October 15, 2004

G U L F  C O A S T  G R O W T H  N E W S

A publication of the Gulf Coast Institute

NOTABLE QUOTES

≥We're caught in a clash of cultures that really has little to do with political parties. It has to do with development and sprawl and how fast people are changing the places where we live. It has to do with whether we're going to forget what we've learned from history."

- Wes Cole, 61, a community leader in a small town in eastern Kansas, quoted in ≥ANGER IN AMERICA: Sparks fly as cultures clash amid rapid change, sprawl≤. Detroit Free Press, http://www.freep.com/news/nw/anger11e_20041011.htm

SMART GROWTH INITIATIVE

Next meeting: the (Property) Value of Parks, October 27

At the next Smart Growth meeting, John Crompton, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor in the Department of Recreation, Park & Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University, will discuss the catalytic effect that parks can have on property values in surrounding areas, and the way to use that increase to finance the park. The next meeting is Wednesday, October 27, noon-1:30 pm, Houston-Galveston Area Council, 3555 Timmons, second floor. Bring your lunch. For more information call 713-523-5755. The Gulf Coast Institute and the Houston-Galveston Area Council host Livable Houston/Smart Growth bring-your-own-lunch meetings that are open to the public on the fourth Wednesday of every month. http://www.gulfcoastinstitute.org

At a recent Smart Growth meeting, we looked at Regional Transportation Plans from Denver, San Diego, and Atlanta with a view toward finding models for the future.  That presentation is available online along with the Gulf Coast Instituteπs draft of a document that begins to outline a basis for Houstonπs 2028 plan. http://www.gulfcoastinstitute.org.

REGIONAL NOTES

Metro to hold technology forum

Experts will present and review advanced transit ideas

Metro will bring together national and international experts to present and evaluate new and advanced transit technology in a forum next week. The ≥Advanced Transportation Technology Forum≤ will be held October 20-22 at the Magnolia Hotel in downtown Houston. The forum is being facilitated by Battelle, an independent ≥think tank≤ with extensive experience in new technologies. The intent of the forum is to explore innovative alternatives to ≥traditional≤ transportation systems. For more information, call 713-739-4077.

I-10 expansion leads to higher taxes

Spring Valley residents have to make up for tax base lost to condemnation

Property taxes in this incorporated village 10 miles west of downtown Houston are about to jump 27 percent, according to the Houston Business Journal. City officials say the increase is necessary because the widening of the Katy Freeway has cut into the villageπs tax base, eliminating 56 homes and several businesses to date. Spring Valley resident Lacy Hamilton questions the financial fairness of the overall system. "They've (TXDOT) taken a large part of our tax base," he says. ≥I think there should be something in the state rules or laws to allow some compensation when they do this to your city, but there has not been one dime for lost tax revenue." Architect Jamie Partlow is more understanding. "The need to raise the tax rate is obvious.≤ But Partlow recognizes that the greater tax load will be difficult for some people. "A number of the residents who have lived in Spring Valley since it incorporated in 1954 are retired on fixed incomes. I'm sure a lot of those may oppose the increase, or have consternation." Mike Inselmann, president of Houston-based real estate research firm Metrostudy, says that while the increase may seem high to Spring Valley home owners, they'll still be paying less than they would in the City of Houston. "As bad as it sounds, it's probably not awful," says Inselmann. http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2004/09/27/story1.html?page=1

Health care recommendations to be presented

Mosbacher will discuss work of health task force

Recommendations for improving health care in Houston and Harris County will be presented to the Houston Chapter of the Texas Economic & Demographic Association on October 27. A talk entitled ≥Future Directions for Health Care in Our Community≤ will be given by Robert Mosbacher, Jr., Chairman, Greater Houston Partnership, and also chair of GHPπs Partnershipπs Health Care Advisory Committee. The results of the work by a Public Health Task Force will be submitted for public input. The event will begin at 5 pm at the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast on East T.C. Jester, one block north of the I-610 North Loop West. For more information, call Edith Chambers at 713-844-3618 if go to http://www.teda.org.

