Sprawled Out: The Search for Community in the American Suburb

Talk about your REMOTE suburbs ...

This is the fascinating story of Henry Ford's effort, beginning in 1929, to break the rubber monopoly in Brazil by creating an Detroit-type community attached to a giant rubber plantation. Things didn't work out, but an American town was virtually transplanted to South America. (Photo above from the website).

Deep ruts cleaved the road and I bounced high in the passenger seat of the pickup, fingers of sweat running down my back. But I drew a delighted breath when we turned onto a long, cool lane lined with magnificent old mango trees. White wicker chairs rested on the porches of clapboard houses where dark green shutters blocked the baking sun. Tidy lawns exploded with flowers; a handful of pines lent aromatic shade. Fire hydrants stamped by a Michigan manufacturer poked up at intervals from the concrete sidewalks.

The bucolic setting harkened to northern Michigan of the 1930s, but this was Brazil’s Amazon rainforest in the 1990s. I had reached Belterra, the spot once described as “Dearborn in the Jungle.” A former rubber-workers’ town now owned by the Brazilian government, Belterra is the vestige of a battle between Yankee ingenuity and Mother Nature—the remains of Henry Ford’s bid to become a rubber baron.

Link: Fordlandia--Henry Ford's manufacturing center in the Brazilian jungle.
See also: Damn Interesting
Location on GoogleMaps

Thanks to BoingBoing

QUESTION: Where do malls go when they die?

ANSWER: Most of the time, nowhere. See pictures and read commentaries about darkened  - - and creepy - - husks all over the country at deadmalls.com.

Franklin to spend half-million on park upgrades

The Franklin Common Council has approved spending $520,000 to upgrade Christine Rathke Park, Franklin Woods Park, Ken Windl Park and Friendship Park.

These improvements are part of a five year comprehensive outdoor recreation plan, which is now in its second year.

$204,000 of the park improvement funds come directly from impact fees paid by developers when they build new subdivisions and commercial projects, and the rest comes from the city budget (though officials say this calculation can change in the future).

Interestingly, there is a rule which states that NEW park improvements can be paid for out of impact fees, while repair of normal wear and tear must be paid for out of the the city's general fund. This is somewhat odd, as an added population of park users from a new subdivision can certainly accelerate wear and tear to the extent that the new subdivision has created "impact." The city has hired an independent consultant to determine which is which (paid for out of the general fund, one must assume).

The projects are expected to be complete by early next summer.

[paraphrased from an article by Denise Lockwood in The Franklin Hub, 10/27/06]

Even more stores? Not a tall order for Starbucks

Even my eight year-old daughter loved the joke in SHREK II when the giant cookie-man attacks a Starbucks and the patrons flee across the street - - to another Starbucks. (Check out this site, which is all about finding real-world Starbucks franchises that are across the street from one another.)

Starbucks has not been all that aggressive here in Franklin, Wisconsin. While there are plenty of locations, they don't seem to be built in the most ideal place (i.e. they're on the less-ideal side of the street, don't have easy-in and easy-out drive-thrus, etc.)

I don't mind a Starbucks frappicino now and then, but here's a plug for Travelin' Joes on 27th Street near College Ave.

Coffee Goliath doesn’t want customers to have to cross the street for fix

Updated: 8:22 p.m. CT Oct 25, 2006 SEATTLE - The people who work in Seattle’s tallest building face a tough decision: should they get their caffeinated indulgence at the old Starbucks on the building’s first floor or the new Starbucks, 40 floors up? And, if those lines are too long, is it too far to walk across the street, where a third Starbucks awaits?

Starbucks Corp.’s recently announced goal of having 40,000 stores worldwide isn’t just about spreading green awnings through middle America, the Middle East and other areas of the world not yet tempted by easy access to mocha Frappuccinos and pumpkin spice lattes.

The coffee chain’s aggressive growth also hinges on what the company calls “infill” — adding stores in cities where its mermaid logo is already commonplace. In some cases, that means putting a Starbucks within a block of an existing store, if not closer.

