Individual Assignment Final Report



Mill cREEK TOWNE CENTER

Spring Grove Village

Joseph Wagner

Instructor Juliana Zannotto

Vision Statement

This proposal seeks to bring a vibrant urban environment to Spring Grove Village that builds on the neighborhood’s favorable location and gives it a unique atmosphere. Mill Creek Towne Center will consist of a diverse mixture of uses including a hotel, retail, restaurants, offices, residences, and conference facilities that is designed to work with light-rail and other mass transit to become a transit-oriented development. The light rail, bus hub, and parking on the TOD site will facilitate the residents, employees, and shoppers at Mill Creek Towne Center ability to leave their automobiles behind and will lead to greater connectivity. The green space is an important element to both recreational needs and environmental sustainability to fulfill the goal of triple bottom line sustainability. Finally this development will bring the significant investment needed to help revitalize the larger neighborhood and provide good jobs to the community.

Economic Goals: The creation of a new thriving commercial center in Spring Grove Village that will contribute to the; tax base through property, sales, and employment tax revenues; employment by creating hundreds of new good paying jobs in the retail and office portions of the development; and will encourage further growth and investment in the surrounding neighborhood. This new development will also create a major transit hub by creating an area where residents and visitors can drop off their vehicles and utilize the three bus routes in close proximity to the development and the light-rail station. This hub will create the opportunity for retail that will cater to the users of these facilities. This new highly visible development will become a landmark that Spring Grove can build a marketing campaign on to promote itself to developers and potential residents.

Social Goals: The Mill Creek Towne Center will create more employment opportunities by bringing a significant number of jobs to Spring Grove Village and will allow low-income residents to have greater access to mass-transit. This transit will facilitate greater opportunities for underserved residents to find additional employment opportunities and give them easier access to social services. The public open space in the site also allows for more social mixing and connectivity between different groups and class allowing them to better understand each other.

Environmental Goals: This development will create a large amount of public open space that will allow for the planting of trees and the construction of recreation areas. Some of the space will be allotted for infrastructure improvements that will decrease the runoff from the surrounding community into the Mill Creek such as retention basins. The mass-transit element of this TOD will decrease automobile usage thus reducing the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted into the atmosphere. The nature of the development may also create more internal trips and live-work opportunities thus reducing the need for transportation.

Current Conditions

Today the retail and industrial areas between the Mill Creek and Interstate 75 are vastly underutilized largely consisting of car-oriented retail and auto dealerships. These dealerships which are along I-75 use a large amount of land that could be utilized for higher density uses. Although these establishments do keep up their properties they do not perform as the positive gateway into the community that is needed to encourage investment and traffic into the core neighborhood. The retail and fast-food establishments in the area provide essential services to commuters and residents but they also do not provide the variety that a growing community needs and they typically have large unsightly parking lots and little architectural quality. Also some of these establishments are vacant or are not in the best repair leaving major holes in the neighborhood and possibly creating blight. In several parking lots there is trash strewn about which further dissuades customers from visiting the area and gives the false perception of the majority of Spring Grove Village. The traffic in the area is very heavy especially on Mitchell Avenue and is made worse by several curb cuts that are found between the I-75 and Spring Grove Avenue where drivers slow down the flow of traffic by turning into establishments. Several establishments along I-75 are almost cut off from the rest of the area and are only served by a one lane roadway that crosses the Mill Creek. This creates possible problems and stunts growth potential on this property. The area is also very hazardous to pedestrians and it is very difficult for them to cross Mitchell or Spring Grove Avenue due to the width of the road way along with the absence of well marked cross walks. Lastly there is little visual appeal with the large amounts of pavement and the lack of any greenery. The Mill Creek that is in a large concrete culvert also adds to this “industrial” feel that takes away from the marketability of the basin area to developers.

