Sebastopol SDAT Presentation

Wayne Feiden, FAICP, Team Leader

Ken Buckland, AICP, LEED AP, Land Use

Steve Durrant, PLA, Bicycle and Pedestrian

Christine Carlson, ASLA, Green Infrastructure

Lesley Bain, FAIA, LEED AP, Urban Design

Ian Lockwood, PE, Transportation

Joel Mills, Director AIA Communities by Design

Erin Simmons, Director AIA Design Assistance

Sebastopol speaks• “We are a Subaru and Prius Town”

• “We are deserving of our vision”

• “We don’t suffer from low self-esteem”

• “Our brand is ‘Unique small town’”

• “Want to stay a working class community”

• “I never let my children bicycle to school”

• “Sebastopol goes both ways” downtown streets”

Center of the City

Students: Safeway

sometimes plaza

Main St: Not so muchAdults: the plaza

Sebastopol speaks• Downtown inundated by through traffic

• Streets too highway-like

• Pedestrians and cyclists uncomfortable

• Bicycle trail ends before the destination

• Parking available in the wrong places

• Unattractive downtown gateways

Sebastopol speaks• Design/development should reflect values

• Residential, commercial and industrial mix

• Need new civic center

• Underutilized lots are key opportunities

• Weak downtown-The Barlow connection

• Nature in the city

Bullish on downtown/The Barlow

• Downtown synergy

• City worker/jobs balance (4,000±:4,000±)

• Housing (residents support downtown)

Land UseKen Buckland, AICP, LEED AP

A Cross Roads City

The Community Grows

A Community Over Time

Greenbelt

Core

Corridors

Transitions

The Opportunities

The Heart of the City

Precedent: Palmer Square

The Opportunities

Frame the Boundaries

The Opportunities

Frame the Boundaries

The Opportunities

Vehicle Storage/ Smart ParkingLocation Units Parking Spaces Parking RatioSouth Orange NJ 200 250 1.3Madison NJ 149 178 1.2Lansdale PA 346 222 0.6Portland OR 288 150 0.5Portland OR 124 93 0.8Gresham OR 90 135 1.5Beaverton OR 185 218 1.2Mission Wells CA 391 508 1.3Montelena Apt CA 188 208 1.1Park Regency CA 854 1352 1.6Verandas CA 282 282 1.0Wayside Plaza CA 156 166 1.1Bethesda MD 497 746 1.5Arlington VA 231 258 1.1Silver Spring MD 406 406 1.0Alexandria VA 457 560 1.2Arlinngton VA 499 499 1.0

Vehicle Storage and Links

Average Parking Ratio 1.1

Average Distance to Transit 994’

Steps to Transit – 47

Steps to Main St - 126

Value Proposition

Cost of Vehicle Ownership

Additional Mortgage Valueof $100,000

Zoning as Land Plan

Zoning as Future Land Plan

General Plan Update Needed, from that process:

• Define Outcomes• Include Flexibility

Defining Success

Pre-Planning Program

• Community-Based Process• Define Desired Public Outcomes• Determine Owner/Developer Benefits

Outreach and Marketing Plan

Market to Successful Businesses Market to Quality Developers Create Marketing Materials:

Context What is required What is desired What is offered How to proceed 

Urban Design Lesley Bain, FAIA, LEED AP

Design Review

Frames a conversation between property ownerscommunity membersdesigners and regulators

Design Review

Allows the conversation to happen before you need it to happen

NATURAL SETTINGOak and redwoodTopographyViewsCreeklands

Designs reflect Community Values: Character

NATURAL SETTINGOak and redwoodTopographyViewsCreeklands

Designs reflect Community Values: Character

HISTORY Apples Warehouses Trains

Designs reflect Community Values: Character

ICONSENTRIES

Designs reflect Community Values: Character

HISTORYMain StreetFine grain scale

Designs reflect Community Values: Character

ARCHITECTURAL LEGACY

Designs reflect Community Values: Character

Ability to create for the future

Designs reflect Community Values: Character

Human scaleComfortableInteresting

Designs reflect Community Values: It’s About People

Quirky!

