What Tools do City Governments Have to Create Public Spaces?

1- Develop the Property Themselves

Pros: Community has more control over qualities of final product Public maintains ownership of space Can be revinue generator for city

2- Encourage Others to Devlop the Property via Zoning and Incentives

Pros: Privately funded Finding tenants falls to developer Actual development of the property is often much quicker

Cons: Publicly Funded and Maintained Subject to voter approval Can take a very long time to work through the beurocratic processes Finding tenants is responsibility of the city

Please Develop !

Cons: Aside from typical zoning restrictions, no say in qualities of final product Can sit for a very long time until a developer becomes interested Public space may not be a priority in development

How Can This System Work Better?

Zoning- How Does It Work Now?

City Government
Special Project Approval Application

Development process with current Beaverton zoning system

The current zoning system sticks to generalities on very few categories. Focus on providing maximum of potential options for developers of any given location. May serve broad development plans, but does not provide enough guidence for locations for which the city has specific plans. Current system relies on developers wanting to step beyond what is allowed in the code, thereby trading certain allowances in exchange for features such as public spaces. If no developer comes forward with plans that are close to what is desired by the city, or a plan requiring special approval that would trigger an incentive/allowance exchange, the location simply remains undeveloped. There is currently nothing outside of formal master plans or the general code to guide developers in the forming of proposals that would satisfy the cities development vision.

Typical Zoning
-FAR (Floor Area Ratio) -Parking Requirements -Setbacks -Use (Resitential, Industrial, tc...)

Special Requirements

Approved?

Developer

No

Yes

Public Space Design

-Size of Public space -Location on Site -Program of Public Space -Seating Options -Ect..

Site Design
-Building Massing -Site Coverage Percentage -Site Layout -Proposed Usage

Is it allowed within current zoning? Yes No

Construction

Site Specific Zoning- How Is It Different?

City Government
Site Specific Zoning

Development process using site specific Zoning

The implementation of Site Specific Zoning would increase the ablility of the city government, and the community it represents, to have a say in the designing and development of public spaces without having to develop it as a public project. Site Specific Zoning woud expand upon the existing code when possible, and add new code categories or options when necessary for the development of the specific site. The intent is not to become so specific that no developers are interested, simply narrowing the options available for them to pursue. This narrowing of options would reflect the intended type and program of public spaces that are desired/ needed in the community. The Site Specific Zoning would provide a better map to developers who are pursuing proposals on the location by specifying aspects of the design that were not originally covered under the general code.

Typical Zoning
-FAR (Floor Area Ratio) -Parking Requirements -Setbacks -Use (Resitential, Industrial, tc...)

Public Space Design Guidelines

-Minimum size of Public space -Public Space Location -Activity Specifications -Seating Requirements -Vegetation

Site Design Guidelines

-Massing Requirements -Site Coverage Percentage -Circulation Requirements

Developer
Is it allowed within the site specific zoning?

Further Design Development

Yes

No

Public Space Design

-Design of Physical Space -Design of Seating -Pedestrian Pathways -Vegetation Layout

Site Design
-Building Massing and Overall Design -Site Coverage Percentage -Site Layout -Uses Beyond Min Specified

Construction

Beaverton and Development Site

Wa lke rR

Site Beaverton

Portland

Bas

elin e

Rd

Site

170th St

Location: Seven miles west of Portland, Oregon

City size: 19.6 square miles Coordinates: N 45 29.14 W 122 47.84 (latitude / longitude) Elevation above sea level: Low: 131.7 feet above sea level Average: 189 feet above sea level High: 698.2 feet above sea level

Jen k

ins

Rd

Aloha

Merlo Rd

Form of government: Strong mayor (mayor / council)

158th St

Beaverton

Proposed Project Site

-Site Area roughly 46,000 sq/ft (downtown blocks 40,000 sq/ft) -170th relatively low traffic, and two lanes wide with median/turn lane -Station traffic reglularly stops vehicles, easing pedestrian crossing

Mixed Use Office/Condo

-The addition of destination businesses in close proximity to the max stop can encourage patronship of businesses, as well as general ridership of the Max. -Development can also provide a destination or resource for teachers/students/parents of nearby schools

M ax

Lin e

Site
Park and Ride

170th St

-The placement of the site next to Elmonica Station Takes advantage of the park and ride, as well as already established local riders.

