Another Montgomery TND in the works...

...well, the Dover Kohl-led TND charrette for the Hudson Farms (2,000+ acre site) just ended on Thursday and, from what I saw during the open house last Tuesday, it is shaping up to be a very unique project. The project is located on Pike Road roughly along the east side of the road between Thorington and Wallahatchie Roads.

One of the lead parts of the development team is from Colorado (www.urban-villages.com) and is really emphasizing the conversation and "green" component.

Not sure how those angles will play in the Southeast (as opposed to the Mountain West where they are a real big deal).

Regardless though, expect some version of the plans to be released in August for public review with a groundbreaking planned for late 2008. Not surprisingly (because DKP is involved), the proposed site plan has many interesting features.

The project is also planning to use the SmartCode for permitting (it is currently zoned for a former PUD).

So, if you are counting, this makes 5 announced TNDs in Montgomery:

1. The Waters (open)
2. Hampstead (scheduled groundbreaking this year)
3. Chanticleer (Vaughn Road)
4. Lafayette (Chantilly Parkway)
5. Hudson Farms

In other words, if the downtown and midtown revitalization efforts don't work, East Montgomery might well become Robert Trent Jones TND Trail...

Pike Road Announcement...

...one of the key components for smart growth involves schools. That's why the law school partnered with Envision 2020 and the Seaside Institute last February for the first ever Smart Growth & Schools Summit.

So, this message we received this evening was especially interesting (and potentially exciting):

The Town of Pike Road has a significant announcement that we will be making on Monday night, July 2 at the Town Council meeting. Our town has been working hard to generate excitement for schools and this "step forward" certainly will help in that regard. You do not want to misses this opportunity to celebrate.

Please make every effort to join us for this brief meeting. It will begin at 7:30 p.m. and should be completed by 8:15 p.m. We hope that you will bring friends and neighbors to the meeting. To facilitate an easier "in and out," we will be meeting at the Pike Road Baptist Church, 4790 Pike Road.


Thanks and God Bless,

Gordon Stone

Mayor, Town of Pike Road

Stay tuned...

Better Late Than Never...

...Below are the photos from our recent stay at Rosemary Beach in South Walton County along Historic Highway 30-A.

Overall, Rosemary Beach--while still a resort community--should really inform much of the smart growth being built or planned (literally, as I type this evening).

Enjoy.

Photos from Today's Open House at Alys Beach...

This afternoon, I stopped by the open house at Alys Beach hoping to see the amazing insides of these brilliant white homes. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed. Indeed, one problem (if you can really call it that) with the courtyard style is that so much beauty is stored in the interior--with rare glimpses for most to see.

Fortunately, today provided one of those opportunities.

And, remember, these shots weren't taken by a pro--as I'm certainly not (my wife is the photog of our family). But, hopefully they provide some insight into these great interiors.

All photos taken around 11am with a Digital Canon EOS Rebel.

Enjoy. (p.s. I'll be back soon with a photo tour of Rosemary Beach and some talk about an amazing Big Hill).

One of the reasons that I think that smart growth and new urbanism has taken such a strong hold in the River Region is that so many River Regioners vacation along Highway 30-A in South Walton County, Florida.

Here you'll find Seaside, WaterColor, Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach and others.

Well, if you are one of these folks, then this South Walton blog should be a Must Read for future trips.

By the way, I'm heading back to Montgomery this afternoon and will try and post some of the photos I took from the Alys Beach Open House earlier today. The interiors of these homes are even more amazing than the beautiful exteriors.

Sorry for the delay...

...but, the photo essay will have to wait. Apparently, we forgot the court that uploads images from our camera to my laptop.

So, I'll try and get them uploaded early next week. I have quite a few of Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach images, including ones of the dramatic new pool at Alys Beach and one of the most interesting play structures that we've ever seen for children.

In the meantime, here's an article about a SmartCode OnSite that Nathan Norris and I will be conducting this upcoming Monday.

Surburban Angst?

This article discusses the trend. And flirts with (though won't commit to) some of the solutions.

A very interesting read.

Solar Power?

Thanks to a reader who sent along this interesting website discussing affordable options for adding solar power to your home.

While we haven't researched this company in detail, it does have an interesting business model.

Court Square

Let me preface this post by saying that I've met John Dow many times and found him to be a very nice guy. He's also expressed alot of interest for smart growth issues (including inviting me to speak on several different occasions).

But, in today's Montgomery Advertiser, John--who is running for Montgomery's mayorship this year--issued a campaign press release that Mayor Bright should personally pay for the $75,000 cost of adding curb cuts to the downtown Court Square Plaza.

This does not make sense for two reasons:

1. The Court Square Plaza was one of the first of its kind in the United States in the last 100 years. And, part of the unique beauty of the plaza calls it to have rolled curbs that give the area a more flowing feel. I mention this because--as with any novel idea--sometimes unexpected circumstances arise. In this case, I have not read or heard a single thing to suggest that the omission of the curb cuts was anything more than an honest mistake.