While Starbucks knows there’s plenty to lure people into their stores, they also recognize that many people can’t be bothered to walk very far — or wait very long — for an optional and pricey treat.

“Going to the other side of the street can be a barrier,” said Launi Skinner, senior vice president in charge of Starbucks’ store development.

As Starbucks adds a whopping six stores a day on average, the company says it continues to carefully consider everything from the direction of commuter traffic zipping by a potential drive-through site to how many people are pounding the pavement on a busy urban block.

As of Oct. 3, Starbucks had 12,440 stores worldwide, including 7,102 company-operated stores and 5,338 licensed locations.

In addition to choosing its company-operated locations, Starbucks also has a say in where licensed stores will be located. In Vancouver, Canada, such planning has meant adding stores on either side of a busy intersection. In New York, there are two Starbucks in one Macy’s, as well as two in the 49-story Marriott Marquis hotel.

Starbucks also is flooding some smaller cities. In Spokane, Wash., two Starbucks sit across from each other in a strip mall and a grocery store, close enough that baristas could toss pounds of coffee beans at one another if they wanted to.

Despite such saturation — and plans for much more — Starbucks insists that it sees very little cannibalization of its existing business when a new store opens. In fact, the company says, one reason would-be customers don’t end up buying a Starbucks drink is because the line is too long. One solution is to open up another store nearby.

Starbucks says about 60 percent of stores have a wait time of three minutes or less, but the company doesn’t track specifically how long the wait has to be before people decide to pass.

Chief Executive Jim Donald dismisses any notion that the company could experience oversaturation as it continues to plop Starbucks near other Starbucks. “We haven’t felt it yet,” he quipped recently.

It takes co-workers Joshua Sanders and Megan Scott about one minute to reach the Starbucks just outside their downtown Seattle office. Sometimes, the two will walk another minute or so to another Starbucks about half a block away, because that Starbucks sells hot breakfast sandwiches and the closer one doesn’t. On a recent weekday morning, both were bustling.

One things Sanders and Scott won’t do is stop for coffee at Starbucks competitor Tully’s Coffee Corp., even though it’s in their building and they actually walk past it to get to Starbucks. Asked why he favors Starbucks, Sanders said: “It’s the coffee.” I

s that they are near that point,” Owens said. Still, Owens said there are risks a company faces when it builds out quickly. He noted that McDonald’s Corp. suffered after an attempt to expand rapidly in the 1990s. McDonald’s has more than 30,000 stores worldwide, compared to about 12,000 currently for Starbucks. Major concerns could include anything from a drop in quality to the brand losing its luster. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc., whose store openings once drew cars full of doughnut-hungry masses, learned that lesson the hard way and has since had to sharply scale back its growth plans. The doughnut maker also has suffered through an accounting fiasco and concerns over the healthfulness of its fatty treats.

For now at least, Owens said Starbucks doesn’t appear to have similar worries. “We haven’t seen any evidence of it, but that’s certainly a risk,” Owens said. “How can they continue to maintain such a strong connection with the customer as they become just basically a global giant?”

But executives say one main complaint they hear from customers is that Starbucks isn’t convenient enough. Starbucks customers don’t want to go too far out of their way to get their morning latte or afternoon pick-me-up. And once they have stepped into their vehicles, they don’t want to bother to undo their seat belts for a caffeinated treat, either — hence the explosive growth of Starbucks drive-throughs.

Besides adding stores, drive-throughs and kiosks throughout the world, Starbucks also has plans to make itself ubiquitous even in places where it can’t squeeze in a store. It is getting ready to launch Starbucks-branded vending machines, which will let people buy warm lattes and other drinks in a nine-ounce can for $2.50. And that’s in addition to the business it already does selling bottled cold Starbucks drinks and coffee beans in more traditional food stores.

