The New Urbanist Smart Growth Connection

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The New Urbanist/Smart Growth Connection

• A home for affordable housing?
• Douglas Porter, Growth Management Institute
• October, 2007

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Smart growth

• Compact, mixed-use development -- saves land,
  expands travel choices
• Array of living styles and housing choices,
  including affordable homes
• Conservation of working, natural lands and
  systems
• Efficient use of infrastructure
• Revitalization and infill of built-up areas

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New urbanism smart growth plus design

• Significant public realm
• Civic uses and spaces
• Landscaped, walkable streets
• Small and large parks
• Shopping, business services nearby
• Small lots, setbacks, yards
• Connected streets, parking in back
• Tendency for traditional building design

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Kentlands, Gaithersburg, MDClassic NU but no
affordable homes
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Opposition to NU, SG designs

• Especially in suburban jurisdictions
• Some also in urban infill neighborhoods
• Regulatory regimes erected obstacles
• Cascading effects of opposition
• Small lots, narrow streets, alleys deemed
  undesirable
• MF housing changed character of area
• Affordability foregone

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Ion Mt. Pleasant, SC (Charleston)

• Town adopted TND strategy, ordinance
• in 1990s
• Planned by Dover Kohl, DPZ in 1995
• 800 sf, 440 mf units (150 adu)
• Reduction to 730 sf, 120 mf (3.5/acre)
• Final plan 762 sf units (3.1/acre)
• Dropped 150 affordable units

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Ion Mt. Pleasant, SCHigh-priced and getting
more-so
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LeMoyne Gardens, MemphisHOPE VI project (renamed
College Park)

• Design patterned on local styles
• Single-family neighborhood character
• house-size small apartment buildings
• one-story units
• senior building

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LeMoyne GardensHelped introduce SG, NU ideas
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King Farm Rockville, MDSG/NU design in a
suburban infill location

• 430-acre site, 3,200 dwelling units
• 2.2 million sq. ft. commercial space
• including Village Center w/ 49 apts.
• Metro access ¼ mile from site
• shuttle bus
• and future LRT or BRT service

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King Farm Inclusionary housing

• 400 units, 12.5 of total units
• Half rental, half sales
• Most dispersed, two clusters
• 60 80 AMI
• All completed

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King FarmModified new urbanist design
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King Farm Density/historic barns/on-street
parking
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King Farm housing mix/transit
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King Farm retail and apartments
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King Farm sf homes -- tight lots, green streets
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Wellington NeighborhoodBreckenridge, CO

• Remediated mining site
• 122 homes, 22 acres
• 80 of units re-served for local workers, 1/3
  median housing price
• 20-acre park, free transit to downtown

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Longmont, COModerate-cost housing in the NU mode
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Arlington, VAAvalon at Arlington Square
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Avalon at Arlington Square

• 20-acre site, 27 buildings, 943 units
• (167 affordable units)
• 2-over-2 live/work townhomes with parking off
  alleys
• Garden apartments with structured parking
  behind
• Village green with civic building/pool

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Avalon at Arlington Square
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Crown Farm (Aventiene) Gaithersburg, MD

• Suburban infill 180 acres, 2,250 units
• (250 affordable units)
• 320,000 sq. ft. retail
• high school site
• transit hub
• plan influenced by 4-day charrette

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Crown Farm (Aventiene) Site plan
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Aventiene CNU Place
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Aventiene Residential
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Smart Growth, New Urbanism Inclusion Conclusions

• Past difficulties in these developments overcome
  in many markets
• More familiar design techniques
• Proven market acceptance and value
• Regulatory adaptations underway
• Conclusion No impediments to requiring
  inclusionary housing as a condition of development