Civic masterplan sector1-volume1

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20Civic Master Plan | Sector 1


S E C T O R 1

Executive Summary

Sector Conditions

Master Plan

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

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S E C T O R 1

C H A P T E R 1EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R YChapter 1

T I M E L I N E o f C H A R R E T T E E V E N T S

F E B R U A R YM A R 2 3 M A R 2 4 M A R 2 5 M A R 2 6 M A R 2 7 M A R 2 8

USCB Meeting

Neighborhood Associations Meeting

Developer Meeting

Retail & Merchants Meeting

Redevelopment Commission Meeting

Boards & Commis-sions Meeting

Mid-CharrettePresentation

Design Studio Final Presentation

INTRODUCTION

The Sector 1 study area represents the heart of Beaufort, SC. It includes many of its major cultural institutions and significant civic assets, as well as its historic neighborhoods and its greatest concentration of commercial activity. As such, Sector 1 was an ideal point of departure to begin an extensive master planning process that resulted in the development of the Civic Master Plan for the City of Beaufort.

The civic master planning process, led by Beaufort’s Office of Civic Investment, was an intensely collaborative effort between elected officials, city staff, local residents, and community stakeholders. Marked by a weeklong planning and design charrette, the Sector 1 planning process led to specific interventions and recommendations for the entirety of the sector at a level of detail that engages each individual parcel. The pages that follow contain the results of this effort for Sector 1 and amount to a collective vision that will carry the heart of Beaufort into the next 50 years of its growth and development.

In general the plans and recommendations on these pages describe a future for Sector 1 that: • Celebrates the waterfront and the natural context which the city occupies • Is mixed use and walkable in character • Enables people to live locally and accomplish their

daily needs within walking or biking distance • Positions the community for an era beyond our current pattern of dependence on the personal automobile • Provides attractive parks and greenways on a local and regional scale • Envisions regional connections that will strengthen and invigorate Beaufort’s economy and cultural institutions • Engages a wide variety of people and lifestyles across a broad socio-economic spectrum • Preserves Beaufort’s historical legacy without compromising opportunities for new development

PLANNNING & DESIGN CHARRETTE

The Planning and Design Charrette for Sector 1 was held from March 22 to March 28, 2011. During these seven days, over 20 urban designers, planners, architects, and engineers gathered in a Bay Street storefront to develop land use plans, renderings, street sections, and specific recommendations for nearly every block and parcel in the Sector 1 planning area.

Public meetings and open design sessions were held throughout the week to allow members of the public to interact with the designers, identify concerns, share ideas for specific projects, and vet the work of the design team. This comprehensive input allowed the charrette

Civic Master PlanCity of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org

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T I M E L I N E o f E V E N T S

J A N U A R Y F E B R U A R Y M A R C H

JAN 1Office of Civic

Investment begins planning work

JAN 24 - FEB 4Synoptic survey

conducted

FEB 17Neighborhood

Associations Workshop

FEB 24DevelopmentCommunity Workshop

FEB 26Neighborhood

Walking Tour

MAR 3Redevelopment

Commission Workshop

MAR 8Retail &

Merchandising Workshop

MAR 22 - MAR 28Sector 1 Planning Charrette

process to work in short feedback loops where ideas are continually refined and presented to the public. This inclusive process enriched the final plans and recommendations. Specific input was sought from the University of South Carolina at Beaufort (USCB), the various neighborhood associations that represent Sector 1 residents, local developers and property owners, local retailers and merchants, the Redevelopment Commission, and Beaufort’s various other municipal boards and commissions. These multiple layers of input helped to create plans and recommendations that are vibrant, real, nuanced, and appropriate for all members of the community.

SLOW CHARRETTE PROCESS

In order to maximize the design efforts during the charrette week, the Office of Civic Investment took the “slow charrette” approach. Rather than trying to squeeze all the public workshops into one week, they were spread out over a month-and-a-half to maximize participation. The OCI team has hosted a series of public workshops to engage the community and solicit feedback on the many

topics to be addressed in this first charrette. The five public workshops, each with a unique discussion topic, were very successful and provided invaluable comments and feedback, detailed in the following section. The workshops included the following:

• Neighborhood Associations Workshop February 17 Approximately 60 participants • Development Community Workshop February 24 Approximately 50 participants • Neighborhood Walking Tour February 26 Approximately 40 participants • Redevelopment Commission Workshop March 3 Approximately 30 participants • Retail & Merchandising Workshop March 8 Approximately 50 participants

These workshops, combined with the vision for the community described in the Comprehensive Plan and the data collected through the Sector 1 Synoptic Survey, gave the charrette design team an incredible wealth of information to help guide their efforts during the weeklong charrette process from March 22nd to March 28th, 2011.


P R E - C H A R R E T T E P R O J E C T M A P(See Appendix A for larger map)

Chapter 1 | Executive Summary


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IDENTIFIED PROJECTS

Relating specific projects (identified on the “Project Map”) to the regional systems and connections described on the previous page help to support their individual and collective success and contribute to a richer built environment on a local and regional scale. The projects identified for closer examination during the Sector 1 Planning and Design Charrette were selected by the Office of Civic Investment, in concert with the Beaufort Redevelopment Commission and local citizens, in order to create a coherent vision for the future of the Sector 1 planning area and to best utilize potential catalyst sites and city-owned properties.

Some major projects include: • Old City Hall Redevelopment • Eastern Boundary Street Road Diet • Bladen Street Streetscape Improvements • Duke Street Streetscape Improvements • Basil Green Park • USCB Expansion & Student Housing • Bellamy Curve Infrastructure Improvements • Ribaut Road Streetscape Improvements • Post Office Block Redevelopment • Former Jail Site Redevelopment • Extension of Waterfront Park • Washington Square Park • Marina Redevelopment & Parking Garage • Piggly Wiggly Redevelopment • Whitehall Plantation Property Redevelopment


S E C T O R 1

C H A P T E R 2SECTOR CONDITIONS

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E X I S T I N G B U I L D I N G F O O T P R I N T S(See Appendix A for larger map)

Chapter 2

ANALYSIS of EXISTING CONDITIONS

Prior to the Sector 1 Planning and Design Charrette, data from the Synoptic Survey was combined with geographic data from the City and County to create a series of maps that amount to an analysis of the existing conditions in the Sector 1 planning area. In general, the analysis established the following conclusions:

• There are plenty of infill opportunities on vacant land in the Sector 1 planning area, especially in the

Northwest Quadrant and Higginsonville neighborhoods. • Some of Beaufort’s historic residential neighborhoods, particularly the Northwest Quadrant, are hampered by inadequate property maintenance and are in need of reinvestment/redevelopment. • Neighborhood commercial uses are generally lacking. The Bay Street commercial district serves a very limited, tourist-driven, retail niche that does not provide for the day-to-day necessities of its residents.

W H I T E H A L L

S E C T O R C O N D I T I O N S


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E X I S T I N G L A N D U S E(See Appendix A for larger map)

• Beaufort’s existing regulatory structure does not adequately promote the development of mixed-use walkable neighborhoods throughout the Sector 1 planning area.

The analysis and corresponding maps were discussed and distributed to all the of charrette participants at the outset of the Sector 1 Planning and Design Charrette in order to familiarize all charrette participants with the issues presented by the Sector 1 planning area.


E X I S T I N G D E V E L O P M E N T C L A S S I F I E D b y T R A N S E C T Z O N E S

Chapter 2 | Sector Conditions

O W N E R v s . R E N TA L / S E A S O N A L B U I L D I N G H E I G H T

V A C A N C T o r A B A N D O N E D P R O P E R T I E S


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Note: Please see the Appendix A for larger versions of the maps shown on this and the facing pages.

C O N D I T I O N O F G R O U N D S a n dS T R U C T U R E

E X I S T I N G Z O N I N G

E X I S T I N G D O W N T O W N B E A U F O R T

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SECTOR 1

C H A P T E R 3MASTER PLAN

Sector 1 Vision & Overview

Transportation & Streets

Natural Infrastructure & Parks

Plan for Downtown

Corridor Plans

Neighborhoods

Specific Interventions

Implementation Elements

Code Recommendations

SECTION 1

SECTION 2

SECTION 3

SECTION 4

SECTION 5

SECTION 6

SECTION 7

SECTION 8

SECTION 9

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Chapter 3 | Section 1

VISIONARY PLANNING AND GREAT COMMUNITIES

The point we have arrived at today is the culmination of planning and analysis that began on January 2nd, 2011 collecting information through meetings with individuals, groups, and organizations, and by collecting data, physically through on-the-ground surveys of every lot, as well as digitally through all the various plans, reports, and studies completed in the past. The results from this three-month effort culminate in this Civic Master Plan. Like many plans for great communities this plan is expected to generate discussion points, establish budget priorities, and create implementation objectives for the City of Beaufort over, at least, the next twenty years. In a sense we believe that this plan coherently and properly lays the groundwork for the city’s next three hundred years.

