CastlemanHobbs

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Castleman-Hobbs

• Sustainable Urban Village

The purpose of this document is to provide a set
of design guidelines to create a community that
is focused on streets-as-places, where
pedestrians feel safe and comfortable and friends
and neighbors connect.
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We shape our public spaces, thereafter our
Public Spaces shape us. adapted from Winston
Churchill
The picture on the front cover is indicative of
the purpose of this document. The concept is not
as much about the buildings, but how those
buildings will frame the streetscape,
transforming areas previously considered
vehicular domain into welcoming and enticing
outdoor rooms that compel pedestrian activity.
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intent use of guidelines 0.1
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• Intent of the Guidelines
• The design intent and goals of this Urban Design
  Overlay Concept Plan are as follows
• Encourage an appropriate mix of compatible land
  and resource uses that are consistent with the
  location, access, and amenity characteristics of
  the area in relation to the Green Hills retail
  district.
• Create a pedestrian / bicycle friendly
  environment to encourage alternative modes of
  transportation throughout the UDO area and into
  the Green Hills retail district, thereby
  minimizing the frequency and impact of individual
  vehicle use.
• Provide new public spaces for recreational use
  by area residents that will give visual relief
  and encourage interaction and fellowship.
• Provide eco-friendly housing options in an
  appropriate mix of compatible housing types that
  meet a variety of housing needs and which frame
  the public spaces in a manner that creates a
  harmonious streetscape.
• Create safer ingress / egress options for Hobbs
  Road properties.
• Address storm water runoff issues through
  installation of rainwater harvesting measures.

