What’s a Streetscape?

[Mark Timieski]

Miriam Webster provides a definition: The appearance or view of a street.

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/streetscape

NOACA has given our Main Street Program a grant to find ways to make Detroit more pedestrian friendly. The idea is to generate a streetscape plan that can meet this goal.

How far do we want to go? Lamp posts that light the sidewalks? Allow shops out on the sidewalks? Stop the traffic, dance in the streets? What should Detroit look like? What would make it nice for us? Do we really want to be friendly with pedestrians?

The Main Street program is hosting a public forum 7:00pm, January 31st at Grant Elementary 1470 Victoria (the spaceship like school just behind Marcs).

I figure we are the experts. This is our city and we use it. We should be involved in fixing it up the way we would like it. This would be a time to get involved.

I do think there is some importance as to being specific as to what our needs are. I worry a bit about throwing around loose terms like “green spaceâ€Â￾ that look great on paper but end up to being a few scraggly bushes piled with mulch.

I did find a few do and don’t suggestions:

http://www.kunstler.com/eyesore_200404.html
http://www.kunstler.com/eyesore_200303.html
http://www.kunstler.com/eyesore_200512.html

[Charyn Compeau]

The first stop really should be identifying why we think it is NOT friendly.

This entire process starts with the premise that Detroit Avenue (presumable the downtown part) is not pedestrian friendly. Lets take that question first...

Is it really unfriendly?

If not - we are focused on the wrong goal, if so - WHY??

My answer is yes, it is slightly due to the abomination that is the Marc's plaza. Re map the parking lot - find another way to flow the traffic (both in and out on the Warren side IMO) and create the walkable space where the cluster of driveways and crosswalks are now.

Any other ideas out there?

Peace,
Charyn

[Jim O'Bryan]

NOACA has given our Main Street Program a grant to find ways to make Detroit more pedestrian friendly. The idea is to generate a streetscape plan that can meet this goal.

Mark

I thought the grant was to find ways to smooth traffic from Rocky River to Cleveland?



.

[Dan Slife]

This calls for inquiry into the nature of consulting, as an industry.

[Shawn Juris]

While the pedestrian friendly issue is one portion, the part that I'm more interested in is the design standards of the city. Whether it assisting our local shops to bring their original buildings back out from under 70 years of built up stuff (think Geiger's or First Federal before the facelift) or setting the standards for the next franchise or business to abide by. My question is where does Lakewood fall in the spectrum of city streetscapes? Think of Independence with every building that fits together architecturally including the the McDonalds. Now before Jim busts me for wanting Lakewood to be Independence, I am only using that as an example of flow that it at an extreme of the spectrum. The part that I like about Main Street is that it has focused on bringing back older architecture not by doing what Stark and Crocker Park do and popping up a prefabricated edition like a tent and claiming that it has old time charm but by using what is there and making improvements. Now back to where Lakewood is on the spectrum of flow and consistent design. Some may use the excuse that we're eclectic. That it's makes the city interesting to have an early 20th century building followed by a 1 level building covered in brown aluminum then a neo-contempory Faith Ministry then a Mexican adobe. Well that's the beauty of this. If the citizens and the businesses owners take the side that disjointed design and a free spirit is what is best for Lakewood then so be it.

I still find it funny in a sad way to hear stories about City Hall giving a hard time to a small shop that wants to put a sign in both windows so that it looks balanced but then allows IHOP to put up their prefabricated building, the YMCA to build a huge facility as close to the street as they can, have bodegas and other various shops that offers nothing to the city with their window displays of offers for knife sharpening, vacuum parts, various tobacco products, oh and the military recruitment displays (but in all fairness the military has alot of their funding tied up and we shouldn't expect them to help improve the appearance of Lakewood). Sounds like we may have some priorities out of whack. Shame that it takes a consultant to come in from outside to point this out and work on the solution. But sometimes that's all it takes to get the ball rolling.

[dl meckes]

iHop is a bad example to use, because they had to make a unique design for that building and they had to place it right on the sidewalk like other period buildings per the Architecture Board of Review.

