Upload
jonathan-brown
View
103
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Cover art (rendering)
T O W N O F L A W R E N C E V I L L E V I R G I N I A D O W N T O W N C H A R R E T T E
S E P T E M B E R 3 0 T H 2 0 0 8
CONTENTS:
I. Acknowledgements…………………………………………………….3
II. Introduction………………………………………………………………..4
III. Charrette process and methodology…………………………….5
IV. Previous studies and impetus for charrette………………….8
V. Public input……….……………………………………………………….9
VI. Recurring themes and Design Concepts………………………14
VII. Gateway Concepts…………………...……...………………………...19
VIII. Recommended implementation strategies…………………..20
IX. Appendix…………………………………………………………………….21
Insert drawing cutaway or rendering
2 L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8
OCCB Office of Community Capacity Building
I. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
T he Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development would like to
thank all of those groups and individuals that made the Lawrenceville Charrette
a success. The participation of local citizens and stakeholders will ultimately lead to
better planning and implementation of the Town’s Vision. A special thanks to the
Planning students who came to Lawrenceville, some from great distances, to volun-
teer their time and expertise. And to the Charrette planning team, a sincere note of
gratitude for your creativity, passion, and patience during this process. Finally,
thanks to Andy Wells for his tireless work on providing the maps for the charrette.
The following is a list of those individuals that made this event possible.
CHARRETTE SPONSORS: Town of Lawrenceville, Virginia
S.C.O.R.E., Inc.
Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development
Southside Planning District Commission
3
Sylvia Allen
Joyce Bland
Todd Cage
Cynthia Chambers
Shirley Davis
Robyn Fowler
Tim Heilman
Sarah Raible
Esther Sanderson
Ella Scott
James Simmons
Leslie Sullivan
John Sykes
Sandra Tanner
CHARRETTE PLANNING AND DESIGN TEAMS:
Bill Herrington
Roxanne Heywood
Ray Holmes
Mary Lucy
Billy Poole
Stephanie Puryear
Robbie Pecht
John Schmidt
Lora Taylor
Jenny Tetto
Ray Thomas
Eric Williams
Irene Wilson
Mike Zuchowski
Ramona Chapman
CJ Dean
Lee Anne Hindenlang
Doug Jackson
Jonathan Brown
Winfred Brown
Elizabeth Boehringer
Craig Carver
Geoffrey Knight
Victoria Price
Rishaunda Robinson
Adria Graham Scott
Chris Stevenson
Sean Surla
Kathy Wright
Ashleigh Zincone
[Charrette picture]
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8
CHARRETTE PARTICIPANTS
II. INTRODUCTION
T his document is a product of the 2008
Lawrenceville Charrette; a public plan-
ning process administered by the Virginia
Department of Housing and Community
Development on the days of September
4th and 5th in downtown Lawrenceville,
Virginia. The Charrette began as a collabo-
ration between the Department’s offices of
Project Management and Community Ca-
pacity Building. Both offices saw great val-
ue in combining resources in order to more
effectively address the revitalization goals
of the Town.
In the Fall of 2006, the Town produced
a Vision Statement that has helped in
framing the overall goals for the Town’s
future. This Vision of becoming a vibrant
“college town”, will take an active and en-
during effort on the part of all stakehold-
ers, including state and local institutions,
local businesses, and the general public.
The Charrette is a critical step in the overall
progression of Lawrenceville’s downtown
revitalization efforts. It is also an effective
tool for determining new land use policies
and capital investments that the town will
4
need in order to make the Vision a reality.
Effective land use policies demand strong
public support and creative planning. The
Charrette helped to achieve this by foster-
ing a collaborative environment within the
entire community, and used the expertise
of architects, artists, and planners to give
direction and clarity to the Vision.
The pages that follow reveal the char-
rette process, its goals, and its results. It
consolidates the many ideas that the pub-
lic and design teams have created and
frames them into specific guiding themes.
Each theme will have supporting details
that relate to the Town’s Vision as well as
the public input sessions. The report con-
cludes by offering some possible strategies
and immediate actions in order to jump-
start the implementation process. While
this document represents the conclusion of
a single planning event, in many ways it is
also a beginning of a larger process as we
move forward to a brighter future for Law-
renceville.