What Beaufort and its leaders have had the foresight to do follows in the tradition of some really great places. The great communities of today are great because they spent the bad times thinking about what they wanted to be when times got good again. In the United States, the era of grand planning during the late 1910’s, 1920’s and the Great Depression, occurred in many of the places that are admired in the country today for their resilient economies and excellent quality of life. The one thing these places have in common is that they had the vision to think outside the box and a desire to take control of their destinies. Some of the greatest plans and architecture that the United States has today - places and buildings that are admired around the world - can be dated to this period. Most of the grand civic buildings, schools and town halls; almost all the impressive museums; and many of the beautiful park systems that are today the treasures of their respective communities had their initial plans prepared during this time period.

One such example is in the City of Chicago. Chicago hired Daniel Burnham, one of our century’s most visionary planners, to prepare its master plan. He laid out a vision that is extraordinary today for its beauty and, in his day, for its boldness. It was a vision similar

to something you would have seen in continental Europe at the time: grand park systems and iconic civic building architecture. This is a time when much of Chicago’s industry was on Lake Michigan and along the Illinois River – rail yards, slag heaps, factories. It was not a pretty place. Commerce was the law of the land, so imagine the disbelief when he proposed to reclaim the entire Lake Michigan waterfront for a park. People looked at him as if he were crazy. This is the man for whom the now famous quote has been attributed, “make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” One hundred years later, Chicago has one of the most amazing park systems in the world and is also one of a handful of communities in the rust belt of the Midwest that is truly growing and prospering. And, it’s a result of a process similar to what we’re embarking on here in Beaufort.

Another example is Boston’s “Emerald Necklace” designed by another visionary planner and contemporary of Burnham, Frederick Law Olmsted. Olmsted, known today as the nation’s first landscape architect, is also credited with the design of Central Park, among many other wonderful places. He envisioned a future Boston ringed by parks. For those who have visited Boston it is easy to see how the City and its residents have benefitted from his vision. Boston has some of the most loved civic spaces and urban structures in the United States and easily ranks amongst the greatest cities in the world.

We can also look to The Presidio in San Francisco where Daniel Burnham again inspired its citizens to aspire to greatness. At that time in the late 1910’s, The Presidio was on the outskirts of town. It was a hilltop upon which he designed a park connected to the rest of the city with grand civic monuments. Today it’s a magnificent urban park surrounded by some of the most valuable real estate in the United States. So compelling was the plan and the illustrations that accompanied it that a few of the monuments were actually built as drawn.

S E C T O R 1 V I S I O N & O V E R V I E W


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THE SECRET OF SUCCESS

With all great plans, like the Burnham and Olmsted plans, they aim to improve the fortunes of a place and they foster change. Just as people questioned the drawings Burnham prepared showing parks and buildings on private land, we are sure that people will examine the drawings in this master plan and have many concerns: “I see you’ve knocked down my building to construct a park,” or “you have removed my neighborhood park to construct a building,” or “you’ve put a road through my yard.” Keep in mind the most powerful tool planning possesses: time. Planning is an effort that lasts generations, but you’ve got to start at some point, or you will never achieve anything. It is almost always the case that what is needed to be done is impossible to do today. If you were told to learn a second language and you said I can’t do that today, does that mean you can never do it? Just because you can’t master Spanish or French by the weekend, do you throw in the towel? Of course not. It took hundreds of years to arrive where Beaufort is today. Nearly all of that time passed without access to an endless pot of gold at its disposal. Very little is possible today yet nearly everything is possible in the long term.

Another important ingredient is “the champion.” You can have a collection of plans and ideas, but unless they find a champion that makes it his or her business to will them into reality on a daily basis, they never materialize. The final need is for compelling visions, such as what Burnham provided the residents of Chicago. It galvanized the thoughts of the citizens and business community to nominate champions, who, over the years shaped policy that allowed the vision to be realized.

Beside the beauty and technical expertise of the planning and urban design achieved by these masters, there is one additional take away from these examples. They were envisioned and executed in a time when these places were not wealthy. We accomplished the best community design and building in this country when it was poor in relation to today. Imagine that. All you hear about today, if you try to get anything done, from placing a cross walk on a street to paving a sidewalk, is, “we

have no money.” This is a false excuse – a straw man argument. No place that has ever accomplished long-term greatness has had money at the start. In fact, it’s almost a prerequisite that a place be poor in order to be able to achieve greatness. All great work starts off with an idea. Wealth follows ideas. You make people excited about what it is you’re doing, and clever people rally around the vision, and the money follows.

Locally, the Open Land Trust (OLT) is generating the excitement and getting the money, and as a result, they have become the de facto regional planners for the entire County. Through donations and successful tax referendums, they have made saving the natural habitat and scenic views of the local area exciting and important. Much time and effort by the citizens of this community goes into the work of the Open Land Trust including the preservation of places here in Beaufort like the Bluff and Bellamy Curve. These purchases have shaped the image of Beaufort as well as its developable footprint. To properly leverage this fine work, it is critical to ensure that as much effort and care are paid to the Human Habitat, (the neighborhoods and communities we live in) through excellent planning and urban design. The natural habitat has the OLT. The Human Habitat now has the Office of Civic Investment (OCI). We have an opportunity to weave the communities we live in with the natural setting they exist in. To succeed, the visions we have and the plans developed to execute them need to be as compelling as the nature that is saved.

THE PURPOSE OF THE CIVIC MASTER PLAN

This plan is intended to complete the work of the 2009 Comprehensive Plan. That plan did two important things. First it established that the primary means by which the city could achieve truly sustainable and resilient growth was not through annexation and sprawl but rather through infill and redevelopment. And second, and perhaps most importantly, it tore through decade’s worth of unfulfilled planning efforts to prioritize and consolidate plans that were both unrealistic and lacked champions. The number one priority recommendation was for the city to stop focusing on large scale policy


planning and instead turn its sights on the needs of its neighborhoods and corridor, the living tissue of the city, with a block by block physical plan to encourage investment and redevelopment. In essence, it was a roadmap for reversing the slow downward spiral of decline that had become the norm in the city.

The Comprehensive Plan therefore serves as the framework and undergirding for the Civic Master Plan in the grand tradition of cities like Chicago, San Francisco and Boston. This is no small feat for a community the size of Beaufort. But, as we all know Beaufort may be small in terms of its resident population but it lives large in the historical and cultural memory of the Lowcountry and of this county.

In order to achieve the necessary level of detailed planning, we divided the city up into four sectors. We’ve started with Sector 1, the downtown area. When we first started this process, someone asked, “you’re going to do a master plan for downtown, so what are you going to do with Bay Street?” Our response was, “well, Bay Street is not all of downtown: There’s Boundary Street, there’s Bladen Street, there’s Carteret Street and Pigeon Point Road, the Old Point, and Higginsonville, and on and on. There’s also the Bluff and the Northwest Quadrant.” Downtown is in fact a series – a collection of neighborhoods – the core of the larger area that is Beaufort, so you have to study it comprehensively, not just Bay Street. We believe that downtown is not simply Bay Street and the Waterfront Park. Rather downtown is a complex web of interdependent neighborhoods and corridors that geographically is bordered to the west by Ribaut Road and by the Beaufort River on its other three sides. The three blocks that constitute the historic “Main Street” cannot be the vessel in which every aspiration, idea, and need for Beaufort is forced. It is simply too small.

We started on several fronts simultaneously. For four weeks, students walk every foot of every street in downtown and collected an extensive amount of information about every house, curb, and sidewalk. The result is a robust database comprised of more than thirty unique attributes, the analysis of which allows us to do

some pretty amazing things. It allows us to quickly see patterns through the creation of thematic maps. This information allows us to study the City’s DNA - how it works on the ground. This is an important step because it allows you to understand how to help it grow while retaining the charm and character that made it special. This “urban DNA” was combined with information gathered from several dozen meetings over the previous months with nearly every key stakeholder in the area who wanted to participate, and even some who didn’t.

THE SOLUTION TO THE DILEMMA OF GROWTH

In addition to understanding thoroughly what exists now, we also took a careful look at what existed before. In many communities around the country, growth has meant the destruction of history, historic buildings, and places. Beaufort hasn’t suffered that as much. Everyone wants growth and prosperity, but with it, post-World War II, that growth and prosperity has come with a lot of really bland and uninspiring things that some might label as simply “ugly.”

It’s quite a dilemma for most communities: If we grow, we lose what we are through the haphazard consumption of a community’s past. However, if we don’t grow, we stagnate and lose what we are by neglect. The reason for the dilemma is because we stopped building real communities after World War II. This is not to say we stopped building. In fact, we have built more things in the sixty-five plus years since World War II – houses, shopping centers, offices, factories – than nearly all of human history prior to that period. But rather than building authentic and lovable places like neighborhoods, villages, towns and cities, we simply aggregated real estate product. We have built only a handful of new “places” since World War II yet we’ve built endless miles of suburban product.

Suburban development became an industry unto itself, and as you may have heard, it was one of the major reasons for the financial collapse and the subsequent

Chapter 3 | Section 1 | Sector 1 Vision & Overview


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Great Recession. When you introduce car-oriented suburban development into traditional urban fabric, like downtown Beaufort, that development destroys the surrounding traditional development. It might not do it initially, but the accumulation of this type of development ends up eradicating what is the most special part about place-based traditional communities, which is their mixed-use, walkable quality of life.

