by Stanford Harvey on August 4th, 2009
Urban Collage, Inc. prepared a Strategic Master Plan for the City of Fountain Inn, SC that will serve as a guide for future growth, development and revitalization within the historic city. The plan for the city of 6,000 focuses on developing physical and economic revitalization strategies for sustaining and improving the City’s downtown core and surrounding areas.
Core issues included the need to stabilize and improve the downtown business environment, aesthetic improvements to historic downtown buildings, preserving the City’s historic character, and management of increasing residential development pressure. Plan initiatives include narrowing Main Street to promote a more pedestrian-friendly downtown shopping area, promoting higher quality residential development to provide additional housing opportunities and price points and developing new marketing materials to promote the town to prospective employers, residents and visitors.
Read more about Strategic Master Plan for the City of Fountain Inn, SC
by Stanford Harvey on August 4th, 2009
Urban Collage is leading the creation of a growth management and development blueprint for the Town of Braselton, GA. The comprehensive plan update includes a look at market trends affecting the city and how they can reinforce the town’s key strengths and characteristics. A recent article detailed some of the planning effort’s preliminary findings and the potential ramifications for the city.
Read more about Braselton
by Stanford Harvey on August 3rd, 2009
Urban Collage is part of a team lead by EOP Architects that is designing the new main campus of Bluegrass Community and Technical College at the former Eastern State Mental Hospital site just northwest of Downtown Lexington. The new campus for over 8,000 students is seen as a key economic catalyst for the continued revitalization of the area. Recently, a series of stakeholder and public meetings were held on this important project and the attached article describes the overall efforts.
Read more about Bluegrass Community and Technical College Newtown Pike Campus Plan
by Stanford Harvey on July 15th, 2009
The Red Mile Development Plan is a progressive infill development project located in the heart of Lexington, KY at the nation’s second oldest standing chariot racing venue. The Red Mile is a 138 acre plot of land surrounded by mid-high density residential development and light-heavy industrial land use. The Development Plan utilizes 62 acres of prime land that fronts along the Red Mile Road site, and includes concepts for: commercial space, residential units, office space and open space including the Red Mile Greenway. The plan strives to enhance the existing historic fabric on site while also providing new opportunities to the region, and is one of, if not the first, major mixed-use developments in Lexington. It is designed to be a walkable community and a major entertainment destination for the city of Lexington that will utilize major destination retail, restaurants, and an improved Red Mile race track facility to attract visitors and residents.
Read more about Red Mile on Kentucky.com
“I’ll take ‘Public Involvement’ for a thousand, please, Alex…”
by Dennis Madsen on August 5th, 2009When an employee first starts at Urban Collage, one of his or her earliest crucibles is participation in a public meeting. Our firm has done literally hundreds of workshops, in a wide array of formats, for communities large and small, and for audiences both accommodating and, shall we say, ‘opinionated’. Learning how to moderate without directing, and how to inform without biasing, are key skills for a Collager. But another challenge is how, after scores of meetings, UC can keep the public meeting format fresh and interesting. How can we avoid the process becoming formulaic, while maintaining its usefulness and dynamism?In Prattville, Alabama, we tried out a new tack…
Read more of “I’ll take ‘Public Involvement’ for a thousand, please, Alex…”