Draft. Chapter 3: Realm Character. 3A Animated Public Realm 3B Contrasting Elements and Eclecticism 3C Sustainability and Innovation 3D Durability

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1 BAILEYS CROSSROADS AND SEVEN CORNERS Public Chapter 3: Realm Character 3A Animated Public Realm 3B Contrasting Elements and Eclecticism 3C Sustainability and Innovation 3D Durability

2 3-2 BAILEYS CROSSROADS AND SEVEN CORNERS The existing character of the streetscape and architecture in Baileys Crossroads and Seven Corners is an eclectic mix of post-war era design with traditional features such as brick facades and acorn style street lights. There is a lack of quality public spaces and walkable destinations for community interaction and to encourage healthy lifestyles. The Guidelines provide a set of unifying design concepts for streetscapes, public spaces and building facades that collectively will create a lively public realm experience. These design concepts include the following components as elaborated further in subsequent pages: Pedestrian plaza with seating, water, green space, and a mix of sun and shade functions as a point of respite and a landmark Kings Cross, London Image credit: John Sturrock Animated Public Realm - The public realm should function as a place for community activities, where people can interact with one another and come together to enjoy civic amenities. Contrasting Elements and Eclecticism - Developments should avoid homogeneity and should promote variety in the public realm through the use of colors, changes in materials, and diversity in the styles of architecture and street furniture. Sustainability and Innovation - Developments should showcase innovation, improve the natural environment, and use sustainable practices. Durability - Elements of the public realm should be comprised of low maintenance and durable materials that weather and age well over time. Buildings, building details, lighting, and signage that are appropriately scaled to people on a pedestrian-only street

3 overview Draft BAILEYS CROSSROADS AND SEVEN CORNERS 3-3 3A Animated Public Realm Great public spaces are often a product of the synergy between the public and private realm where land use and built form are designed in concert with the adjacent public space. Ground floor uses should reinforce the activity within that space along with a built form that is in proportion to the spaces it frames. This is critical to ensuring an animated public realm. Public spaces should be designed to promote interaction among people. It should be used to help tell the story of these areas through a narrative that is easily understood and meaningful to the community. The creation of a diverse set of park spaces presents an opportunity to define a variety of environments for a broad spectrum of users. For example, along the proposed Spine Road in Seven Corners (Map 6), a central plaza is planned to be located in the Town Center where festivals, events, and leisure activities can occur. This is contrasted to a central green proposed to be located on the Village Main Street where more local, neighborhood activities such as an evening movie or morning yoga can take place. In Baileys Crossroads, two civic plazas are proposed to be connected to a linear park that would be lined by streets with retail and other animated uses on both sides. The Comprehensive Plans for Baileys Crossroads and Seven Corners recommend a series of parks and plazas connected by a network of local streets that form Primary Pedestrian Links. Memorable features should be placed at key points along Primary Pedestrian Links in both areas and should include landmark buildings and multi-purpose corner parks/plazas at key intersections along with strategic breaks on building frontages. To support activities in the public realm, a layering of physical elements should be employed to create visual excitement and to assist in the function of the spaces. In this context, layering of physical elements means combining multiple materials, styles, and patterns in a way that creates a complex visual environment. For example, a streetscape could include multiple paving patterns complemented by eclectic furnishings, a variety of lighting sources, water features, art installations, and bright flowering trees mixed with shade trees. Layering such elements helps form a dynamic public realm that is emblematic of high quality, animated spaces found around the globe. Example of the character and design features for Primary Pedestrian Links Streetscape with outdoor dining to help activate the public realm Austin, TX Image Credit: Copley Wolff Design Group