Sitting in Starbucks’ Seattle headquarters a day after the company announced that it had increased its projected store count by a third, to 40,000 stores, company Chairman Howard Schultz said he thought the company had been vastly underestimating the worldwide demand for its coffees, teas, CDs, coffee mugs and other items. “This is still the opening act for Starbucks,” he said.

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. URL: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15420414/ © 2006 MSNBC.com

The seeds of dissent ...

Looking east at the intersection of Drexel and Hwy 100 - Wyndham Hills ("sold out") is on the left; potential commercial development site on the right.

Here's the text of one of three letters distributed over past weeks to residents of the Wyndham Hills subdivision, which is right across the street from the proposed Shops at Wyndham Village commercial development. There is a public hearing scheduled for Halloween night - - will all of these homeowners attend?

Dear Neighbor,   

My family and I reside in the Wyndham Hills subdivision and I am writing to you because it has come to my attention that a major commercial development is being planned right across the street.  We chose to build our home here because the natural and safe residential environment added to the quality of life that we were looking for.  Like you, our family has made a significant investment in this neighborhood and do not wish to see it negatively impacted by this major commercial development in our backyard.

We can expect the following impacts from this adjacent commercial development:

• Increased traffic in our area.  Problems include:  accidents, congestion, horns, traffic lights, headlights and exhaust.
• Increased thru-subdivision traffic.  Traffic from other communities and new northern Franklin subdivisions will use Wyndham Hills Parkway, Kensington Way, Sanctuary Road and St. Stephan’s Drive to commute to this new development.
• Increased crime.  Including:  theft, vandalism, littering, etc.
• Increased noise pollution.  Parking lots and roadways increase sound travel for car horns, delivery trucks, engines, voices and doors.
• Offensive lighting.  Bright parking lot, roadway & building lighting.
• Increased pollution.  Caused by delivery trucks, diesel engines, vehicular exhaust & litter.
• Years of construction.  Construction debris, dust, noise & traffic.
• Other negative elements.  Extended hours of operation for business and restaurants and related staffing issues.

Currently our area including the 30+ acres is zoned residential.  It is critical to maintain the residential feel for our immediate area and its current zoning.  Don’t lose our peaceful community!  OPPOSE THIS COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT!

Currently there are many other areas available for commercial development in the city of Franklin other than the backyards of the most valuable homes in the city.

OPPOSE THIS DEVELOPMENT!  Contact our Alderman, Tim Solomon at (414)529-2355 or [email protected] and Mayor Taylor at (414)427-7529 or [email protected].

I am sharing concerns anonymously due to personal reasons.                   

Sincerely,

Concerned Homeowner & Neighbor

                        

Guide to Springfield USA

Pretty amazing - but I thought Homer lived much closer to Moe's ...

The mapping of Springfield began in the Spring of 2001 when we realized that no adequate map of Springfield existed either online or in print. Initially the content was collected from the City         Profile and Springfield         Vacation pages at The Simpsons         Archive, but it has since been expanded by numerous viewings         of most episodes of The Simpsons.

Link: Guide to Springfield USA.

4 times as many home foreclosures predicted

From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

Heavy debt, housing slump could trap owners, lender says

By MICHELE DERUS
[email protected]

Chicago - Up to 4% of America's mortgaged homeowners might lose their homes to foreclosure in coming months, one of the nation's largest lenders predicted Monday, as those homeowners find themselves trapped by heavy debt and the housing slump.

That's four times worse than the historical average of 1 in 100 mortgaged homeowners who fail to keep up payments, said Michael W. Perry, chairman and chief executive officer of Indymac Bank of California.

"This downturn is going to be tougher because we've been though an unprecedented period" of good times, Perry told about 6,000 Mortgage Bankers Association conventioneers. "Since the 1990s, the nation's homeownership rate has gone from 64 percent to 69 percent. That's 12 million new homeowners. Before the '90s, that homeownership rate hadn't moved in 30 years."

A media firestorm is ahead, he warned, and one target is the newer, more aggressive lending practices that lenders call "exotic" or "non-traditional."

