Norman City Center Vision

[Plutonic Panda]

Now this is freakin cool. Has some awesome graphics in the video and I will watch the whole thing later tonight, but just from a few renderings I saw, this would be huge for the city.



Here is their website: http://www.ci.norman.ok.us/planning/...er-city-vision

[Plutonic Panda]

Some focal points of this and the ideas behind it

Sidewalks and Walkability
• Better sidewalks
• Better sidewalks; wider, repaired
• Wider sidewalks
• Tree-lined sidewalks
• Streetscape, wider sidewalks; walkability, mixed-use, retail/loft, protected bike lanes, open space, safe for kids
• Consistent wide sidewalks
• Wide sidewalks, retail, cafes, bodega, corner store
• Walkable homes, services, shopping and schools
• Walkability
• Walkable corridor between Campus Corner and Downtown
• Walkability/bikeability
• Walk and bike to work
• Walkability/bikeability
• Bike trail
• Walking biking
• Walking biking trails
• Safe biking kids
• Plenty pedestrian amenities/transit
• More pedestrian friendly, less car friendly
• Walkability only achieved by dense mixed use
• Walkable healthy mixed housing in commercial areas
• Place/space for pedestrians
• Walkability scaled to present use
• More walkable areas
• Safe, walkable streets
• Safe areas for walking at night

Trees and Streetscape
• Tree-lined streets
• Tree-lined streets
• Trees, trees, trees
• Street trees
• Keep large trees, plant more trees
• Streetscape
• Trees everywhere
• Tree-lined streets
• Nice landscaping, wide sidewalks, room for pedestrians, bicyclists, separate defined bike lanes
• Trees landscaping
• Trees, flowers

Bikeability
• Safe bike lanes
• Bike walking
• Full city connected bike trail
• bike lanes trails
• Safety for bikes
• Bike/efficiency apartments

Preservation
• Honor preserve historic Norman
• Maintain historic neighborhoods; keep infill /redevelopment compatible
• Preservation
• Preservation older buildings and houses
• Respect historical area/residential areas
• Retain identity

Community Aesthetics
• Core Norman aesthetic
• Better enforcement exterior housing rules; i.e. overgrown grass, trash lawns, etc.
• Quality neighborhoods
• Clean up neighborhoods
• Enforce existing environmental codes

Stormwater/Drainage
• Rain Cistern Tax Credit
• Cisterns, rain barrels, xeric landscaping subsidy or other encouragement
• Stormwater swales
• Better drain systems
• Stormwater options; keep flooding down
• Better drainage (too much flooding)
• Drain system improvement (stop flooding)

Mixed Use
• Mixed use development higher density
• Mixed use development higher density housing options
• Mixed use walkability
• High density mixed use
• More commercial mixed use
• Mixed use: housing, retail, cafes
• Mixed use: horizontal and vertical
• Mixed use structures: live, work play
• Mixed use areas
• Mixed use—residential commercial
• More mixed use areas
• Mixed use buildings; connection between Campus Corner and Main Street; street lights, benches; kid friendly areas, bike lanes
• Mixed use; iconic building downtown, taller than current tallest; less surface parking lots, more bike lanes; commuter rail hub, trolley
• More mixed use development

Open Space
• Community garden
• Central Plaza area—no traffic, pedestrian only
• Central GREEN SPACE! Big central park
• Outdoor seating communal areas
• More street activities; better public land uses
• Generous open space
• Infill vacant lots— Parks
• green Public space
• Renovate park

Compatible Infill Development
• Compatible design of infill/redevelopment
• Match existing scale
• new buildings fit in with old buildings, compatible architectural style
• retain identity

Local Business
• Local businesses
• Promote/encourage local small businesses not big corporations
• Small/local business incubators
• Small local business incubators
• Thriving population to support local businesses

Storefronts
• Storefronts (interactive, interesting, ground- level stores
• Buildings at street

Housing
• New housing options, mid-rise apartments
• More urban type housing; new lifestyle appeal

Transportation and Traffic
• Less car congestion
• Better traffic light timing
• Efficient public transit
• Avoid making traffic/parking even worse
• Better transportation around city; i.e. limited access HW, buses
• Better mass transportation
• Public transportation, relayable (?) cabs
• OKC Connection access
• Greater utilization street parking
• Connect Downtown and Campus via Jones with medium-density commercial
• Public transportation
• transit