Strategies and Proposal

The Mill Creek Towne Center seeks to extensively rework this area by demolishing the majority of the site’s structures with an exception for the existing grocery store and redevelop the site into a Transit-Oriented Development. (For the light rail element of this plan it is taken as a given that the alignment of the rail will be along the existing CSX right-of-way. For more information on why this alignment is preferable for Spring Grove Village as well as Cincinnati as a whole refer to the Winton Place Framework Plan Report produced in autumn 2009). This TOD hub along the right side of Mitchell Avenue parallel to the CSX lines will include a light-rail station as well as bus facilities and park-and-ride opportunities. This will create a destination for commuters from Spring Grove Village as well as the surrounding neighborhoods such as Winton Hills, Clifton, and Northside. This traffic will create a demand for the retail and restaurants which will be housed in a vibrant mixed use development along Mitchell and an extended Kenard Avenue. Parking will be located in a variety of different areas and includes structured parking garages, small parking lots, and on street parking. The garages are designed to be located out of view on the interior of buildings and partially below ground level. If parking structures must be viewed they must have decorative facades that make them look similar to regular buildings. Parking lots are buffered from sight with buffers of trees and planting beds while being limited to a small number of spots. The on-street parking is a traffic calming technique and provides additional protection for pedestrians. Location is also a key for the location of the parking structures and in this design they are located away from the transit hub to make sure that park-and-ride users walk past the various retail and restaurant uses. I subtract 30% from the traditional parking requirements of the City of Cincinnati due to less demand because of the transit options and the possibility of live-work development where residents work in the same development that they live (The New Transit Town). This development should include many different uses including restaurants, retail, offices, convention and meeting spaces, hotel(s), and residences that serve both the community and the larger region. Retail spaces and restaurant uses will be required on the ground floor of the properties facing Mitchell Avenue and will have to have a majority of their storefronts be of highly opaque materials. Suggested tenants include coffee shops, sit-down restaurants, casual food outlets, specialty shops, boutiques, banks, bookstores, electronics, and house-ware retailers. The area between the building façade and sidewalk should also be utilized for outdoor eateries and places for pedestrians to congregate. Street furniture, lighting and planting beds should be added along Mitchell and Kenard Avenues in a manner that complements the built environment and the theme of the larger development. Sidewalks should at least be ten feet in width along building facades facing Mitchell and Kenard and at least 8 feet in the front of the development facing the Mill Creek. Shrubbery and trees should be planted between the sidewalk and roadway in order to separate pedestrians from vehicular traffic. Highly visible pedestrian crosswalks must be placed at the intersection of Mitchell and Kenard to allow the pedestrian connectivity that is crucial to making the retail and restaurant uses viable. For more information on pedestrian improvements and complete streets in Spring Grove Village refer to the reports on complete streets by Rebecca Rauf and improving pedestrian connectivity by Jessica McGroarty. The office spaces in this development will be in the mixed use buildings along Mitchell and in a building along Kenard. Except for the building reserved exclusively for offices these uses will be located on the second floor of the mixed-use buildings. This is meant to create buildings that are utilized on a 24/7 basis and will have the necessary critical mass to sustain the retail and restaurant spaces on the ground floor. This proposal also seeks to include hotel and meeting facilities that are highly visible to Interstate-75 along Kenard Avenue. This hotel will serve business travelers, tourists, as well as provide a place for small conventions and company meetings. The residential uses in the Mill Creek Towne Center are either located in the upper floors of the mixed use structures or have their own exclusive structures located on the northeastern portion of the site. These units will be of mixed tenure including mostly rental units (60%) and the rest ownership units (40%). Although the large majority of these units will be market-rate around 10% should be reserved for low-income individuals or families. This will aid social inclusion and will allow lower income persons to achieve greater mobility. Green space is also an important element of this proposal and is maximized by higher densities and the concentrated building footprints along the rear of the site close to the transit hub. The green space is designed with heavily shaded areas for relaxation alone or with others and open spaces more suited for recreation opportunities such as sports. This area is an extension of the proposed Mill Creek Greenway trail and seeks to limit the runoff going into the Mill Creek by including water entrapment areas and swales (Lower Mill Creek Watershed Summary Report). Green roofs are also part of this proposal on several of the parking structures.This development also seeks to use design as a tool for marketing Spring Grove Village and this development will be the key in that strategy due to its prominent location in the I-75 view shed. This development should follow a strict set of design guidelines that make it both attractive and functional. These guidelines will be most effective in regulating design elements on storefronts, materials used, and landscaping to make sure they are compatible. This will be the defining gateway that Spring Grove Village needs on its southern entrance.