Such loans involve more generous terms, sometimes with only minimal review of the borrowers' credit and often with initially small monthly payments that jump over time.

"Non-traditional products have been good for our industry and good for homeowners. We've got to get the news out that 96 percent of people did have success," Perry said of mortgage-holders.

Other speakers agreed that the next year or two could be rough for borrowers and lenders alike; after that, the housing market will stabilize and grow, courtesy of an infusion of immigrants and 20-somethings.

"It's going to be a fairly tough correction," said Dick Syron, chairman and CEO of Freddie Mac in Virginia, the nation's second-largest mortgage financier. "There's going to be a lot of heat about this, a lot of noise."

That's because the damages could be enormous, said Daniel H. Mudd, president and CEO of Fannie Mae in Washington, the nation's largest mortgage financier.

Thousands of people used adjustable-rate mortgage loans to buy or refinance in recent years, he noted, but such loans eventually rise through provisions called resets. "We've got $9 trillion in outstanding mortgages out there, and about $1 trillion are going to reset in 2007. It's difficult to predict the impact, but we know it's going to take some people from monthly payments in the hundreds (of dollars) to thousands," Mudd said.

Whether that strains the borrowers or ruins them hinges on the size of the gap between their debt and home equity, how secure their income is, and whether they can swing a quick sale if necessary, Mudd said.

"Getting more people into homes is a good thing," Mudd said, "but it's not entirely clear that everyone knew what they were getting into."

John M. Robbins, chairman and CEO of American Mortgage Network of San Diego, said reform would be his priority as the mortgage bankers' chairman in 2007.

"Borrowers should be well-informed, so they can make the best choices," Robbins said. Robbins proposed a standard loan form for all mortgages nationwide, written in short and clear language, listing the pros and cons of the type of loan being considered.

"It shouldn't be just one more paper to sign at closing, but provided before that, before underwriting, as a final gut check on whether this is a good choice," Robbins said.

Link: JS Online:.

Oak Leaf Trail extension to get ribbon-cutting

If you haven't already, be sure to check out the newest portion of the Oak Leaf Trail - - it is a very, very nice walk in the woods. The new extension takes you off busy 68th Street to some extent (as I noted in an earlier posts here, here and here).

Above: A shot of the new portion of the trail as it empties into the parking area on 68th Street.

From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

Ceremony to mark Oak Leaf Trail extension

Franklin portion takes path off busy road

By ANNYSA JOHNSON
[email protected]

Posted: Oct. 19, 2006

Franklin - Bikers and birders already have found it, but the newest leg of the Oak Leaf Trail will be christened by Milwaukee County and Franklin officials with a ribbon cutting early Saturday.

The 2.1-mile Root River Trail Extension picks up the existing Oak Leaf Trail at W. Drexel Ave., winds north along the Root River, crosses Rawson Ave. and continues to Anderson Lake and the trailhead on S. 68th St. near W. Loomis Road, according to the county.

The $1 million project was a collaboration of Milwaukee County, the City of Franklin and a local non-profit group known as JOLT, for Joining the Oak Leaf Trail. One of the most significant developments, supporters said, is that it moves the trail off busy S. 68th St.

"Honestly, this is one of my favorite segments of the trail," said Milwaukee County trails coordinator Guy Smith, who called the scenery along the Root River "awesome."

"You really feel like you're out in the country," he said.

The extension brings the Oak Leaf Trail to 108 miles, Smith said. The trail snakes through about 16 of the 19 Milwaukee County communities, and about half of it is off-road and paved like the new part in Franklin, he said.

The project was funded by an $800,000 federal grant, with Milwaukee County and JOLT each kicking in $100,000, the county said. Owners of a Franklin quarry, Payne & Dolan, and Vulcan Materials Co. provided an easement for a portion of the trail not owned by Milwaukee County, and the City of Franklin provided two parking lots along the trail.