M ax

Pla t

for m

Trimet, City of Beaverton and Zoning

Trimet Planning
No current plans for Elmonica Station area beyond zoning as Sation Community Would like to see high density, retail/services developed Focus on creating conditions around stations that promote pedestrian activity

Beaverton Planning
No formal plans currently for development of property surrounding Elmonica Station Property on site is mostly city owned Would like to see high density mixed use development with retail/services on ground level with offices/residences on higher floors Has turned down severa development proposals because they did not fit city development vision

Current Projects
Currently in final stages of Orenco Station development in conditions very similar to Elmonica Station

Current Projects
Two major projects

Master plan being developed for area of Southwest Beaverton

Focus on development of streetcar and expansion of Max lines in East Portland

Development Code of the City of Beaverton

Ordinance 2050 adopted October 20, 1978 Date of this printing: February 2013 Effective through: Ordinance 4600

Received $150 Million Urban Renewal grant to revitalize area around Beaverton Central and Cedar Hills Blvd

Elmonica Station Site and Current Zoning

Site Outside of 400ft

Site

Station Community (SC-MU)

Proximity to Station
-Zoning currently based largely on proximity to station platform (inside/outside of 400ft) -Zoned for High Density Mixed Use Development

Current Major Zoning Standards

Height -100ft Inside of 400ft -60ft Outside of 400ft Residential Density Min (per acre) -30 insided of 400ft -24 units outside of 400ft Floor Area Ratio (FAR) -1.20 within 400ft -1.00 outside of 400ft

400ft

Pla t

for m

Beaverton Demographics:
-Population 92,680 (2012) -21.7% increase from 2000 -$56,000 Median Income -34.7 Median Age -6.8% of Residents under 5 years -22.9% of Residents under 18 years -10.4% of Residents 65 years and older -48.6/51.4 Male/Female Ratio -91.8% of Residents over 25 years with High School Diploma or Higher -43.4% of Residents with Bachelors Degree or Higher -Pop. density: 4,690 people per square mile

Surrounding Businesses and Community

Aloha Demographics:
-Population 50,000 (2010) -18.4% increase from 2000 -$59,000 Median Income -32.8 Median Age (Oregon 42.4) -8.1% of Residents under 5 years -28.1% of Residents under 18 years -7.0% of Residents 65 years and older -50/50 Male/Female ratio -88.0% of Residents over 25 years with a High School Diploma or Higher -26.6% of Residents with a Bachelors Degree or Higher -Pop. Density: 6702 people per square mile

Problem(s):
-Lack of place: Currently no public gathering spots, particularly in proximity to retail/services - Extremely limited casual dining/shopping options - No evening entertainment/Local affordable dining -Lack of Active Street Front, Especially on Baseline/Jenkins and 170th -Current business clusters exist with no relation to one another, and do nothing to create pedestrian traffic

Major Zoning Decisions That Drive Massing

Size and location of Public Space
The size and location of public spaces on a site has a great impact on the total development Location of the space can also be problematic if the developers feel that the best part of the site is required to be turned into open space, forcing the building into less desirable configurations

Site Density
Having a site density max/min that accurately relates to the desired development is key Having a minumum set too low can attract potential developers that have plans very far from what is actually envisioned by the city.

Parking Requirements

Relationship to Street
Deciding on a relationship to the street on the site is part of what determines the overall layout of the structure If the developer is required to dedicate 50% of the street facing side of the site to an opening into the required public space, they may decide to pass on the property Also, the requirement of an active pedestrian street front is going to determine the program of the first level

Parking is one of the biggest drivers of how a site is developed. Parking lots take up a great deal of space on a property, and are not providing revinue, or usable public space Many cities are now heavily reducing parking requirements when in proximity to reliable transit in order to attract developers by taking it out of the equasion

Floor Area Ratio (FAR)

Current zoning and FAR are proximity based, at 1.2 within 400 ft of transit station 1.2/1.0 FAR 51,313 sq/ft Minimum FAR for the site is set at 0.4. This results in a total of 18,869 sq/ft of building. While a much smaller development than the city desires, it is still possible to develop this sqare footage into a two story structure with a focus of retail/ eating establishments on the ground floor. This would also result in a significantly larger pubic space, and provide enough space to accomodate the mandatory parking on the site.

Site Specific Code recommends applying uniform FAR across entire site. 1.2 Uniform FAR 56,608 sq/ft This results in 5,296 sq/ft of developable space in the building As demonstrated, it is highly possible to maximize the FAR while still maintaining a significant amount of the site for public space

.04 FAR 18,869 sq/ft

Public Space
9 sq/ft per person

16 sq/ft per person

Min of 20% of site dedicated to public space

Area of site - 47,147.7 sq/ft
The current code mandates 20% of development sites be dedicated to open public space., but only if developer is applying for special project approval. Site Specific Code recommends 20% mandatory public space regardless of development type or scale. Public space must be at least 80% consolidated in one location, with the shortest dimension of the space being no narrower than 50ft.

32 sq/ft per person

20% - 9,435 sq ft

Average square footage needed for people in a public event is 9 sq/ft per person. At 9 sq/ft per person for packed events, space allows for 1048 people.

Casual 32 sq/ft per person

32 sq/ft per person allows space for casual gathering in the public space while leaving enough room for pathways and other features.