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8
III. CHARRETTE PROCESS AND METHODOLOGY
P lanning a charrette can vary according
to the size of the community and the
scope of the project. Lawrenceville’s
charrette was focused on its downtown area
that currently serves a relatively small
regional market. The charrette was
designed by the Office of Community
Capacity Building with a focus on bringing
together stakeholders and allowing them to
voice their individual opinions within a
structured, planning environment. A
charrette planning team was created and
began monthly meetings in May of 2008,
with a membership of five. The planning
team consisted of representatives from
Town government, DHCD, SCORE,Inc., and
Southside, VA PDC.. The charrette has 3
defined phases:
Phase 1: Research, Education, and
Preparation
During this phase the complete scope
and goals of the charrette were determined
by the team as well as a review of the
Town’s Vision Statement, which was
5
[Insert charrette schedule] developed in 2006. Key stakeholders were
then taken on a tour of South Boston,
Virginia to gain a better understanding of a
successful Virginia Main Street Town. Time
was spent on gathering existing plans and
information that the town was currently
engaged that may have an impact on the
charrette. These included the updated
comprehensive land use plan, an economic
restructuring plan created by VCU, a market
study, a “rails to trails” plan, as well as
examples of downtown overlay plans from
other small towns.
Phase 1 also included creating a
“charrette logistics” outline that would help
to organize the responsibilities of arranging
for event materials and food, securing a
venue, and promotion of the public events.
Phase 2: Public input and design session:
This portion of the charrette involved
engaging the public in a process that
informed them of the Town’s existing
conditions, provided them with various
design concepts, and dividing them into
As part of the education phase of the charrette, OCCB organized a tour of Main Street South Boston, Virginia.
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8
6
teams to produce their version of what how
Lawrenceville should look now and in the
future. The phase contained 4 interlinking
stages over 2 days:
Stage 1: Charrette fundamentals and Vision
review
Stage 2: Public “Wild Design” session
Stage 3: Stakeholder dinner
Stage 4: Charrette design team and public
review
During Stage 1 the charrette manager
presented to the public and key
stakeholders a slide show of what a
charrette is and what the goals would be.
Fundamentals included understanding what
the Vision is for the town, how to work as a
team, and to understand the importance of
public spaces in the development of the
town. The participants were then divided
into 5 groups and given a base map to draw
and write ideas upon.
In this 2nd stage, each team was given a
list of elements to include that was required
for the planning grant as well as a list of
items they may want to include that are
often found in successful downtown
revitalization efforts. Each team was
charged with coming up with at least 5
changes or additions they would like to see
in downtown Lawrenceville which they
would then present to the audience at the
end of the session.
With the conclusion of the public design
session, Stage 3 was a dinner held with key
stakeholders. Hosted by SCORE, Inc, the
dinner was attended primarily by property
owners, business owners, government
leaders and education leaders who could not
attend the day’s events. Afterwards, DHCD
staff led a discussion on the Town’s plans to
submit a Community Development Block
Grant (CDBG) application for downtown
revitalization funds.
The stakeholders were broken up into
small groups, each with an OCCB facilitator.
The main focus of discussion for each table
was to provide feedback about two potential
components of the Town’s proposed CDBG
application: a microenterprise program and a
façade improvements program.
A microenterprise program would provide
assistance to new businesses in the project
area. This assistance could take many forms
including matching funds for the purchase
of equipment; interior renovations; working
capital, etc. As a requirement of assistance,
[Charrette pictures]
charrette public input and design session
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8 7
the business owner must insure that they
will create, at a minimum, one permanent
full-time equivalent job per $10,000
borrowed. At least 51% of the jobs created
must be made available or held by low– and
moderate-income persons.
On the other hand, a façade improvement
program would involve the development of a
revolving loan program which property
owners could use to improvement the
exterior street facades of buildings within the
project area. Improvements made would
have to comply with design guidelines
established by the Town and maintained for
ten years.