The ribbon cutting will be at 9 a.m. Saturday at the trailhead parking lot on W. Drexel Ave. between S. 60th and S. 66th streets.

City Civic Center Zoning vs. City Center Design Overlay District

Above: The field being considered for "upscale commercial" development by builder Mark Carstensen.

With thanks to Joel Dietl, Franklin's Planning Manager, here's a thumbnail guide to the differences between a CITY CIVIC CENTER ZONE and a CITY CENTER DESIGN OVERLAY DISTRICT, both elements of discussion for the proposed Shops at Wyndham Village:

CITY CIVIC CENTER ZONING is what Mark Carstensen is requesting for this parcel of land (it's currently zoned  "R-2," which would permit multi-family residential  units). City Civic Center zoning allows for everything from government facilities (fire stations, etc.) to commercial buildings. It is meant to be pedestrian-friendly, "slightly more urban" than the surrounding suburb in terms of buildings allowed to be closer together, etc., but also tries to situate parking to the rear of buildings and away from where people would have to see it.

The parcel in question lays within the border of the CITY CENTER DESIGN OVERLAY DISTRICT (outlined in blue below).

The City Center Design Overlay District is meant to present a set of architectural and detail guidelines to anyone building within that district, based on the 27th Street Design Overlay District. Carstensen makes the point that since the land in question is within that district, rezoning it to City Civic Center is consistent with the Comprehensive Master Plan.

Residents nearby are a bit wary of the project because they fear a busy commercial complex near their homes, and because Carstensen has been unable to specify which stores might go into the complex (though he has mentioned Sendick's, which has not confirmed anything).

And, of course, WAL-MART is always something to be wary of. Up to now, Carstensen has been unable to guarantee that Wal-Mart will not build there. The zoning is fairly non-friendly to big boxes in terms of square footage allowed, he says, so Wal-Mart would not find The Shops at Wyndham Village appealing as a site. I have a feeling that residents in the surrounding area will need more assurance than that before they support the project.

A public hearing is scheduled for Halloween night.

The Shops at Wyndham Village and the "City Civic Center"

Further observations on the proposed "Shops at Wyndham Village" (labeled below as "Carstensen Commercial Development") and the "City Civic Center" concept.

The picture above shows placement of three Franklin "public utility" buildings within the blue border of the "City Center Design Overlay": the Police Station, City Hall and Library. The Post Office is farther south, cropped out of this picture (and, of course, not in pedestrian range of the above-named facilities).

It's a layout consistent with typical car-dependent suburban sprawl. Every facility is its own "pod" with oceans of parking all around (the Law Enforcement Center is particularly awe-inspiring in terms of available parking). There is no "City Center" where a person might park once and accomplish more than one thing in a single trip (say, visit the library and then mail a package). And, unfortunately, there are only banks on the corners across from the library (useful to a limited number of people).

Despite the apprehensions of people living across Drexel from the proposed "The Shops at Wyndham Village" (in a subdivision also built by Mark Carstensen), they might find it very nice to live in walking distance of upscale shopping and, one would assume, cafes and coffee shops. A public space! However, the parcel of land Carstensen was able to acquire is "sprawled out" away from the library/city hall area to the extent that it might become just another "pod" to drive to without a relationship to the public buildings of Franklin (which I first noted in this post). There's no sidewalk on Drexel connecting the library to the Carstensen site, and no plans to create one; it's up to each property owner to put in sidewalk.

Maybe commerical infill all along the Drexel "dead space," which would come with a sidewalk in front of each business? I wouldn't hold my breath. Why locate your business there if you can get inside Wyndham Village?

Instead, one might expect some further commercial development in the area across Hwy. 100 from the possible Shops at Wyndham Village (right next door to a SuperAmerica station and adjacent to neighborhoods; outlined in white above). Again, no relationship to the library, etc., but possibly nice for the neighborhoods and apartments to the west.

Can this area truly become a "civic center" without filling in some of the spaces between the Police Station, City Hall and the Library?