If a business wants to do something with a sign, they also have to go talk with the ARB.

Their meetings are fascinating, although sometimes they run very long. These are citizens who have very definite ideas about preserving the Lakewood look.

The city also has a storefront rebate program and many business owners participate. Sweet Designs did when they bought their new building, Rozis has used the program, as has Donoto's and many others.

A prime example of what you (and I) want is bela dubby. Off went the siding and the brick and windows were allowed to see the light of day again. It was a beautiful job.

[Jennifer hooper]

"Mark Timieski"
"I do think there is some importance as to being specific as to what our needs are. I worry a bit about throwing around loose terms like “green spaceâ€Â￾ that look great on paper but end up to being a few scraggly bushes piled with mulch."

Mark, The purpose of the public meeting process is to address your above concerns. This precisely highlights the importance of hiring an experienced consultant. I think many Lakewood residents and business owners have concerns and ideas for improving Detroit Avenue but are usually somewhat vague like your example. If it comes out at the meeting that there is a desire for more green space then the consultant will push the community to examine that idea more closely. Where would we want that greenspace? What would we want included in the space, just grassy area with benches or a playground or incorporate public art? The consultant will then take the priorities of the community and determine an approximation of what it could look like and what it would cost to construct it. Until we know how much all of the improvements would cost, we cannot fundraise (apply for govt funding) for the project.

We have to have a clear, concise plan.
Main Street Lakewood does not have any preconceived notions of what an improved Detroit Avenue would look like. This streetscape plan is something that will be developed by the community, both resident and business alike.

To that end, I strongly encourage everyone and anyone to come to the public meeting on Wednesday, January 31st at 7:00 pm at Grant Elementary. If you are unable to attend, please email me personally your concerns or ideas for Detroit Avenue. jhooper@lcpi.org We want to formally gather opinions and all will be included. We will then build concensus and priorities that the majority, if not all of the community, agrees to. This is your chance to influence the design and appearance of Detroit Avenue for generations to come![/b]

[Charyn Compeau]

Jennifer -

Thank you for your post. For those of us that are unable to attend - can you please specify what the parameters are when we are talking about revamping the streetscape?

For example - I assume tearing down an existing office building is out; however, is changing the size of the sidewalk possible? We are not working with a blank canvas so if I am to think about these things sincerely, I should understand what changes I can and cannot make.

Additionally - for those of us who have bad memories and take poor notes, could please restate where exactly we are referring to on Detroit. I understand it is the Warren/Belle area - but can you say again the specific streets that bound the area of Detroit to be considered?

Thanks!!
Charyn

[Mark Timieski]

I grew up in a suburb that at the time would have been considered “outer ringâ€Â￾. The environment was very hostile to pedestrians. Many of the roads had no sidewalks, speed limits were high, and motorists never seemed to expect and were sometimes even hostile to the few pedestrians that did exist. I do find that our city is incredibly friendly to pedestrians. I think it is something that our city offers that is not available in most of the other “inner ringâ€Â￾ suburbs and certainly not available in the “outer ringâ€Â￾ exurbs.

I do plan to attend the Main Street meeting, although I thought I would write up some of my suggestions.

Taking back the sidewalk.
Back when homosapians walked the earth, the people owned the streets. Since then we’ve handed over control to the cars. What would happen if people asserted power over the automobile, possibly making a stand on the sidewalk. Economist Stan Siebert suggests that bringing people to the sidewalk, possibly for a light lunch and a pint of ale, helps make for a strong city. New York now allows sidewalk café’s and they appear to be very successful. The city of Cleveland is also having success with this concept over by the West 25th Market. Could we do that here?
http://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/ecaffa/v23 ... 22-27.html

Functional Widows.
In Perfect there is no crime. Of course we don’t live in Perfect so we do what we can to keep crime to a minimum. If people inside the shops can see what’s going on in the street and the people outside on the streets can see the people inside the shop, we can keep an eye on each other. The idea of having a potentially large witness pool at any given time can help discourage crime, or at least help police response time if something bad happens.