As a result of the meeting, the Town could
start taking a gauge of the level of support for
the two programs. Additional input will be
gathered during the upcoming months at
public and community meetings as the Town,
along with the Southside Planning District
Commission, develops the CDBG grant
application. There is a great deal of public
support for attracting new businesses and
improving the front facades of buildings in
the downtown area in a manner that supports
a façade improvements program and the
Town’s Vision.
During Stage 4, a team of planning
experts and students of planning were then
brought in to consolidate the conceptual
ideas from the Vision and the public input
sessions, design feasible land use
strategies, and recommend 5 areas of focus
for the downtown as they consider the
details when drafting a downtown overlay
zoning district.
Phase 3: Plan implementation
The plan implementation phase of the
Charrette includes this report as well as
projects that utilize this report when making
future land use, capital improvements, and
public/private partnership decisions. More
on recommendations can be found in Part
VIII of this report.
IV: PREVIOUS STUDIES AND IMPETUS FOR CHARRETTE:
I n the Fall of 2006, the Town produced a Vi-
sion Statement that has helped in framing the
overall goals for the Town’s future. Many of
these goals were found within the recent update
of the Town’s Comprehensive Plan which the
Lawrenceville Town Council adopted in June. The
plan will assist planners and policy makers on
future development decisions.
One of the important studies currently being
conducted is the Lawrenceville Downtown En-
hancement Plan. DHCD’s Project Management
Office coordinated with the Town to hire Virginia
Commonwealth University to produce a plan that
analyzes, among other items, the Town’s
strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and
threats as they continue toward a goal of eco-
nomic restructuring. The design team invited
the lead planner, John Accordino, Ph.D., to pre-
sent the Universities’ findings. An overview of
their presentation is included in the appendix of
this report.
In recent years the Town has accomplished
several objectives. Among these include
streetscape improvements such as removal of
overhead power and utility lines, new curbing,
brick sidewalks, and new streetlights. These
projects were effective in correcting drainage
8
and sidewalk problems while changing the ap-
pearance of the downtown business district.
The Town of Lawrenceville has also partnered
with Brunswick County for the creation of an
Enterprise Zone that encompasses the Down-
town area. The Enterprise Zone program offers
investment incentives to qualifying businesses.
One of the more exciting developments is the
Tobacco Heritage Trail Head. The Town, once
the center of the Atlantic and Danville rail line, is
one of the first municipalities along the planned
route of the Trail to have a completed section.
The plan envisions an extensive network of trails
throughout Southern Virginia. Projects such as
these help to fulfill the goals of the Route 58
Tourism Partnership which intends to use the
corridor as a common marketing strategy for the
Southern Virginia region.
One of the Town’s streetscape improvement
projects was done as part of its DHCD-funded
downtown revitalization planning grant. Working
with the Lawrenceville Rotary Club and Lawrence-
ville Brick, Inc., the Town installed a decorative
brick crosswalk near the historic courthouse. The
crosswalk not only helps with the Town’s Vision of
making the Town more pedestrian friendly but it
also serves as a finishing line for the annual Law-
renceville Brickyard Five Miler running race, which
is held in conjunction with the Town’s Spring Festi-
val.
The concept plan, created by Land Plan-ning and Design Associates, shows the pending Tobacco Heritage Trail which will be within walking distance to downtown.
simulation
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8
La
nd
Pla
nn
ing
& D
esig
n A
sso
cia
tes,
Inc
.
9
V. PUBLIC INPUT
B efore sitting down with their teams the
public was asked to go through a brain-
storming session to think about and capture
thoughts on what the town needs and what
changes to the town should occur in the
immediate future. This was a spirited exer-
cise where many participated and offered
creative ideas. The ideas were captured in
real time on a digital note-pad. They includ-
ed:
Safer crosswalks
More places to sit
Focal points
A playground
Public phones
Public bathrooms
Improve infrastructure
Multiplex theatre
Residential downtown
Fountain
Remove blind-spots
Too many trucks
Shade trees
Wireless access
Biking trail
A Hotel
Downtown business incentives
Downtown mall
Residential above retail
Tourism bus
Bike lanes
Bike racks
YMCA
Each team was given a base map that
included building footprints, streets, names
of major institutions, public spaces, as well
as lines to show the project boundaries.
