vision2020@moscow.com: reclaiming the strip
reclaiming the strip
Kenton (90142419@WSUVM1.CSC.WSU.EDU)
Thu, 07 Mar 96 09:59:13 PST
Last fall, there was a discussion on this list of ways that Moscow might
make the commercial strip between Line STreet and Farm Road more attractive.
Randall Arendt devoted an hour of his workshop last Saturday to this
topic, and I thought people who didn't attend might be interested in some
of his ideas.
He points out that many commercial buildings put up in the 1960s and 1970s
were built with 25-30 year lifespans, and as they burn down, are torn down,
or expand, there are opportunities to incrementally make such strips
more attractive (and safer, if turning traffic can be reduced). In Moscow's
case, the pending demolition of Bowlerama to make way for Wendy's might
be a "demonstration project" of these ideas.
Arendt suggests:
1. Street trees, at 30- to 40-foot intervals. (He praises the landscaped
strip between the highway and the palouse Empire Mall.)
2. A maximum setback from the highway (or a "build-to" line), to encourage
buildings to be placed closer to the street, to recreate a traditional
urban streetscape and encourage pedestrians.
3. Putting parking behind the building. Customers will figure out that
the parking lot is in back, he says. Rear parking provides an opportunity
for inter-connected parking lots, so people can drive from business to
business without going back on the highway.
4. Using architectural devices to break up the mass of a large building.
(A large discount store might have a variety of inter-connected units
that simulate a Main Street.)
5. More 2-story buildings to put offices (and in some cases, housing)
above retail stores.
6. Signs closer to the ground (so they can be seen under the canopy of
trees) and lighted by spotlights (less glare than internally illuminated
signs -- which makes the highway safer).
7. Redevelop malls with large parking lots by putting new buildings
closer to the highway and creating a simulated streetscape... he showed
several examples of this, where cars actually park right in front of
the stores.
Are any of these ideas practical for Moscow? Could our Planning & Zoning
Commission provide incentives to businesses along the strip to experiment
with some of these techniques?
(Arendt mentioned Rosauers on North Main, which has remodled twice in the
last 10 years without being required to make any improvements in its
parking lot. Even a series of street trees along Main and D would provide
some visual continuity with the rest of downtown.)
--Kenton
This archive courtesy of:
First Step Internet