STUDENT TEAM CITY PLANNING COMMISSION Karen Firehock, Chair John Fink, Vice-Chair Craig Barton Michael Farruggio Cheri Lewis Bill Lucy Kevin O Halloran David Neuman, ex-officio Spencer Haynsworth and Sara Thurman Special Thanks to the Charlottesville Community Design Center, Katie Swenson and John Semmelhack.

3 Venable Neighborhood Existing Conditions The following is a brief profile of the neighborhood, including community facilities and demographics. The maps exhibit existing conditions of the neighborhood through the lenses of the Guiding Principles, as adopted by the Charlottesville City Council in the spring of 2005.

4 NEIGHBORHOOD SETTING Development of the Venable Neighborhood began in the late 1890 s, primarily by University professors and local professionals. The oldest portions of the neighborhood contain a broad range of residential, commercial and institutional structures that were built between the 1890 s and the Great Depression. The architecture, now recognized as a local historic district, demonstrates a variety of styles and helps frame the story of how the University has developed and changed over the years. Many of the homes on Rugby Road were designed by notable architects such as Eugene Bradbury and were built before the 1940 s. Historically, boarding houses concentrated along University Avenue, Elliewood Avenue, Chancellor Street, and Virginia Avenue were an important source of student housing from the late 19th century until after World War II. After the University significantly increased its enrollment in the 1970 s, many of the large houses were converted into rentals and the boarding tradition became the student rental/property management industry so prevalent in the area today. In addition to academic and fraternity/sorority properties, major facilities in the neighborhood include Venable Elementary School, the Gordon Avenue Library, and numerous churches. Originating in the 1830 s and 1840 s, The Corner business district, located on University Avenue between Chancellor Street and 12-1/2 Street is a major center of activity in the neighborhood. Recently, both the Rugby Road area and the University Corner were designated as local historic districts. Historic Districts The Corner ADC The Rugby Road/University Circle/ Venable Neighborhood ADC Community Facilities Venable Elementary School The Gordon Avenue Library The Corner business district University of Virginia Heritage and Culbreth Theatres University Art Museum Westminster Presbyterian Church Thomas Jefferson Memorial Unitarian Universalist St. Paul s Memorial Episcopal First Church of Christ Scientist University Baptist Zion Union Baptist Faith Hope and Love Church of Deliverance Trinity Episcopal Demographics Venable Demographic Data % Change Population % Pop Density % Median Age % Households % Per HH % Homeowners 27.1% 14.8% -45% Renters 72.9% 85.2% 17%

5 NEIGHBORHOOD BOUNDARIES Venable is the acre neighborhood that lies north of the University of Virginia s Central Grounds, east of Emmet Street, south of Preston Avenue, and west of 11th Street.

6 centers G U I D I N G P R I N C I P L E S Supporting safe neighborhoods with identifiable centers and strong social fabric. Valuing and providing quality education for all ages, vocations and abilities, promoting an intellectual climate that values the arts and culture. Enjoying a strong diversified economy with opportunities for entrepreneurship and a diversity of jobs. What Are Centers? Centers are spaces of concentrated activity that are highly utilized by residents within a neighborhood. Centers are places that provide services, employment, community support or recreational, cultural and educational opportunities. Examples of centers are schools, commercial areas, libraries, places of worship, recreational facilities, parks and pools.

7 neighborhood commercial area school district areas community centers place of worship school property community building school building park

8 connectivity G U I D I N G P R I N C I P L E S Accessing safe public transportation, alternative modes of transportation and interconnected pedestrian and bicycle access. Achieving mixed-use development that promotes 24-hour activity, pedestrian connectivity and transit use. What Is Connectivity? Connectivity refers to the network of pedestrian, bicycle, motor vehicle and transit systems. Connectivity determines how hard or easy it is to get from one place to another. Increasing connectivity includes incorporating bike lanes, sidewalks, traffic calming, transit options and pedestrian friendly spaces.

9 neighborhood bus routes park road edges bike routes bus stop school property

10 housing G U I D I N G P R I N C I P L E S Providing housing opportunities with a diversity of style, scale, price, financing and location. What Is Housing? Housing refers to the diversity of residential dwelling units, including their style, scale, price, financing and location. Housing types range from single to multi-family, duplexes, townhouses and mixed-use buildings in which housing is combined with commercial activity. There are a variety of approaches that make housing available to people of various income levels. The unique mix that is Charlottesville can also be protected through historic preservation and design control districts.

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12 environment G U I D I N G P R I N C I P L E S Protecting and promoting trees, parks, green space, streams and biodiversity that add to the appearance and livability of the City. Balancing the natural and built environments and practicing sustainability. What Is Environment? The environment includes the natural resources that support our daily living, such as water, air, energy and vegetation. The environment also provides recreational, social and green spaces, such as parks, yards, trails and wooded/vegetated areas. The protection and preservation of these resources is essential for sustaining diversity and quality of life.

13 neighborhood stream/river vacant lots watershed boundary school property park

14 Venable Neighborhood Plan

15 NEIGHBORHOOD DESIGN DAY On October 8, 2005, community residents and professional designers, planners and student volunteers participated in Neighborhood Design Day. The event was the kickoff for the five-year update of the neighborhood area plans. The City s Neighborhood Development Services Department designed and facilitated the multi-location event in partnership with the Charlottesville Community Design Center. The City of Charlottesville undertook this new and innovative neighborhood planning process in order to allow residents to envision and design the future of their neighborhoods. In order to help participants express their vision, they were provided with detailed maps representing the City s 11 guiding principles, broken into four major categories (Centers, Connectivity, Housing and Natural Environment), as well as a toolkit of creative solutions addressing each of these four areas. The participants examined existing conditions to identify key ongoing issues, neighborhood assets, and future programmatic, policy and design opportunities. The following text and maps are the outcome of Neighborhood Design Day as reviewed and finalized by residents at various follow-up events.