Teams were lead by an OCCB facilitator and
were instructed to produce a concept plan
that included elements such as:
Gateway and directional signage:
New uses for targeted buildings
What front façade themes do we like
“White elephants”
Major downtown property owners
Overall design feel for downtown
Teams were also given a high level of
encouragement to include and add ele-
ments to their map that may address the
town’s vision of becoming a vibrant college
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8
10
town and all that that may include. A bene-
ficial result was that many team plans had a
high level of detail. All of the citizen team
plans displayed a wealth of ideas for the
Town to use as they begin crafting the
downtown overlay zone.
The overall theme for team two’s design
was “Education” and “Change”. This team
spent considerable time thinking about
what uses could be re-introduced to vacant
buildings along Main
and Hicks streets.
However, the team
stayed focused upon
their theme of educa-
tion. For example, they
recommend creating
student housing down-
town as well as trans-
forming what is cur-
rently Mortay’s restaurant into a student
“night-club”. Academically, they see oppor-
tunities for implementing a library at the
TEAM 2
corner of Hicks and New Hicks as well as on
Main Street in vacant building 209. The
team took care to outline these in purple.
Outlined in red, the team saw a new theatre
for downtown. Team 2 also emphasized
the importance of getting residential down-
town. They placed new condominiums at
the corner of Hick’s and Court streets, as
well as along Main Street. They would also
like to see along Main a “Brunswick Stew
House”, a town newspaper office, an inter-
net café, and a new Hotel in lots 315 and
313. Finally, some of the changes could be
grouped into tourism ele-
ments such as a Town
informational kiosk, new
sidewalks at the Town’s
gateways, and a town
amphitheatre.
Team 2 focused on locating places in Town where educational uses could be implemented.
OCCB Community Planner Ramona Chapman guides citizens through their design session.
Team 2 ‘s focus emphasized building a strong-er connection with the local colleges.
TEAM 2 1) Make Town safer for pedes-
trians and bicyclists 2) Route 58 dedicated to downtown traffic only 3) Fountain/water feature 4) Create a public parking lot 5) A public library downtown
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8
11
T eam 3 had a list of themes for down-
town such as emphasizing the legacy of
Brunswick Stew, the historic architecture,
tobacco culture, horses, and like team two,
education. The team also created lists of
both “major issues” and “college needs”.
These needs included a 24 hour diner, a
laundry mat, a movie
theatre, a sports bar,
and, like team 2, a
night club.
A considerable
amount of time was
spent on how to im-
prove the area behind
the Main Street build-
ings. Various beautifi-
cation suggestions
were made such as a courtyard with a foun-
tain, a scented garden, and public art. Con-
nections through empty lots between build-
ings was recommended to connect Main
and Hicks streets with the inner-courtyard.
When determining new uses for the va-
cant buildings, this team had many creative
suggestions. For example, within the vacant
Sledge & Barkley building on Main, it is sug-
gested that a café with wireless internet be
created for both the general and college
populations. Also, with the vacant Star Val-
ue building at the West end of Hicks street,
it is recommended that the Town plan for
mixed uses including a YMCA and a cultural
arts facility. Other suggestions include an
Inn, bookstore, and mu-
sic venue downtown.
Team 3 also spent a
great deal of time com-
ing up with creative ide-
as for Lawrenceville’s
public spaces. They
would like to see Bank
street be pedestrian on-
ly, to allow for a variety
of uses. They also see
the need for Lawrenceville to define its gate-
ways with appropriate public art and sign-
age. It was mentioned that more benches
are needed on main street, especially in
front of the government buildings for there
are people often seen sitting on curbs.
Sidewalks throughout downtown should be
wider where possible and blank walls
should have murals.
Team 3’s map offered many creative ideas such as turning Main Street into a more pedestrian and bike friendly destination. They see a re-alignment of Main and Court streets to create opportunities for wider sidewalks, safer streets, and outdoor din-ing.
TEAM 3
TEAM 3:
1) Create more usable green space, 2) Change Main and Court streets as one-way, 3) Detour trucks around down-town 4) Allow for mixed use zoning 5) Address vacant properties
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8
12
Team four’s theme was the Stew Pot.