Buildings, Land Use, Parking, and Phasing

|BUILDING A |Land Uses (by sq. ft.) |Parking Required |With 30% reduction |Phase |

|Floor 1 |12,143 Restaurant , 40,000 Retail |241 |169 | |

|Floor 2 |50,143 Office |125 |88 | |

|Floor 3 |50,143 Residential (62 Units at 800 sq. ft. avg.) |93 |65 | |

|Floor 4 |50,143 Residential (50 Units at 1000 sq. ft. avg.) |50 |35 | |

|Totals |200,052 |534 |373 |First Phase |

| | | | | |

|BUILDING B | | | | |

|Floor 1 |6,000 Banking, 8,000 Restaurant, 34,000 Retail |219 |153 | |

|Floor 2 |50,143 Office |125 |88 | |

|Floor 3 |50,143 Residential (62 Units at 800 sq. ft. avg.) |93 |65 | |

|Floor 4 |50,143 Residential (50 Units at 1000 sq. ft. avg.) |50 |35 | |

|Totals |200,052 |512 |358 |First Phase |

| | | | | |

|BUILDING C | | | | |

|Floor 1 |35,360 Entertainment |177 | | |

|Floor 2 |35,360 Office |88 | | |

|Floor 3 |35,360 Residential (44 Units at 800 sq. ft. avg.) |66 |46 | |

|Floor 4 |35,360 Residential (44 Units at 800 sq. ft. avg.) |66 |46 | |

|Totals |141,440 |387 |271 |First Phase |

| |Parking Garage (6 levels with 4 above ground and 2 below) 450 |0 |0 |First Phase |

| |spots provided | | | |

| | | | | |

|BUILDING D | | | | |

|Floor 1 |25,100 Light Rail Station/Transit Hub, 8,000 Restaurant, 12,319 |103 + 200 for Station |72 +200=271 | |

| |Retail | | | |

|Floor 2 | 20,375 Office |50 |35 | |

|Floor 3 |20,375 Residential (20 Units at 1000 sq. ft. avg.) |30 |21 | |

|Totals |96,169 |383 |327 |First Phase |

| | | | | |

|BUILDING E | | | | |

|Floor 1 |16,139 Hotel Lobby, 10,000 Convention Space |200 |140 | |

|Floor 2 |26,139 Hotel Amenities |0 |0 | |

|Floor 3 |26,139 Hotel 108 Rooms |108 |76 | |

|Floor 4 |26,139 Hotel 108 Rooms |108 |76 | |

|Floor 5 |40,608 Hotel 168 Rooms |168 |118 | |

|Floor 6 |40,608 Hotel 168 Rooms |168 |118 | |

|Totals |186,572 |752 |526 |Second Phase |

| | | | | |

|BUILDING F | | | | |

| |Parking Garage (6 levels with 4 above ground and 2 below) 570 |0 |0 |First Phase |

| |spots provided | | | |

| | | | | |

|BUILDING G | | | | |

|Floor 1 |4,535 Restaurant , 14,000 Retail |86 |60 | |

|Floor 2 |18,535 Office |46 |32 | |

|Floor 3 |18,535 Residential (23 Units at 800 sq. ft. avg.) |35 |24 | |

|Floor 4 |18,535 Residential (23 Units at 800 sq. ft. avg.) |35 |24 | |

|Totals |74,140 |202 |140 |Second Phase |

| | | | | |

|BUILDING H | | | | |

|Floor 1 |26,139 Office |65 |46 | |

|Floor 2 |26,139 Office |65 |46 | |

|Floor 3 |26,139 Office |65 |46 | |

|Floor 4 |26,139 Office |65 |46 | |

|Floor 5 |40,608 Office |102 |71 | |

|Floor 6 |40,608 Office |102 |71 | |

|Totals |186,572 |464 |326 |Second Phase |

| | | | | |

|BUILDING I | | | | |

| |Parking Garage (6 levels with 4 above ground and 2 below) 909 |0 |0 |Second Phase |

