Sprawled Out: The Search for Community in the American Suburb

A voice of reason

Excellent point made via a letter to the editor to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

It's clear that drivers don't need more lanes

Paul Beitzel, a Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce vice president, and Beth Nichols, executive director of Milwaukee Downtown, both cited the lack of traffic congestion and minimal impact on downtown businesses caused by the Marquette Interchange project in the Nov. 26 Journal Sentinel ("Big interchange ramps ready to open").

This should come as no surprise. Drivers are remarkably resourceful both in finding alternative routes and in altering the time of day in which they drive. If a temporary reduction in freeway lanes caused by the Marquette Interchange project does not produce congestion, that tells me the existing number of lanes is adequate.

In view of this, one wonders why additional freeway lanes are needed.

Dennis Sell
Milwaukee

The truth is: If you build it, they will come (and congest). If you don't, they will find another way.

 

Link: JS Online:.

'Un-malls' capture spirit of shopping

From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Dennis McCann:

Posted: Nov. 25, 2006

Dennis McCann E-MAIL

It is my strict policy never to write about the next holiday before the last one is officially over, but judging by the picked-over bones of poor Tom Turkey, it seems time to move on. And that brings us to Christmas, with its carols and lights and, yes, its obligatory shopping duties, which too often result in crowded malls, even more crowded parking lots and often cookie-cutter stores.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, if it's your thing. But there are many (picture my hand raised high in the air here) who prefer what we might call the un-malls, places where a day of shopping can be a whole new, and at the same time old-fashioned, experience.

These are small towns, usually, where the shopping is downtown and outdoors the way the shopping gods intended, where there are opportunities for a good long lunch and glass of wine to break up the day, where history is part of the bargain and where you won't find many big boxes but just might find little treasures.

Well, curl my shoes and call me Elfie because I've got enough such places to suggest they wouldn't all fit in one column. Today, then, I'll focus on un-malls in southwestern Wisconsin and next week highlight a few places even closer to Milwaukee. And if you don't get there by Dec. 25 don't worry - take out the Christmas angle and the rest of this advice is evergreen.

Link: JS Online:.

Editorial: Midwest governors should advocate for high-speed rail

Posted: Nov. 25, 2006

By Howard A. Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center, a Midwest-based environmental and economic development advocacy organization.

Nationally, while the public voted for change on Nov. 7, Midwest voters re-elected four pragmatic governors in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota.

The combination of these second-term governors with the Democratic takeovers of the U.S. Senate and House - and going into the 2008 national elections, with pivotal Midwest electoral votes at stake - provides a potent force for cooperative regional solutions to pressing problems.

One starting point: The region's transportation system, which no longer works very well.

Business air travelers' frustration with flight delays, security hassles and poor service is palpable. Highway congestion is getting worse.

Travel times are maddeningly slow, wasteful and costly.

One solution: Jump-start the long-promised Midwest high-speed rail network, including the long-sought links between Milwaukee and Madison and through to Chicago and Minneapolis. This regional rail network would connect 10 major cities within a 400-mile radius of Chicago, along with the midsized cities in-between.

Modern, fast, comfortable, convenient trains operating at 100 mph to 125 mph can be time-competitive on a door-to-door basis. They can also pull together the regional economy and bolster the Midwest cities' business centers.

Because trains pollute less than cars and airplanes on a per-passenger-mile basis, rail development can help alleviate our global warming problems. And you can get productive work done while on a train.

In the absence of federal support, Wisconsin and other states have stepped up to support improved rail service. For example, Wisconsin's new Mitchell International Airport station has received rave reviews, and Milwaukee's new downtown train station should be a significant improvement.

Illinois appropriated funds this year to expand rail service between Chicago and Springfield, St. Louis, Champaign, Carbondale and Quincy, thereby breaking the ice for a next wave of upgraded rail service and capacity.

Michigan is continuing its partnership with Amtrak to increase speed and reduce travel times along the Detroit-Chicago corridor.

And Minnesota voters just amended the state constitution to funnel an extra $300 million a year into transportation projects.

As Mayor Richard Daley said in discussing Chicago's Olympics hopes: "You need better transportation to Milwaukee, you need better transportation to South Bend." Higher-speed rail is the only practical solution.

The region's congressional delegation rose to the challenge when the Bush administration tried last year to bankrupt Amtrak. Ridership in Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan is growing at double-digit rates, and the state transportation departments have committed to build a regional high-speed rail network.

But there is too little coordination across state lines and too little funding. States can't do it alone.

That's not how high-speed rail is succeeding on the East Coast, where Acela Express ridership grew more than 8% over the past year, reaching almost 2.7 million passengers. A similar federal-state partnership is needed in the Midwest.

