Greenbrier Neighborhood Plan

Transcription

1 Greenbrier 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 Ned Michie NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES PLANNING STAFF Amy Kilroy 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 Special Thanks to the Charlottesville Community Design Center, Katie Swenson and John Semmelhack.

3 Greenbrier 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 The neighborhood was originally a suburb of the City, until it was annexed in the 1960 s. The area has many ornate homes on large lots. It is primarily single-family residential, but has other prominent features including schools and recreation areas. Constructed in 1962, Greenbrier Elementary School is located in the neighborhood and serves as the primary school for children in the northern neighborhoods in Charlottesville. The neighborhood also includes Charlottesville High School and the Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center, which serve the educational and cultural needs of young adults in the community. Charlottesville High School was built in 1974 to replace Lane High School, currently the Albemarle County office building. Greenbrier Park, located near the Elementary school, is a natural recreation area for residents of the neighborhood and has become an important recreation area for the entire city. McIntire Park, located north of the 250 Bypass, also serves as a recreation area for residents as well as the Charlottesville High School grounds. McIntire Park contains softball fields and picnic areas and serves as the fireworks site for regional festivals. Residents use Charlottesville High School grounds after hours for many types of recreational activities. Seminole Square Shopping Center borders the neighborhood and offers a variety of retail and grocery venues. Historic Buildings Keith House, 1615 Keith Valley Road Natural Resources Significant vegetation on the embankment beside the 250 Bypass Meadowcreek Nature Trail Community Facilities Greenbrier Elementary School Greenbrier Park Charlottesville High School McIntire Park Firehouse substation - located on the 250 Bypass The Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center (CATEC) located on Rio Road Transportation Intersections and Primary Gateways include Park Street / Melbourne, Meadowbrook Heights Road / Dairy Road / 250 Bypass and Rio Road / Greenbrier Drive. The Greenbrier neighborhood does not have direct bus service Major Roads are the 250 Bypass and Rio Road Bicycle Lanes are located on Rio Road and Greenbrier Drive There is a need for sidewalks and pedestrian access Land Use Greenbrier is a residential neighborhood composed of single-family residences, two schools, and recreation areas Demographic Greenbrier Demographic Data % Change Population % Pop Density 3, % Median Age % Households % Per HH %

5 NEIGHBORHOOD BOUNDARIES The Greenbrier Neighborhood is a 649-acre area located in the extreme northern section of Charlottesville. The 250 Bypass, Brandywine Drive, Rio Road and the Albemarle County line serve as the boundaries of the neighborhood.

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 Greenbrier 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 Consider zoning changes to allow for grocery stores in the neighborhood. There are several projects in the City that are potentially threatening to the neighborhood because of development and added traffic. Such projects include but are not limited to the Meadowcreek Parkway, Home Depot and Vepco, Albemarle Place Development, the Hillsdale Drive extension and the Hydraulic and Brandywine Intersection. To ensure safety, cover the storm drain at Meadow Creek & Yorktown. Several centers exist in the neighborhood. Centers are for those who walk or bike and are used by people of all ages, bringing people from other neighborhoods, tying Greenbrier to other neighborhoods and providing a sense of community. There is a need for more access points to the various Centers. McIntire Park is a center in the neighborhood but it needs some improvements to increase accessibility and attendance. Such improvements should include but are not limited to the following: addition of a Community center such as a gathering area near the athletic spaces; increased pedestrian access to the park, a McIntire connector across the tracks, and the addition of pedestrian access between the two sides of McIntire Park. Greenbrier Park needs to be further developed as a Center for the neighborhood. The riverfront could be improved and become an asset. Increase access to Meadow Creek Trail from Brandywine. The Rivanna Trail has the potential to be expanded. Repaint the basketball court lines with court markings as well as 4 square at Greenbrier School. Improve maintenance to the pool at McIntire Park. Establish after-hour activities and programs at the school to make the spaces alive during after-school hours and to give adults the opportunity to engage in different activities. There are no coffee shops or grocery stores in the neighborhood. There are conveniences adjacent to the neighborhood i.e. Kmart, etc but there needs to be pedestrian and bicycle access to reach them. Perhaps add some mix of uses to the neighborhood so the residents can access a few shops after-hours and not be forced to drive everywhere. Destinations are preferred over stopping points such as quickie convenience stores and 7-11s. There needs to be more police presence to deter drivers from running stop signs.

