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By fourthconchord at 2008/06/05 - 4:00pm
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A small bedroom community of 10,000 population does not currently have a true downtown. There is no street level retail, though the town is not completely sprawled out. There is some light density as retail is about 30' off the road, houses are about 20' from the street. The city is in the process of defining a formal downtown centered around public buildings and some of the most active retail. Does anyone here know of any other towns that have done something similar? Does anyone have any experience or tips for a community trying to do this?
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Here are some suggestions, and I need to preface them by saying my expertise is in transportation, not economic development.
- Allow on street parking where appropriate (where safe and free of congestion) and use those spaces in determining if a business has enough parking places.
- Interconnect the separate developments withing the downtown district and the downtown area itself with nearby residential land uses to encourage a pedestrian environment.
- Make the area a center of your transit needs by providing enough space for doctors offices. This way, paratransit can be provided and folks who can't get out much can link trips to the doctor with trips to the market, city hall or bank. Downtowns cannot perform correctly if they are one stop destinations.
- Provide for benches, shade trees, and other streetscaping as appropriate for urban centers.
http://www.cmpdd.org/Publications/20...0Directory.pdf
It is the Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District which includes Hattiesburg in its 15 counties.
They exist specifically to help small towns such as yours organize around planning.
The home page of this site has names and telephone numbers.
There are 10 of these MAPDD's in Mississippi. We used CMPDD for advice and contracted with them for help on our Zoning Map, Ordinances, and Comprehensive Plan. Highly recommended.
MAPDD just had their statewide annual convention on the coast in Bilioxi and I bet they are fired up with new ways to help you.
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or like this:
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Any map/google map appreciated.
(Disclaimer: my knowledge of urban form is purely amatorial . not a pro planner).
http://www.cmpdd.org/Publications/20...0Directory.pdf
It is the Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District which includes Hattiesburg in its 15 counties.
They exist specifically to help small towns such as yours organize around planning.
The home page of this site has names and telephone numbers.
There are 10 of these MAPDD's in Mississippi. We used CMPDD for advice and contracted with them for help on our Zoning Map, Ordinances, and Comprehensive Plan. Highly recommended.
MAPDD just had their statewide annual convention on the coast in Bilioxi and I bet they are fired up with new ways to help you.
I don't think you are referring to Hattiesburg? There is definitely a downtown there. Look to lifestyle malls as an example of how to do it successfully. I gave a presentation on this topic a year ago. Send me a private message and I will forward a copy.
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or like this:
. . . . .XXX
. . .XXXXXXX
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Any map/google map appreciated.
(Disclaimer: my knowledge of urban form is purely amatorial . not a pro planner).
Though my location is Hattiesburg I am not referring to Hattiesburg. Hattiesburg has a small but active downtown that is growing slowly but surely.
Lifestyle mall? really? Every lifestyle mall I've seen has been a mall, located on the periphery that appeared to be sliced up by a knife and labeled "town center" with no signs of activity past 8pm and no residential space. I'm open to all new ideas and are all ears but I must say I'm sorta skeptical.
The artificial creation of a "downtown shopping mecca" has rendered people confused in my experience. I seem to have trouble with a more or less "walkable" space, but one that you must drive to. Or even drive within, as I have seen people do this with our local "lifestyle center".