The public is clearly demanding that government do better.

With travelers' frustration growing, it's time for the Midwest's governors to get together with the powerful congressional delegation to drum up the necessary financial support for high-speed rail development linking the Midwest's cities.

Let's make the region's interstate transportation system work much better.

Link: JS Online:.

Bike path might pave new way along KK river

Coalition envisions redevelopment, revitalization

By GEORGIA PABST
[email protected]

Posted: Nov. 24, 2006

The City of Milwaukee's commitment to build a 2.4-mile bike path along the Kinnickinnic River corridor next year has sparked an ambitious effort by a broad coalition to create a long-term plan for broader redevelopment and revitalization along the long-neglected south side river.

The city plans to build the trail, which would provide a link from the Bay View, Walker's Point and Lincoln Avenue Village areas to downtown, with a $2.4 million federal grant acquired through the Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Program, said Jeff Polenski, city engineer.

Some of the money will be used to buy abandoned railroad right of way for the path, and some will be used to improve the Greenfield Ave. bridge and build a bridge at S. Chase and S. First streets to connect the path, he said. The path would begin at S. 6th St. and W. Rosedale Ave., head north along the river and ultimately proceed to E. Washington and S. Water streets.

The bike trail project has proved a catalyst for consideration of other improvements along the Kinnickinnic River corridor, Polenski said.

The Kinnickinnic River runs for eight miles and is part of the 26-square-mile Kinnickinnic watershed, which includes all of the city of St. Francis and parts of Milwaukee, Cudahy, Greenfield, West Allis and West Milwaukee.

One of three rivers in Milwaukee, "the KK" has been viewed as a liability and not an amenity, according to assessments made by Friends of Milwaukee's Rivers and others. To address flooding issues in the densely urban area, much of the river was lined with concrete 35 years ago and few saw potential for rejuvenation.

"Because of the degraded environmental conditions of the river, there has been little support for protecting and restoring the environmental quality of the river itself," said Ben Gramling of the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center.

The center, which is spearheading the new planning efforts for the KK, undertook a similar process for remediation and redevelopment in the Menomonee Valley in the 1990s.

"The city can now see results of what's happening in the Menomonee Valley because of the work that began 10 to 12 years ago and because of the strong partnership between the city, the Sixteenth Street Health Center and others," said Mayor Tom Barrett at a meeting on the KK project.

"The future of the city depends on the quality of life and on taking advantage of the great natural assets we have - some that have been neglected and fallen into disrepair over time," he told about 65 people. "There's great potential here for plans that can be turned into action," he added.

By remediating some of the environmental conditions along the river, open spaces could be developed along with recreational amenities along the river's corridor, Gramling said. That could bring improvements to the diverse urban neighborhoods in the area, along with new investments by the private sector, he added.

So in addition to city officials, such as the city engineer, and officials from the Department of City Development, the state Department of Natural Resources, the National Parks Service, Community Design Solutions at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, community groups, residents and others were brought together to discuss and dream about what could link the new bike path with its neighboring communities.

This month, more than 100 people from various disciplines, organizations and interests met in small groups and focused on six areas along the path.

They envisioned "creative and practical" amenities that might work within a half-mile or 20-minute walk from the trail, said Ray Isaacs of the UWM School of Architecture and Urban Planning. The groups outlined possibilities, from community gardens to recreational, educational and ecology centers, a coffee shop, soccer field and public art.

The sewerage district has also recently approved $400,000 to study the feasibility of removing the concrete along a two-mile stretch of the KK from S. 6th to S. 27th streets, Gramling said.

"It will all take time and resources moving forward," Gramling said. But he and others believe that with planning, education and outreach to all segments of the community, there's "the potential that the river can become a river once again" and a resource for all.

From the Nov. 25, 2006 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Link: JS Online:.

New route for Milwaukee region commuter rail

Proposal requires more money, more trains and Kenosha terminus

By LARRY SANDLER
[email protected]

Posted: Nov. 24, 2006

As soon as next month, regional leaders could start discussing whether to get aboard a $237 million plan to link Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha and the southern suburbs with commuter trains.

Rail backers are touting the plan's expected economic benefits, while the new Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Transit Authority is wrestling with how to pay for the service.

If the effort succeeds, it would bring back a mode of transportation that disappeared from Milwaukee about 40 years ago. Commuter rail lines run on existing freight tracks, connecting a major city and its suburbs. They're designed for local trips, unlike intercity Amtrak trains such as the Milwaukee-to-Chicago Hiawatha line.