They added the branding phrase of “Get a
taste of Brunswick” to their map. The idea
of a stew pot was used as inspiration for
several public realm amenities such as a
new “Stew Pot Park” behind Town Hall, a
stew pot fountain, stew murals, and large
stew pots placed strategically along side-
walks. Other amenities suggested were bike
racks, more street trees, gateway signage,
and connections to the
Tobacco Heritage Trail.
Further physical im-
provements and ameni-
ties were suggested
such as public re-
strooms downtown, al-
lowing mixed uses
along Main and Hicks, a
bus stop, opening Bank
Street to a farmers market, and re-routing
heavy trucks down Sharp street.
Team 4, like the others, desired some
very specific businesses and uses in down-
town that currently do not exist. At the cor-
ner of Meredith and Main, currently a sur-
face parking lot, a new hotel was recom-
mended. An Art Center at the intersection of
Main and Hicks also was recommended, as
well as a movie theatre within the current
Dollar General store. (Dollar General is cur-
rently scheduled to relocate on South Hicks
Street.)
TEAM 4
Team 4, lead by Winfred Brown, gets high marks for artistic achievement. Team 4’s drawing was highly detailed showing new mixed use buildings, street trees and a new alignment of Plank road.
TEAM 4:
TEAM 4
1) Public restrooms downtown 2) Downtown Hotel 3) Bank Street Farmers Market 4) Art Center downtown 5) Movie Theatre
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8
13
T eam 5, like the others, has many of the
public realm amenities such as gateway
signage and way-finding signage, stew-pot
art as a theme, an amphitheatre, and more
benches. However, some of this table’s ide-
as were very unique. For example, the team
recommends having holiday lights strung
within the street trees as well as a focal holi-
day tree displayed in front of the Court-
house to create a more festive environment.
Also, allowing sidewalk food vendors was
shown as a possibility of
bringing more people
downtown for lunch. A
playground on the cor-
ner of Church and Truck
Street and public re-
strooms rounded out the
public space ideas.
In terms of potential
land use regulations the
team, like the others,
agreed that downtown needs to be mixed-
use to allow for apartments above retail.
One of the most unique desires from Team
5 was to zone areas of downtown not by use
but by form. A form-based code was seen as
desirable and a way to preserve historic ar-
chitecture in town.
This table also did an excellent job of
dividing the town into specific “districts”. For
example, around the intersection of Sharp
and New Hicks streets the team sees an
“entertainment district”, with potential for a
jazz club, roller-skating, arcades, a YMCA,
movie and performing arts theatres. Another
district created was the “Education Corri-
dor” around the intersection of Hicks and
Main Street.
In terms of econom-
ic development the
team recommends spe-
cific developments.
Among these are build-
ing an amphitheatre
behind Town Hall to
draw people downtown,
opening a specialty
foods store, and creat-
ing a beauty school.
Lastly, the team felt that, in the future, a
trolley loop may be implemented downtown
to serve visitors, residents, and students.
Team 5 gets creative with the guid-ance of OCCB Program Manager
Adria Graham Scott and urban planner Geoffrey Knight.
TEAM 5
1) Sidewalk food vendors 2) A downtown playground 3) Public restrooms downtown 4) Mixed use and Form based Codes 5) Divide downtown into districts
TEAM 5:
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8
14
VI. RECURRING THEMES AND DESIGN CONCEPTS
B y consolidating the public input ses-
sions, stakeholder inputs, Visioning
language, and existing town initiatives, the
design team was able to formulate a more
clear direction for the Town. The team has
organized 5 clear principles for the Town to
follow as they embark in future land use
and development decisions including, but
not limited to, a new downtown overlay dis-
trict. For example, the information provided
within this section is also instructive for de-
termining where to invest capital improve-
ment dollars as well as supporting the cur-
rent comprehensive plan and its goals.