| |spots provided | | | |

| | | | | |

|BUILDING J | | | | |

|Floor 1 |10,579 Restaurant , 10,000 Retail |107 |75 | |

|Floor 2 |25,579 Office |64 |45 | |

|Floor 3 |25,579 Residential (32 Units at 800 sq. ft. avg.) |48 |34 | |

|Floor 4 |25,579 Residential (32 Units at 800 sq. ft. avg.) |48 |34 | |

|Totals |102,316 |267 |187 |Second Phase |

| | | | | |

|BUILDING K | | | | |

|Floor 1 |21,000 Residential (14 Units at 1500 sq. ft. avg.) |21 |15 | |

|Floor 2 |21,000 Residential (14 Units at 1500 sq. ft. avg.) |21 |15 | |

|Floor 3 |21,000 Residential (14 Units at 1500 sq. ft. avg.) |21 |15 | |

|Totals |63,000 |63 |45 |Third Phase |

| | | | | |

|BUILDING L | | | | |

|Floor 1 |21,000 Residential (14 Units at 1500 sq. ft. avg.) |21 |15 | |

|Floor 2 |21,000 Residential (14 Units at 1500 sq. ft. avg.) |21 |15 | |

|Floor 3 |21,000 Residential (14 Units at 1500 sq. ft. avg.) |21 |15 | |

|Totals |63,000 |63 |45 |Third Phase |

| | | | | |

|BUILDING M | | | | |

|Floor 1 |21,000 Residential (14 Units at 1500 sq. ft. avg.) |21 |15 | |

|Floor 2 |21,000 Residential (14 Units at 1500 sq. ft. avg.) |21 |15 | |

|Floor 3 |21,000 Residential (14 Units at 1500 sq. ft. avg.) |21 |15 | |

|Totals |63,000 |63 |45 |Third Phase |

| | | | | |

|BUILDING N | | | | |

|Floor 1 |21,000 Residential (14 Units at 1500 sq. ft. avg.) |21 |15 | |

|Floor 2 |21,000 Residential (14 Units at 1500 sq. ft. avg.) |21 |15 | |

|Floor 3 |21,000 Residential (14 Units at 1500 sq. ft. avg.) |21 |15 | |

|Totals |63,000 |63 |45 |Third Phase |

| | | | | |

|BUILDING O | | | | |

|Floor 1 |4,375 Restaurant |29 |20 |Third Phase |

|Totals |4375 |29 |20 | |

| | | | | |

|Grand Total |1,427,194 square feet and 610 housing units |3782 |2647 | |

|Total Parking Provided |

|Parking Garages |1929 |

|Parking Lots |431 |

|On Street Parking |196 |

|Totals |2556 |

Rationale

Spring Grove Village is extremely well suited for transit-oriented development at the intersection of Mitchell and Kenard Avenues due to the fact that this site not only has good access to the highway but to several bus lines and a proposed light-rail alignment along the CSX line. Many cities across the nation have made TOD work including Arlington, VA; Portland, OR; Dallas, TX; and Boston, MA. These case studies show that neighborhoods can be revitalized, car- dependency can be limited, and value can be created for investors and governments. The site of my proposal is currently significantly underutilized, serving various car dealerships, fast-food establishments, and dollar stores. This area which has extremely high visibility from the interstate and has several major arterial streets within it has the traffic flow needed to sustain higher levels of retail and office than currently exists. Also the area is centrally located within the metropolitan area and is close to major employers such as universities, hospitals, and several Fortune 500 companies. It is also close to large activity generators that bring people into the city including the several sports stadiums, a major convention center, and excellent cultural institutions. These organizations could expand their operations here or their employees could reside or shop in the new mixed-use development. The area is also unique in the fact that it is on one of the major interstates in the nation and that nearby exits fail to provide the necessary services that drivers demand. The Mitchell interchange could pick up market share by building highly visible hotels, restaurants, and retail establishments that cater to the needs of travelers and commuters who live in the suburbs. Our contact from the Spring Grove Village Community Council brought this to our attention and said that to the north there was not a traveler friendly exit until the Blue Ash area and to the south the next decent exit was in Northern Kentucky (Robbins, Gary). The TOD will draw attention and cause people to notice not only what is being offered in the development but also what Spring Grove Village can offer and may bring new residents and investment to the area. Although this area is not specifically targeted in the GO Cincinnati report it does fit some of the plan’s recommendations including building new grade A office development along expressways that could be easily utilized by commuters and new residential development that can compete with Northern Kentucky (GO Cincinnati report). The drill down study also reports that the Cincinnati area and Spring Grove Village have more residents than previously expected allowing for more commercial development to occur. Spring Grove which was expected to have less than 1000 residents was shown to have almost 3000 (Drill Down Study). This shows that higher density development on this site is not only possible but potentially extremely rewarding financially by providing commuters and residents the services they need.