In its latest form, the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail line, or KRM Commuter Link, would offer more frequent service and more stops - but at a higher cost - than the version that emerged from a previous study in 2003. Passengers would have to change trains to continue into Illinois.

The project's steering committee is recommending KRM trains run 14 round trips each weekday, and seven on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. With the aid of connecting buses and shuttles, workers could ride trains to and from their jobs, while others could use trains to reach colleges, shops, entertainment and festivals.

Trains would stop at downtown Milwaukee's Amtrak station; new stations on the south side (probably Bay View), Cudahy, South Milwaukee, Oak Creek, Caledonia and the Town of Somers; Racine's renovated train station; and Kenosha's Metra commuter train station. Some trains could continue to Waukegan, Ill.

Shuttle buses would run from the downtown Milwaukee station to other downtown destinations; from the Cudahy station to Mitchell International Airport; and from the Somers station to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

Fares would be similar to Chicago's Metra trains, at less than $10 one-way between Milwaukee and Kenosha.

Separate from Metra

For years, the proposed rail line has been described as a Metra extension. But the new version would be a separate system connecting with Metra at Kenosha or Waukegan.

Metra, an Illinois governmental agency, has said it could not provide service to another state. The Union Pacific railroad pays for service between the state line and Kenosha because that is less expensive than building a new facility for trains to turn around at the border. And the South Shore line, from Chicago to South Bend, Ind., is largely funded by Indiana taxpayers and run as a separate system, in coordination with Metra.

Wisconsin planners also found the KRM line would have more flexibility if it wasn't directly tied to Metra, said Fred Patrie, chairman of the KRM steering committee.

The 2003 study called for a $152 million line with seven round trips on weekdays and three on weekends and holidays. Patrie said closer study found a 14-train schedule would be more cost-effective, drawing 1.43 million rides a year. The price tag rose because of the increased service, inflation and the need to build a rail yard and shops instead of using Metra facilities, said Ken Yunker, deputy director of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.

Also, the 2003 study didn't include the Bay View stop, which was pushed by Milwaukee city officials and neighbors.

If authorities move quickly enough, service could start by 2010, providing an alternative to driving on I-94 when freeway reconstruction moves into high gear between Milwaukee and the state line, Patrie said.

Consultants also found that the rail line would spur development near stations; provide better access to jobs, colleges, cultural events and Mitchell International Airport; and help reduce traffic congestion, air pollution and urban sprawl, Yunker said.

But officials still don't know how they'd pay for the service. At a regional transit authority meeting Monday, Yunker suggested the federal government could pick up as much as 90% of the capital cost. Kenosha Transit chief Len Brandrup, an authority member, called that estimate unrealistic. Congress has authorized $80 million for the line to date.

Operating costs would run $14.7 million a year, with fares covering $3.8 million. The Virchow Krause & Co. consulting firm is studying nearly 20 options to pick up the remaining $10.9 million, ranging from sales, gas and property taxes to tax-incremental financing districts that would use tax growth from rising property values near stations.

Brandrup said new property taxes would be "dead on arrival." Milwaukee County public works chief George Torres, another authority member, and state Rep. Jeff Stone (R-Greendale) said they were intrigued by the tax-district idea. Brandrup said it would take years for property values to grow enough to produce a revenue stream.

It will be up to the regional transit authority to push the process forward for federal approval and to recommend how to finance it. New or increased taxes would need the approval of the state Legislature or local governments. Public hearings are expected in late December or early January.

Before that happens, the idea will be discussed by the Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha mayors and county executives. Leaders of the Milwaukee 7 regional development group will discuss it Wednesday.

From the Nov. 25, 2006 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Link: JS Online:.

Reasons to be Thankful

Terrence Berres' blog, The Provincial Emails, links here in the context of "those who say Franklin epitomizes the faults of suburbia."

I hope I'm being clear in my analysis of Franklin's planning and growth struggles that my issues are with the idiosyncrasies involved in attempting to create a real community - - physical and otherwise - - and not the people here. In fact, my family plans to move in the near future, and we're relocating within Franklin precisely because the schools and people here are wonderful.

Terrence raises a good point, though. I'll have to be sure to post items about the many positive aspects of Franklin alongside the usual suburban frustrations. For people who live here, there is much to be thankful for and potentially much to look forward to (two dangling prepositions for the price of one).

And the Franklin High School football team - - undefeated all season - - won the state championship in overtime!

Letter to the editor: Fees cover the costs driving imposes on society

Governor Doyle has proposed a substantial increase in license fees (following the repeal of automatic gas tax hikes). The move prompted this letter to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that gets to the heart of the matter:

In the stir about increased license fees, cited in the article "DOT seeks 46% boost in car fee," an important issue was left out.