TEXAS NOTES

SmartCode workshop planned in Fort Worth

Planners and developers convene to discuss new solution to inflexibility of zoning

Planners and developers from around the country will gather in Fort Worth October 27 to discuss the SmartCode, the first commercially available solution creating the walkable, mixed-use communities that are increasingly demanded nationwide – and that are largely illegal to build under current systems of zoning. The four-day SmartCode Workshop, organized by Miami-based planning and advisory firm PlaceMakers, will introduce municipalities to an alternative that legalizes and facilitates mixed-use development. ≥People know what they like,≤ says SmartCode creator Andres Duany. ≥They tell us. We have the data. And, time and time again, they demonstrate their greatest favor for places that conventional zoning renders illegal. The SmartCode corrects that.≤ The workshop is being held in coordination with the North Central Texas Council of Governmentsπ Center for Development Excellence, and will feature regional transportation policy and plans integrated with SmartCode guidelines for building Transit Oriented Developments as centers of community. For further information, contact Hazel Borys at 440-774-4889 or hazel@placemakers.com.

NOTES FROM OTHER PLACES

URBANISM

Infill in Atlanta

Suburban developers striking paydirt building in established neighborhoods

In a reversal of a 30-year trend, the City of Atlantaπs population has started to grow, as the city added over 16,000 residents between 1999-2003. And savvy developers are ≥squeezing in≤ from the suburbs to reap the rewards. The reasons builders are moving in are simple, said Lou Steffens of Beazer Homes. They are following the market. Demand is strong, which drives up profit margins. While land is more expensive, people are willing to pay more per square foot for a home. "They can be significantly more profitable [per home] than going farther and farther out," Steffens said. The builders are developing different housing styles as well. "We are evaluating what the historical styles of the [neighborhoods] are and [asking] how can we blend in our product to be compatible. So the idea is, when you drive by, you don't realize that this is the same Beazer which is building out in Gwinnett County," said a Beazer architect. Because the city is now developer-friendly, building close in can also be less frustrating than dealing with suburban zoning commissions, according to developers. http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/horizon/0904/13infill.html?UrAuth=aNaNUOcNUUbTTUWUXUUUZTZU`UWUcU^UZU\U]UcTYWYWZV

Filling in Atlantaπs ≥holes≤

Mixed-use redevelopment of former city hall complex can set tone for future projects

The redevelopment of Atlantaπs City Hall East complex as an ≥urban village≤ gives the city the chance to create a ≤prototype for urban neighborhood revitalization≤ that will also patch a hole in the cityπs urban fabric, according to a commentary in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Writer Nancy Greenleigh says the development is important because it will fill in an area of the city ≥outside of, or between, the major growth districts of Atlanta.≤ She argues that the city should also establish principles for urban design for this project, including making the project mixed-use, mixed-income and mixed-age, and enhance the development environmentally, urbanistically, and aesthetically through creative design. These principles should then be applied to similar projects that can fill in other urban holes, Greenleigh says. http://www.ajc.com/news/content/opinion/0904/13east.html

Railing for residential

Los Angeles leads way in building housing near transit

Participants at the recent Rail~Volution conference in Los Angeles learned that the city which is synonymous with cars is now a leader in transit-oriented-development (TOD). According to The Pasadena Star, Los Angeles County boasts 37 current TOD projects, in which developers have invested $4 billion, on its three rail lines. The 900 Rail~Volution participants (from 38 states and 160 cities) went on field trips to observe the developments, such as Del Mar Station in Pasadena. Located on the year-old Gold Line, Del Mar Station is expected to energize the lineπs lackluster ridership performance. Del Mar Station will be one of the few but growing number of places in Southern California where residents will be able to live "very loosely tethered to their cars,' said architect Stefanos Polyzoides, whose Pasadena firm, Moule & Polyzoides Architects and Urbanists, designed an apartment complex at the stop. Jack Kyser, chief economist of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, told the participants, "We know we're not going to build any more freeways so how are we going to get around?≤ Roger Snoble, MTA's chief executive officer, said, "This [Del Mar Station] is development that will reduce the need for automobile trips.≤ http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/Stories/0,1413,206~22097~2409620,00.html