Two-Way Traffic on Main Street
• Roundabouts downtown—Main Street 2-way
• Two-way Main Street
• Two-way Main Street
• Restore two-way Main Street
• Two-way Main Street; add boulevard; fewer lanes, more walkability
• Two-way Main Street, Gray Street
• Two-way Main, Gray with roundabouts
• Two-way Main Street
• Two-way traffic on Main and Gray

Parking
• No expansion of surface parking
• Multi-story parking garages; e.g. Columbia, MO, Iowa City, IA, not paving more land

Miscellaneous
• Bury electrical lines
• Safer RR crossings; fewer at-grade crossings
• Welcoming, inclusive; not elitist
• Regional homeless shelter
• Sensitive commercial (e.g. restaurants and grocery stores) in neighborhoods (like Midway Deli?)
• Diverse student/family/senior and economic population
• Use open land near campus for closing living for students
• Create economic “engine” to attract high end retail
• No more banks: enough!
• Higher density for economic concentration
• More dense living environment
• More affordable housing options
• People living working and playing
• Follow Norman 2025 Plan
• Research-based; do no harm; do stuff that is fundamental for growth
• Adopt ordinances to encourage responsible growth
• Remove current barriers to development
• Move forward to create vibrant area; don’t stand still
• Need bus stop benches because people sit on curbs
• Food truck court
• Build on vacant lots in business areas
• Fiscal impact analysis so growth/development improves budget
• Stuff for young professionals
• Sustainability
• New central public library as anchor
• Sensitivity to all income demographics
• beautify West Main as East Main

Building Height
• Under 4 floors
• 2-story height maximum
• 3-story, mixed use: NOT 6-story; 30-50 du/ac

Public Art
• Art!!
• Public art, murals


http://www.ci.norman.ok.us/sites/def...nscription.pdf

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Some great stuff here!

[Plutonic Panda]

Here is the project map

[Plutonic Panda]

This is cool

http://www.ci.norman.ok.us/sites/def...compressed.pdf

[Geographer]

I participated in this charrette and kick-off meetings. It was fun. The visual preference part was interesting as well.

[Plutonic Panda]

I participated in this charrette and kick-off meetings. It was fun. The visual preference part was interesting as well.

Awesome! How serious is this? Hopefully this isn't just a "fun" vision thing. I want it to be fun, but also it no would be nice to it happen.

[UrbanNorman]

Awesome! How serious is this? Hopefully this isn't just a "fun" vision thing. I want it to be fun, but also it no would be nice to it happen.

It is very serious. I attended every step of the process myself, and was impressed with the results. It was a joint $200,000 effort between the City and OU ($100k each), and given OU's investment, they will be hard pressed to not get results with Daddy Boren involved. The difference between this and many other charrettes held with design firms is Madden Ferrell's ongoing involvement post process. They are leaders in smart code and will be working with City staff to write and implement smart code reform for the target area by Fall 2014 (exact date TBD). The only concern at this point, and it's a real one, is whether City staff will not only be holding the firm's feet to the fire on getting this implemented, but more long term whether staff will hold property owners and future development accountable through enforcement.

[Plutonic Panda]

Awesome!

[Geographer]

Here's the draft document for the Center City Form-Based Code. The Illustrative Regulating Plan is on page 22.

Proposed street types for Boyd St and Main St start at page 50.



http://www.ci.norman.ok.us/sites/def...20DOCUMENT.pdf

[BG918]

Here's the draft document for the Center City Form-Based Code. The Illustrative Regulating Plan is on page 22.

Proposed street types for Boyd St and Main St start at page 50.

http://www.ci.norman.ok.us/sites/def...20DOCUMENT.pdf

Not sure if I would want to use a bike lane next to diagonal parking on Boyd. I love the two-way Main Street though, that should've been done years ago.

[UrbanNorman]

Norman Center City Form-Based Code Unanimously Approved at Tuesday's City Council Meeting.

http://www.normantranscript.com/news...75c30e989.html

http://www.normanok.gov/sites/defaul...l%202017_2.pdf