It is important to keep in mind that the suburban development model is the default setting for all zoning, financing, and health and safety matters in the United States today. Whether you plan or not, whether you have zoning or not, the suburban model is so entrenched in every aspect of American development and marketing that it is what growth delivers. Ironically, not much growth has happened post-World War II in Beaufort. The side benefit of this lack of growth is that not as much has been lost.

One piece of the community that was lost was the buildings along the waterfront. They were unique and interesting in a scruffy yet unassuming way. However, it was largely replaced by something worthy – Waterfront Park. In city building this is called a fair trade. This is an important concept, a litmus test for anyone passionate about community. Development decisions should always be evaluated with this simple question – “Was it a fair trade?” If you lose a piece of marsh land and gain a village, or a meadow and gain a proper neighborhood the trade is fair. When either of these is lost to a shopping center that spends most of life in decline or subdivision that condemns it occupants to the use of the automobile for every daily interaction, it is not. Yet, even with the achievement of the Waterfront Park, Beaufort’s waterfront redevelopment has not always been a fair trade. Case in point is the present Marina parking lot with the single largest parcel along the waterfront dedicated exclusively to the suburban pattern of parking cars to the exclusion of great urbanism. In many ways, it is these negative impacts of the suburban development model are what we are trying to remedy through this master plan.

TIME TO OUT-MAIN STREET THE MALL

What is available once you arrive downtown cannot be just “one thing.” A common mistake is to think of a community as needing only one amenity – be it a convention center, a ball park, or a museum. That’s a suburban mentality. Real places are complex. The fabric of real places must be complex and varied to meet the needs of a broad range of people and, just as important, the broad range of moods each of these people experience over the course of a day, a week, and a lifetime. Sometimes you want to sit alone in a park, sometimes you want to be in the center of all the action. Sometimes you want to view a scenic vista, sometimes you want to be walking the crowded sidewalks shopping and socializing. If you are a cyclist, sometimes you might want to ride fast through the countryside, whereas at other times you might want to be on the street riding through town. Every pastime, every facility, and every motivation takes a different tone depending on mood. This gets to the point about the need to develop some of our waterfront. Sometimes you might want to sit on a swing or in the grass and watch people or the water and sometimes you might want to sit on a dock or at a restaurant on the water and eat, dance, work, live, or buy things. The Water Festival need not be limited to the highly programmed week of activities each July. It can last all year long.

Unfortunately, Americans have been trained to experience places as a consumer…..to live and shop as if we’re in a mall. The American retail industry has created shopping snobs out of us and we’re very easily bored, very quick to lose our patience if things aren’t perfect, and particularly fickle with our attention and money. The mall environment and the shopping center environment in the United States is perfection at every level designed by mall planners who subtly and not so subtly influence – almost brainwash – you to do everything that they want you to do when you enter their realm. In a sense we are a bunch of snobby zombies.

When you’re someplace where things don’t happen to click just right – a store might be closed too early, or the


merchandising in the window isn’t quite up to snuff, or you didn’t get asked if you needed help right away, or it doesn’t smell as you think it should – this is the bar that’s been set by the retail industry in this country, and most of the older retailers on traditional main streets are the ones who can’t compete. I like to tell people that it wasn’t Wal-Mart that killed Main Street America, it was the Mall. It replicated the idealized Main Street experience, air conditioned it, and then did everything better – Cleaner walkways, consistent hours, superior merchandising, and even pleasant landscaping (inside no less). Wal-Mart, and what it represents, is only a factor when you have two goals in mind: cheap prices and free parking. If that’s your town’s goal, you’re probably already standing in the ruins of your Main Street.

LET’S BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING -- IT’S ALL ABOUT THE WATER

The Master Plan for the downtown is not so much about what can be achieved tomorrow or next year by a few individuals. Rather, it is about a collective investment by the community through a coordinate series of incremental yet strategic investments by many hands. This is a plan whose vision was constructed for the different yet equally important experiences by the resident and the tourist in twenty-five years and it all begins at the water’s edge. Wouldn’t it be fabulous if there were a reliable system of water taxis and ferries that allowed you to travel up and down the Intracoastal Waterway between from Savannah, Charleston, Hilton Head, and Beaufort? In such a world, what do we need to do here in Beaufort to make ourselves a destination that would require a day, or maybe two, to fully appreciate? After all, if you really look at the region correctly, Beaufort is the belt buckle of the lowcountry, the mid-way point between Georgetown, SC and New Brunswick, GA. What would be compelling enough to entice someone who landed here, at a new day dock for example, to walk into town and do something besides turn to the right and buy a t-shirt, eat a hamburger or have a drink and then stroll the park? Keep in mind that it is in fact the locals who

predominately purchase whatever high-end wares are sold downtown. The tourists – well, you’ve seen them – they buy what’s left and don’t spend much time at the park either. Why is this important? Because if we are only a trinket tourist-stop and our local population is not sufficient enough to support other pastimes that include cultural offerings now unavailable, then our residents are left with jobs that are not sufficient to build a resilient community. Places like that are exporters of talent, and that is what Beaufort is now.

What if the offerings were much more varied and robust – offerings that embed you in the place and its history? Imagine getting off the boat and browsing local arts and crafts markets, visiting a museum or two, staying at a spa/hotel or inn grounded in wellness and health and dining at fabulous restaurants that offer indigenous local cuisines that only places like the Louisiana gulf coast can boast. There’s a lot of history in the area - all of it scattered about. If properly coordinated it could be centered here in Beaufort as the hub for those also looking to do day trips out into the historically rich countryside especially if it is supported by a local university that provides quality environmental and fine arts programming. Because Beaufort is also less busy and hectic than our neighbors to the north and south we can take the lead in the environmental, wellness, and tourist industry if we so desired. To distinguish ourselves, Beaufort needs to provide a compelling reason for more than a simple afternoon stop on a bus tour of the region. We must provide a palette of amenities that will make us a multiday or weeklong attraction or most importantly a hometown in which to raise a family and retire.

So, if you were to come by boat, what you would come to, in our vision of this future, would be a new marina-side development, basically an extension of Bay Street. Right now, it’s a parking lot. While that’s an important asset to have at the moment because it provides people with convenient parking, it does happen to be located on some genuinely prime real estate – real estate that would be much better used by people, rather than cars. We believe that it’s time to trade up. You can always put the cars someplace else, like a parking garage. They



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normally don’t care about the view as much, don’t like sitting in the sun, and they don’t shop.

In order to reclaim our waterfront parking lot for human habitation we must relocate the cars to a deck on Port Republic Street. They must be in a location that requires that they experience the full breadth of the Bay Street area on their short walk from their car to the Waterfront Park to create a more robust and diverse shopping and dining district. Mind you, this distance is shorter and far more interesting than the trip from the edge of the parking lot at the Wal-Mart to it front door (much less from the front door to the electronics section in the back of the store). This same walk through the often hostile Wal-Mart parking lot is equivalent to the distance along Bay Street from its intersection with Charles Street to the west and Carteret Street to the east, yet with an infinitely more engaging and satisfying journey.

And once this impediment is removed, we can continue our journey along the waterfront to the west. Connecting the visitor to the beauty of Beaufort beyond Bay Street is an important objective. The vision here is to tie the Waterfront Park, the formal front door of the community, and its new active dock and marina development, to the more passive open space of the marsh front along the Beaufort River. At Waterfront Park the walking experience is along an esplanade, which continues as a plaza and pier condition at the Marina. As the walk continues to the Bluff, a boardwalk would be built along the waterline at the foot of the Bluff following the curve of the river all the way to Ribaut. There was once a low road in addition to the existing high road (Bay Street). The low road is what was used to carry the freight from the port down to the depot. Within the next 20 years, this boardwalk could stretch all the way to the Hospital. That requires some giving. Kind of harkens back to Chicago’s once industrial lake front, and Burnham’s vision of turning it over to the public.

Bay Street has its place and Carteret/Boundary Street does to Savannah has its waterfront, where all the tourists shop and dine at the touristy establishments. It has Broughton Street, which is the shopping street where you can get just about everything one would need day to

day, and it’s got Bull and Abercorn Streets, which offer neighborhood scaled boutique shops and cafes. These represent three distinct markets, all of which a single person who wants to spend a day or two in Savannah can experience as their mood strikes them. The important fact is that these distinct attractions and shopping experiences do not happen on the same street. In spite of how long Broughton, Abercorn, and Bull Streets are, no one complains and gripes about walking the distances required to reach them or walking along them. They’re compelling, inviting, and people are drawn to explore them, just like a person is drawn by a mall layout to walk from one end to the other and back – the distance of one-half a mile or more. Beaufort doesn’t have the population or the tourist draw that Savannah does, but we can do a smaller version of that very easily.