Urbanism for dollars

D.C.-area suburbanites see Smart Growth as smart business

Residents of Poplar Terrace, a suburb of Vienna in Northern Virginia, have decided to embrace the future rather than fight it, and to make some money in the process, according to the Washington Post. Nearly all of the 70 families living in the heavily wooded subdivision have banded together to raze the existing community, and rebuild the area according to Smart Growth principles. The subdivision is a half-mile from the Vienna Metro rail stop, so the area is poised for urbanist redevelopment in any event. But these homeowners took matters into their own hands, agreeing to sell their homes collectively, and finding a developer for the project. In order to acquire this unique assemblage, Centex Homes will buy the properties at prices well above market value, knock them down, and in their place build over 1,000 condominiums and townhouses. For houses currently valued at $400,000, Centex will pay $760,000 or more. A few neighborhood holdouts simply donπt want to sell their homes, with one resident expressing skepticism that transit-oriented-development will work a half-mile from a rail stop. Some area residents have expressed concerns about the infrastructure strain that so many new residents would represent. William S. Elliott, a member of Fairfax Citizens for Responsible Growth, said "Adding another 1,326 units is a bit more than the schools and roads can bear." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34082-2004Sep19.html

PLANNING

Hurricane warning

Itπs fortunate that many in Miami ignored the recent call to evacuate as Hurricane Ivan approached. Thatπs because, according to a commentary in the Miami Herald, the regionπs roads and highways couldnπt have handled all the cars. There are simply too many people living near the water. Writer Beth Dunlop quotes Orrin H. Pilkey, a coastal geologist and professor of earth sciences at Duke University, who says ≥It is societal madness, building next to an eroding shoreline.≤ Pilkey admits that beaches are the ≥lifeblood≤ of the Florida economy, but calls Floridaπs current state of waterfront development ≥irresponsible,≤ and says, ≥filling [beaches] with high-rises is not the answer.≤ Pilkey also points out the cycle of costs required by waterfront construction. First, federal or state funds rebuild the beaches after a hurricane. This allows for new construction, which is then insured from water damage with federal funds. Then after the inevitable next storm, more state and federal emergency funds are used to reconstruct the beaches and rebuild houses and condominiums. Dunlop calls for state government to heed Pilkeyπs warning by passing a moratorium on all new buildings ≥in every flood and evacuation zone in the state.≤ Dunlop points out that state government already has many of the ≥tools≤, such as the ability to enforce waterfront setbacks, needed to restrict such development. http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/entertainment/9696609.htm?1c

TRANSPORTATION

Overrun with scooters

Government program, lack of sidewalks combine to fill townπs streets with scooter-driving elders

The streets of Paintsville, a Kentucky coal town of 4,000, are clogged with senior citizens on scooters, according to CNN.com. The seniors responded to a government program that provided them with motorized scooters. But when they wanted to drive them to Wal-Mart, among other destinations, they found that the townπs sidewalks were either inadequate for their new vehicles, or that the sidewalks simply didnπt exist. So, risking life and limb, the seniors are sharing Paintsvilleπs streets with cars and trucks. 78-year-old Connie Haller says, ≥You look up and see big trucks passing. I feel like they get pretty close to us. You've got to keep your eyes on the road and on the people, especially at intersections. If they don't offer to wave you across, you'd better sit still and wait your turn." Paintsville Mayor Doug Pugh believes the government helped create the problem and should help pay for the sidewalks that would solve it. "It would be a lot safer," Pugh said. "These aren't like little motorcycles - they shouldn't have to be on the roads." Elderly and disabled residents started a petition to get a quarter-mile walkway built from the town's residential area to the shopping district so that they do not have to ride on the shoulder of Kentucky Route 321, a busy road lined with stores and restaurants. http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/09/20/scooter.traffic.ap/index.html

SUBURBIA

Does sprawl shorten life?

