More Ideas

Lots more ideas at the last round of task force meetings. Now we just have to decide what to do! Our plan is to do some low resource projects this summer (low cost projects that don't require a lot of planning and approvals). Do these spark any ideas or suggestions? Add a comment below (click on the blue "Comments" link).

A sample intersection (25th and Franklin) with paver bump-outs, a white cross walk across 25th, colorful images as crosswalks across Franklin, and a banner sign where 25th enters Seward (in the distance, across the park)

Some ideas for "greening" Franklin: More trees, planters with flowers, and working with businesses to turn hard surfaces into green spaces the benefit the community and the business.


Improving biking: Creative painting for a bike lane.

So, what do you think? Let us know by clicking on "comments" below.

Local Business/Gateways Task Force- Week 1 May 16

Vision & Values activity and discussion

This group’s emphasis was on the following areas:

Identity

• A strong, well articulated, positive identity
• PR/Advertising as part of identity
• Making it comfortable
• Express our identity in a way that attracts people from all over as well as the neighborhood
• Franklin as a part of Seward
• Shaking the ‘bad rap’
• Events that reinforce the neighborhood sense of identify

Locally owned Business

• Asset to the livability of the neighborhood
• Attracting shoppers who then may end up wanting to work or live here
• No franchises, no big box!
• Diversity

Safety

• Evening activity
• Lighting and activity and windows

Parking

• Balance the need for parking, the perception that we need parking, residents feeling that they don’t want commercial parking in front of their homes, successful commercial district
• Making parking areas attractive and SAFE

Connections

• River as a way to connect to Franklin through the neighborhood
• Connecting the neighborhood, local businesse3s, destination businesses and Franklin.
• Multi-modal access – more bus access, more service from the #8
• Gateways and landmarks

Green construction/sustainability

• A central value of the community

Destination Businesses

• Accessibility, east access
• Making people feel comfortable
• Having a good reputation
• River

Movement Task Force - Week 1, May 13, 2008

Vision & Values activity and discussion

This group’s emphasis was on the following areas:

Locally Owned Business

• Basic goods and services should be available in the neighborhood – within walking distance for residents
• Nice to be able to walk/bus from one errand to the next (trip-chaining)
• Businesses should match community needs
• It would be nice if businesses had bus schedules available
• No big boxes

Sense of Place

• Bus stops could be a gathering place – shelters/kiosks/other amenities at bus stop

Identity

• Pedestrians and bus riders have opportunity to interact with each other (conversation) – sense of community
• Signage is important

Public Safety

• More people on street going to businesses makes a place safer (cyclic … more pedestrians improves safety, more safety means makes more pedestrians, repeat)
• Pedestrian traffic (and public transit) is more sustainable and is inclusive of different economic status (don’t need to own a car)
• Safer pedestrian/car interactions
• Need increased visibility near LRT

Multi-Modal Access / Destinations / Accessibility

• Want Franklin to be a destination for people inside and outside the community; however, avoid BYOC (Bring Your Own Car) … want more people to arrive by foot, bike and bus
• Improve public transit – this allows more people to come without cars,
• #8 and #7 bus need more service (no bus service to new co-op location on weekends)
• For those who do arrive by car, we want them to park once they arrive, and walk between destinations in the neighborhood
• Parking and wayfinding should be intuitive
• Events like the walks are good because they get people out on the street, walking together – we could use more events like this
• Lots of accessibility issues near new Co-op locations

Public Spaces

• Franklin Avenue is a public space, not just a place to move cars – bikes and pedestrians should take a sense of ownership over the street – have places to stop and interact
• Can parking areas be public spaces? (ex. – “Mall” by Walker Library in Uptown)
• Discussion about edges/boundaries

Connections

• Enhance/incorporate LRT with other systems … peds/bikes/buses
• Better connection to adjacent neighborhoods
• Better connection and wayfinding to other locations in our neighborhood (eg, Matthews Park)

Accessibility

• Needs improvement – lots of issues near

Parking

• Parking areas could be better designed … more green

Ease traffic flow / noise / speed

• We don’t see Franklin as a thoroughfare or reliever for the highway … promote destination traffic instead of through traffic
• Landscaping and transitions as you enter the neighborhood could help slow traffic

Visual Identity / Landscape Task Force - Week 1, May 12, 2008

Vision & Values activity and discussion

This group’s emphasis was on the following areas:

Sense of Place / Arts / Identity / Locally Owned Business

• businesses arts and identity all help create a sense of place
• the many arty things in our neighborhood help make Seward a destination
• artists have openings in their homes
• Joan of Art, Cabooze, Northern Clay, Blue Nile, Coastal Seafoods, Bluegrass at 2nd Moon, Hoffman Guitars
• The art crawl is great … more of them? More often?
• Local businesses should line both sides of the Avenue
• No big boxes
• Welna Hardware is a great precedent – anchors its corner with its scale, colors etc.
• Want to be known as a walking community
• We need to think about what our core identity is – is there a verbal reference? A logo?
• Places on Avenue should have character, not be cookie-cutter (like MetroPlace)
• now, our neighborhood is beautiful and has a sense of place … once you leave Franklin
• Extend the outdoor season (eg, blankets at restaurants for outdoor seating, shield wind with trees, etc.)
  

Public Spaces

• Friendly, well-maintained/clean and inviting neighborhood gathering places where people meet, socialize, site and become neighbors
• How do we plan for gathering places?
• Some elements: no litter, artistic trash cans, painted phone poles, drinking fountains for people and dogs

Destinations

• A compelling/alluring place (destination) for people in and outside our community to come for art, food, rest, etc … all thins cultural, green and edible
• Destination requires easy access, including: bike parking, bus service & shelters, car parking, walkability, LRT access, public transportation in general
• Want to fell like a place where you want to go

Trees / Green Spaces / Green Construction / Sustainability

• This is a core value of our community
• Use trees and green spaces to make Franklin more inviting, safer, softer, more comfortable and cleaner for walkers and bikers – so that the community walks in all seasons
• Solar street lights – focus light on sidewalk / pedestrians
• Buffering
• use clumps of small trees (birch?)
• ex – at new co-op, trees between sidewalk and road and between sidewalk and parking lot

Connections / gateways

• visual consistency / continuity throughout the corridor
• use art at both ends of Franklin and throughout
• should not seem forced
• improve pedestrian and retail connections to LRT / LRT bike trail

Consistency

• We don’t want everything to be the same, but we do want it to all be well-maintained

Join a Franklin Planning Taskforce

The task forces are ready to go. The task forces will help develop a piece of the vision for Franklin Avenue, write recommendations, and suggest summer test projects.

Each will have five meetings that will start the week of May 12 and go through mid-June. All the meetings will be at the SNG/Seward Redesign offices, 2323 East Franklin Avenue (at the back of the building). The days and times are:

• Visual Identity / Landscaping – Mondays at 6:30 PM
• Movement-Tuesdays at noon
• Community Involvement/Crime and Safety- Wednesdays at 6:30 PM
• Local Business Vitality/Gateways- Fridays at 8:30 AM

If you are interested in participating and didn't sign up at Saturday's meeting, if you would like to participate but these times don't work for you (we are still working on the best times for people), or if you just want to find out more about the task forces, email Emily Wergin at Seward Redesign at emily@sewardredesign.org or call her at 612/338-8729.