In terms of the commercial improvement downtown, the four streets that are Carteret, Boundary, Bay and Bladen are the commercial corridors. Three of these corridors allow Beaufort to be able to expand its retail and commercial menu, without destroying the existing fabric or character of Bay Street. Because, as we said from the beginning, Bay Street is just three blocks. It can’t be the active main street for all the citizens of Beaufort, while also being the historic Main Street for all the tourists. It can’t be the place where you go to get whatever you need from a Walgreens or a FedEx/Kinko’s and still be the place that has unique furniture shops and art galleries. The residents and the city have decided that the historic structures along Bay Street are important enough to keep and this plan clearly support that priority. In order to keep it like it is, you have to provide other places for certain things to go that don’t fit into the buildings there. That is the role of Boundary Street. It is the location where residents of the neighborhoods can shop for daily conveniences from a broader mix of local, regional, and national shops and business that require larger lots and more convenient accessibility.

The transition then occurs at Bellamy’s Curve where the long view of the Beaufort River beyond has for most of its history greeted travelers and begun their decompression from the region at large to the intimacy of the historic waterfront. It is anchored around the bend


by the campus of USC-Beaufort which serves as an important institution embedded directly into the fabric of the historic neighborhoods. The University provides an influx of students and the vitality that age group brings to the businesses and the shops that they frequent. The integration of higher education into a community is a key element for all vibrant places.

The master plan envisions the redevelopment of the current campus as a more traditional southern quadrangle with some current non-historic, under-utilizes structures giving way to more formally designed campus buildings more appropriate to the setting. Also, the provision of full-time student housing both on campus as well as around the corner on Boundary Street provides an important symbiotic relationship that can fill in certain gaps in the urban fabric with students, giving both life and character to the corridor simultaneously.

We would be remiss to discuss encouraging pedestrian activity and business vitality along Boundary Street if we did not also address the current geometrics of the four-lane thoroughfare. Very simply, the current configuration encourages speeding, is hostile to pedestrians and cyclists alike, and does not provide any convenient, shared on-street parking forcing each site to create their own parking lot. It’s time to put this section of Boundary Street on a road diet – shrinking it from four lanes to three with on-street parking – and this can be done by restriping, not rebuilding, with cans of paint and thermoplastic stencils to be specific.

WHITEHALL AS A COMPLIMENT TO BAY STREET

There are those that would scream that the Whitehall property be left undeveloped – and we would join them, tied to a tree – if a shopping center or a big box store, or a series of gas stations and fast food outparcels were being proposed. That would not be a fair trade, would it? You can’t remove nature and replace it with development that not only degrades the natural environment, but also negatively impacts the human environment. But if you propose a neighborhood, we

would argue that those against it were short-sighted and selfish because a neighborhood, a proper human habitat, is a fair trade. Of the few places capable of handling development at high density within the sensitive ecosystem in which Beaufort sits, this is one. The volume of water that flows along the Beaufort River at this point provides for the greatest amount of natural flushing. It’s at the foot of the bridge that connects to downtown Beaufort a quarter mile away and it has been developed on in the past. Instead of sprawling on Lady’s Island in the form of shopping centers and car-dependent commercial uses, a town center located at Whitehall would serve the community more efficiently and provide more opportunities for residents seeking lifestyle opportunities not dependent on car use and long commutes.

Our plan saves a tremendous amount of trees and still provides a marketable and successful building program that leaves about 25 percent of the property open. The main street of Whitehall and the buildings that front Sea Island Parkway will have riverfront and park views. Through proper design, the new village center would allow the waterfront walk to continue forming an important anchor for pedestrians and cyclists enjoying the now extensive and unique waterfront experience we have begun to envision, stretching from maybe the Hospital all the way to Whitehall. Imagine landing in a boat at the marina and being able to walk three miles, a little over a mile and a half in either direction, through plazas with cafes and shops, into parks, along boardwalks that lead to points where you can access the water by Marina or boat launch, by kayak and boat, and cross the river by foot on the bridge.

AND FINALLY, A STRONG DOWNTOW IS SURROUNDED BY STRONG NEIGHBORHOODS

For too long, the neighborhoods surrounding the downtown have either been in a state of stasis or deterioration. With the exception of The Point and perhaps parts of the Old Commons, investment and population have been in decline. This slow decline



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has left entire blocks in nearly every neighborhood vacant, blighted, or otherwise destabilized. For the entire downtown area to succeed, it must be bolstered by continual investment and re-investment in the neighborhoods. The pedestrian traffic of the resident population is the constant to the ebbs and flows of the tourist market. To increase the population is to improve the market conditions for every business and restaurant in the downtown area. Once we move from the waterfront area, the Beaufort of 2051 must consist of a series of closely connected, highly walkable, diverse, neighborhoods and mixed-use corridors that maintain the charm and character of their historic roots amidst new construction that has sensitively infilled all of the missing gaps.

We have identified opportunities for more than 2500 people to move in tomorrow without a new street, sewer line, or using any more gas to collect garbage. We will simply build on our existing network of well-connected streets and do so at a density that would be generally unnoticed by the average citizen.

Along Bladen Street in the Northwest Quadrant, new mixed-development along an improved streetscape will usher in a wave of housing in the form of cottages, duplexes, bungalows, and perhaps even some townhomes and apartments. Up in Higgonsonville, many individuals, many of them artists, will reclaim a number of the homes in the area lost to neglect to create a thriving community. In Pigeon Point, the former base housing from Parris Island that were moved to scattered lots throughout the neighborhood will be expanded, renovated, and redeveloped with homes that are more suitable for the gracious lots that exist there. And in the Old Commons, particularly along the periphery by Boundary Street and Carteret Street, large old homes in decrepit conditions and new homes on empty lots will be reclaimed by the University and others to provide much-needed housing for faculty, staff, and student for a thriving University that is a regional leader in the arts and environmental studies.

The Point will continue to be a beacon of the success of the national preservation movement that has resurrected

a once dying part of town into some of the highest housing values in the area. Streets in the Point will benefit from a systematic burying and relocation of the aerial utility lines that obscure the beautiful mansions and cottages than sit cheek to jowel. Lastly, new housing has sprung forth from the largely abandoned Post Office and around the old Jail. These entire blocks along with the hundreds of vacant sites scattered around the downtown will provide a living framework on which new homes will rise.

A CHARGE TO OUR FUTURE

As you will see by this Master Plan, we have created a vision for a community that is walkable and mixed use; that reinforces its urban character, but also celebrates the natural context in which it sits. We leverage nature to raise awareness of its importance in order to celebrate the history and aspirations of the people of Beaufort and Beaufort County.

All in all, we hope that present and future generations share our vision. Most importantly, for this plan to succeed, it will need leadership and determination of few champions and it will need to be powerful and compelling enough to make visitors think that Beaufort has its act together – and would be a good place to move to and invest in.

For this plan, the fabric of each new building in the downtown was intentionally set to the same scale as such historic precedents as the Elliott House as well as buildings that are now only remembered in photographs. Gone are the days of the mega-project on the superblock. If progress is to be made, it will be slow, calculated and in small increments. The work will be done by many hands and over a long period of time. But, if we have done our jobs like Burnham did in Chicago, we will have created a legacy that will ably secure our rights as a great American city for centuries to come. - The Office for Civic Investment, 2010


P H A S E S O F P R O P O S E D D E V E L O P M E N T

SECTOR 1 STUDY AREA

The study area covered in the Sector 1 Planning and Design Charrette includes the Beaufort peninsula to the east of Ribaut Road. Sector 1 also includes the Whitehall Plantation property on Lady’s Island (just across the Beaufort River) as a logical extension of downtown Beaufort.

In addition to Beaufort’s entire 304-acre National Historic Landmark district, the following neighborhoods are included in Sector 1: • Downtown/Bay Street • Northwest Quadrant • The Point • Old Commons • The Bluff • Dixon Village • Pigeon Point • Uptown Beaufort • Higginsonville • WhitehallEach of these neighborhoods has a unique character, form, and personality that were recognized during the charrette process.

For the Sector 1 Planning and Design Charrette the Sector 1 study area was split among five design teams each with a specific focus area for design. The sequence of images at right illustrates the summation of that work, across the entirety of Sector 1, in phases. The existing building footprints are shown at the top. Below that is the proposed Phase 1, which illustrates development potential within 10 to 20 years. Finally, Phase 2 is shown as a long-term build-out of the Sector 1 planning area.

The image on the facing page (Sector 1 Proposed Development Plan) is the aggregate of all the proposed interventions for Sector 1, including short- and long-term development strategies and key open space improvements. In total, the plan accommodates about 2,500 new people living in Sector 1, as well as about 180,000 square feet of new commercial (non-residential) space and 126,000 square feet of new civic space.

EXISTING BUILDINGS

PROPOSEDDEVELOPMENTPHASE 1

PROPOSEDDEVELOPMENTPHASE 2

(See Appendix A for larger maps)



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S E C T O R 1 P R O P O S E D D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N(See Appendix A for larger map)


WA L K A B I L I T Y(See Appendix A for larger map)


WALKABILITY

The average distance that a typical pedestrian is willing to walk is one-fourth to one-half miles, which equates to a five to ten minute journey. This distance is often referred to as the “pedestrian shed.” The downtown Beaufort peninsula is about 1.5 miles across at its widest point (from Waterfront Park up to Pinckney Park). Because this distance is greater than a typical pedestrian shed, it is important to provide employment opportunities, services, neighborhood retail, and spaces for recreation throughout the downtown Beaufort peninsula. Encouraging an appropriate mix of uses along

key corridors such as Boundary Street, Bladen Street, Ribaut Road, and Carteret Street will foster walkability throughout the Sector 1 study area over the long term.