Study finds link between suburbs, health problems, and decreased life span

The Rand Corporation of Santa Monica, California has released a study that claims to find a direct link between suburban sprawl, health problems, and shortened life expectancy, according to the Washington Post. The study analyzed data on some 8,600 Americans in 38 metropolitan areas, and found that rates of arthritis, asthma, headaches and other complaints increased according to the degree of sprawl. Living in most sprawling areas was found to take on average four years off a personπs life. Roland Sturm, senior Rand economist, said, "Suburban sprawl affects your health. That's really the take-home message." The study didnπt pinpoint causes for the poor health, but Sturm presumes they result from the lack of physical activity and high levels of air pollution. Other factors, such as eating too much fast food, may or may not have a suburban link. Manhattan was the most compact area studied, while Riverside-San Bernadino in California had the most sprawl. Sprawling places like Atlanta had at least 100 more health problems per 1,000 people than more compact areas such as the Greensboro-Winston Salem in North Carolina. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52470-2004Sep26.html

Office town

Yesterdayπs suburban office park can be tomorrowπs downtown

Employers looking to keep ≥creative class≤ workers happy in suburban surroundings are now looking to convert their corporate campuses into far-flung ≥urban villages,≤ according to USA Today. For example, JBG Companies of suburban Washington DC is demolishing a collection of 30-year-old office buildings in a 20-acre office park and proposing an extreme makeover. The developers hired Miami planner and architect Andres Duany of New Urbanism fame to design a "live-work" center with loft apartments, stores, office buildings, and easy access to mass transit. The growth potential for these ≥urban slices≤ is huge. Many office parks were built in the 1970s and å80s, and their buildings are reaching the end of their life cycles. Rather than expensively refurbishing them, many developers are tearing them down to create live-work-shop-play centers that appeal to young professionals. Such developments also offer a healthier lifestyle, in which people can walk almost everywhere they need to go, leading to fewer medical expenses for employers. Finally, these developments promise to solve the ultimate problem of suburban life: boredom. ≥The challenge of the suburbs is that they're dull,≤ says one developer. ≥This is the anti-dull." http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=676&e=5&u=/usatoday/20040914/ts_usatoday/suburbanofficeparksgeturbaninjection

ENVIRONMENT

Green Giant at Ground Zero

Worldπs tallest building to be ≥icon≤ of environmentally friendly design

Freedom Tower, the skyscraper that will be erected on the site of the destroyed World Trade Center, will be a beacon for environmentally friendly design, reports Wired News. The 1,776-foot-high building will will include a wind farm, solar panels, and advanced, energy-efficient technology. According to Guy Battle, president of sustainability at the consulting firm Battle McCarthy, the Tower will feature "the world's first urban wind farm, " a series of wind turbines located 1,200 feet above the base, which will generate 20 percent of the building's anticipated energy needs. Placing the turbines above the observation deck also gives wind energy much-needed public visibility, according to Battle. The Freedom Tower will also feature solar panels on the observation deck, while the "skin" of the building will use materials that allow in the maximum amount of sunlight while providing insulation. The lobby and other areas are designed to use natural ventilation, reducing the need for electricity. The Tower, designed by architecture firms Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and Studio Daniel Libeskind, is scheduled to open in 2009. http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,64953,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_2

EVENTS

LOCAL

Tour des Monuments for bicyclists, October 24. Presented by the Texas Society of Architects. Bicyclists will depart from the downtown Hilton-Americas hotel. http://www.texasarchitect.org. or contact Kurt Hull, AIA at 713-374-0007 or at  khull@zieglercooper.com

NATIONAL

New Partners for Smart Growth, Jan. 27-29, 2005, Miami Beach. The 4th annual conference sponsored by the Local Government Commission and Penn State.  http://www.outreach.psu.edu/C&I/SmartGrowth/

Note to readers: If you have news to share, have reports from events, or would like to add subscriber names, please let us know at issues@gulfcoastideas.org.

Prepared by David Theis

Gulf Coast Growth News is a publication of the Gulf Coast Institute. The Gulf Coast Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Houston. To support the Institute, go to http://www.gulfcoastinstitute.org. To join the Instituteπs 1000 Friends of Houston, go to http://www.1000friendsofhouston.org