License fees are not just a payment for the privilege to drive. They are also a user fee for the costs that driving imposes on society. Different kinds of vehicles impose greater costs on other taxpayers when they drive. Heavier and less fuel-efficient cars spew more pollution into the air and put greater wear and tear on the roads.

State license fees typically vary by vehicle type or class of license issued. Why not vary vehicle fees by fuel mileage? Wisconsin could easily create such a program. The fuel-mileage data for each car type is already kept by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Wisconsin drivers shouldn't pay more than they have to, but they should pay in proportion to the costs they create.

Dan Kohler
State director, WISPIRG

Madison

Link: JS Online:.

Remade City Centers Find Mass Appeal

From The Washington Post. Excellent interactive map here:

By Kim Hart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 13, 2006; D01

The old town, it seems, is the new thing. Clarendon is one of hundreds of so-called urban villages around the country that combine residential, retail and office space in a compact area, harking back to a time when city centers were thriving economic engines. As demand for the urban village rises, developers and retailers are flocking to cash in on its mass-market appeal.

The number of mixed-use projects of 15 acres or more has been increasing by about 28 percent a year since 1996, according to New Urban News. In 2004, the most recent figure available, 650 projects at various stages of completion existed throughout the country.

Businesses in urban villages generate more revenue than those in traditional shopping centers and strip malls, planners say. Shoppers spend $84 an hour in an urban village's street-side stores; in a typical enclosed mall, they spend $57.50 an hour, according to the Urban Land Institute. Some large retailers bring in almost 20 percent more revenue per square foot in a village setting.

"Retailers know the power of the place-making dividend. People stay longer, come back more often and spend more money in places that attract their affection," said Ed McMahon, a senior fellow at the Urban Land Institute. "No one wants to go to a strip mall to hang out."

Instead, people amble along pedestrian-friendly streets in places like Bethesda, Takoma Park and Silver Spring. Downtown Alexandria and Annapolis epitomize the model, experts say, weaving together the threads of an old-fashioned main street in a modern setting.

Urban villages attract a desirable set of demographics -- young professionals in dual-income households as well as empty-nesters and retirees, often with disposable income.

"What's really driving it is profit," said John Norquist, president of the Congress for the New Urbanism. "Everybody's trying to recreate the urban form because that's what the consumer wants."

The model is not new -- it's a return to a centuries-old pattern of people settling in clusters where they live, work and socialize. But the postwar baby boom and the automobile culture created the suburban phenomenon of the 1950s, in which shopping centers and residential neighborhoods were geographically separate. As sprawl and traffic congestion mounted, planners criticized suburbs as soulless. In rebellion, new urbanism surfaced in the last quarter of the 20th century, trying to recreate walkable, mixed-use communities.

Some such communities evolve naturally. Some are built from scratch by developers and planners. Some, like Clarendon, are a combination of both.

Many urban villages take 20 years to create. Changing zoning codes and assembling property is expensive and time consuming, often requiring the involvement of local government. Arlington County began planning villages around the five Metro stops in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor in 1984, placing it ahead of the curve.

The existing number of urban villages "serves only a very tiny portion of the region's total need," said Christian Nelson, Director of Urban Affairs and Planning at Virginia Tech's Northern Virginia center.

He estimates that the demand for this type of development is five to 10 times higher than the current supply.

To keep a neighborhood from turning into a shopping mall -- or a carbon copy of another town -- experts say developers should concentrate on retaining local character.

"The historical and social fabric has to be retained in the place to keep it from becoming another Ballston or Bethesda," Nelson said. "Use the market revenue to sustain a piece of that memory."

Link: Remade City Centers Find Mass Appeal - washingtonpost.com.

Village concept a hit

News from Virginia:

BY SABINE C. HIRSCHAUER
   
   November 15 2006

NEWPORT NEWS -- A local developer wants to turn about 190 acres of woods along the Newport News-York County line into a village-style neighborhood that includes shops and anywhere between 1,000 and 3,000 houses, town houses, condominiums and apartments.

News of the development, called Huntington Pointe, comes at a time when residents in the northernmost section of Newport News await construction of Asheton, an upscale, 1,685-house neighborhood in Lee Hall.

Some who have seen the plans for Huntington Pointe have likened it to Port Warwick in the Oyster Point section of Newport News, but the developer disagrees.

Before Huntington Pointe becomes a reality, though, a number of things have to happen:

The developer, McCale Development Corp. of Newport News, needs to buy about 74 acres in York County along Richneck Road for at least $1.23 million.