Currently, the historic district, and Bay Street in particular, is the most walkable area in town. It includes the greatest variety of uses at a potentially walkable scale. Part of the intent behind the Open Space Plan is to create attractive walkable corridors throughout Sector 1. While the establishment of mixed-use nodes along key corridors occurs in the long term, streetscape improvements and the development of an open space network help to extend the walkability of the Bay Street area in the short term.

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A L T E R N AT I V E T R A N S P O R TAT I O N M A P(See Appendix A for larger map)

ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION MAP

Sidewalk improvements throughout Sector 1 are another method of extending the walkability of downtown Beaufort. The Alternative Transportation Map below illustrates blocks where sidewalks are recommended to be installed, if they are not so already. The introduction of a downtown circulator bus that shares stops with regional routes also improves local and regional mobility.

Bike infrastructure improvements range from “can-of-paint” solutions that create shared bike travel lanes, to

dedicated bike lanes that connect to the regional parks and greenways system. Finally, the existing marina serves as a terminal for regional water taxis and boat tourism.

These improvements all support a more sustainable built environment for Beaufort residents and strengthen/broaden the tourism industry by allowing people to reach downtown Beaufort in new ways, move around more easily once they are there, and explore parts of town that were not previously within a reasonable walking distance.


Chapter 3 | Section 2 | Transportation

STREET HIERARCHY

The predominant gridiron pattern of the Sector 1 study area is a tremendous asset for developing a more walkable urban environment in downtown Beaufort. While the grid network increases the overall efficiency and capacity of the system to convey traffic to and from destinations within the Sector 1 study area, there are only 3 routes that allow access beyond the downtown peninsula: Boundary Street to the west, Ribaut Road to the South toward Port Royal, and Carteret Street to the South across the US 21 bridge. Because of these geographic constraints, establishing a coherent street hierarchy within the downtown environment will be a key consideration for enabling local mobility in the future.

The map on the facing page illustrates how mobility in the Sector 1 Study Area will be enhanced by the improvement of Beaufort’s existing street network. • Primary thoroughfares like Ribaut Road, Carteret Street, and Boundary Street will continue to serve a regional purpose and convey the highest volume of traffic to destinations within the downtown peninsula and beyond. These streets will also be enhanced to more effectively accommodate non-motorized (pedestrian and bicycle) modes of transportation. • Bay Street, Bladen Street, and Newcastle Street will serve as local thoroughfares and support neighborhood commercial development in close proximity to downtown neighborhoods. • Port Republic Street is noted as a festival street and retail counterpart to Bay Street (see page 67). • South of Boundary Street, the remaining streets are local roads and alleys that follow a regular grid and efficiently serve individual lots. • North of Boundary Street, the local grid is a little slightly less regular and frequent. As a result, each neighborhood street plays a slightly more prominent role in conveying traffic to the major thoroughfare of Boundary Street.

Combined with a future development strategy that promotes a greater variety and mix of uses in Sector 1, Beaufort’s gridded street hierarchy will enable people to live locally and accomplish their daily needs in a short walking, biking, or driving distance. The pages that follow illustrate some transportation strategies that will support these street classifications, as well as development concepts that will make the most effective use of the street hierarchy as illustrated.


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S T R E E T H I E R A R C H Y M A PNOT TO SCALE(See Appendix A for larger map)

Boundary StreetRibaut RoadCarteret StreetCharles StreetBladen Street

Bay StreetPort Republic StreetG-5 StreetG-3 StreetRear Lanes



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BOUNDARY STREET ROAD DIET

This plan for Boundary Street utilizes the existing 44’-0” of pavement, curb to curb, and reconfigures the lane striping. It reduces the number of travel lanes from four to two, adds parallel parking on both sides, as well as a turning lane in the center. In the future, when rear access is incorporated into the lots fronting Boundary Street, the turn lane can be converted into a planted median. This “road diet”, or reconfiguration of the street, will slow traffic making the Boundary Street Corridor more pedestrian-friendly.


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BELLAMY CURVE

Bellamy Curve is a unique gateway to the USCB campus and downtown Beaufort, and can be an inspiring public space on the banks of the Beaufort River. The Bellamy Curve proposal transforms the corner into a pie-shaped public plaza that transitions from a hardscape treatment to a natural environment as it fans out to the river. The inside of the curve is a hardscape plaza with public art, seating, and planters. In the roadway, the visual cue and texture change of a plaza paving treatment slows drivers down and creates a broad crosswalk for pedestrians. Finally, a terraced lawn on the outside of the curve creates a connection to the river and to the USCB campus. The plaza and terraced lawn are heavily used by USCB students as it marks the transition from the student housing on Boundary Street to the academic quads on Carteret Street.

The portion of the plan north of Boundary Street is a long-term plan for the area. The plan depicts a large structure that could house a conference center or large hotel fronting the marsh. The waterfront park is extended from Bellamy Curve north into Pigeon Point. In addition, smaller, more dense infill development such as town houses is possible to the north of the hotel/conference structure.

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R I B A U T R O A D C O R R I D O R C O N C E P T U A L P L A NNOT TO SCALE

RIBAUT ROAD CORRIDOR

The Ribaut Road Corridor begins at the new City Hall building to the north and connects to the Town of Port Royal in the south. It is one of the most heavily traveled corridors in Beaufort and supports major institutions like Beaufort Memorial Hospital and the Technical College of the Lowcountry. For most of its length, the corridor contains four travel lanes, two in each direction, and a center turn lane. Reconfiguring Ribaut Road north of Duke Street allows on-street parking to support denser town center development as well as continued redevelopment of the County Government Campus. South of Duke Street, residential-scaled infill will incrementally add home offices, neighborhood services, and a greater density of dwelling units.

The corner of Ribaut and Bay Street will be redeveloped as a major gateway into downtown Beaufort, marked by planted medians, crosswalks in an alternative paving treatment, wayfinding signage, and a banner stand that will advertise community events (see plan on following page).

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Marsh Road Improvements

A road diet along Ribaut Road north of Duke Street is needed to encourage pedestrian activity to support the planned town center development and continuted redevelopment of the County Government Campus. This road diet would include closing two travel lanes of Ribaut Road in order to provide parking. In order to close the travel lanes, alternative access must be provided between Duke Street and Boundary Street. To provide this access, Marsh Road will be improved and extended to connect to Ribaut Road at Prince Street. This will allow adequate access and traffic flow from Ribaut Road to Boundary Street.

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GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE

The City of Beaufort is rich with natural beauty. Places including Waterfront Park and the many pocket parks connect residents and visitors to nature as they experience the downtown and Bay Street. It is common to see visitors strolling along Bay Street, enjoying the view of the marsh and the enormous live oak trees. These natural features are just one component of a critical linked network of open space and natural infrastructure in Downtown Beaufort. Through the Civic Master Plan the City of Beaufort will build on the existing natural infrastructure by enhancing and connecting the open space to not only aesthetically improve the area, but to also improve drainage and stormwater management in downtown. Creating opportunities for open space and natural infrastructure is a multi-pronged approach with a variety of techniques. Each technique used in the natural infrastructure plan is outlined below and highlighted on the plan at right.

Streetscape Improvements Ribaut Road, Bladen Street and Charles Street are the north-south connections south of Boundary Street to the river. Each of these streets will have enhanced streetscapes with street trees, sidewalks, and on-street parking. The improvements help to mitigate runoff issues by incorporating tree planting wells that collect, filter and drain water to the greater stormwater system. East-west connections north of Boundary Street on Park Avenue also integrate streetscape enhancements with stormwater management improvements in Pigeon Point. For example, a planting strip and pervious parking areas will filter water before it enters the piping system and then efficiently channel overflow water into the greater stormwater management system.

Other street improvements north of Boundary Street on Pigeon Point Road, Sycamore Street, Lafayette Street, and Rodgers Street include the addition of street trees, pervious opportunistic parking and a sidewalk on one side of the street. To improve stormwater management

these streetscape improvements will also provide stormwater filtration on site and more effectively direct the overflow water into the downtown system.

Improvements to Existing Open Space The Civic Master Plan also upgrades several areas of existing open space. Basil Green Park north of Boundary Street and Washington Street Square Park south of Boundary Street include enhancements that will benefit the surrounding neighborhoods, while also connecting into the greater system of open space and infrastructure. Both parks are ideal locations for new intermediary stormwater runoff measures including rain gardens, bio-retention swales and retention hollows.

Natural Infrastructure System The Civic Master Plan connects the existing natural infrastructure in downtown Beaufort through streetscape improvements, stormwater management enhancements, and new investment in existing open space. Each part of the plan represents an integral stage in improving the quality of the built and natural environment.


