Code Offers 24/7 Downtown
Tennessean Article by Angela Patterson
6/3/2009
11:35 am
If you walk down 5th Avenue North in Germantown today, you see storefronts topped by residential units, streets lined by trees and sidewalks, houses with stoops and porches, and nearby open space for dogs to roam or kids to play.
It's reminiscent of the way neighborhoods used to look, and Metro planners are hoping to create the same dynamic with the Downtown Code.
"Before Nashville became a metro, if you look at the neighborhoods, they had a mix of uses, with corners of commercial added into residential areas. Obviously, this plan for downtown would take that up a notch, but the idea is rooted in how cities used to grow,'' said Metro planner Joni Priest of about the code, which is still under review by planning staff.
The Downtown Code would serve as a set of guidelines for creating a 24/7 downtown, one with 15 distinct neighborhoods designed as districts where people can live, work and play.
The code would take years to develop and make inroads in downtown, because existing properties don't have to conform to the code until owners decide to make changes. But the ultimate goal is to create a community of liveable, connected neighborhoods downtown that would attract rooftops, business and development.
What's In The Code
The code would cover all development between Jefferson Street, Interstate 40 and the Cumberland River, dividing the area into 15 subdistricts.
Each area would have its own requirements for building height, signage and street frontage—development and design guidelines that work together to create distinct neighborhoods.
Since the code would make use of form-based code, a type of zoning that focuses more on physical form than land use,planners also believe it would make it easier to develop downtown, causing more developers to look to the core of the city to build. Guidelines also create more opportunities for developers to add open space and housing options that are more affordable, thereby growing neighborhoods, not just a business district.
"If you look at the places where people want to live, hang out or visit (Germantown, East Nashville 5 Points, Hillsboro Village, Lower Broad, Second Avenue, Church Street), in many ways it is the character of these places that makes them desirable," said Gary Gaston, design director for the Civic Design Center.
It's reminiscent of the way neighborhoods used to look, and Metro planners are hoping to create the same dynamic with the Downtown Code.
"Before Nashville became a metro, if you look at the neighborhoods, they had a mix of uses, with corners of commercial added into residential areas. Obviously, this plan for downtown would take that up a notch, but the idea is rooted in how cities used to grow,'' said Metro planner Joni Priest of about the code, which is still under review by planning staff.
The Downtown Code would serve as a set of guidelines for creating a 24/7 downtown, one with 15 distinct neighborhoods designed as districts where people can live, work and play.
The code would take years to develop and make inroads in downtown, because existing properties don't have to conform to the code until owners decide to make changes. But the ultimate goal is to create a community of liveable, connected neighborhoods downtown that would attract rooftops, business and development.
What's In The Code
The code would cover all development between Jefferson Street, Interstate 40 and the Cumberland River, dividing the area into 15 subdistricts.
Each area would have its own requirements for building height, signage and street frontage—development and design guidelines that work together to create distinct neighborhoods.
Since the code would make use of form-based code, a type of zoning that focuses more on physical form than land use,planners also believe it would make it easier to develop downtown, causing more developers to look to the core of the city to build. Guidelines also create more opportunities for developers to add open space and housing options that are more affordable, thereby growing neighborhoods, not just a business district.
"If you look at the places where people want to live, hang out or visit (Germantown, East Nashville 5 Points, Hillsboro Village, Lower Broad, Second Avenue, Church Street), in many ways it is the character of these places that makes them desirable," said Gary Gaston, design director for the Civic Design Center.