4 3-4 BAILEYS CROSSROADS AND SEVEN CORNERS A digital screen activates an adjacent public space by providing a focal point with graphics, sound and a purpose to gather Mosaic District, Merrifield, VA Image credit: Staff Pedestrian street with a variety of building articulation, active ground floor uses, and appropriately scaled lighting and signage Pearl Street Mall, Boulder, CO Rooftop spaces may help animate the streetscape at the groundlevel Charlottesville, SC Fountain adds character, sound, a sense of history, and encourages pedestrians to linger Fountain Square, Cincinnati, OH If sufficiently sized, retail building overhangs may encourage active, year-round use of the building zone space Savannah, GA Variety of landscape and hardscape features between the sidewalk and roadway including on-street parking, increase pedestrian comfort by buffering people from moving vehicles Main Street, Greenville, SC

5 OVERVIEW Draft BAILEYS CROSSROADS AND SEVEN CORNERS 3-5 3B Contrasting Elements and Eclecticism Many cities have an authentic quality that comes from the fact that the built environment developed organically over time. This evolution of the built environment can result in a mix of both similar and diverse forms and materials, providing an appealing eclecticism. This organic diversity is a goal for Baileys Crossroads and Seven Corners. This goal can be achieved by promoting variety in the physical elements that are located in the streetscape and public spaces. Physical elements include all of the features in the streetscape paving, landscaping, street furnishings, walls, lighting, and signage. Paving patterns and paving materials should be differentiated according to their purpose. Paving patterns in the Building Zone should be different than those in the sidewalk and from those in the Landscape Panel; however, they should complement each other as well as the other streetscape elements. Paving should help guide people to desired locations and can be used to denote, identify and delineate spaces, thereby serving as visual clues for pedestrians. For example, changing paving materials or patterns in front of a primary building entrance provides a visual and sensory cue that you are approaching an egress point. In a number of walkable European cities, paving materials are made from local stone in neutral gray tones, while furnishings are a striking black, and plantings are brightly colored or provide a variety of textures. The contrast of these elements makes the pedestrian features stand out against the subtler textured paving, creating visual cues and moments of interest in the streetscape and is the character envisioned for Baileys Crossroads and Seven Corners. Street furnishings should be diverse, complementary, and striking within an overall context, rather than being one consistent style across an entire area. Public art and gateway signage should reflect the history and culture, and serve as landmarks for the community. Lighting should be human-scaled, and come from a variety of sources including building-mounted lights, streetlights, string lights, and bollards. Wayfinding and building signage should reinforce a diverse, eclectic, and artistic character through the use of multiple forms of pedestrian-scaled signs. Mix of wood and stone hardscape elements delineate seating areas from walkways Georgia Street, Indianapolis, IN Playful features, such as porch swings, provide a reason to engage and linger in the public realm The Porch at 30th, Philadelphia, PA Image credit: Staff

6 3-6 BAILEYS CROSSROADS AND SEVEN CORNERS Creative pedestrian wayfinding techniques, such as embedding signage in the pavement, may reduce visual clutter Eclectic, colorful and movable plaza furnishings add to a highquality public plaza Greenville, SC New buildings and public realm improvements in Baileys Crossroads and Seven Corners should use modern materials in a classical form. Materials such as metal, glass, and contemporary brick colors and sizes can be used to create buildings that follow classical proportions and relate to the human scale. The proportion, style, and rhythm of a building s features play a significant role in determining the style of the building. Façade features should ideally distinguish a building s top, middle, and bottom for multistory buildings. Finer grained building details help reduce the scale of buildings. Building design elements such as the use of black iron details should be used to provide a contrast to gray paving surfaces in the public realm. Attractive pedestrian signage with maps and distances Madrid, Spain Iconic gateway signage also acts as a landmark Merchant Street, Decatur, IL Image Credit: J. Pinta

7 Draft BAILEYS CROSSROADS AND SEVEN CORNERS Brightly colored bicycle racks under a multifamily residential building overhang complement the design of the building facade. Shaded streetscape with a variety of outdoor dining and seating that is surrounded by planters Champs Elysee Paris, France Mixed paving patterns can create the sense of a contained and organized space Unique paving pattern that simulates a tapestry frames the courtyard creating a living room environment that encourages residents to linger Image credit: Landskab Hardscape, softscape and water elements work together to create an place that is visually stimulating. Moving water in a small creek provides pleasant background sound Diverse but complementary paving patterns and materials help visually organize an urban plaza 3-7