introduction
As the area continues to evolve and redevelop,
these guidelines will enable this neighborhood to
begin to experience its streets as outside
rooms that are pleasant, desirable places to be.
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intent use of guidelines 0.1
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How to Use the Guidelines This document has a
main body and two appendices. The main body
contains design goals, objectives, performance
criteria and, in some cases, preferred design
standards and implementation strategies for each
important subject area. The plan evolved from
charrette sessions with affected property owners,
Planning Department staff, District Councilman
Carter Todd, and other interested parties. This
document is intended to guide redevelopment in a
manner that addresses the important issues raised
and discussed during the charrette process and
subsequent follow-up meetings. Metropolitan
Government exercises final authority over design,
construction and operation of facilities, such as
public rights-of-way and stormwater detention and
conveyance. The following note is referenced
with an at each section where design
standards are presented The incorporation of
these standards into any final development
construction plans will depend on Metropolitan
Government review for consistency with policies,
laws and related standards of various
departments. The first appendix contains a
regulating plan and a more detailed description
of preferred design standards which carry the
same force and effect as, but are variations
from, the standards set forth for the base zone
districts in the zoning regulations of the Metro
Code. All final redevelopment construction plans
submitted for approval under the Urban Design
Overlay will be reviewed for adherence to these
standards before permits are issued. The second
appendix contains a glossary of relevant terms.
introduction
As the area continues to evolve and redevelop,
these guidelines will enable this neighborhood to
begin to experience its streets as outside
rooms that are pleasant, desirable places to be.
5
history 0.3
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introduction
As the area continues to evolve and redevelop,
these guidelines will enable this neighborhood to
begin to experience its streets as outside
rooms that are pleasant, desirable places to be.
Without sidewalks, Castleman Drive and the south
side of Hobbs Road are not pedestrian-friendly.
Driveway access for Hobbs Road properties present
potential safety hazards for residents and
motorists.
When the homes in this area were originally
built, 50 - 60 years ago, Green Hills was a quiet
outlying suburb of Nashville.
At that time, the neighborhood was designed, and
current zoning remains, vehicle-centric with no
sidewalks or plan for pedestrian connectivity.
The properties on the north edge of our UDO area
enter / exit their driveways directly onto Hobbs
Road, an increasingly busy collector street.
This creates a safety hazard for residents and
motorists along that corridor.
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history 0.3
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Rainwater harvesting is an important component of
a sustainable community. It allows for the
collection and storage of rain water for later
use in landscape irrigation. The direct
benefits of rain water harvesting are
conservation of potable water and reduction of
utility bills.
introduction
As the area continues to evolve and redevelop,
these guidelines will enable this neighborhood to
begin to experience its streets as outside
rooms that are pleasant, desirable places to be.
Currently, stormwater is channeled into gullies
on either side of Castleman Drive creating a
safety hazard for pedestrians and flooding issues
for residents.
Existing zoning and the current pattern of new
construction on both Castleman Drive and Hobbs
Road does nothing to address nor protect the
pedestrian realm. To proceed without a plan in
place exposes this neighborhood to continued
vehicle-centric development.
New construction on Hobbs Road and Castleman
Drive require vehicle transportation.
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history 0.3
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introduction
As the area continues to evolve and redevelop,
these guidelines will enable this neighborhood to
begin to experience its streets as outside
rooms that are pleasant, desirable places to be.
Over the years, Green Hills has grown and
developed from a sleepy suburb into a bustling,
thriving, vital part of urban life in its own
right.
The popular Green Hills retail district and
increased commercial venues have lead to an
influx of vehicular traffic into the area,
resulting in increased traffic congestion and air
pollution.
In the larger context, on July 21, 2008, The
Huffington Post, an online newspaper, listed
Nashville as the second least walkable city in
the nation.
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history 0.3
___________________________
introduction
As the area continues to evolve and redevelop,
these guidelines will enable this neighborhood to
begin to experience its streets as outside
rooms that are pleasant, desirable places to be.
At its most basic level, this UDO is a challenge
for a fundamental shift in Nashvilles
transportation paradigm.
It represents our most opportune moment to begin
reshaping transportation networks into places
that compel pedestrian activity and promote
health and urban vitality. The concept of
streets-as-places views city streets as
opportunities to improve residents quality of
life rather than simply how our city moves
vehicles from place to place. This Concept Plan
will provide the public spaces and pedestrian
connectivity necessary to transform the
Castleman-Hobbs neighborhood into a sustainable
urban village. Incorporating a variety of
massing, scale, architectural styles and building
uses will add the dynamic mixture necessary to
entice residents back to pedestrian activity.
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defining sustainability 0.4
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Definition of sustainability The Environmental
Protection Agency defines sustainability as
meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs. Others would add that it
is our responsibility to ensure that we preserve
needed resources for future generations.
Currently, our society consumes resources at a
faster rate than can be replenished. Urban
sprawl is a significant contributor to the
over-usage of our limited resource supply.
What is a sustainable village? The concept
of a sustainable urban village is one in which
residents are able to work, live, and enjoy
recreation within a relatively short geographical
distance. By reducing the need to travel long
distances, thereby reducing our reliance on the
automobile, a sustainable village is the
antithesis of urban sprawl. It is important to
note that traffic congestion does not have to be
the inevitable result of growth. It is, in fact,
the product of the deliberate choices we have
made to design our communities around private
vehicle use. We must now make a conscious
decision to design our neighborhoods where
sidewalks become destinations.
introduction
As the area continues to evolve and redevelop,
these guidelines will enable this neighborhood to
begin to experience its streets as outside
rooms that are pleasant, desirable places to be.
10
defining sustainability 0.4
_______________________________________
introduction
Placemaking Structural attributes such as
building products, construction quality, and
energy/waste efficiency are only as important to
sustainability as the public spaces these
structures frame. The true success of a
sustainable neighborhood lies in the pedestrian
realm, and it is only when the built environment
meets its natural surroundings in a harmonious
manner that a community is completely conducive
to sustainability. Placemaking is a neighborhood
design concept that began in the 1970s. It
entails the planning of public spaces so that
they will have meaning to people and promote
enduring patterns of community use. Foremost in
the process of developing this Concept Plan was
the design and placement of public spaces that
will compel pedestrian activity, provide access
to commuting options, and foster a sense of
community.
As the area continues to evolve and redevelop,
these guidelines will enable this neighborhood to
begin to experience its streets as outside
rooms that are pleasant, desirable places to be.
There is a quantum difference in erecting a
structure and creating a place - a destination
for interaction. We are experts at constructing
buildings our challenge now is to perfect the
art of making places.