on a serious note... parking behind building does provide a serious
security problem which must be very carefully dealt with to mitigate
potential incidents......
>>> Kenton <90142419@WSUVM1.CSC.WSU.EDU> 03/07/96 09:59am
>>>
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