8 3-8 BAILEYS CROSSROADS AND SEVEN CORNERS Example of a building where traditional proportions are combined with a mix of modern details such as the painted brick, simple windows and metal overhangs A large pedestrian street with soft, romantic lighting at a key intersection offers refuge while also functioning as a prominent gateway feature Building example where contemporary details are integrated with pedestrian-scaled building proportions Building example with brick, modern windows, and an interesting roof detail

9 BAILEYS CROSSROADS AND SEVEN CORNERS 3-9 3C Sustainability and Innovation Redevelopment should provide opportunities to improve the natural environment and conserve and protect valuable resources. Sustainable features can be introduced at any scale, from the use of recycled or locally sourced materials, to the increase of biodiversity in the landscape, to stormwater management for an entire site. Consideration should be given to the ability of the site to accommodate extremes in weather conditions. Renewable resources and Low- Impact Development (LID) techniques should be employed wherever feasible. Innovative green roof serves as a public space and sotrmwater capture for building occupants Toronto City Hall, Toronto, Canada Image Credit: GreenRoofGardener Permeable pavement can be a creative design feature when used in appropriate locations such as low traffic areas in a parking lot Attractive rain garden in an otherwise underutilized space adjacent to a wide boulevard

10 3-10 BAILEYS CROSSROADS AND SEVEN CORNERS 10-foot wide vegetated bioswale within the streetscape using low maintenance plantings and grasses Green wall design used as a screen on a parking garage in a podium building Stormwater retention system integrated into the landscape panel collects runoff from both the roadway and sidewalk Center median doubles as a pedestrian trail connection Parking lot median without a raised concrete curb captures stormwater before entering the sewer system Recycled, reused, and repurposed materials used in a public plaza

11 BAILEYS CROSSROADS AND SEVEN CORNERS D Durability A low maintenance urban environment consisting of durable materials that weather and age well over time is important in achieving a sustainable and adaptable public realm. The use of high quality and wear-resistant materials for streetscape surfaces should be a priority for all projects. Flexibility and adaptability in the design of public spaces are key factors to accommodate changing demands as the way spaces are used may evolve over time. Maintenance of sidewalks, trees, landscaping, paving, furnishings, lighting, park facilities, and other components of the public realm is a chief consideration of these Guidelines. Recommendations were made and specifications were selected based in part on the anticipated level of maintenance required for a particular design or specification along with the durability of particular materials. Chapter 6 contains several sections that include maintenance expectations for certain material specifications. Painted crosswalks are more durable and easier to maintain than inset brick pavers, which rapidly degrade Drought tolerant, hardy, and diverse plantings used as a border in the Building Zone Poured concrete used instead of pavers, creates a uniform, low maintenance surface Mosaic District, Merrifield, VA Structured soils help trees grow healthy and prevent upheaving of the sidewalk, particularly where there is limited growing space

12 3-12 BAILEYS CROSSROADS AND SEVEN CORNERS Benches made from durable, man-made materials will minimize warping and fading over time Image credit: LandscapeForms Scored, poured in place concrete sidewalks provide a consistent, durable, and low maintenance surface most suitable for persons with disabilities and strollers Image credit: WebBAR Architect Restaurant owners share the maintenance responsibility and routine upkeep of the public plaza adjacent to their businesses Philadelphia, PA Image credit: Staff Streetscape with low maintenance plantings can also function as bioretention, capturing runnoff from the adjacent non-porous surfaces Image credit: Yuka Yoneda, Inhabitat Paving materials that improve their appearance as they weather over time Mosaic District, Merrifield, VA Image credit: Staff LEED-ND projects encourage the use of durable, renewable materials in public spaces such as this one Chapel Hill, NC