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Source: Cagis, Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce Created by Joe Wagner

Implementation/Funding Strategies

This development must be implemented over time in several phases and to be successful will need to involve both public and private organizations. But before ground is ever broken several steps will have to be taken to make this development possible including, acquiring and assembling the land, getting zoning assurances from the city (this development would most likely be a Planned Development which requires a special process of design review and negotiations). This will allow densities to be greater and parking ratios less than they would otherwise. Funding for the predevelopment work often comes from communities, transit agencies, and foundations to attract and jump-start private investment. But since these communities have put in funding they have more leverage on what the development will look like and often take a share of the profits down the road as a stockholder of the development (The New Transit Town). Also possible funding sources include TOD programs at the Department of Transportation, Federal Transportation Adminsitration, HUD, Department of Economic Development, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that has set aside $27 billion for TODs. All of these federal government agencies have programs exclusively to encourage TOD development (Greene 1).

Case Studies

Mockingbird Station, Dallas TX

This mixed-use has been highly successful partly due to its location along the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), a 52 mile long light rail system, and a major interstate but has also been recognized for its award winning design that incorporates retail, office, residential (both condos and rentals), and a major light rail station. Mockingbird station is called an “urban village” because it includes 211 loft units, a theatre, 183,000 square feet of retail uses, and many restaurants. It has 1,440 parking spaces which are located under the development. The development goes for trendy stores that attract will younger residents and college students. Mockingbird Station was mostly adaptive reuse but includes several new structures in addition to the large warehouses that were already there. There is also a major campus near this TOD which makes it more diverse and vibrant due to young professionals. Overall the transit ridership was much higher than the developer expected but lower than planners and other experts believed at around 30% (The New Transit Town 155-72).

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Source:

Towne Center at Orenco Station, Hillsboro OR

This Transit-Oriented Development in Orenco Station is a fast growing city in the rapidly expanding Hillsboro, Oregon metropolitan area. The development is close to the MAX light rail stop and it is designed with new urbanism principles to allow for high-density mixed-use living with ground floor retail and upper floors dedicated to residential. The streets in the area were narrowed to allow a more main street feel to characterize the community. It is located near an Intel campus and has a very heavily utilized and successful commercial base. But the rates of transit usage are fairly low and many people continue to use their cars more often than public transit (Rivera 1-4).

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Source:

Bibliography

Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce. Largest Employers – Living Here.

Cincinnati Business Courier, Cincinnati 2009 .

Rivera, Dylan. “Residents of Transit-Oriented Orenco Station Still Driving Cars to Work.

The Oregonian. 17 Oct. 2009. 12 Mar. 2010 .

Robbins, Gary. Spring Grove Community Council. Personal Interview. 26 Jan. 2010.

Towne Center at Orenco Station.. 10 Mar. 2010 <

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