N AT U R A L I N F R A S T R U C T U R E & PA R K S


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N AT U R A L I N F R A S T R U C T U R E & PA R K S

P R O P O S E D G R E E N I N F R A S T R U C T U R E


EXTENSION of WATERFRONT PARK

Waterfront Park is a spectacular public amenity that draws locals and tourists alike to downtown Beaufort. However, to the west along the Bluff is an underutilized asset that has the unrealized potential to be a truly great public space.

Beaufort’s waterfront is a tangible part of the city’s history and identity. With a waterfront park extension, there will is a logical connection from the existing Waterfront Park to The Bluff. A simple boardwalk extending along the river’s edge to the west of

C O N C E P T U A L I L L U S T R AT I O N o f B O A R D WA L K a l o n g t h e M A R S H ( L o o k i n g e a s t t o w a r d d o w n t o w n )

E X I S T I N G

Waterfront Park provides a pedestrian amenity that recognizes and celebrates the significance of the Beaufort River to the city, in an appropriately low-impact fashion. This boardwalk preserves the natural setting of the Bluff and is also is a key component in the development of a regional parks and greenway system.

Chapter 3 | Section 3 | Natural Infrastructure & Parks


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Pervious Parking Summary

Layfayette St. (34 spots) 14 parallel 20 head-inRodgers Ave. (48 spots) 22 parallel 26 angledNairne St. (62 spots) All head-inGodfrey St. (79 spots All head-inEntrance (108 spots) All angled

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BASIL GREEN PARK

Basil Green Park, located in the Pigeon Point neighborhood, is one of the most popular and frequently used parks in Beaufort. Many sports teams play in the park on the weekends and several nights a week during spring, summer, and fall. In recent years, parking has become a problem. The proposed plan (see previous page) shows how the parking can be reorganized to handle large crowds. It is also recommended that the fields be reoriented to create new pavilions and an entry drop-off point.

COMMUNITY GARDENS At the scale of the block, the natural infrastructure plan includes incremental agriculture opportunities. These community gardens provide open space for the neighborhood, as well as opportunities for residents to grow their own food. The gardens can also be integrated into the stormwater management system to fill cisterns for watering the growing plants.

P O T E N T I A L L O C AT I O N S f o r C O M M U N I T Y G A R D E N S


WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK

Washington Square Park is an important neighborhood gathering place for local residents in the Northwest Quadrant. The park’s facilities are dated and in need of improvement. New picnic shelters and restrooms mark the corners of the park. Play equipment is located near the structures for easy child supervision. Some of the play equipment is preserved as it dates back to the original construction of the park and holds historical significance to local community members. The park will

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support both active and passive recreational uses with a basketball court, a tennis court, an amphitheater, and an open lawn for common activities. The basketball and tennis courts will be located so as not to disrupt adjacent homes. The plan described and shown here carefully considers the requests made by neighborhood residents.

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BANNER AREA

The intersection of Ribaut Road and Bay Street is the gateway to downtown Beaufort for the majority of residents and tourists. The northeast corner of the intersection owned by the Beaufort Open Land Trust is currently the location used to hang banners announcing upcoming festivals and events in the town. The gateway is now only marked with these informal banners, miss-ing an opportunity to welcome visitors and residents to the historic waterfront in Beaufort. The Civic Master Plan will reinstate this corner as a prominent entrance to downtown Beaufort. The plan includes a designated location for community banners and a pocket park on the northeast corner. On the northwest corner the ma-

Community Banners

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ture trees will be preserved and a pervious fitness loop will provide recreation opportunities to residents. Both corners employ strategic stormwater management tools such as grass swales and rain gardens to treat and filter the runoff from Ribaut Road and the areas north of Bay Street.

The improved gateway and banner location to Beaufort is further complimented by the streetscape improve-ments on Ribaut Road that include traffic calming the street from four lanes to two lanes, adding a bike lane in each direction, enhanced crosswalks, and new street trees. The result of these upgrades is a sense of arrival to downtown Beaufort and a unique opportunity for both active and passive users.


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B A Y S T R E E T a n d t h e WAT E R F R O N TChapter 3 | Section 4

BAY STREET

The Bay Street and Waterfront Park are the city’s most recognizable assets. The unique identity and public amenities combine to create a special sense of place that permeates the entire city. Unfortunately, the activity in this area is currently limited in terms of both geography and diversity. With the changes proposed in this plan, downtown can be transformed into an even more memorable and appealing district with resourceful planning and implementation.

In terms of geography, what most people consider to be downtown Beaufort is limited to the three blocks of Bay Street from Charles to Carteret Streets. To become a unified district, the perception of downtown Beaufort needs to expand beyond its Bay Street core and develop a vibrancy of activity that connects to other parts of the city.

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B A Y S T R E E T S T U D Y A R E A

In terms of diversity, Downtown Beaufort is an almost exclusively tourist-driven market, with little commercial provision for the everyday needs of residents. To become an authentic place, Downtown Beaufort needs to foster and develop an identity and diversity of function beyond tourist shops and carriage tours.

Four major projects are identified in Downtown Beaufort to help the area overcome its narrow geography and lack of diversity: the Marina redevelopment, a Port Republic Street parking garage and commercial infill strategy, an extension of Waterfront Park along the Bluff, and the Whitehall Plantation property development.

Marina Redevelopment

The most underutilized space in downtown is the Marina parking lot. This approximately three-acre asphalt lot is an unfitting use of a prime location in the middle of

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downtown and an inappropriate complement to both the built environment of downtown and the natural environment of the river. The Marina redevelopment scheme inspires a more active and valuable space to anchor this site at the western end of Waterfront Park.

Buildings derived from Beaufort traditions are reintroduced to portions of this prime development land. A new wharf building, located at the site of the old Charles Street Wharf, serves as a commercial anchor, servicing tourists, locals, and fishermen. This signature building serves as a landmark, as the only proposed extension of the built environment into the Beaufort River. Market-style buildings define new public spaces that extend the pedestrian environment of Waterfront Park. These buildings accommodate a variety of uses from retail, to boat maintenance, to apartments and condos. Following the precedent of downtown Beaufort, these buildings stand three to four stories in height and utilize a style appropriate to the traditional vernacular of the Lowcountry.

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Chapter 3 | Section 4 | Bay Street and the Waterfront

E X I S T I N G


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P R O P O S E D P A R K I N G G A R A G E F A C A D E a l o n g P O R T R E P U B L I C S T R E E T

A new civic building and public plaza is located in the northeast corner of the Marina redevelopment site and terminates the view from Bay Street toward the Marina, with an expression of civic pride that is currently absent from downtown (see images on facing page). The Marina will be a point of origin, as well as a destination, for water taxis and tours to Charleston, Savannah, and Hilton Head Island.

Proposed Parking Garage at Port Republic

A parking garage is located in the middle of the block bound by Port Republic Street, Craven Street, Charles Street, and West Street to replace the parking spaces displaced by the Marina redevelopment and to provide easier access to downtown Beaufort from regional destinations. The parking garage accommodates roughly 280 vehicles and it has minimal impact on the streetscape as it is wrapped with mixed-use liner buildings.

On Port Republic Street and West Street, commercial space and a new Visitors Welcome Center activates the streetscape for pedestrians and provide information to people arriving downtown by car (see image below).

On Craven Street, apartment units line the garage and create an appropriate transition to the residential neighborhoods north of the downtown area (see images on following page).

This mix of development provides parking without the typical visual impact of a parking garage, it accommodates residents and tourists alike, and it extends the Bay Street commercial core to the north.

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Port Republic Infill

In conjunction with the parking garage, commercial infill development along Port Republic Street extends the commercial environment of Bay Street throughout downtown. This infill development embraces traditional Lowcountry vernacular in its architectural style. In addition, Port Republic Street will be reoriented as a plaza street terminating to the west in a prominent infill commercial building along Charles Street. This street does not have a raised curb treatment. Instead it utilizes a consistent decorative paving treatment from building face to building face, and separates pedestrians from

C O N C E P T U A L I L L U S T R AT I O N o f I N F I L L D E V E L O P M E N T a l o n g P O R T R E P U B L I C ( L o o k i n g We s t a l o n g P o r t R e p u b l i c S t r e e t )

vehicular circulation with intermittent bollards. This mix of pedestrian and vehicular environments at an intimate scale encourages slow traffic speeds and fosters a pedestrian environment that better serves the retail character of the area. It also allows the street to be easily closed off to vehicular traffic and serves as a new festival space for downtown.

E X I S T I N G


F A C A D E I M P R O V E M E N T S

Retail & Merchandising Plan

The retail and merchandising strategy for downtown Beaufort is twofold: First, use simple pedestrian amenities to improve the character of the streetscape; Second, expand the mix of commercial uses in downtown to serve local residents more effectively.

Regarding streetscape character, there are several simple and inexpensive improvements that can be made to improve the public realm of the downtown retail area. Replanting street trees, adding light fixtures with banners and flowering baskets, marking building entryways with benches and other amenities, and adding awnings over blank windows (see images below) help to invigorate the public spaces of downtown that are currently lacking. Downtown Beaufort already boasts phenomenal historic buildings and streets, so these small touches will only further enliven the public realm.