At 32 sq/ft per person for casual use, space allows for 295 people

Parking
Parking requriments on the site are as follows (numbers are in spaces per 1000 sq/ft of gross floor area)
Eating /Drinking establishments: 3 Retail: 2 Offices: 2 Residential: 1 for every 2 units

Time share parking with trimet park and ride.

This site provides an opportunity to share the parking already existing next to the max station. An evening establishment being required in the devleopment may ignore the parking requriements provided they operate during non-peak evening trimet hours. This can greatly reduce the necessary parking on the site, and lower costs to the developer.

Allowances for proximity to Max Station

Numbers requried by Site Specific Code are lower than the general code, as a percentage of workers and visitors to the site are expected to utilize the transit lines.

M ax

Lin e

Site
Park and Ride

Allowances for mixed use development

A maximujm of 50% of parking may be shared, provided enough evidence exists that more will not be necessary.

M ax

Pla t

170th St

for m

How Do People Use Destination Public Spaces?

Socialize
Chat Text, talk on phone Play musical instruments, practice conducting Kiss, hug Walk Dogs

Play
Exercise, alone or in a group Dance lessons Play organized games Play catch/jump rope Skate/Skateboard Play with children

Relax
Sunbathe/Sleep People Watch Read/Do Homework Take photos Feed birds

How Are Public Spaces Judged?

Sunlight Reputation

Cleanliness

Location

Seating

Available Food

Landscaping

Things to do (experience opportunities)

People Watching

People Count

Water Features in Public Space

Functons of water features

Water features in public space serve many purposes. They provide aesthetic complexity to the space, they cool both people interacting with the water as well as the surrounding area. They also draw people into the space to interact with, or just watch the water as they relax. Well designed water features serve other purposes during the winter when not actively used. The site code requires the inclusion of a water feature in the public space. It also specifies that the structure of the water feature must supply seating options along or throughout feature, and revert to public seating when water is not flowing.

Public Seating
Three Levels
Infrastructrual Seating
Infrastructural seating is part of the physical charistics of the public space. It can take the form of dedicated seating space, stadium style steps, or part of a more sculptural esthetic. Site Specific Code requires enough seating for 1/2 of the people expected in the space (147 people), at least half of which can be infrastructural seating (173 people)

Fixed Seating
Fixed seating commonly takes the form of the traditional park bench. There are available variations that can create a variety of seating options. Code requires 1/4 of seating be fixed seating (45 people).

Movable Seating
Movable seating allows for the cusomization of the public space to accomodate a variety of group sizes. This can be tradidional cafe seating, or more modern examples that allow people to build their environment more literally Code requires 1/4 of public seating be movable seating type (45 people).

Vegetation
Landscaping
Landscaping is an important aspect of public space, and can take the form of hardscapes or greenscapes. Code requries a landscaping component that includes a vertical element

Tree Coverage
Tree coverage adds an aesthetic component to the space as well as providing shading in the summer while allowing sunlight penetration in winter months Code requires tree coverage in the form of 1 tree for every 1000 ft of public open space. If no structue borders the train tracks, a visual/noise buffer must be part of the development by either a landscaping or vegetation ccomponent

Bushes and Smaller Plants

Bushes and smaller plants can soften the harshness of hardscapes and provide an aesthetic quality to the space The code does not specify the requireement of this level of vegetation for this development, aside from water runoff treatment, as it is more of an urban setting

Maximum FAR Example Development

Width of public space meets requirement of min 50 ft in shortest dimension

Max FAR - 56,600 sq/ft of available floorspace More than 20% of site available for Public space- 17,000 sq/ft

Develpment provides visual/noise buffers from train tracks by building massing

Area near rear of public space provides cover from elements for pedestrians and permanent bike parking

Trees in the pubic space provide shading in sunny weather, and break up he hardscape. Number of trees fit into code at 1 tree for every 1000 sq/ft of open public space Ground floor of structure dedicated to retail/eating establishments. This provides the public space with supporting business activity to encourage people to move around the space In this scheme, the developer takes advantage of the parking time-share with trimet, and moved the rest of the mandatory parking underground in a garage. Active public walkway is supported by businesses on ground floor, and cafe seating along pathways Range of public seating available in space depending on the activity and size of the group in the space. Infrastructural seating in the form of a sculpture/water feature, Fixed bench seating, and movable cafe style seating

How Can This Be Used For Other Projects?

Similar location type and density
The Site Specific Code can be used for areas in proximity to transit stations and similar density with very little adaptation Features like public seating, water features, vegetation guidelines, and minimum open space measurments can be utilized in almost any project type.

Other location type and density

While this specific code may not work with other locations and urban densities, the approach is still relevant. This give cities a chance to assess their own communitys public space needs and give more accurate guidence to prospective developers. This saves developers time by not needing to pursue projects that never were going to be appropriate, and saves the city time and money by not needing to process those same proposals