As mentioned in part III, a team of plan-
ners was assembled to consolidate the pub-
lic’s ideas into a more usable form. This
was achieved through a schematic design
process. The planners first spent time dis-
cussing the town’s ideas and getting a
sense of where the public was in agree-
ment. Next, a walk through the streets of
Lawrenceville, gathering field notes on ur-
ban design attributes and current land uses
was completed to gain an understanding of
citizens inferences. The design team used
this information to draft basic schematic
drawings of specific sections of Town. The
following isolates the recurring themes
found in the design phase of the charrette.
Determine a unified look or
“brand" for downtown.
This could be achieved through continu-
ing to investigate the Town’s unique brand
of architecture, history, and culture. Some
of the ideas that emerged during the char-
rette were utilizing the history of Brunswick
Stew, St Paul’s College, as well as the new
Tobacco Heritage Trail.
Combine Academic and Town
spaces.
There was much dialogue about how to
fold the academic community into down-
town. Many of the recurring themes for
making easy access from the college to the
downtown surfaced during both the public
1
2
NEW STAIRWAY
REALIGN PLANK ROAD WITH TRUCK
STREET
CONSOLIDATED REFUSE DISPOSAL
WATER FEATURE
REAR ACCESS TO APTS ABOVE
RETAIL
POCKET PARK AT END OF NEW PUBLIC ACCESS ALLEY
BUS STOP
NEW BUILDING
MAIN STREET ACCESS
BEAUTIFICATION OF EXISTING ALLEY
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8
15
and design team sessions. Realigning Plank
road with Truck Street could lead toward
development of the underutilized spaces
behind Main and Hicks. This area is cur-
rently a disorganized asphalt hardscape
with little organized flow of ingress/egress
for parking. Some of the ideas to improve
the space include constructing a hardscape
connection between Truck Street directly
toward Main Street through what is current-
ly a vacant lot. This, along with consolidat-
ing refuse removal and organizing parking
bays could create a much more attractive
connection to St. Paul’s College.
Develop a multi-purpose
anchor that would serve as a
catalyst for new development
downtown.
A growing consensus that the Town
would benefit from the development of an
anchor building was made very apparent.
Ideas of various buildings and locations
were suggested during the charrette as well
as activities the anchor would house. One
idea was to combine an academic
bookstore/coffee house, with a student-run
hotel for visiting St. Paul’s Alumni. Currently
the Alumni must choose accommodations
outside of downtown when visiting their al-
ma mater. This idea is in alignment with
both the Town’s Vision as well as the VCU
market research.
Create safe and attractive
pedestrian connections to
downtown focal points
Making the streets of Lawrenceville safer
for pedestrians was seen as a priority.
Many ideas surfaced during the charrette
that addressed the connection between
walkability and attracting people downtown.
Specific intersections were viewed as prob-
lematic, such as Main and Hicks. Ideas for
improving the streetscape included making
North Main and Court Streets a one-way
couplet and diverting truck traffic away from
Main Street. This would open the opportuni-
ty of extending the sidewalk width far
enough to accommodate alfresco dining
and have angled parking.
One of the noticeable and attractive
characteristics of Main Street is how all of
(Continued on page 16)
4
3
TOWN AMPHITHEATRE/GARDEN
PEDESTRIAN STREET/FARMERS MARKET
EVENT PARKING
One of the more unique ideas for Main Street was to con-
struct curb extensions as rain gardens.
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8
16
the Institutions are located on a single side
of Main. This arrangement lends itself to
creating a park-like atmosphere on the east
side of the street with mixed-use activity on
the opposite side. There are some ad-
vantages of this for example, during festival
events the institutions make a great back-
drop for viewing from the sidewalk, restau-
rants, or even balconies and roof-tops.
In terms of pedestrian safety, extending
the sidewalk shortens the distant to cross
the street, makes the pedestrian more visi-
ble to the driver, and slows traffic down to a
safer speed.
At several tables there was discussion
and support for developing more public
spaces throughout downtown. One area
that held people’s attention was the current
vacant lot on Court Street that is adjacent to
an existing municipal parking lot. The site
has been engineered for storm water man-
agement purposes creating an opportunity
for an outdoor amphitheatre. Many groups
felt that this would give the Town a space
for concerts and performing arts. With the
right design, it could also become a focal
point for multiple uses such as a botanical
(Continued from page 15) laboratory for the college students, a nature
trail, picnic area, etc. What’s more, its prox-
imity to Bank Street could bookend any fu-
ture Farmer’s Market or pedestrian plaza.
