South Central Avenue:An Activy-Living Case Study

Samantha Thomas 27 April 2009 Urbs3500

S t u d y A r e aBroadway St.-18th Ave.

37th Ave NE

29th Ave NE

Cen

tral A

ve

NE Lowry Ave

ShorehamYards

Columbia GolfCourse

27th Ave NE

Cen

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Park NorthSegment

Urban

Transition

CentralSegment

SouthSegment

Creative

18th Ave NE

NE Broadway St

Central A

venue

Central Avenue connects downtown Minneapolis to Columbia Heights and other northern suburbs. It operates both as a destination and a through-route, which means its image, is primarily the experience for those passing through Northeast en route to somewhere else. The corridor’s image is influenced by large industrial land use, buildings and open space patterns on both sides of the street. Central Avenue is a Commercial Corridor. As the City of Minneapolis states, “Commercial Corridors are streets that are zoned primarily commercial and carry high volumes of automobile traffic and retain a traditional urban form in the buildings and street orientation of businesses.” These are key characteristics of Central Avenue, where the stripe is a barren landscape of cement, dedicated to the automobile, where little attention or focus has been made for the pedestrian, cyclist, or resident who may simply want to grab fresh produce or read in a park. The corridor is made up of three areas with different characteristics. The areas as defined by the 2008 Central Avenue Small Area Plan as; the “park” area or North Segment from 37 Ave. NE to 27th Ave. NE, the “urban” area or Central Segment from 27 Ave. NE to 18th Ave NE, and the “creative” and “transitional” areas of the South Segment from 18th Ave. NE to NE Broadway Street and then south to 7th Street SE.

Central Avenue is a long, complicated, and dynamic corridor. It is a gateway, an historic commercial core for Northeast, and it is the front door to nine neighborhoods. The corridor and surrounding neighbor-hoods are constantly changing. Today, the Avenue does not substantially or adequately serve its neighbor-hoods. Surveys taken from the Central Avenue Small Area Plan indicate that few Northeasters frequent Central Avenue businesses, and those that do tend to patronize single establishments instead of using the Avenue for a range of daily needs and activities. Thus the corridor needs to be improved by creating a stronger relationship between the Avenue and surrounding neighborhoods. An Active-living revitaliza-tion plan is what this area needs to create an environment that will provide a range of goods and services for residents, attract a wider range of customers from throughout the region, and present opportunities for people to work, shop, and play closer to where they live. To create strong transformation of the area the ur-ban systems such as transit, zoning, and parks need to be looked at to help create connective and attractive neighborhood revitalization. In this Active-Living site analysis I will be focusing on the South Segment of Central Avenue.

I will be focusing on the 140 acre square quadrant from NE Broadway St. on the south 18th Ave NE on north, Washington Ave. to the West and Fillmore St to the East. This area is in the Southeast corner of the Northeast Arts District where over 50 percent of Northeast’s 400 independent artists have studios here. The vibrant arts community is invisible and seems inaccessible from the main drag –Central Ave mainly due to the area’s large industrial land use.Two active rail lines run through the site, which adds character, but complicates its legibility and acces-sibility. The rail and industrial land uses create grade changes and irregular block shapes and an inconsis-tent image. The street site is disconnected and there are few ways to enter and move through the site. The building stock is primarily industrial warehouses that are old, large and are in need of redevelopment and reuse. The Surrounding neighborhood is housing stock of larger Victorian-style single family homes and duplex homes with several apartment buildings in the area. There are several small neighborhood parks within this site; Logan Park west of Central Avenue, and Northeast Park and Athletic Fields and Beltrami Park east of Central Avenue. Due to the rail and industrial zone on both sides of Central Avenue the Logon Park neighborhood and Northeast Park neighborhood remain very separate, even though they are easily in the ¼ to ½ of a mile walking radius.

There is a lot of opportunity to improve the physical relationship between Central Avenue and its neigh-borhoods of Logan and Northeast Park. This can be achieved by creating a lively active pedestrian-ori-ented street that supports and connects the current art warehouse studios, other existing entrepreneurs and attracts new investments, all which will help stabilize the surrounding neighborhoods and make the southern segment of Central Avenue a place people can see, get to, and want to be.

