Alex Ihnen wrote:Starting a home for this effort.

^Second this effort.

It's ridiculous when just on the other side of 64 (the invisible boundary that the developers can't see), Central West End/Midtown have pulled together a Sustainable Development/Form Based Code Plan (http://www.fpsedc.org/getFileFromDB.ashx?ContentID=1489). Especially, considering The Grove (minus a few Commerce Banks and Quik Trips) are at the lead of urban rehabilitation that maintains the character of the neighborhood.

Another great resource is from the firm Urban Design Associates who specialize in creating Pattern Books (very similar to Form Based Codes but in my opinion more understandable to the common folk):
http://www.dentonmaryland.com/uploads/f ... _final.pdf

They utilize a Transect to delineate hierarchy of development in regards to the scale, location within a community. Then, they define each Transect zones community character, i.e. Urban Center (think Manchester Avenue) versus General Urban (think Newstead, Taylor, Tower Grove)-they define each ones building type, setback, streetscape, lot types, etc. Finally, they break down each Transects Elements (Kit of Parts): setbacks, lot sizes, ancillary structures, street sizes, street plantings, sidewalks, lighting, fencing/walls, etc.

This approach defines the requirements for what is appropriate to occur on a given parcel. Our outdated zoning only defines what general type of land use can occur with few other requirements, not like this which defines in much greater detail the development character, design, elements, etc.

It's great to see no development in our Urban core but taking a few extra steps to ensure a design that is consistent within a urban locale, specifying materials that match the neighborhoods character and providing pedestrian-focused elements is not a ridiculous request.

These developers design once and rinse and repeat cookie cutter developments and don't care but see this as another winning project to bolster its portfolio.

I live in the neighborhood and I'm hoping to meet other residents who care about these issues. Please say hello!

Saying "hi!" I'm on the south side of the neighborhood and have no professional experience with this, but my brain is automatically racing with ideas every time I step out the door. I live in an awful house built around the early 2000s that does not belong in the neighborhood at all (hey, it was cheap and easy to fix). Love the location, but I wish I could raze the house and build new. The biggest areas of concern IMO are at the ends of the neighborhood, with the potential for losing multiple houses around Kingshighway, and potentially more missed opportunities with the Commerce Bank site. Can anything be done before these two highly visible areas are destroyed? Perhaps a moratorium on surface parking to start? The large lot for The Gramophone is sufficient for anything within the neighborhood. I want people to park on my street and walk.

A pretty picture from the Form Based Code display. Looking northeast from Manchester/Sarah (currently most of these are empty lots apart from the bar on the right.

Digging this back up.

It looks like H3 did both this proposal and the CWE one. Can someone tell me exactly what and who the organizations are that hire them? Like where does the money come from and how do they get organized?

Feel like if a plan was put in place for the city to educate neighborhoods or areas, at least they could mobilize to create more areas like this even if there isn't a city wide plan.

Park Central funded it and they get money from developers (usually roddy directs a developer to make a “donation” to PC” when they come to him for support and incentives. He admitted as much when the Megan green Morganford debate was happening at BOA.

dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑

Feb 20, 2018

Park Central funded it and they get money from developers (usually roddy directs a developer to make a “donation” to PC” when they come to him for support and incentives. He admitted as much when the Megan green Morganford debate was happening at BOA.

So outside of a corporation like Park Central how would any neighborhood go about getting Form-Based Code?

ImprovSTL wrote: ↑

Feb 21, 2018

So outside of a corporation like Park Central how would any neighborhood go about getting Form-Based Code?

A simplified explanation, anyone else is welcome to present their version:
Unfortunately it takes an organization whose primary purpose IS money. Local neighborhood associations might be able to pool together funding but it takes more work than volunteers can handle.
Put out an RFQ to companies like H3 (they just happen to be in STL, there are dozens across the country). They hold public input sessions and eventually create a From-Based Code document, this can take two or three years to accommodate public input. It's then presented to the BOA for their vote and adopted into law. The important thing to know about Form-Based Code is that it is a legal zoning document. Variances can be granted but it's unlikely, and even then they're usually compromises with the Code (see West Pine Lofts along Sarah).

It's been awhile but for both the districts (CWE and FPSE) I think I used block grant money and then had it matched by either developer contributions or with grants from WUMCRC or one of the taxing districts. PCD served as our conduit. We can't use block grant money this way anymore. Over the years the planning department has been gutted and does not have resources to do this kind of planning.

As part of the HUDZ committee support of the recent 300 Broadway project we are calling on a plan for the Downtown to be developed. Ald Ogilvie and Coatar having been working on it and I expect that the partnership will fund it--stay tuned.

Hudz is also working on finding more money for planning for neighborhoods outside the central corridor (those without access to to institutional partners) but my top priority for now has been trying to get better financial information on our incentive reform efforts and a citywide economic development plan. As of last Wednesday, SLDC has promised our first year of data by September. This would be the starting point for our first citywide economic development plan which we hope SLDC will deliver a year later. That plan would likely be more conceptual and financial in nature.

I hope to get more serious about looking for more money for land use planning, after we get a better grip on the financial data that is being pulled together. I'm hoping late summer or early fall--but government moves slowwwww.

ward17 wrote: ↑

Feb 24, 2018

It's been awhile but for both the districts (CWE and FPSE) I think I used block grant money and then had it matched by either developer contributions or with grants from WUMCRC or one of the taxing districts. PCD served as our conduit. We can't use block grant money this way anymore. Over the years the planning department has been gutted and does not have resources to do this kind of planning.

As part of the HUDZ committee support of the recent 300 Broadway project we are calling on a plan for the Downtown to be developed. Ald Ogilvie and Coatar having been working on it and I expect that the partnership will fund it--stay tuned.

Hudz is also working on finding more money for planning for neighborhoods outside the central corridor (those without access to to institutional partners) but my top priority for now has been trying to get better financial information on our incentive reform efforts and a citywide economic development plan. As of last Wednesday, SLDC has promised our first year of data by September. This would be the starting point for our first citywide economic development plan which we hope SLDC will deliver a year later. That plan would likely be more conceptual and financial in nature.

I hope to get more serious about looking for more money for land use planning, after we get a better grip on the financial data that is being pulled together. I'm hoping late summer or early fall--but government moves slowwwww.

Thanks for the update! I think areas in the Jefferson corridor could really use some planning help.