Develop gateways and ap-
proaches throughout the
town.
Discussions around Lawrenceville’s gate-
ways into Town and approaches to key loca-
tions was talked about throughout the char-
rette. Focusing development at the Town’s
gateways is critically important because of
the impact that first impression’s have on
tourists and new potential residents. Inso-
far as Lawrenceville is competing with other
Town’s in Southside Virginia, it is critical
that these areas be developed. Primary
gateways into Town that were looked at dur-
ing the charrette included Hicks Street to
the South, Main Street to the North and
South, and Church Street near the St. Paul’s
College entrance.
With the pending development of the
Tobacco Heritage Trail, Lawrenceville has
an opportunity to make a link between the (Continued on page 17)
5 NEW MIXED-USE
HERITAGE TRAIL / GREENWAY
GAZEBO/STAGE
CURB EXTENSIONS
MOVABLE CHAIRS
PARKING
ALFRESCO DINING
Hicks Street contains Lawrenceville’s most prominent southern gateway into Town. This area also contains the Tobacco Heritage Trail. This is an opportunity for a marquee building and public park to give visitors a dramatic first impression of Lawrenceville.
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8
17
old rail corridor and Hick’s Street. This
southern gateway could become a major
hub of activity and a primary catalyst for
downtown development.
Approaching off of Highway 58, visitors
entering Town would see a new 3-story
mixed use building with retail on the ground
floor and offices and housing above. The
orientation of this building would be ideal
for capturing bicyclists and runners coming
off the Heritage Trail as they would be in
need of refreshment and supplies. On the
opposite side of the street, there would be a
large Gazebo for small outdoor concerts,
movable chairs, and tree-lined paths. If a
critical mass of people can be achieved, this
will attract more businesses and ultimately
more people to regularly visit the area for
lunch, dinner, and to recreate.
The intersections of New Hicks, Hicks,
and Meredith Streets are currently awkward
for both pedestrians and drivers to navigate.
The viable businesses in this part of Town
could benefit from infilling new buildings to
help complete the streetscape and bring
more customers to the area. Additionally,
by modifying the intersection of Hicks and
Meredith streets into a 3-way stop, it would
help to calm traffic, improve crosswalks,
and open the opportunity for a focal point at
this part of Town. Public art could be dis-
played in and around the intersection as
well as way-finding signs and an informa-
tional kiosk. A façade extension onto the
current Star Value building could eliminate
the unnecessary surface parking spaces
and allow for alfresco dining to penetrate
that end of Town. The activity on the side-
walk at this location would be an ideal op-
portunity to create “perceptual innuendo”
through a new walkway from South Hicks
Street. For example, as people walk towards
Town they would be able to view the activity
at the Star Value building and have a choice
whether to use the new walkway towards
New Hick’s Street or continue on towards
Meredith Street. Meredith Street also has
opportunities for infill and shared parking.
FAÇADE EXTENSION
PUBLIC ART INTERSECTION
NEW BUILDING
CURB EXTENSION
CURB EXTENSIONS
PARKING
PERCEPTUAL INNUENDO
NEW BUILDING
WALKWAY
KIOSK
Many opportunities for infill development exist on Hicks and Meredith streets.
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8
18
Main Street looking North—existing
MAIN STREET VIGNETTE
Main Street converted to
one-way
Adaptive re-use into mixed-use anchor
Curb extended to allow for comfortable
outdoor dining
canopy trees
Curb extensions can also be an oppor-tunity to implement rain gardens
Bulb-outs make the pedestrian environ-ment much safer and attractive
Banners can create a festive environ-ment and help mar-ket your town to visitors
Kiosks are an im-portant “way-finding” element for tourists
Making Main Street one-way to traffic opens up opportuni-ties for alfresco dining and sidewalk events.
A clock tower is a welcoming amenity.
Balconies are the one of the easiest ways to add a sense of culture and peo-ple to downtown.