I’ve noticed that the Walgreens over by 117th has the illusion of having functional windows, the pedestrian is lured into a false sense of security until we stroll halfway past the building and realize that the windows hold oversized photographs leering down on the unsuspecting pedestrian. I do not feel safe along side of this building.

Maybe windows would have helped:
http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/ ... n.2-0.html
http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=5709317&nav=0RYv
http://www.sheriff.org/about_bso/admin/ ... 09&sType=M

Tiny Sign syndrome.
I had a conversation with the guy at Angelo’s pizza about his sign. I think it’s the coolest thing. He said it is a small scale replica of the old sign that the hardware store had there before. The question that I have: when did our eyesight get better? I have a hard time reading some of the signage here and I don’t think my eyesight is that bad.

Special entrance to the corner buildings.
Some corner buildings have the entrance recessed in an alcove (like Whilhelmy’s at the corner of Detroit and Elmwood). The alcove allows pedestrians on the side street to glimpse pedestrians on the main street (and vice versa). I’ve walked into people before as I’ve made the turn on buildings with sharp corners. This is embarrassing and hard on my noggin. Some buildings that have been built with alcoves have been squared off (probably to gain some floor space inside and make outside maintenance easier), it would be nice to encourage restoration of these when possible or at least make note that these alcoves have an important purpose.

Visual Noise.
Detroit has some odd infrastructure bits that appear unconnected from any useful purpose. For example, a small sign hangs on a telephone pole near Einstein’s. The sign reads “ALTâ€Â￾. I think it may have been placed there by the state, I don’t know why. Maybe we could add an “Hâ€Â￾ and make it “HALTâ€Â￾. I tend to just tune out most of this kind of thing, but it seems like things could be tidied a bit.

[Jennifer hooper]

Charyn,
The Main Street District is from Bunts to Arthur, however this grant is to study ALL of Detroit Avenue from W. 117 to Rocky River border. Common improvements will be made to the entire length of the street but we will pay special attention to the Main Street district. We may also incorporate unique aspects into the different districts (East end, Main Street, West End etc) to help build identity.

When we refer to "streetscape" we basically mean the appearance and function of the public domain of a street. Meaning the street itself and the sidewalks. Building to building. As mentioned, this grant is to specifically find ways to make the street and sidewalks more pedestrian and bike friendly. What are ways to accomplish this? Everything is on the table and up for discussion at this point. These improvements could include but are not limited to, widening the sidewalks, reconfiguring traffic patterns, new landscaping, new public gathering areas or greenspace, public art, new lighting, seating / benches, bike racks, repaving the sidewalks with decorative materials (bricks, colored pavers etc).

Think about other communities where you have visited where it's fun and popular activity to just park your car and walk around, window shop, get a cup of coffee, read a book on a bench under a treee (tourist areas are a great example). What makes these areas more pedestrian friendly than Lakewood? Main Street does not have the answers, this is something the Lakewood community has to flush out and prioritize. And the venue to do this is the public meeting on 1/31 at 7:00.

Lakewood is already pretty "walkable" especially compared to other suburban cities. However, I think most would agree there is room for improvement. That is one of the tenets of the Main Street program, to build on and improve our assets.

Part of the discussion at the public meeting will most likely include problem areas, or areas that need to be improved or changed. Like the earlier example given of the Marc's Plaza parking lot entrance. As well as areas that are the true gems of the street and ways to capitilize on these.

Some of the other suggestions given by Mark and Shawn, like design standards for building renovations and signage will be developed by the Main Street program further down the line. Meaning that these issues will surely be discussed as part of the Streetscape project but will need further analysis and work that is not covered by this particular project.

Hope this helps answers some of the issues raised, but again I cannot stress enough the importance of attending the public meeting on 1/31 at 7:00 at Grant Elementary. The consultant will take the ideas and concerns raised at this first meeting and recommend ways to deal with them. They will present their tentative ideas at a second public meeting scheduled for the end of March.

[michael gill]

Hey Mark. Those are all good points, and it seems to me within the city's powers to accomplish.

