Agenda - Planning Commission - 04/07/2011

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Transportation. Strategies focused on managing impacts on adjacent neighbor- hoods; securing city support for reduced parking ratios, shared parking, and curbside parking to support retail and buffer pedestri- ans from traffic; and preserving the opportu- nity to introduce streetcars. Management. The plan recommended that Campus Partners undertake the neces- sary analysis, prepare a business plan, and work with property owners to form a busi- ness improvement district. Results to Date More than $275 million has been invested in South Campus Gateway and elsewhere along High Street, and more than $15o million has been invested in mixed income housing, a new police station, a public elementary school, and an OSU early- childhood learning center. The Campus Partner's University District Revitalization project received the American Planning Association's 2010 National Planning Excellence Award for Implementation in addi- tion to awards from APA Ohio and the Society for College and University Planning. CLIFTON CORRIDOR: CENTER FOR A VIBRANT COMMUNITY Outside of Atlanta, a series of Native American pathways evolved into rural roads serving agricultural villages. In the late 19th century a founder of Coca -Cola developed an Olmsted- designed garden suburb, Druid Hills, and opened the area for development. By 1950 the Clifton Corridor was lined with verdant suburbs and bucolic campuses. By the 198os the corridor was indistinguishable from other strip- development corridors. Context The Clifton Corridor consists of a series of con- nected arterial highways— Clifton Road, North Decatur Road, and Clairmont Road —which are constantly congested and not served by rail transit. It has some of America's highest pedestrian fatality rates and faces deteriorating air and water quality. Concerned that the cor- ridor's auto - oriented setting would not appeal to the next generation of students, faculty, staff, and researchers —and eager to contribute to sustainable smart growth —Emory University reached out to nearby neighborhoods to form the Clifton Community Partnership in 2006. In 2008 the CCP published the Clifton Corridor Urban Design Guidelines —a vision and strat- egies for transforming the corridor "from a mid -zoth- century automobile- centered suburb into a 21st - century walkable community," preserving the character of existing suburban neighborhoods, and restoring the degraded natural environment. Development program The preferred vision included approximately 10 million square feet of mixed use develop- ment. Community members requested mul- tifamily housing options that enable younger people to move into the neighborhood and older residents to remain. Planning framework The guidelines called for the transformation of strip retail and shopping centers into 10 distinct character areas including five "activ - ity centers" that form the vibrant heart of a community seeking to manage growth. Implementation The CCP lacks the funding and staffing that empower Campus Partners, but it has brought Emory and the community together around a single agenda to influence public policy and private investment. Key strategies include the following: Education. Druid Hills has long found itself at odds with Emory. The CCP represents a conscious effort to bridge this divide. Initially skeptical, residents found that both sides as- pired to walkable, mixed use environments. The guidelines represent a "social compact" that documents agreements on uses, character, and scale of development along the corridor. Market. Participants and decision mak- ers had confidence that Atlanta's closer -in suburbs face strong growth pressures. DeKalb County is expected to add 200,000 people (and roughlY75,000 housing units) by 2o25. Design and design review. The guide- lines divide the corridor into 10 distinct character zones and provide for each one a vision, principles, development goals, public- and private -realm design guidelines, and conceptual plan's and illustrative before - and -after studies. Zoning. The DeKalb County comprehen- sive plan identifies policy goals for defined town centers, includingwalkability, buildings that frame streets with pedestrian- friendly uses, a "high - density mix of retail, office, ser- vices, and employment uses" in a compact center, and reduced dependence on autos. The guidelines provide specific direction for achieving these goals in each character zone and require new development to restore nearby degraded natural environments. Partnerships. Emory formed a partner- ship to create the first redevelopment —an amenity -rich, mixed use development that ND F,R f.EGEf�i * r ,s%: Natural Restoration Area , Neighborhood Preservation Area Corridor Enhancement District Emory Other Institutions Neighborhood preservation in corridor Natural restoration in corridor — Druid Hills local historic area -- Component historic neighborhoods _ * Activity canter; circle indicates comfortable walking distance ® The vision for the Clifton corridor in metropolitan Atlanta balances new development ("enhancement districts " — including five activity centers) with preserving existing neighborhoods and restoring natural areas. includes Soo units of housing for faculty and staff within a five - minute walk of campus. Transportation. Initial traffic concerns turned to support after a transportation study reported that mixed use develop- ments generate roughly 44 percent less traffic than conventional strip development, noted that reducing lane width to accommo- date bike lanes slowed travel speeds, dem- onstrated that traffic associated with com- munity- oriented redevelopment displaced through - traffic to regional highways, and indicated that curbside parking and street trees (discouraged by Georgia DOT) could work along this heavily traveled corridor. Management The CCP will maintain on- going responsibility as an advocate, convener, and sponsor for corridor initiatives. It has also set up a communitywide information network. Results to date The $25o million Emory- sponsored mixed use "Emory Point" LEED -ND development received zoning approval. DeKalb County ZONINGPRACTICE 2.21 AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION I page 5