Street vending should be made safe and legal.
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8
19
Throughout the charrette process, a common emphasis was placed on improving the Town’s gateways. There are many opportunities for infill development and beautification of both the northern and southern gateways of Main Street.
VII. MAIN STREET GATEWAYS CONCEPT
Make terminated vista a safer pedestrian ar-ea with bulb-outs and street treatments
Gateway South infill. Opportunity for Col-lege run hotel.
New Gateway
Bridge
Tobacco Heritage
Trail
New Pedestrian street with benches and container trees
New infill development
Gateway North infill de-velopment and entrance
to St. Paul’s College.
New roundabout with college logo in flowers
New Town gateway sign
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8
20
VIII. CHARRETTE RECOMMENDED IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES 1. REINSTITUTE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY DEVELOP-
MENT CORPORATION.
Currently, there exists several entities
that are engaged and have a stake in the
development of downtown Lawrenceville.
One of the goals of the charrette was to
bring these stakeholders together to create
a common path toward improving down-
town. One possible strategy for achieving
this would be to reinvigorate the now
dormant Historic Lawrenceville Revitaliza-
tion Association, a 501(c)3 community de-
velopment corporation that was created in
2005. The organization’s mission and by-
laws are congruent with many of the points
outlined during the charrette as well as the
Town’s Vision statement.
2. DRAFT A DOWNTOWN OVERLAY ZONING ORDI-
NANCE
As mentioned in part IV, a particular mo-
tivation for the charrette process is to galva-
nize support and build legitimacy to a new
downtown overlay ordinance. Such ordi-
nances are very common across the U.S. and
help localities fulfill objectives in comprehen-
sive plans. Indeed, without a regulatory
framework in place, achieving the Vision for
Lawrenceville and the concepts outlined
within this report, will be extremely difficult. It
is recommended that the Town draft an ordi-
nance with the same or greater level of en-
thusiasm and transparency as all planning
activities thus far.
3. IMPLEMENT CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS:
There are likely many initial projects that
the Town can be working on while leveraging
resources and support for larger, economic
development initiatives. These include, but
are not limited to, planning new infrastruc-
ture improvements to pedestrian areas,
storm-water management, and traffic pat-
terns. These initial improvements send a
clear message that the Town is responding
to the Vision and desires of citizens as well
as revealing to the investment community
and tourists that Lawrenceville is “open for
business”.
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8
21
IX. APPENDIX A. PUBLIC REALM PRINCIPLES:
During the public portion of the charrette
specific principles on what makes great
public spaces was presented to the teams.
The following 10 principles are ranked.
B. VCU SWOT ANALYSIS:
The following SWOT (Strengths, Weakness-
es, Opportunities, , Threats) list was created
from notes taken during a presentation
from VCU’s, John Accordino, Ph.D., who has
developed a comprehensive downtown en-
hancement plan for the Town of Lawrence-
ville. The design team included the following
points when considering design concepts.
Strengths:
Physical buildings
Some strong retail establishments
Some businesses are located near govern-
ment center.
St. Paul’s College
Weaknesses:
Sizable low income population
Competition with neighboring counties
Vacant buildings
Lack of real estate brokers downtown
ALFRESCO DINING EVERYWHERE!
FOCUS ON THE PEDESTRIAN.
CHOOSE A MEMORABLE THEME AND STICK TO IT!
ENCOURAGE PERCEPTUAL INNUENDO.
INCORPORATE PUBLIC ART.
LOCATE INSTITUTIONS APPROPRIATELY.
MAINTAIN A SENSE OF PLACE.
ALLOW FOR PUBLIC SOLITUDE.
DESIGN FOR PEOPLE WATCHING.
PUT CARS IN THEIR PLACE.
Perception of a parking problem
Opportunities:
Proximity to Interstate 85
Sandwich or fast food
Specialty food store
Some Apparel / jewelry
Vacant properties
Current request for downtown Parks
Signage on Highway
St. Paul’s students
Hotel downtown
Willingness of vacant property owners to
discuss development
Threats
Aging businesses
L A W R E N C E V I L L E C H A R R E T T E R E P O R T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8