The land, owned by Newport News Waterworks, is considered surplus because it does not drain into the city's reservoirs. In exchange, the utility wants 12 acres from McCale on Baptist Road in York County - land that drains into a reservoir.

York County and Newport News need to adjust their boundaries so that the development would be only in Newport News. That would make it easier to build a road that would connect Denbigh and Fort Eustis boulevards and would dissect Huntington Pointe.

And it would make sense for York County because the children who would live there would attend Newport News schools, said Mark Carter, York's assistant county administrator.

The City Council has scheduled a public hearing on the swap for Nov. 28.

Newport News must rezone the land to allow for the development.

If all of that happens, construction of roads, sewer and water lines could start in 2008.

"There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle," said Jonathan W. Hartley with Brandon Currence Architect, McCale's consultant on the project.

Huntington Pointe follows a design concept called new urbanism, which has become more popular as cities and counties try to rein in urban sprawl and create neighborhoods that look more like old-style villages with shops and town squares.

Port Warwick is an example of new urbanism in Newport News, but Hartley said Huntington Pointe would be very different from Port Warwick.

"The concept is not to reproduce Port Warwick," he said.

Huntington Pointe would offer more houses and focus on a more diverse and larger mix of home styles, and it would include housing that more middle class residents can afford, said Brandon Currence, a McCale consultant, who was the architect behind Port Warwick.

"We're talking about homes that teachers, firefighters and police officers can afford," Currence said.

So far, price ranges for the houses have not been set.

Huntington Pointe has support on the Newport News City Council.

"It will be a nice project," Newport News Mayor Joe S. Frank said. "It will be very attractive and well-received by the public."

Sharon Scott, one of two City Council members who represents north Newport News, said she supports the project primarily because it offers affordable housing.

"We need the market of housing (that the developer) proposes," she said.

The developer has agreed to spend about $5 million to build the road that would run through Huntington Pointe. Newport News and York officials have wanted the road for years to ease traffic congestion.

"It creates a parallel to Jefferson Avenue, which is long needed," said Neil Morgan, an assistant city manager in Newport News.

"It gives you an alternative route and decreases cut-through traffic between Jefferson Avenue and Denbigh Boulevard."

What's more, the road would offer stores in Huntington Pointe a lot of exposure, Currence said.

Link: Daily Press: Village concept a hit.

Editorial: Questions in Oconomowoc

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Posted: Nov. 12, 2006

Oconomowoc Mayor Maury Sullivan is exactly right. The city should be asking questions about what kind of retailers will be going into the Pabst Farms development just north of I-94 and east of Highway 67. No community should ever give carte blanche to any developer. The size and type of stores help set the tone for a development and become a part of the culture of a community.

So the mayor was on target when he said recently he had questions about what kind of big-box developments developers envision for a 50-acre addition to the previously announced 110-acre Pabst Farms Town Center. Representatives of developer General Growth Properties Inc. unveiled plans for the addition at a meeting of the Plan Commission, chaired by Sullivan.

What should not be in doubt is the advantage to the city and the surrounding communities that will come with the development of the town center and the interest of retailers in placing stores there. Right now, the semi-developed Pabst Farms has a lonely feel. There are lovely homes surrounded by lovely fields and a preserved wetland. There's a great new YMCA. And there's a shopping center with nice new stores.

It's just doesn't seem very busy - at least not yet. Stand at one end and you get the feeling you'll hear an echo if you shout toward the other.

But all that is changing, and the change will bring increased economic activity, new jobs and more families to the area. Done right, Pabst Farms could become an engine of economic development in the region.

"Retailers want to be here. It's going to be a retail node for the region," said Louis Bucksbaum, senior vice president of General Growth Properties. That's exciting news, especially at a time when other businesses are talking about leaving Wisconsin.

Granted, the stores at Pabst Farms won't be the next incarnation of Silicon Valley. But they will provide jobs and another reason to travel to western Waukesha County - and perhaps they'll help attract families to live there. That in turn, can help attract new employers who are looking for a quality work force.

No, Pabst Farms isn't a magic wand. But it could be a useful tool.

Of course, tools change things. And the Oconomowoc area, including the nearby Town of Summit, will change as a result of Pabst Farms. It may not be the quaint community it once was. And not everyone will like that.

Which is why officials such as Sullivan are right to be on their guard against changes that would do serious harm to the identity of Oconomowoc, one of the loveliest communities in southeastern Wisconsin.

The trick will be to manage that change in a way that retains what has always been best about the area. But it would be a mistake to stand in the way of change - and of the economic progress it can bring.

From the Nov. 13, 2006 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Link: JS Online:.