Over the long term, Beaufort needs to broaden the mix of commercial uses in downtown to better serve local residents. Downtown is an almost exclusively tourist-driven, niche market. At one time, downtown included neighborhood-serving retail uses like hardware stores, pharmacies, grocers, produce markets, and more. As more people move into infill housing closer

V O N H A R T E N B U I L D I N G F A C A D E

to downtown, the retail environment should naturally move to serve these markets within a walkable distance. Increasing oil demand and gas prices make this kind of neighborhood-serving retail even more viable downtown. The ultimate goal is a diversity of retail, professional offices, restaurants, and neighborhood services that attract regional tourism but also serve the local population in Beaufort as effectively.

EXISTING EXISTING

EXISTING



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Among the pedestrian amenities that can be offered in downtown Beaufort is a more effective system of wayfinding. Beaufort has a wealth of parks, retail areas, and other attractions beyond Bay Street and Waterfront Park that many casual visitors do not realize. An effective system of signage, one that reflects the local vernacular and is appropriately scaled to serve pedestrians, unifies the different areas of downtown and encourages visitors to wander beyond the three blocks of Bay Street.

G1Sketch/Page No.Project No.Project: Stewart Park 09136.GP6

ByTitle: Signage Design AD

DatePhase Schematic Design Design Development Final ArtProgramming 12.08.10

ScaleIssue Quarter Scale

POPULATION 12,361

DOWNTOWN

VISITOR’S CENTER

WATERFRONT

FARMER’S MARKET

CITY HALL

DOWNTOWN

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C O N C E P T U A L S I G N A G E f o r D O W N T O W N B E A U F O R T


The images presented are all conceptual only and are intended

to illustrate the types and range of signage, not the final design.


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C O R R I D O R P L A N SChapter 3 | Section 5

Five key corridors in the Sector 1 study area were identified for closer examination during the planning and design charrette. These key commercial corridors are important as Beaufort continues to grow and develop. They promote efficient vehicular circulation, while also supporting pedestrian-friendly mixed-use centers.

CARTERET STREET CORRIDOR

The Carteret Street corridor begins in the north, where Boundary Street meets Bellamy Curve, and connects to Lady’s Island via the US 21 (Business)/Sea Island Parkway Bridge. It is the most significant north-south corridor in downtown Beaufort and connects key project sites, like Old City Hall, and institutions, like USCB and

the Beaufort County Library. The corridor contains two travel lanes for a majority of its length with on-street parking on either side. Carteret Street supports a fairly wide variety of service businesses, including real estate offices, insurance and financial planning firms, and attorney’s offices. It also supports several restaurants, a hotel, and religious uses such as Carteret Street United Methodist and Beth Israel Synagogue.

As the city grows, Carteret Street continues to support a variety of commercial uses. It also supports a greater density of residential development and an expanded institutional presence. With growth comes improvements, including wider sidewalks, more plentiful plantings, and generous crosswalks that are clearly marked with alternative paving treatments.

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Business Compound Expansion

Part of the commercial growth along the Carteret Street corridor is organized as a neighborhood-scaled, integrated business compound. Located on the two blocks bounded by Carteret Street, New Street, Prince Street, and North Street, this compound is comprised of several independent, residentially-scaled buildings that house business and neighborhood service uses. A series of interior courts and inviting midblock spaces are created through the thoughtful infill of the block perimeters. A variety of business support functions are envisioned to occupy the compound, from graphic design and production, to research and development entities associated with the primary business (and possibly USCB), to administrative functions. The compound also includes a limited amount of residential uses associated with visiting clients and consultants, interns, etc.

B U S I N E S S C O M P O U N D P L A N SCALE: 1”=200’

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University of South Carolina - Beaufort Expansion

Located at Bellamy Curve, where Boundary Street turns to meet Carteret, the University of South Carolina at Beaufort (USCB) occupies one of the most prominent corners in Beaufort. USCB is the primary institutional stakeholder in Sector 1 as it anchors the eastern portion of the downtown peninsula. Due to its unique location, there is potential for the university to grow along two of Beaufort’s most prominent corridors, Boundary Street to the west and Carteret Street to the south. This development facilitates additional growth along these corridors, contributing a valuable consistency of streetscape and quality of the public realm to the city.

The Sector 1 plan accomodates campus growth in a historic academic quad style organized around the existing buildings on campus and the Carteret Street corridor. Parking is accommodated on-street in the blocks surrounding USCB to alleviate the need for paved lots that damage the local ecology and are detrimental to the campus and streetscape environments. Many students are also accommodated in on-campus housing to lessen the need for commuter lots and parking areas.

In the short term, the Sector 1 plan provides for 200 to 400 students on-campus and adds 30,000 to 50,000 square feet of classroom, faculty office, and recreational space. As a vital component of the plan, the campus should partner with the city to utilize adjacent property along the Beaufort River to create a civic, public amenity. In the long term, the continuous growth of the campus population will support mixed-use infill and redevelopment along Boundary and Carteret Streets and prompting positive reinvestment in the surrounding residential neighborhoods.

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Chapter 3 | Section 5 | Corridor Plans


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Student Housing

Bellamy Curve Streetscape Enhancements

On-campus Housing

Diagonal Parking on Washington Street

Academic Quad


U R B A N M A N S I O N - S T Y L E S T U D E N T H O U S I N G

Proposed Student Housing

USCB student housing is developed as mix of traditional dorm-style units and urban mansion-style units (see below) that emulate a traditional Lowcountry vernacular. The plan calls for most on-campus housing to be located along Boundary Street, with additional housing provided by a selective conversion of historic mansion-style residences located in the nearby neighborhoods. This mixture of housing allows USCB to offer a student living arrangement and educational experience that is appropriately unique to Beaufort. To manage these residents, USCB carefully maintains and monitors these properties to mitigate their impacts on surrounding neighborhoods. The impact of the student population is unmistakably positive and helps to spur further commercial investment and residential reinvestment in the area. The student housing along Boundary in particular helps to spur commercial growth and redevelopment in that corridor.



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Bellamy Curve

Bellamy Curve is a unique gateway to the USCB campus and downtown Beaufort, and can be an inspiring public space on the banks of the Beaufort River. The Bellamy Curve proposal transforms the corner into a pie-shaped public plaza that transitions from a hardscape treatment to a natural environment as it fans out to the river. The inside of the curve is a hardscape plaza with public art, seating, and planters. In the roadway, the visual cue and texture change of a plaza paving treatment slows drivers down and creates a broad crosswalk for pedestrians. Finally, a terraced lawn on the outside of the curve creates a connection to the river and to the USCB campus. The plaza and terraced lawn are heavily used by USCB students as it marks the transition from the student housing on Boundary Street to the academic quads on Carteret Street.

The portion of the plan north of Boundary Street is a long-term plan for the area. The plan depicts a large structure that could house a conference center or large hotel fronting the marsh. The waterfront park is extended from Bellamy Curve north into Pigeon Point. In addition, smaller, more dense infill development such as town houses is possible to the north of the hotel/conference structure. B E L L A M Y C U R V E C O N C E P T U A L P L A N

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BOUNDARY STREET CORRIDOR

The Boundary Street corridor in Sector 1 is bounded by Bellamy Curve to the east and Ribaut Road to the west. It is the most significant east-west corridor in Sector 1, connecting sites like City Hall, the Boys & Girls Club of Beaufort, and USCB. Boundary Street is currently a vehicular thoroughfare. For most of its length, the corridor contains four travel lanes, two in each direction, and an overall lack of adequate accommodation for pedestrians.

The strategy for redeveloping the Boundary Street corridor includes reducing the number of travel lanes to two: one in each direction, with a lane of on-street parking on either side. The intention is to encourage a more pedestrian-friendly atmosphere with convenient parking to serve new buildings that are built to the sidewalk. The city and SCDOT work in conjunction to implement this technique called a “road diet.” The road diet converts the primarily vehicular function of Boundary Street into a complete street that promotes pedestrian activity and bicycling.

Neighborhood Commercial

In addition to a center for student housing, the Boundary Street corridor is an essential center for neighborhood commercial activity for Sector 1. Currently, the corridor is marked by scattered gaps, surface parking lots, and vacant buildings. As Beaufort grows, more neighborhood serving commercial uses are necessary. These proposed uses are directed to strategically to fill the gaps along Boundary Street with quality buildings that are close to the street. This creates a consistency within the streetscape environment, produces a higher quality public realm, and activates the space by encouraging pedestrian traffic along the corridor. The neighborhood commercial infill strategy is imperative in terms of providing essential services and everyday needs for residents of the Pigeon Point and Higginsonville neighborhoods to the north of Boundary Street. These neighborhoods are currently not within walking distance to essential commercial uses.


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Western Boundary Street Redevelopment

In addition the road diet along Boundary Street east of Ribaut Road, a portion of western Boundary Street from Union Street to Hamar Street offers the opportunity to provide a slip lane on the south side of the corridor. This creates an urban boulevard configuration, allowing for easier access to off-street parking, encouraging slower traffic speeds, and enhancing the pedestrian realm for existing buildings that are currently set back from the street.

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P R O P O S E D S L I P L A N E o n B O U N D A R Y S T .