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

18 connectivity Improve street safety by increasing visibility, addressing road widths, providing a buffer between the sidewalk and the road and adding clear signage throughout the neighborhood, specifically at Brandywine Extended. Reduce cut-through traffic in the neighborhood. Consider the addition of a back entrance to the High School. Also, there is a desire to explore better access to Charlottesville High School from the Bypass. Implement traffic calming measures throughout the neighborhood. Provide sidewalks on Brandywine Drive. Bus Route 21 was closed due to lack of ridership but there is a need for transportation alternatives that are easily accessible and available. Increase pedestrian and bike access to parks. It is important to connect the parks across the railroad tracks, specifically McIntire Park The intersection of Meadowbrook Heights and Kenwood is a traffic and pedestrian safety hazard. Add sidewalks & redesign. Cut-through traffic is a neighborhood-wide issue but especially at Grove Road. One idea to improve the situation is to reach out and engage other neighborhoods and the County for support in fixing traffic and to improve larger traffic patterns. There need to be ways for County residents to get through the City without cutting through neighborhoods. Alternative modes of transportation are also needed or a park and ride system in conjunction with Albemarle County. Another idea is to have a discussion with traffic engineers about closing off the neighborhood to deter traffic and to discuss whether pocket parks or speed bumps would be appropriate. Cars go too fast through the neighborhood, specifically in the northwest section. An alternative access from the fire station or McIntire Park on the Bypass to Charlottesville High School and the Performing Arts Center would provide additional access to the park. The potential sound of Meadowcreek Parkway is a concern. Meadowbrook Heights Road needs improvement. Some ideas are to increase the number of sidewalks and/or make it a one-way street. There is a need for a catwalk over the train tracks on the Rivanna Trail that includes a footbridge that is bicycle friendly and connects to the Meadowcreek Parkway Trail. Rivanna Trails foundation is in support; but there needs to be some leveraging by the City and County to encourage the Railroad Company to move forward. There is potential for new linkages and partnerships between Rivanna Sewer Authority, Rivanna Trails, Railroad, City and County to improve safety and access. There needs to be a pedestrian tunnel or footbridge through the culvert near the east side of Greenbrier Park. Connect the cul-de-sac in northeast section of the neighborhood, west of Rio Road. Grove Road is not bikeable because there is too much traffic and it is too busy for safe biking. Improve the quality of existing pedestrian and bike trails. Some ideas are to build a bridge over the creek to allow greater access to downtown, provide bike access to UVA, finish the paving of trails, make sidewalks and bike lanes contiguous, allow access between cul-de-sacs for pedestrians and bikes and provide a better designation of right-of-ways for bikes. Ensure pedestrian and bike access through the new road at Melbourne. There has been no bus service since 1998 because of very little ridership. Perhaps there should be stops on major arteries, but no buses traveling within the communities. Possible re-introductions of small bus or shuttle system to neighborhood that is scaled for ridership. The neighborhood wants a better definition of where public access to the Rivanna Trail is allowed. Access points need to be well marked to avoid trespassing through private properties.

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

20 housing The neighborhood is content with the housing stock in the neighborhood. Street planting is preferred over sidewalks at Meadowcreek Parkway. Rental vs. ownership is a concern. Very important to retain the feel of the neighborhood without increasing density. If it is absolutely necessary, a possibly acceptable way to increase density is to convert single-family to duplexes or to allow auxiliary units. There is not much room for additional development. Housing affordability is a neighborhood, Citywide and surrounding county issue. People are commuting from surrounding counties because they cannot afford to live in the City and they are increasing the City s traffic problems. Need better education and City programs to support affordable housing. New condo units are a threat because of the potential traffic issues.

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22 environment Implement an Urban Forestry program, which may take the form of a new ordinance that is public and private. Increase park/green space, and support the renovation of McGuffey Park. Need more trees. Encourage private owners with incentives. Utilize the City s urban forester on all development and infrastructure projects. Implement a plan to replace dead and storm damaged trees. There needs to be a more careful maintenance of trees in general. Provide incentives for energy efficient, green building-requirements or point system-tax incentive. Green space-limited in N. Downtown. Preserve existing open space. Consider what opportunities the Meadow Creek Parkway presents for increased parkland, greenway connections and pocket parks.

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

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