Central Avenue depends on surrounding neighborhoods for its success, but the inter-face between the Avenue and the neighborhoods is frayed. In places mainly sidewalks, roads, and large expancess of open parking lors make condi-tions inhospitable and blighted. Well designed developments, streetscaping, and improved circulation patterns can define and improve the neighborhoods conectivity.

Challenges:Daytime population is lacking.•Businesses serve niches, not •neighborhoods.The streetscape is not unified.•The commercial area has no •distinguishing features, buildings, or open spaces.Large open spaces, industrial areas, and •surrounding low-density neighbor-hoods create a limited local market.

Solultions:Create direct neighborhoods access to •parks and pathsActively participate in community-•based health and encourage social support as means o sustain physical activity through greening the street, community gardens and markets.Remove physical barriers that •discourage active living by adding Bike Lanes, walkable sidewalks, and bridges.

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Solution: Create a roundabout intersection

Roundabouts keep traffic moving. The major delay on a person’s morning or evening commute is usually the time spent sitting at traffic signals. Eliminating the need to stop and wait reduces delay.

Roundabouts are pedestrian friendly. The splitter islands (see illustration) provide a space for pedestrians in the middle of each crossing. Therefore, pedestrians only need to cross one direction of traffic at a time. The pedestrian crosswalks (black bar) are set at least one full car length back from the yield line. That way, pedestrians do not have to cross in front of drivers that are looking for their gap in traffic. Studies by the Insurance Highway Safety have shown that the stopped vehicle one car length back from the yield line is more aware of pedestrians.

Roundabouts have design features specifically intended to accommodate trucks, buses, tractors, and larger vehicles. The main characteristic is a truck apron, a slightly raised area around the center island allowing larger trucks easier circulation in the roundabout. It is typically 3 to 4 inches higher than the paved roadway. A truck apron is used instead of increasing the normal driving width to prevent smaller vehicles from achieving higher speeds through the roundabout. With a properly designed truck apron, a roundabout is able to accommodate all types of larger vehicles, such as buses. This is a needed feaeture in this area because of its industrial zone many trucks are still navigating these roadways.

From the north, Central Avenue is the gateway to Minneapolis. From the south, it is the gateway to Northeast. These are significant places in the city and community that are not marked or differ-entiated. These gateways should be acknowledged and celebrated with memorable gestures us-ing art, buildings, and/or landscapes.

Recognize Central Avenue as a gateway to NE Minneapolis and Downtown. Emphasize points of arrival with artistic elements. Reinforce Central Avenue’s identity at Broadway and Central.

Problem: This intersection is a significant point to the Central Corridor and is highly traficted. However, it is a large cement oaisas and is thus very unfriendly and indimidating to the cyclist or pedestrian.

Proposed Roundabout for Broadway Street and Central Avenue

Center Island that is greened with •commissioned Art Piece by local art-ist to integrate the art emphasis of the area.Greened Splitter islands that create •a more pedestrian friendly crossing zone as well as waiting oasis. Red on map symbolizes bike lanes •that merge from street level to inte-grated biker/pedestrian path. The biker/pedestrian path is sepa-•rated by more greening. Other amenities can be added such •as benches, places to lock bicycles, and improved transit stops.

Connecting Through Bike Designate Lanes and RoutesThe bicycle network throughout the Northeast area is rather incomplete. The only significant piece of a connected bikeway system is through Columbia Golf Course and Park and along St.Anthony Parkway. Thus the major interior of the Central Corridor is void of properly designated bike lanes. Thus a four lane road allows for ample room for a road diet by adding a bike lane, on street parking and curb extentions at crossing intersections to help slow traffic.