Designs reflect Community Values: It’s About People

Artistic

Designs reflect Community Values: It’s About People

SolarEdibleShaded

Designs reflect Community Values: Sustainable

Filling in gaps, needs Adding landscaping,

seating, activity

Designs Contribute to Community

Making connections

Designs Contribute to Community

Making connections

Designs Contribute to Community

Making connections

Designs Contribute to Community

Main Street Industrial heritageInner corridorEntry corridorSingle family area

Tailor Guidelines by districts

Identify places of high significance:

GatewaysViewsKey sites

Tailor Guidelines by districts

Main Street typology Industrial heritage

Tailor Guidelines by districts

Tailor Guidelines by pedestrian priority

Existing conditions

Tailor Guidelines by pedestrian priority

Pedestrian priority in red--near term

Tailor Guidelines by pedestrian priority

Pedestrian priority in red--longer term

1. Site Analysis

Each site has unique attributes.

What are the specific opportunities for each project to contribute?

What is the best approach to design?

Design Review Process

2. Design Concept

Addresses unique attributes.

Identifies the specific opportunities for each project to contribute

Design Review Process

3. Execution

Parts complement the whole.

Details, materials, and scale are most appropriate.

Design Review Process

Not just Design Guidelines

Humanizing

Not just Design Guidelines

Humanizing

Fingers of space for people

Public Realm

Public Realm

People-scaled connections

Public Realm

People-scaled connections

The Language of the Street

Engineering language

Language of pedestrians and natural systems

The Language of the Street

The Language of the Street

Language of pedestrians and natural systems

The Language of the Public Space

Use your asphalt space well

Design for who you are

Green Infrastructure Christine Carlson, ASLA

Santa Rosa

Sebastopol

GratonFarmland

Atascadero C

reek

Laguna de Santa R

osa

Woodland

ThePlaza

Rialto TrailHigh Street Greenway

The Barlow

To Analy H.S.

Rialto

Pocket Park

Pocket Park

To Rodota Trail

Laguna

Railroad Woods

SebastopolCrossingThe Plaza

Rialto Trail

Rialto corridor

Neighborhood Greenway

60’ foot right-of-way

WayfindingRenaturing

Backyard Nature

Backyard Nature

Street trees

Cluster trees and shrubs for backyard habitat

Connect to streetscape bioswales

Plants for birds & bees

Residential Lots & Streetscape

Bicycle & Pedestrian ConnectionsSteve Durrant, PLA

to Santa Rosa

to Graton

to Petaluma

15 minute walk15 minute walk

High SchoolHigh School

LagunaLaguna

Libby ParkLibby Park

PinecrestPinecrestSchoolSchool

NO

YES

Yes, if only…60%

15 minute bike ride15 minute bike ride

Plaza

LagunaAnaly High School

Rodota TrailIves ParkParkside

Highway Bikeways

Highway BikewaysTrails

Highway BikewaysTrails

Highway BikewaysTrailsBike Lanes

Highway BikewaysTrailsBike LanesNeighborhood Greenways

Plaza

Rialto

Co

rrido

r

Ives Park Connector

High S

treet Neighborhood G

reenway

Buffered Bike Lanes

Cycle Tracks

Analy High

School

The Laguna

Pinecrest School

Broomhaven School

Libby Park Rodota Trail

Cycle Track: A bikeway

protected from traffic by parked

cars or another barrier.

58’

58’

TransportationIan Lockwood, PE

What We Heard:

What We Heard:i)no money for bypass

What We Heard:i)no money for bypassii)no good location for bypass

What We Heard:i)no money for bypassii)no good location for bypassiii)potential network connections

What We Heard:i)no money for bypassii)no good location for bypassiii)potential network connections

What We Heard:i)no money for bypassii)no good location for bypassiii)potential network connections

Conclusions:

What We Heard:i)no money for bypassii)no good location for bypassiii)potential network connections

Conclusions:i)congestion is not the choice

What We Heard:i)no money for bypassii)no good location for bypassiii)potential network connections

Conclusions:i)congestion is not the choiceii)how Sebastopol deals with congestion is the choice

Choices:

Choices:i)Traffic 1st Approach:

