Clayton May Get ‘TOD’ Overlay Districts

Zoning has been one of the most destructive forces in cities.  It’s good intentions have been taken too far and as a result it is nearly impossible to do good urban design in most places in North America.  Between density restrictions and excessive parking minimums the resulting pattern will be the non-walkable sprawl we have all around us.

One of the solutions, of course, is to trash current zoning in favor of something more reflective of today’s thinking (vs. yesterday’s thinking).  Such a task is a huge undertaking.  A compromise is to ease into it with an “overlay” in specific areas.  An overlay district would superseed all existing zoning — thus replacing it for a defined area.  Often these are used around transit stations to get the sort of density, diversity of users, and walkability that is desired at transit stops.

From a CMT news release yesterday:

The City of Clayton’s Plan Commission Architectural Review Board recently recommended to the Clayton Board of Alderman to adopt two Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Overlay districts for the areas surrounding the Central Avenue and Forsyth Metrolink Stations. The new overlay codes in essence frees up the market to take advantage of MetroLink by encouraging mid to high density residential and mixed-use development surrounding each station.

A transit oriented development is a high density, mixed use area located within walking distance of a transit station. These areas are unique in that they maximize access to a mass transit station, encourage higher density, and de-emphasize the use of a car as the primary mode of transport.

This is exciting news.  From the staff memo to the Clayton Planning Commission:

Key components of the draft Transit Oriented Development Districts include:

• Encourage higher density development by establishing minimum Floor Area Ratios and waiving FAR’s altogether depending on the location.
• Waives minimum off-street parking requirements based on a professional parking study clearly demonstrating need levels.
• Provides relief of height restrictions while requiring building step-backs in some areas.
• Establishes minimum front yard setbacks to encourage greater sidewalk widths.
• Limits automobile-type land uses such as service station and automobile agencies.
• Establishes site plan considerations to foster innovative site design such as green building certification, linkages between the development and the transit station, and greenspace/urban gathering areas.

The Clayton Business District Master Plan (1993) recognized the need to consider mass transit as a key component to redevelopment opportunities.  MetroLink and its potential for influencing development are specified in four action areas (4, 5, 13, & 14) adjacent to the stations.  In these action areas, the Business Districts Master Plan points to the need to consider MetroLink as one of the factors that may positively influence economic performance of the property and its use and design.

Read the discussion on the Urban St Louis forum here.  You can download and review the actual articles for the Forsyth & Clayton stations.  Now if I can only get some folks at City Hall to wake up and realize the need for such zoning in spots throughout the city.

Sidewalks That Look Good But Don’t Function Well

I spent a good portion of Saturday with the grand kids.  No, not mine, a friend’s.  But that required a trip to St Charles County.  I’m not fond of driving West of Kingshighway so you have to appreciate how adorable these kids are to get me out there.

Coming back to their house after lunch I snapped the above picture.  Many places don’t even have sidewalks and those that do, like the above example, just line the road and don’t actually connect to anything.  We passed a Wal-Mart (how predictable, right?) and I was pleasantly shocked to see the sidewalk connecting to the entrance – a proper ADA access route.

But for the most part the sidewalks just seem like decoration.  Something to give the illusion you could walk to a store.  But it is just that, an illusion of walkable.  As bad as newer development in the city is, St Charles is far worse.

I grew up in a 1960s area of Oklahoma City that is just as bad.  My parents moved there for the same reason people moved to St Charles, schools.  Except where I grew up I was in the same district as the inner city but on the edge in newer buildings.  We had no sidewalks. You only walked when the car broke down.  Why else would you walk?

Don’t worry, the grand kids are getting exposed to urban life where you walk to places.  Where you run into friends on the sidewalks rather than the mall parking lot.

Much like religion, I think it is good to expose youngsters to different perspectives and allow them to draw their own conclusions when they get older.   Just like many kids of the 50s picked the suburbs, todays kids will pick the core when they make their own living choices.  If I’m wrong let me know in 2030.

In the meantime if we go to the trouble to have sidewalks wouldn’t it be a good idea it they actually connected to places?

Wasted Space on Laclede

Going to class at Saint Louis University last Thursday I noticed an interesting gap in the on-street parking in front of the building on Laclede.

I’m standing at my car looking at what is now known as the “Laclede Classroom Building.”  This is a big gap in the on-street parking — enough for one or two cars.  By not having parking here the city is losing money.  “But that driveway!” you observe.  Oh yes, the driveway.

As the above image shows, the driveway has been abandoned by the new owner, SLU.  There is not even a service gate in the fence.  There is no reason anymore to prevent someone from parking on-street here.

These examples exist all over the city — circumstances change but management of on-street parking doesn’t seem to change.  I can think of several examples downtown where parking is not alowed at closed former drives.  We need some system of alerting the parking folks in the Treasurer’s office when a substantial permit is issued for a building.  This would prod them to evaluate the on-street parking & meter situation at locations like this where the situation has changed.

Downtown Retail Continues To Evolve

Tomorrow, December 13th, marks the one-year anniversary of the ribbon cuttings for Good Works Furniture and Flamingo Bowl (read post).  By May 2008, Good Works had already anounced they were closing (read post)!

I’m glad Flamingo is still around because I enjoy bowling.  In the hospital earlier this year they had me bowl using a Wii as therapy to work on standing.  I’ve got a bowling game on my iPhone, too.  But nothing beats the real thing.  I was left handed but I’ve practiced right handed darts, I need to try right handed bowling.

Earlier this week the well known CWE book retailer, Left Bank Books, opened a 2nd location at 10th & Locust.  A few months ago, Crepes In The City, formerly a weekend-only production inside The Washington Ave Post, opened their own location.  Change is inevitable.  Some places will close while others thrive and more give it a shot.

Downtown long ago ceased to be the retail center of the region.  The long shuttered St Louis Centre mall was a poor attempt to recapture that title.

As a downtown resident for over a year now I can tell you I’m generally pleased with the mix of retailers we have and as more buildings open up (now as rentals) we’ll continue to see retailers opening to serve the needs of immediate residents, locals, and visitors.

You Don’t Center Your Car on the Parking Meter

Parallel parking isn’t too difficult but you’d think it was based on how poorly some folks manage.

The Toyota Camry above was parked in such a way that the space for this meter looked like it was available. There was a car in front of this one too.  If I had a smart fortwo I could have fit in the space behind this car and the next.