If proper infrastructure can be but in place bicycles can be a viable alternative to motorized vehicles for almost all types of trips, including recreational, commuting, small delivery and daily errands and tasks. Thus a more complete network of streets, trails and paths needs to be established. Not only is Central Avenue a viable street for bicycles, but also parallel streets, such as Monroe St. and Fillmore, which allow for bike routes on less vehicular trafficked roads. Creating a path-way through 14th Ave NE would create a more connected route with the residential neighborhood and the commercial and warehouse locations, however a bridge would have to be built over the rail line near Northeast Athletic Fields and Park. A bridge with a ramp would be the most viable way to cross the tracks and I think it is necessary in order to con-nect the two neighborhoods. A more direct bike route would also help connect to 18th Ave., which then connect to the Quarry, the largest shopping center for this area. Storage and locking places are also important bicycle centered infra-structural elements needed to help further the bike ability of the neighborhood.

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Create more Human scale elements on street - light posts and trees.

Current conditions

Proposed Central Avenue Road Diet- Central Avenue Small Area Plan

Fillmore Bike Route.This would be the same for Monroe Street, whcih runs parallel to Fillmore and has similar street design.

Propoised designated Bike routes that will connect the neighborhoods to the parks, central avenue, art studios and galleries and other buisnesses.

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Very narrow, conjested, winter would be very difficult.

Barren, unattractive

Sidewalks are used by everyone, young to old, physically fit to physically challenged. They are the connectors of our neighbor-hoods to our homes, parks, schools, and churches. A pathway of our mobility. Cen-tral Avenue needs to create a more pedes-trian friendly environment by expanding the pedestrian zones. Revitalization to the sidewalks will also help buildings and local businesses.

Road-diets, sidewalk repairs, and streetscaping are tedious processes to bring to fulfillment. Yet in the planning of these projects it is still imperative for the maintenance of such infrastructures to be up kept. The upkeep of sidewalks and roads play a vital role in helping a commu-nity survive. When the sidewalks and

roads are degrading and falling apart this is a huge safety issue. It not only can harm an individual personal, it can cause damage to one’s wheels bicycle or car. It can also dam-age and the vitality of the community and increases in crime can occur because there is a feeling of loss and degradation to the neighborhood.

To make more immediate adjustments Central Avenue is in desperate need of road and sidewalk repair. The roads and side-walks have many pot holes and chipping and crumbling sections. There are also poor ramps on the corners for people who are handicapped. This is a huge issue that needs to be fixed.

Redef in ing Open SpaceThe space pictured below is the old hockey arena, which today gets little use. This juxtaposi-tion image captures an issue at the heart of this area. The streetscape is very uninviting. This space reflects the automobile with its large surface parking lots and discourage the street-front. It creates a barren landscape which is at the expense of the pedestrian’s safety and ac-cessibility. This space to me represents wasted space.

Therefore why not use this space as something that not only connects the surrounding neighborhoods, but also attracts outsiders or daily commuter to stop. Many things could go in place here. However, I think it is imperative that this space be created as a tribute to the vitality of the neighborhood, which is its rich immigrant history, arts concentration, parks and gateway. The area should turn into a community market square. A greenhouse could be erected so all times of the year community members could grow their own produce. Com-munity gardens bring a community together but they also help bring economic vitality back to the area. It would also be symbolic to the history, the new beginnings that have come to define this area. This garden could even pattern with the Eastern- Co-op down the street

to vend the grown produce and support the trend towards buying local. The site also has room to support a higher density building of a mix of residential and retail or food busi-nesses. It could also supply public art showing and performances and would overall help beautify the area and make it more of a destination stop for the area.

As this site currently demonstrates, Central Avenue is a high through-route corridor with little attraction to even the neighboring residents due to its poor street and sidewalk main-tenance, poor connectivity for both pedestrian and cyclist. It also is full of oversized open space that adds to the drab landscape. There is an overall disconnection between the arts and the avenue, the residents and the avenue, and commuters and the avenue. Through road-diets sidewalk repair, streetscaping, and using the creative minds of the neighborhood to act and reinvent open spaces the South segment of Central Avenue holds great potential.

Bibliography:City of Minneapolis: 2008 Central Avenue Small Area Plan www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/CPED/central_ave_plan_

Iowa Department of Transportation: : www.iowadot.gov/.../roundabouts_dr_educ.htm

Greg Igraham class materials

googlemaps.com

All other Photos and Illustrations: Samantha Thomas