And, one that, once it came to light was promptly addressed to the city (despite the fact that some of those protesting the issue seemed more interested in making the evening news or the Advertiser than having a truly constructive discussion. Your conduct makes that very clear).

2. Yes, it added $75,000 to the cost to add curb cuts that--in the best case scenario--would have been added from the beginning. And, indeed, from the plans that I saw, they were supposed to be there. Regardless, it is clear that the Mayor was not the engineer or contractor in charge of the project. So, it makes little sense to have him personally pay for someone else's error simply because he's the Mayor.

It would be like demanding that the Governor personally pay to correct an engineering error that ALDOT made on an interstate.

So, the long and short is that this appears to have been an honest error on a cutting edge (no pun, intended of course) project.

While I don't know all the politics is this extremely political city, I can say with 100% confidence that--of the 100 plus mayors that I've met throughout the country during smart growth seminars, speeches, and the like--Mayor Bright is as supportive of smart growth principles as any other mayor in the United States of America.

We commend him for that.

p.s. We'd be remiss not to mention that Montgomery County is also fortunate to have Gordon Stone as the Pike Road since Mayor Stone is also a national leader in smart growth vision when it comes to mayors.

Next week...

...we'll be vacationing at one of the best-designed New Urban resort communities in the country. My plan is to post several pictoral updates from Rosemary Beach and then post Part Two of the EastChase Series on Monday.

In the meantime, we've received word that a newly-proposed East Montgomery traditional neighborhood development will be holding a charrette in late June. Most significantly, the lead planning firm on the project is Dover, Kohl & Partners--the firm that lead last year's downtown Montgomery planning charrette.

We'll post more details for this 2,000+ acre project as they come in.

The EastChase Series: Part One

As promised, I'll be starting a five-part series reviewing the urbanism and smart growth aspects of the EastChase development in East Montgomery. And, while the series will focus on EastChase (primarily because it's in the River Region and this is a River Region-focused blog), this critique is not limited to this single development but, rather, applies to this type of "lifestyle center" in general.

First things first though. My goal with this series is not to denigrate EastChase in general. Indeed, the project does have some redeeming qualities (such as bringing many new retailers to the area that weren't here before). Instead, the ultimate goal is to explain what EastChase is...and is not.

For starters, it is a shopping center.

It is not a main street or town center of any type.

Now, I suspect some of you are thinking, "Well, duh!"

But, wait. Before you do that, realize this. There are many people who think that EastChase is just that--a main street (or, as I've personally heard before, the Main Street of East Montgomery). In just a moment we'll look at why that is incorrect. First, back to the is/is not part.

EastChase is a mono-use commercial project.

It is not a sustainable growth or smart growth development.

I suspect that statement has far fewer "Well, duhs"...hold that thought though because we'll deal with this one later.

For now, I want to focus on why EastChase is not a main street or town center by any stretch of the reasonable imagination.

To do so, let's consider what a main street really is--or, better stated, what makes a main street.

First, people shop on a main street. They also work there. And live there, too.

Often, they worship there. Recreate there.

Gather together for fun. Or sometimes to protest.

In other words, a main street or town center--by its very nature--is not used only for a single thing (i.e. it is not mono-usage).

Another feature about a main street or town center is that there is a mix of public and private property. Private shops, lofts, homes, offices and the like. Together with public sidewalks, parks, and civic buildings. Resulting in a finely-grained mixture of public and private spaces.

Now, needless to say, this is just a short primer on what makes a main street. And it certainly doesn't apply to every single main street or town center anywhere. That said though, these features are shared by the vast majority (if not 99%) of main streets and town centers.

So, why is this important, you ask?

Simple, really.

Compare the classic characteristics of a main street or town center with EastChase and you'll quickly see that EastChase shares very little in common with them.

It's mono-usage. No residences of any type. No public property at all. And, for at least the "lifestyle center" part of it, not even any offices.

Sure, people shop there. But do they live there? Recreate there (in a non-retail sense)? Gather for public events?

Well, if you really look carefully, the answer is no, no, and no.

Why?

Because, EastChase is a private shopping center. It's goal is to make money for private companies. Which, of course, is perfectly fine.

Except when it intimates that it is anything other than just a differently-organized shopping mall--no different in ultimate format than Festival Plaza or Eastdale Mall or even Montgomery Mall.

So, in analyzing EastChase (and lifestyle centers in general), let's first understand what it is: a privately-owned retail center that--while its architecture, design, and marketing may attempt to evoke the emotions of a main street (right down to the bronzed statutes of kids playing with their dog--a curious site because, as we'll discuss in later part, nearly all animals are expressly prohibited from EastChase) is not a town center or main street in any real discernible way.

Understanding this key point is critical as it serves as the starting point for the next parts of this series which will examine why--whether it is the design, usage, or other aspects of EastChase--that the project not only is not a main street...but also is not a smart, sustainable growth project.

We'll discuss that next week.

Of course, if you have any comments of any type, feel free to email me at cemerson@faulkner.edu.

Thanks.