I especially agree that Lakewood already is quite pedestrian-friendly

We could also clean up visual clutter by burying phone and power lines, and removing the poles. Several neighborhoods, especially old commercial corridors like Coventry, have done this. In addition to being easier on the eyes, it frees space on the sidewalk.

In my mind the most important issue is to somehow deal with the width of the sidewalk.Through most of the city it seems to me the sidewalks are narrow and almost immediately adjoin the street, with little or no buffer. It's less comfortable for walking (cars pass so close, and if there are puddles, pedestrians get splashed) and just not as attractive. If there were room for planters to create a buffer, that'd be great, though under current conditions I fear that they and their contents would be destroyed by snowplows and salt in the winter.

I understand the city's ability to make the sidewalks wider is limited by the fact that Detroit is a state route. However, its width also fluctuates wildly--something like 7 wide lanes between the new and old Giant Eagle, and just four skinny ones in some other places. If a change in the width of the state route could be legislated, maybe a diagonal parking lane--set off with little "bumps" at the crosswalks--could add parking spaces and create a buffer between pedestrians and cars.

[Charyn Compeau]

Jennifer,

Thank you very much for the reply - it was exactly what I needed. I would also want to know, as Michel Gill astutely points out, what limitations are presented due to the fact that Detroit Avenue is a state route.

For example - must the street be XX meters wide? Is closing off a portion of it forbidden?(hush peanut gallery - its just a question <vbg>)

Thank you again, as I said, I cannot attend due to previously scheduled engagements; however, I would like to think about this and present my thoughts to MainStreet via email.

Kind Regards,
Charyn

[Jennifer hooper]

What Michael points out is correct. Detroit is a state route and because of this there are certain parameters that must be maintained per regulations with ODOT. What are those parameters you ask? Frankly, I do not know, that is why we hired a professional consultant who has worked on similar projects (namely Coventry) and have worked with ODOT and are much more familiar with regulations, laws etc. I should mention as well that City Architecture sub-contracted part of the work to a traffic engineering firm to investigate more specific traffic issues.

As Michael also points out, the width of Detroit varies from block to block. Do not quote me on this, as I'm not sure it is correct, but logic would tell you that if Detroit at its narrowest width is the minimum width to be maintained, that areas where it's wider could possibly be narrowed.

Again we have not explored specific issues at this point because we first want to determine what the priorities of the community are. If the community decides that widening the sidewalks is very important, then the consultant will take that idea and run with it. It is the community's job to create a wish list of improvements and the consultants job to tell us how we would implement those things and how much it would cost.

[Mark Timieski]

I think of our city as a nice place to live, work and play. I don’t think of our city as a particularly good place to drive through at a high rate of speed. ODOT has spent the last half of a century trying to find the most efficient ways to move traffic, probably a mistake. If we can do things to “bollix up trafficâ€Â￾, I believe that it will actually help make this a nicer place to be in.

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?b ... &va=bollix

I’d be happy to see Detroit narrowed where possible. New Orleans closed down sections of the main drag each night for pedestrians. I wouldn’t be against that here.

Wide sidewalks would help support additional life on the streets, such as sidewalk sales and sidewalk cafes and help slow traffic. In some cities, sections of sidewalks are owned and maintained by the adjoining business. The maintenance and to a lesser extent the security is then done privately, helping ease the cost of operating the local government.

I’m not so sure of the planter idea though. These seem hard to maintain and can end up as neglected eyesores. There have been problems in some areas with illegal clandestine florist operations making plant grabs in the middle of the night.

[DougHuntingdon]

From your own link, that means to bungle or throw into disorder! I agree with that definition. However, I realize that the vast majority of people are probably in favor of government funds for street narrowing, sidewalk widening, "green spaces," hanging flowers, and who knows what else for the goal of better "streetscaping." There is no use to try to fight against the tide. If Lakewood is destroyed, then I will move somewhere else.

Doug


One entry found for bollix.


Main Entry: bol·lix
Pronunciation: 'bä-liks
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: alteration of bollocks
: to throw into disorder; also : BUNGLE -- usually used with up
- bollix noun