Choices:i)Traffic 1st Approach:

maximize motor vehicle throughput & accept damage

to City’s walkability, businesses,character…

Choices:i)Traffic 1st Approach:

maximize motor vehicle throughput & accept damage

to City’s walkability, businesses,character…; or

ii)City 1st Approach:

Choices:i)Traffic 1st Approach:

maximize motor vehicle throughput & accept damage

to City’s walkability, businesses,character…; or

ii)City 1st Approach:advance community “vision”

being cognizant of the crossroads’ challenge

% By Trip Type

----------18.0%

2.6%

20.2%1.5%

24.2%8.8%

24.5%0.2%

100.0%

Doctors & DentistFamily & Personal

Church & SchoolSocial Recreational

Other

Trip Type

----------Work

Work Related

Shopping

Source: Federal Highway Administration & New York Times

Reward the short trip and/or the transit trip

Strategy: Relocate Lefts/Short Cylces

vs Split Through/One-Way Streets

Leverage ExistingRegional Network

(provide routing choices)

ForestvilleRussian River

Source: Colin Doyle

Leverage ExistingRegional Network

(provide routing choices)

ForestvilleRussian River

Source: Colin Doyle

Leverage ExistingRegional Network

(provide routing choices)

ForestvilleRussian River

Source: Colin Doyle

Leverage ExistingRegional Network

(provide routing choices)

ForestvilleRussian River

Source: Colin Doyle

Leverage ExistingRegional Network

(provide routing choices)

ForestvilleRussian River

Source: Colin Doyle

Leverage ExistingRegional Network

(provide routing choices)

ForestvilleRussian River

Source: Colin Doyle

Leverage ExistingRegional Network

(provide routing choices)

ForestvilleRussian River

Source: Colin Doyle

Leverage ExistingRegional Network

(provide routing choices)

ForestvilleRussian River

Source: Colin Doyle

Leverage ExistingRegional Network

(provide routing choices)

ForestvilleRussian River

Source: Colin Doyle

Leverage ExistingRegional Network

(provide routing choices)

ForestvilleRussian River

Source: Colin Doyle

Leverage ExistingRegional Network

(provide routing choices)

ForestvilleRussian River

Source: Colin Doyle

Other Downtown: Parking• On-street parking

– up to $200,000 sales/spot IF customer parking

• Main St. parked up– Employees parking; or– Fees needed

• Empty spaces– regulations too strict; or– too much parking

Other Downtown: Events

• Downtown events, programs, and promotion– Business and city cachet

Get it done!

– Downtown merchants– Occupy Sebastopol– Sebastopol tomorrow

• General Plan Update

• Strategic work starts tomorrow– The Perfect is the enemy of the Good– City Council goal setting

• Partners– Core Project– Sebastopol Citizens– Cittaslow Sebastopol

Quick Start: less than one year• Wayfinding: bicycle trail and downtown• Design: better design AND street standards• Revise bicycle and pedestrian plans• Zoning:

– conditional uses to by-right when possible (e.g., office use above 1st floor The Barlow)

– CB parking to one per residential unit– CB allow 4 stories if 4th story setback

Quick Start: less than one year• Paint: narrow lanes-repurpose asphalt• Pre-Plan: opportunity sites for development &

greening• Parking: rationalize system• Identify greenways and smaller scale

connections

Momentum: within two years• Identify site for housing to replace trailer park

• Marketing: opportunity sites

• Reposition asphalt: parking, sidewalks, parks

• Programmatic: empower partners to coordinate more downtown events

• Build neighborhood greenways

• Improve more crosswalks

• Make bicycle trail connections

Eye on the prize: longer term• Restore two-way livable streets downtown

• Embed findings in General Plan

• Cycle Tracks on major streets

• Buffered bikeways on collectors

• Restore the Laguna edge along Morris St.

• Strengthen connections between Laguna and Rodota Trail. Connect West County Trail and Ragle Park.

Imagine Downtown Sebastopol• Emphasize downtown character

• Downtown development for city values

• Pre-planning program

• Private and public realm design guidelines

• Re-green (green infrastructure)

• Family-friendly connections

• Livable streets not highways

Presentation and (eventually) final report

www.aia.org/about/initiatives/AIAS075426