The latest edition of Urban Times has a number of valuable articles dealing with sustainability issues. All 3 of the articles up on the web (in pdf form) have a green tint:
- The latest renderings of the Cultural Trail. Mentioned in the article is the transformation to parallel parking spaces along the 800 block of Mass Ave, thus eliminating many little-used spaces.
- An effort to raise funds to add recycling containers to Mass Ave.
- A food co-op is in the works on the Near East Side.
Unfortunately, the article that made the most impression on me is not available on the web. It was the message sent by the President of the Chatham Arch Neighborhood Association. He cited the Historic Preservation Plan and used sections of it to prove his point: that Chatham Arch is to remain primarily residential.
I still have a hard time with CANA’s rejection of everything non-residential. That this article shows up in a newsletter named “Urban Times” is quite a paradox. I have to imagine that a major reason that people live in Chatham Arch is because of its proximity to stores and restaurants. The northern end of Chatham Arch lacks these assets, and the Chatham Center project would certainly help on that aspect.
I wonder whether it’s really a rejection of “anything non-residential” or rather a rejection of “anything non-historical.”
In reading the historic plan for Old Northside, the goal is to preserve not just individual buildings, but the balance of the neighborhood as a whole in comparison to it’s historic roots.
I imagine Chatham Arch has a similar mission set out in their plan, and perhaps they were a strongly residential area.
Our plan is available to peruse online at IHPC’s site; perhaps the CANA plan is, too.
Thanks for the comment. I am not really a big fan of putting a place off limits for development like that, mainly because it turns down small, neighborhood-friendly infill, and in turn sprawl becomes a more attractive option.
I would also add that historically there were many more neighborhood serving businesses back in the day. College, Mass Ave, 10th, 16th, 21st all bustling. The city like many others has contracted over time and now it is expanding back a bit, people naturally forget what makes a city work again. The city is NOT the suburbs and we should resist in my opinion applying suburban aesthetics to urban areas. I live in Cottage Home and our recent IHPC plan calls for commercial along our boundaries. The reason is not because it was necessarily historical (which it was) but because we believe it will enhance rather than detract from our lives. I can't imagine not having our beloved Dorman Street Saloon!