No. 0908 expanding the boundaries of the WWCDA, expanding the allocation area for purposes of TIF, and amending the development plan

Home Browse Search

DEVELOPMENT PLAN This chapter describes the basic development plan that has been prepared to serve as a guide for the maintenance and revitalization of the Near Westside area. It includes recommendations for `specific improvements to key blocks on West Washington and Chapin Streets that establish a framework for ongoing activities and longer -term projects. A range of features and conditions establish an overall framework within which development planning for the future must occur. These include certain fixed areas where the pattern of ex- isting uses and the general condition of buildings is well established and will continue to exert a major influence over their surroundings in the future. They also include important opportunity areas, including vacant and underutilized land, which may have significant potential for new growth and development. Together, fixed areas and opportunity areas provide a framework for development planning within the Near Westside Neighborhood. They determine what kind of new growth and development will be possible, where it can be located, and how it should be interrelated. They define and limit the range of choices and possibilities which can be addressed as a part of con- cept planning. The Development Plan presents the mix of new construction and rehabilitation projects selected by the WWCRP Task Force. It includes specific recommendations for the Washington Street and Chapin Street subareas, and provides a set of future tasks for revitalization of the neighborhood's industrial sector. Principles and Standards The following principles and standards should be used to guide improvement and development with the Near Westside neighborhood: o Existing housing rehabilitation efforts should be continued and intensified to upgrade existing building conditions to reasonable standards and to improve living conditions for people now living in the area. o Vacant lands should be assembled for new development consistent with land -use plan recommendations. o Rehabilitation and /or land assembly efforts in the neighborhood should be supported with public improvements, as required. o The area should be improved aesthetically through landscaping, sodding and /or seeding of barren areas, and periodic neighborhood clean -ups to remove trash and debris. o In -fill construction and rehabilitation should contribute to retaining and strengthening the architectural character of existing buildings. o Commercial developments should be sensitive to the adjacent and surrounding residential uses in terms of scale, mass and intensity of use. Special standards should be prepared for setbacks, lighting, parking, landscaping and signage to ensure quality design ap- propriate to the setting, and to help create a image and identity for the area. 15