Lincoln Avenue

Corridor Urban Design Plan

& Design Guidelines

“Tuesdays at APA”
August 1, 2006

Mahender Vasandani
Director, Planning & Urban Design
Land Vision, Inc.
A Typical Commercial Strip

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A Typical “Old” Approach

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 The Corridor

Touhy Avenue

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Devon Avenue

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 The Corridor
A Commercial Strip/Thoroughfare

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 The Issues
 Outmoded Development Form
 Can Not Exploit Full Potential
 No Gathering Places
 Lack of Pedestrian Access
 Lack of Positive Identity
 No Design Cohesiveness

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 The Goals
 Allow New Development Form
 Create Hubs of Activities/Mixed Uses
 Create Gathering Places
 Allow Convenient Pedestrian Access
 Create In-fill Housing
 Create Cohesive Image
 Add Value to Properties

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 The Approach

1. Citizen Participation/Image Preference

Survey
2. Existing Conditions Analysis
a. Streetscape Elements and Condition
b. Figure-Ground Analysis
c. Redevelopment Potential Analysis

3. Redevelopment Strategy
a. Create A New “Downtown”
b. Allow Mixed-Uses
c. Create Hubs
d. Create In-Fill Housing

4. New Urbanist Development Form

a. Building Locations
b. Building Relations to Streets
c. Traffic Calming/Pedestrian Activity
d. Urban Streets/Livability

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 The Approach

5. Corridor Urban Design Plan

6. Urban Design Guidelines
a. Public Domain
b. Private Domain

7. Adopt Form-based Code

8. A New “Downtown” Plan

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Citizen Participation/IPS
A MUST!

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Existing Conditions Analysis

Figure/Ground Analysis (Northern Half)

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 Redevelopment Strategy
1.New Downtown Hub: Retail, Office, Residential & Hotel

Touhy Avenue

2. Focal-point Monument

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3. Focal-point Monument in Traffic Oval
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New Mixed-Use Hub:
Existing Village Hall Retail & Residential Pratt Avenue

5. Mixed-Use Hub: Retail & Residential 6. Residential Infill

Crawford Avenue

North Devon Avenue

7. New Retail Hub

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New Urbanist Development Form

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Redevelopment Potential Analysis

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Redevelopment Potential Analysis

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Corridor Urban Design Plan

Northern Half

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Corridor Urban Design Plan

Southern Half

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 Urban Design Guidelines
Public Domain Guidelines: Near Properties Not to Be Redeveloped

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 Urban Design Guidelines
Private Domain Guidelines: For Properties to Be Redeveloped

Maximum Building Height in Corridor: 3 Storeys

Max. Height in “Downtown”: 5 Storeys
“A”: Max. Building Setback: 5 feet
“B”: Min. Distance to Sidewalk Edge: 15 feet
“C” Min. Setback Above 3 Floors: 10 feet
C

Building Setback Building Setback

Line Line
A
Maximum 3 Floors/ 38 Feet

A
R.O.W. Line R.O.W. Line

B B

B
Sidewalk Sidewalk
Line Line

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Urban Design Guidelines
Private Domain Guidelines: For Properties to Be Redeveloped

Required Building Line/Streetscape

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Urban Design Guidelines
Private Domain Guidelines: For Properties to Be Redeveloped

Landscaping vs. “Dead” Walls

Pocket Parks Well-articulated Facades 20

Downtown Plan

2 3

1 4

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 Downtown Plan
Phase I: Lincoln/Touhy Site
Development Concept Floor Plans

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 Downtown Plan
Phase I: Lincoln/Touhy Site

Massing Study (View from Lincoln Avenue)

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 Downtown Plan
Phase I: Lincoln/Touhy Site

Massing Study (View from Touhy Avenue)

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Downtown Plan
Phase I: Lincoln/Touhy Site
Development Program Analysis

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 Downtown Plan
Phase I: Lincoln/Touhy Site
Concept Architecture/Urban Form
(View from Touhy Avenue)

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 Downtown Plan
Phase I: Lincoln/Touhy Site
Concept Architecture/Urban Form
(View from corner of Lincoln Avenue and Touhy Avenue)

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 Study Conclusion

 Land Vision Provided Detailed Design for Lincoln

Avenue Corridor Plan
 LATF Approved the Plan and Design Guidelines
 Village Adopted the Corridor Plan and Updated Its
Comprehensive Plan
 Village Is Working on a Form-based Code

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 Lessons Learned

1. Public and Leadership Support for NU Is Critical

2. May Take Some Work to Gain Such Support
3. After the Initial Support, Need to Provide
Creative Solutions…to Sustain Support
4. New Urbanism Will Provide Creative Solutions
5. With the Right Design Solutions:
 Quality Projects
 Economically Sustainable
 Traffic Calming
 Quality of Life
 Successful Transformation of a Commercial Strip
to a “Livable Urban Street”

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