16 centers Venable values its diversity, and seeks to maintain the appeal of the neighborhood for all of those residents and organizations that give the area its vitality: UVA students, retirees, home owners, renters, investors, churches, Venable Elementary School, the Corner merchants, Culbreth Theater, and Gordon Avenue Library. The neighborhood considers its centers to be Venable School, Gordon Avenue Library, Hope Community Center, Culbreth Theater, Unitarian Universalist, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Church of Christ Science, UVA in general, International House, St. Paul s Episcopal Church, and University Baptist/ Hospital area. Neighborhood feels there are not more centers needed because the ones they have are strong. However, there needs to be better connectivity and access to their centers. Incorporate retail and dining on the Corner for neighborhood families. Add commercial, retail and/or dining to the neighborhood. There needs to be more communication between university students and the neighborhood at a personal level. Venable/10th and Page Boundary may need to be redrawn for clarity and to be certain that every resident feels represented. Work to strengthen the VNA by encouraging more diverse participation Barracks Road has the potential to be a center for the neighborhood, but connectivity is an issue.

17 neighborhood commercial area school district areas community centers place of worship school property community building school building park

18 connectivity Complete the bike lane on Rugby Road. The Rugby Road Bike lane project was planned then cancelled (Beta Bridge to UU Church). Additionally, the west side of Rugby Road needs to have more contiguous sidewalks. Provide sidewalk connectivity on Gordon Ave in the area of 17th St. (approx 150 needed to complete connectivity of existing sidewalk). Cars, bikes, and pedestrians travel heavily in this area. Traffic calming, safety, and handicap access at the intersection of Rugby, Preston and Barracks. Improve overall sidewalk quality to increase walkability and safety. Illegal parking on 16th-17th St. creates hazards; no parking signs are removed and parking is currently on both sides. Enforce one-side parking! Change existing parking or create permit parking since the tools already exist. Reroute traffic or make Rugby work better. Speed limit is regularly exceeded on Grady Ave. and Rugby Rd. Preston/Barracks/Rugby Intersection is difficult to traverse for bikes, cars, and pedestrians. The crosswalk doesn t work, lights for the crosswalk don t work, and the vegetation needs trimming. The lights in the in area of Legal Aid need to be checked for timing and safety. Beta Bridge-UVA bus stop is poorly placed. Eliminate the bus stop on the bridge to decrease traffic congestion (UVA is working on this). Increase safety by adding stop signs on Culbreth Rd, better bus stops, and crosswalks. Cars speed through the newer of the two lights at Barracks and Rugby. Need streetlights at Barracks and Rugby Rd. Extended. Residents leaving their driveways have trouble getting out into the street. Use proactive measures to reduce neighborhood speeding. Check the speed limits on roads like Emmet and other major corridors. Facilitate coordination between Transit Services and promote smaller/more green buses that are better for the neighborhood. Pedestrian safety crossing the train tracks.

19 neighborhood bus routes park road edges bike routes bus stop school property

20 housing Have rental properties inspected every 3 years. (See Madison, WI program) Real estate taxes are soaring. There is a perceived inequity between the assessment increases for single-family and rental properties, the former bearing more than their share of the increases. On University Circle, the increases in single-family homes has been nearly double that for the large apartment buildings. Water lines need to be completely replaced on Preston Place. This will save the City money in long-term since there is currently a need for 2-3 repairs a year and the sidewalk is torn up for 8 months each time. A comprehensive inspection of rental properties is needed. Protect affordable housing. There is a fear that the City will become only for elite, upper income. Renters and lower income citizens are not represented in Venable Association or this meeting. There needs to be more outreach to those who do not traditionally attend neighborhood meetings. An LLC exists to buy properties in the neighborhood that are desirable to developers, place deed restrictions insuring they stay single-family homes, then re-market the homes. Examine the relationship between Venable and the University Neighborhood Association. Increase enforcement of parking, property maintenance and housing/zoning regulations. Monitor the impact of the new Historic Districts in the neighborhood.

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22 environment The neighborhood wants Emmet Woods, the undeveloped property owned by UVA, preserved as green space or buffer between the neighborhood and the noise of Emmet Street, Barracks Road Shopping Center and the new JPJ Arena. There is a concern with air quality. The University coal burning plant upgrade has been acknowledged. There are adequate parks near the neighborhood: The Lawn, Lambeth field, Venable Elementary, and Washington Park. Walking to these parks is the preferred access. Air handler noise is an issue. A noise study is underway at the JPJ Areana. Sound levels are being captured with and without the air conditioning on, and with and without foliage on the trees. Very noisy air handler at Culbreth Theater. Need lighting for safety at any new park. There are stormwater issues on several streets (e.g., Wayside Place, Preston Place, Fendall Avenue). There are few gutters or curbs, so gravel driveways and soil run into the streets and clog the storm sewer grates. The railroad tracks are bad sites for litter and stagnant water.

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24 City of Charlottesville Neighborhood Development Services S I T E W O R K S