Cities explore measures to become a place - Round Rock
Cities explore measures to become a place - Round Rock
Written by Christi Snow-Covington Tuesday, 07 August 2007
Historic downtown dubbed top center to watch in U.S. as city unites area for economic growth
After evaluating around 2,400 cities in a 12-year period, urban designer Dan Burden has a good idea of what he thinks is necessary to become an attractive and economically-sound community. He also has some strong opinions about Round Rock.
“Round Rock is among those cities with the greatest potential in America I have visited,” Burden said.
With Round Rock City Council expressing an interest in a downtown master plan, city staff visited with Burden, a partner with Glatting Jackson, a Florida-based company that specializes in community design, and asked him to evaluate downtown’s potential to become a walkable town center.
He recently spent two days in the city and concluded that Round Rock had plenty of potential along with several big challenges.
The city’s desirable location and growth, accented by an excellent downtown street grid, a preserved historic route and strong city leadership, are major positives, he said. Burden also notes the city’s initiative.
Although Austin has some significant “places,” such as Town Lake, he said the outer adjacent communities have the greatest opportunity to capture most of the population boom.
“Round Rock is ideally located in a strong growth area that is lacking in placemaking,” he said.
Ultimately, by his definition, places are where people go to be seen by people and to see people. They are the places that communities value, and they need to be close to where people live.
Downtown Round Rock is largely not a “place” because of the lack of walkability, he said. Burden describes a pedestrian-friendly center as a community that includes everything from schools and parks within easy distance, public places marked by inviting features, safe, convenient and efficient crossings, nearby shopping and a variety of housing opportunities.
One of the worst “places” in Round Rock is Mays Street’s intersection with Main Avenue, according to Burden. Heavy traffic and challenging pedestrian access make the area unappealing to most people despite the corner’s historic interest. He highlights the old water tower with a landscaped park that sits at the intersection as a perfect example of a place that fails to be a “place.”
“There are no eyes on it. No buildings watching over it and it’s so close to a major highway that no one wants to go to it at anytime,” he said.
Roundabouts, a circular intersection such as the one in the La Frontera shopping center, might be one solution, Burden said. He points to Golden, Colo., a community that saw injury rates decreased by 99 percent after installing the infrastructure on its Main Street.
Not only do the roundabouts slow traffic, they encourage pedestrian crossing, which promotes economic growth in Burden’s view. That is why he recommended Round Rock get five of its own downtown.
The city council received a presentation regarding Burden’s study July 12. For Mayor Pro Tem Alan McGraw, a downtown town center is an intriguing concept — but it will take more than city efforts, he said.
“There is going to have to be a market for the land,” he said. “Until we reach that point where investors pay enough for people to sell, we have no control over it.”
What they can do is develop rules that permit transitional uses of downtown property, which would provide for ultimate mixed-use and parking regulations.
“It will happen in phases,” he said. “The only thing is, do we go for the chicken or the egg phase first? Do we start with the private or the public sector? There has to be a nice balance.”
Return on investment
The city will provide the infrastructure, but then developers must also reinvest, City Manager Jim Nuse said.
As soon as investing starts, property value goes up dramatically, according to Burden. He believes that land valued at $5 to $15 per sq. ft. on Round Rock Avenue that is currently zoned for single-family homes will escalate to $25-$35 per sq. ft. once it becomes a mixed-use area, which combines shopping, office space and housing.
A city could see as drastic a return as he witnessed in West Palm Beach, Fla. One year after revamping the street system, each house went up in value by $110,000 to $150,000.
The economic appeal and the potential to grow business downtown are particularly attractive to the council, which has tried to expand Round Rock’s financial base, Nuse said.
“Dell is still an important aspect, no doubt, but it is becoming more and more insignificant as we have diversified,” he said.
In August, the city council will spend one day out of a two-day summer retreat to explore all of downtown’s possibilities. McGraw said that while they will look at numerous options, he is interested to see what could come of a major downtown town center that promotes walkability.
After a recent trip to Zurich and London, he witnessed some pedestrian-friendly concepts and imagined how they would translate into Round Rock’s community.
“The areas I was around had to be there for 600 years or so. A restaurant would be in a 500-year-old house. To see the current and old melded together…We’re only talking about a 100 year history here [in Round Rock]. There is no reason we can’t meld them together.”
As for Burden, he is keeping his eye on Central Texas.
“Round Rock is one of my top places to watch in the nation,” he said.
How to become a place was the topic of the Round Rock Chamber of Commerce’s Power Luncheon, July 24. Design Principal James Richards with Arlington-based Townscape Inc., a town planning and urban design firm, presented his research on cities that are ideal “places.” His research has centered on three cities: Austin, Washington D.C. and Seattle, Wash. However, he said it is not necessary to be a large community to have significance or to be a desirable place to live.
“Any community can become a place that is more of a player. It is not just housing, it is places to flourish,” he said.
Place
- a central, organizational unit where people want to stay
- attracts people who attract jobs
- attracts a creative class of professionals who desire an urban, often pedestrian, style of living
Placemaking
- an economic strategy
- the business of shaping towns or communities
Richards’ steps to become a place
- Create a green framework using natural borders
- Embrace the compact urban grid
- Foster distinct, self-contained neighborhoods
- Create an urban village at the center of a neighborhood
- Provide a range of viable transportation options
- Create a vital public realm
- Encourage a wealth of third places, or places away from work and home
- Preserve vintage landmarks, buildings and districts
- Provide a range of cultural opportunities
- Create a stimulus-rich environment
Burden on roundabouts
After a two-day study of Round Rock, urban designer Dan Burden of Glatting Jackson, a community-design firm in Florida, recommended that downtown build five roundabouts, including one at the intersection of Mays Street and Main Avenue. He describes these four-way stops with the circular centers as “the world’s most modern, safe and efficient intersection design.” However, he also warns that some of Round Rock’s own roundabouts are not examples of good design and said the public may need additional information or studies before these structures are erected. City of Round Rock Communications Director Will Hampton said while all ideas are being considered, the potential roundabouts are only conceptual.
According to Burden, a roundabout:
- Builds the concept of a “place” around it
- Reduces travel time
- Adds capacity to roadways
- Reduces personal injury crashes
- Increases property value
Town center style
"Round Rock is ideally located in a strong growth area that is lacking in placemaking." - Dan Burden, Senior Urban Designer, Glatting Jackson
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