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- Lak~e'Forest Pc~iki'~g'PJa'n'i'-Re-c~omme~d~l Principles-
<br />.':_~?z;~... 7:-
<br />- P6rking facilities should a&ommo~date ~'disti~t ' ~- ~::-'
<br /> ~p'es'b[daily~0ses:.16~r~'j~lld~y'~lo~.::: ..~
<br />._. parkihg;~ shopper} bu~ines~ patroh~rki~;?
<br /> '.er~an~ parkin~ of 15~o 2~minute maximbm ~.".-': .:'. ~ ~.-'
<br /> d uratio~"allday~ commuter, pa/[~ng;-'se~Fe ~ebcle
<br /> paAing;and bi.de storage.r~ ~ ? ~': ~. j-~
<br />
<br /> ~', ;: .~ '...~ng-l~6rking space should be
<br /> dt -'con~lrated in large facilities'at'the ~enphe~
<br />
<br /> · . 4 ,' /-~zof the-downtown. These facilities sKould b~:j
<br /> j ':~ ,' located 'l~-dlrect-contact'w~th malor vebcular~ -
<br /> ':approach routes and ent~ points:
<br />
<br />~-~bort-t~rm patr~d~arking space should be [ ;>',
<br /> Iocal~d-in lh~ marl ~o~enient~reas o~-do~to~h
<br /> and reded Io'veh cu ar access capac ~ Palron..~
<br /> .~ ~. .:, , . .. /& ],' : :. ·
<br />~ ties should.be 'regulated to discourage their,'. 4;:
<br /> use~or;Iong-ter~parking. ', ('/- ' 4
<br />
<br /> ~ I~ '. 7y, Erra.dSCark, ngjR~ce fioul~Uq ~]dely '.
<br />
<br /> / 't4 ' . :q t. ,) ~ i' . ".( [ J~''
<br /> /~l'[ ' --<'enforce~enl o~ time tegulahoR should ensure,
<br /> } L/ ''} ~ '9 ~t ~ :~ " ,z
<br /> / ~lx "~'.shorMurat~on o~y and bgh lurnover of, l~s
<br /> ., u ~ ~.~.". ~ ~ : . ,~ · ,.
<br />
<br /> Semico parking sho.uld either be provided in
<br />
<br /> loading and. unload~ng~Hm~nd~wdual,~ o~or-o~
<br />~tlopdmg af~os~ I I ~ ~;' :
<br />
<br />absence of commercial uses does not appear to concern
<br />Woodridge officials, however. "This was not intended to be the
<br />downtown," says Stacy Hulseberg, director of planning and
<br />development for the village. "The commercial areas are along
<br />the arterials, and that worb just fine." The town center's
<br />ultimate success will be determined over time, as residents either
<br />use the facility or simply deem the area too impersonal for day-
<br />to-day patronage.
<br /> The relatively homogeneous mix of noncommercial uses in
<br />the Woodridge town center could alleviate the overcrowding
<br />and pigeon-hole identity crises seen in town centers like that in
<br />Santa Fe, New Mexico. The 400-year-old Plaza has attracted so
<br />many commercial establishments that its large volumes of
<br />tourists and shoppers deter local residents from spending time '
<br />there despite the nearby presence of a post office, library, and
<br />other civic and cultural institutions. The Plaza certainly benefits
<br />the tax rolls, but it has shifted away from the daily lifestyle of
<br />most Santa Fe residents to become a mall-like destination for
<br />eager shoppers. It is noted for serving its intended purpose best
<br />in the morning, when residents can read the newspaper and
<br />drink coffee.
<br /> The town center in Englewood uses a zoning strategy to
<br />protect against unnecessary nuisances and other disruptive
<br />activities. For example, auto parts and repair businesses are
<br />prohibited on the street that hosts the town center's retail
<br />establishments. An art overlay district containing galleries,
<br />studios, home-based businesses, and bed and breakfast
<br />establishments guides specified development on another town
<br />center street. Offices along the periphery serve as a buffer for
<br />adjacent residences.
<br />
<br />Efficiency Through Circulation and Parking
<br />A functional town center is not a parking lot. In fact, the central
<br />location and pedestrian-friendly environment should limit the
<br />number of cars that need to be there. Most town center plans
<br />and zoning ordinances address circulation and parking as one of
<br />the essential components of efficient town center functioning.
<br /> The downtown parking plan for Lake Forest, Illinois, ensures
<br />that its central area, which contains the prosperous Market
<br />Square, is served by an efficient and convenient access and
<br />circulation system. The parking supply is provided in
<br />"appropriate" locations to serve all classes of parkers, including
<br />commuters to and from Chicago, employees, and patron and
<br />errand shoppers.
<br /> Englewood's Citizens Advisory Committee saw the lack of
<br />efficient parking in the town center as a primary concern. It
<br />developed a set of objectives that led to angled parking as a
<br />measure for ease and convenience. Lake Forest took the same
<br />angled-parking approach around much of its downtown and
<br />town square. Where the streets were wide enough, parallel
<br />parking was exchanged for angled parking to guarantee viability
<br />and convenience for users of town square facilities.
<br /> Wide streets were not the vision for Cambridge, which instead
<br />opted for a narrower corridor. Overly wide streets and a long,
<br />uninterrupted roadway were altered to provide a "rhythmic series of
<br />block-length street spaces, lying between short, well-marked
<br />pedestrian crossings." Proper lighting, signage, and landscaping
<br />were to be the finishing touches on what would then be a much
<br />safer and more pedestrian-ftiendly square. Nevertheless, the town
<br />square area in Lake Forest is sufficient proof that even wide streets,
<br />if used properly, can complement an area rather than decrease its
<br />efficiency or desirability.
<br /> Amherst, Massachusetts, encourages shared parking in its
<br />town center zoning as a competitive measure against the
<br />commercial strip along the highway. A number of the off-street
<br />parking spaces are shared by businesses or organizations with
<br />differing hours of peak operation. For example, church
<br />parishioners use specified parking spaces on Sundays, while
<br />
<br />weekday shoppers and evening
<br />diners find the spaces more
<br />convenient at other times.
<br /> Planners in Davie, Florida,
<br />used formulas developed by
<br />the Urban Lknd Institute to
<br />determine an hour-by-hour
<br />availability of shared parking
<br />facilities for commercial
<br />buildings along the busiest
<br />streets in town. The area's
<br />diverse uses, which include
<br />commercial, office, retail,
<br />
<br /> Town center plans, like
<br /> this one for Smyrna,
<br /> Georgia, provide for a mix
<br /> of residential, commercial,
<br /> office, and institutional
<br /> uses; create pedestrian-
<br /> jTiendly environments;
<br />allow for efficient
<br />automobile circulation;
<br />and incorporate traditional
<br />town square open space.
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