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Shaping Our Square
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| Shaping Our Square is a year-long opportunity to dream about and plan for our neighborhood. This effort is a joint project of Oakdale Neighbors, Fuller Area Neighbors, Southeast End Neighborhood Association, and the Boston Square Business Association with funding from the Dyer-Ives Foundation, The Grand Rapids Community Foundation, Comerica Bank, and United Growth for Kent County. A more comprehensive description of this project is available HERE. The expected outcome of this process is an Area Specific Plan to be amended to the City of Grand Rapids' Master Plan. Two other neighborhoods in Grand Rapids have developed area specific plans. Neighborhood Walkabout: November 2005 This planning process began by walking the neighborhood with architect Isaac Norris, urban planner Jay Hoekstra and several neighborhood stakeholders. Results of that event are HERE. Neighborhood Meeting: November 27, 2007: Kick-Off Shaping Our Square was launched on November 27, 2007 with an informational meeting attended by 40 neighborhood residents and stakeholders. The Grand Rapids Press covered this event with a short article about Boston Square. The results of the November 27 meeting are documented HERE. Neighborhood Meeting: January 29, 2008: SWOT Analysis The process continued with an analysis of neighborhood strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. You can see what neighbors think of the neighborhood HERE. The Grand Rapids Press and RapidGrowthMedia.com reported on the meeting. Neighborhood Meeting: February 28, 2008: Goals and Objectives On February 28, neighborhood stakeholders met to develop goals and objectives for the neighborhood. another statement of Values and Goals is here. Design Workshop #1: March 25, 2008 35 neighborhood stakeholders participated in this design workshop. A visual preference survey gave participants an opportunity to indicate what they like and don't like in sample residential buildings, commercial properties, and public space. (The results of that survey can be downloaded here: visual preference survey results.) With Build-A-Streetscape we chose streetscape elements such as lampposts, trees, and benches while staying within budget. Finally, small groups placed colored dots on maps to show which properties should be mixed-use commercial, medium density residential, green space, and more. RapidGrowthMedia.com covered this event with this story. Design Workshop #2: April 19, 2008 At this workshop 17 participants worked with design team OCBA and Isaac Norris to create, analyze, and refine possible designs for the neighborhood. The goal of the workshop was to move toward a consensus about what a transit and pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use neighborhood center would look like in the Boston Square area. WXMI (Fox 17) covered the event with a short story. RapidGrowthMedia.com also covered this event. MSU Urban Planning Report: May 6, 2008 Eight urban planning students from Michigan State University spent two months studying the neighborhood. Their observations and recommendations are reported in a PowerPoint presentation. You can download the full report by clicking HERE. The Grand Rapids Press wrote a story about the report. Resources: Click HERE to access a variety of maps for the planning area. City of Grand Rapids' Master Plan A visionary document that describes the Boston Square area as a potential mixed-use neighborhood center. Grand Rapids Street Classification Policy A 1996 report to guide the "future design, construction, and improvement of the City's network of major streets." The City of Grand Rapids Zoning Code See Article 6 on Mixed-Use Commercial Zone Districts and Section 5.6.02 D on Traditional Neighborhood - Transit Oriented Development Zone District (Core). The Brikyaat Plan, developed by the Midtown neighborhood, was recently adopted by the Grand Rapids City Commission. A copy of the MSU student report that contributed to this plan is available here. MSU students also did a study of the Fulton Street Farmers Market. The North Monroe Area Specific Plan was completed in June 2007. Michigan Transit-Oriented Development Information This PDF document is entitled "Using Transit-Oriented Development to Create Economic Vibrancy in Neighborhoods." Liveable Winter Cities Patrick Coleman writes "Living in Harmony with Winter" in the United Growth for Kent County newsletter. To learn more about neighborhood planning and design visit these sites: Louisville Kentucky Neighborhood Planning Program The Neighborhood Charette Handbook Neighborhood Planning on Wikipedia Project for Public Spaces |
