Planning-Community Development | The Collaborative https://www.thecollaborative.com Change for Good Fri, 13 Nov 2020 21:28:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.thecollaborative.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/cropped-thecollab-favicon-002-32x32.png Planning-Community Development | The Collaborative https://www.thecollaborative.com 32 32 Durham City Center Plan https://www.thecollaborative.com/mixed-use-development/ Mon, 18 Sep 2017 18:50:45 +0000 https://thecollaborative.com/?p=1687

Community Development

The challenge to all community development projects is encouraging growth that enhances the character of a community. The process requires a commitment to collaboration and judgment to bring together a mix of many voices, clear information and well-honed ideas.

Durham City Center Plan

City of Durham, NC

Publication of Ed Shoucair’s plan for revitalizing downtown Durham, NC, in the Durham Morning Herald is considered one of the turning points in the revitalization of the city’s center. As reported in the “Durham Morning Herald,” “The plan envisions the whole downtown a civic center.”

Shoucair’s plan called for applying a mixed-use approach, including revising zoning ordinances to permit the creation of housing and artist lofts above downtown retail, investment in new commercial uses, implementation of pedestrian-friendly urban design guidelines, and construction of programmed small and large outdoor spaces to enliven downtown day and night. A range of subsequent public-private redevelopment initiatives have today made downtown a desirable place to live, work, dine, shop and recreate.

Mixed-Use Development - City of Durham, NC

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]]> Planning, Visioning, and Community Development https://www.thecollaborative.com/planning-visioning-and-community-development/ Sun, 17 Sep 2017 00:56:39 +0000 https://thecollaborative.com/?p=1321

Community Development

The challenge to all community development projects is encouraging growth that enhances the character of a community. The process requires a commitment to collaboration and judgment to bring together a mix of many voices, clear information and well-honed ideas.

Planning, Visioning, and Community Development

City of Sandy Springs, GA

Since 2011, the Collaborative has managed the Departments of Community Development, Economic Development, and Communications for the City of Sandy Springs. The firm oversees comprehensive planning, zoning, board of appeals process, land development, landscape architecture, and building department. Additionally, staff led a highly participatory downtown master plan process with the goal of creating a unique, vibrant, and walkable city center. Subsequently the City committed $275-million to create a new City Hall, 1,000-seat performing arts center, large city center green, and structured parking. This investment has since triggered significant housing, retail, and office development downtown.

Recently the firm’s principals Joe Brevard and Ed Shoucair led a visioning process to revise the City’s comprehensive plan, including designing an online survey and facilitating public meetings. Leaders of Sandy Springs civic associations also participated a focus group to share their thoughts on the challenges and opportunities facing the city. Eva Galambos, Former Mayor of Sandy Springs noted, “The Collaborative provides thoughtful expertise and creative thinking as they assist the city in our community development and communications programs, working with us from the development of our city center to community relations.”

City of Sandy Springs, GA - Planning, Visioning, and Community Development

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]]> Pine Hills Planned Unit Development https://www.thecollaborative.com/pine-hills-planned-unit-development/ Tue, 19 Sep 2017 09:09:40 +0000 https://thecollaborative.com/?p=1705

Community Development

The challenge to all community development projects is encouraging growth that enhances the character of a community. The process requires a commitment to collaboration and judgment to bring together a mix of many voices, clear information and well-honed ideas.

Pine Hills Planned Unit Development

Town of Plymouth, MA

The Town of Plymouth’s bylaws provided for an “open space and planned unit development” project on one of the state’s largest privately owned parcels. The Greene Company, a residential development firm, prepared a planned unit development for the 3,000-acre site that proposed the creation of a new town of approximately 2,000 homes and 2 million square feet of retail and commercial development. The Collaborative, working with Earth Tech engineers, led a comprehensive review of the Greene Company proposal and behalf of the Town of Plymouth. The size of the project, its proximity to the town’s geographic center, and its historic and ecological features made this project the focus of much community concern. The town used this review for negotiations with the developer and ultimately approved the plan.

Nicholas Filla, Chairman of the Plymouth Planning Board remarked, “You and your colleagues were instrumental in helping us tread the line between a diverse set of community interests, provisions of the by-law, and the economic interests and creativity of the developer’s team. Thank you for your extra efforts in site buffers, public trails, open space, wildlife connections, and ‘Community Green’ area designs. Your firm’s experience with landscape design, public participation, environmental planning, and planning were all useful during this review.”

Pine Hills Planned Unit Development - Town of Plymouth, MA

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]]> Onset Village Market Study & Streetscape Design https://www.thecollaborative.com/onset-village-market-study-streetscape-design/ Tue, 19 Sep 2017 09:24:54 +0000 https://thecollaborative.com/?p=1713

Community Development

The challenge to all community development projects is encouraging growth that enhances the character of a community. The process requires a commitment to collaboration and judgment to bring together a mix of many voices, clear information and well-honed ideas.

Onset Village Market Study & Streetscape Design

Town of Wareham, MA

As part of a comprehensive initiative to revitalize the seaside village of Onset, the Collaborative prepared a streetscape improvement design for the downtown area of this unique and historic section of Wareham, MA. The firm’s transportation planners, in collaboration with Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates, simultaneously conducted a parking study for the village. The interaction between the two projects led to a strong, integrated resolution to circulation issues for the enhancement of the Village of Onset.

The sentiment of the community was summed up by – Marie Oliva, Executive Director, of the Onset Bay Association, when she stated, “Your Streetscape Design Plan is both innovative and achievable. It enhances the unique character of our village center, and greatly satisfies the needs of both residents and businesses alike.”

Onset Village Market Study & Streetscape Design - Town of Wareham, MA

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]]> Reading PUD Zoning https://www.thecollaborative.com/mixed-use-development-reading/ Tue, 19 Sep 2017 09:19:04 +0000 https://thecollaborative.com/?p=1708

Community Development

The challenge to all community development projects is encouraging growth that enhances the character of a community. The process requires a commitment to collaboration and judgment to bring together a mix of many voices, clear information and well-honed ideas.

Reading PUD Zoning

Town of Reading, MA

Ed Shoucair co-authored creative improvements in the zoning bylaw for the Town of Reading, MA, to transform a 34-acre landfill into a major mixed-use development. Turning a former landfill into a mixed-use development that is a major force in the regional economy requires good planning, an energized public involvement process, and innovative land use strategies that serves both the host municipality and the business community. This highly successful development exists due to a Planned Unit Development zoning bylaw that was approved at the Town Meeting following a three-month public engagement process.

George Hines, Chair of the Reading Planning Board, remarked, “You provided us with extremely accurate, thorough, and well-thought-out analysis, recommendations, and guidance in this complicated matter of a Planned Unit Development amendment to our Zoning By-Laws. We found you to be always well prepared, knowledgeable, trustworthy and conscientious.”

Mixed-Use Development - Town of Reading, MA

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