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Piggly Wiggly Redevelopment

The construction of the new City Hall complex at the intersection of Boundary Street and Ribaut Road brings a new civic prominence to the area that is reflected in the surrounding pattern of development. The existing Piggly Wiggly grocery store provides an essential service to the surrounding neighborhoods, but meets the street at this important intersection with a dull and uninspiringparking lot on both Ribaut Road and Boundary Street. Through a strategic redevelopment of this parcel, the Piggly Wiggly accommodates growth and provides commercial infill buildings close to the street. This provides spatial definition at the intersection and creates a better streetscape. A roundabout also recognizes the civic significance of the site and moves traffic through the busy intersection at slower, consistent speeds.

P I G G L Y W I G G L Y C O N C E P T U A L R E D E V E L O P M E N T L O O K I N G S O U T H

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RIBAUT ROAD CORRIDOR

The Ribaut Road Corridor begins at the new City Hall building to the north and connects to the Town of Port Royal in the south. It is one of the most heavily traveled corridors in Beaufort and supports major institutions like Beaufort Memorial Hospital and the Technical College of the Lowcountry. For most of its length, the corridor contains four travel lanes, two in each direction, and a center turn lane. Reconfiguring Ribaut Road north of Duke Street allows on-street parking to support denser town center development as well as continued redevelopment of the County Government Campus. South of Duke Street, residential-scaled infill will incrementally add home offices, neighborhood services, and a greater density of dwelling units.

The corner of Ribaut and Bay Street will be redeveloped as a major gateway into downtown Beaufort, marked by planted medians, crosswalks in an alternative paving treatment, wayfinding signage, and a banner stand that will advertise community events (see plan on following page).

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BLADEN STREET CORRIDOR

The Bladen Street corridor runs north-south between Boundary Street and Bay Street. It is a connecting corridor within the downtown peninsula of Beaufort. The city recently completed streetscape redevelopment work along Bladen Street north of Duke Street, adding sidewalk bulb-outs at intersections, planting street trees, and defining a street section with two travel lanes and two lanes of on-street parking. Over time, the corridor strategically infills using building types that are representative of the neighborhood. The proposed infill contains a mix of neighborhood commercial uses, senior housing, and residential units. These are comprised of a gradient of intensity and a mix of uses that are the greatest along Bladen Street, and more residential in character on adjacent blocks.

MidTown Residential Development

Retail Infill/Expansion to Existing Building

Retail Infill

Senior Housing Infill Development

Reorientation of North Street & Extension of Waterfront Park


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CHARLES STREET CORRIDOR

Similar to Bladen Street, the Charles Street corridor runs north-south between Boundary Street and Bay Street. It is a major connection to Bay Street. The Sector 1 plan also incorporates strategic infill along Charles Street. Including neighborhood-serving commercial corridor uses. The development of a civic node at the intersection of Charles Street and King Street is anchored by a redeveloped Post Office site to the southeast, an extension of the Parish Church of St. Helena Education Center to the southwest, and the Baptist Church of Beaufort to the northwest and northeast. Larger, mixed-use anchor buildings are intended along Charles Street south of Craven as a transition to the higher density of development on Bay Street.

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Baptist Church of Beaufort Expansion & Parking

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Mixed Use Infill(Post Office, Commercial, Apartments/Condos)

Single Family Infill

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N E I G H B O R H O O D P L A N S

N E I G H B O R H O O D SChapter 3 | Section 6

The neighborhoods between the significant Sector 1 corridors also require coherent plans to guide and manage future growth. Several neighborhoods were examined in close detail during the charrette because of their great potential to improve the Sector 1 study area. These neighborhood plans suggest careful infill strategies that accommodate growth, increase density,

and strengthen the public realm, while also maintaining the character of the existing neighborhoods. The Bluff, the Northwest Quadrant, and Higginsonville are distinct neighborhoods with unique identities that are supported by the following plans.

HIGGINSONVILLE

NORTHwEST QuADRANT

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NORTHwEST QuADRANT

The Northwest Quadrant is a historically African-American community with rich history and architecturally unique housing stock. Scattered among the housing, vacant and poorly-maintained properties have become a blight on the community. The Northwest Quadrant plan calls for these properties to be redeveloped through selective demolition (avoiding as many historically contributing structures as possible) and careful infill. The plan phases infill development using building types that are representative of Beaufort as well as incorporating some modern building types (townhomes, mansion homes) with appropriate architectural styling. The first phase includes

neighborhood commercial development on Charles and Bladen Streets. The second phase infills residential on the perimeter of adjacent blocks before interior and midblock spaces are developed throughout the neighborhood. The block structure of the Northwest Quadrant creates ample backyard areas that are underutilized as valuable space. In fact, many of the blocks were originally built with service alleys that have become overgrown and impassable. The neighborhood plan utilizes these midblock spaces more effectively as space for accessory dwelling units, community gardens, and passive stormwater management facilities. Midblock alleys are also reintroduced as a means of access to these uses.

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Chapter 3 | Section 6 | Neighborhoods


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HIGGINSONVILLE

Much of the Higginsonville neighborhood is occupied by the expansive Beaufort National Cemetery. The rest of Higginsonville is comprised of residential neighborhoods that wrap between the cemetery and the Beaufort River. The neighborhood plan calls for Higginsonville’s relationship to the river to be strengthened through the completion of improvements to two small waterfront parks, Sycamore Park and Horse Hole Park.

The neighborhood plan also incrementally infills Higginsonville’s residential blocks. Accessory dwelling units at the rear of residential lots allow for a greater

density without changing the character of the street or neighborhood. Several of the blocks include bungalow courts, in which small homes are arranged around interior public open spaces. This traditional arrangement allows for a more efficient use of Higginsonville’s block structure, creates more affordable housing units, and provides for a greater density and variety of housing within Beaufort. Given the lower cost of housing in the neighborhood, yet with a strong proximity to the river and the downtown, this is an excellent location to encourage artist’s to reclaim the housing and invest in its civic infrastructure.

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Proposed Bunglow Court & Pocket Park

The proposed bungalow court and pocket park between Lafayette Street and Park Avenue in Higginsonville provides homes facing interior public open spaces to promote increased civic engagement. A Community Artist Studio and Meeting Hall is located on the north-south Cuthbert Street axis that terminates at Horse Hole Park on the Beaufort River. The studio provides an open-air workspace for artists as well as public display and gathering space in close proximity to neighboring residents.



Affordable Housing Relocation in Higginsonville

This diagram below illustrates the how small, incremental affordable housing can, over time, replace the existing large-scale affordable housing project located adjacent to the natural cemetery. The replacement of these units over time would disperse the existing 40 units throughout the Higginsonville neighborhood and will utilize a variety of housing types. These types include large house-form multi-family units, as well as smaller single-family cottages. This approach integrates affordable housing seamlessly into the neighborhood, which offers two distinct benefits:

1. In the future, the units can be sold at market-rate for a profit. 2. Affordable housing is not stigmatized by the aesthetics of the units.

THE POINT

The Point offers the greatest collection of historic homes and antebellum architecture in Beaufort. Many properties in the Point have been owned by families for multiple generations and the neighborhood pride fostered by this ownership pattern is evident in the area’s well-maintained historic homes and gardens.

The primary recommendation for this neighborhood is to preserve its historic character and continue to encourage the amount of continual reinvestment necessary to maintain its many historic properties. Although the focus here is preservation, the western edge of the neighborhood along Carteret St. will be reinvigorated in the future with new commercial and mixed-use buildings that will serve neighborhood residents (see page 72), as well as some academic development associated with

A F F O R D A B L E H O U S I N G R E P L A C E M E N T C O N C E P T U A L P L A NNOT TO SCALE

Existing Affordable Housing Complex to be phased out

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USCB (see page 74). In each case, infill development will be regulated so as to be contextually appropriate to the neighborhood and enhance its overall character.

THE BLuFF

Similar to The Point, The Bluff offers a wealth of historic architecture and beautiful homes. The success of The Bluff will continue to be tied to the waterfront and downtown and private development is likely to go hand-in-hand with the public expansion of the waterfront park (see page 56). Uses that accommodate tourists such as bed and breakfasts and historic inns will be mixed with a higher density of infill development along Bay St. The future of the neighborhood will also become slightly more commercial in nature with the growth of the Bladen St. corridor. (see page 84)

OLD COMMONS

The Old Commons exists as a narrow residential strip between Carteret St. and Charles St. As such, most of the Old Commons neighborhood will be guided by the plans for these two corridors (see pages 72 and 86) and by the Boundary St. plan (see page 78). Other specific interventions at the post office site (see page 99) and the nearby redevelopment of Port Republic St. (see page 65-66) will provide development anchors for the neighborhood.

The rest of the neighborhood will grow through steady and responsive infill. Several neighborhood residents also reported some stormwater problems on the interiors of certain low-lying blocks, so the incorporation of Low-Impact Development techniques in existing lots and new infill development is recommended to manage this issue.

PIGEON POINT

With the Basil Green Complex, Pigeon Point Park, and Pinckney Park/Boat Landing, the Pigeon Point

neighborhood has the greatest variety of recreational opportunities in the Sector 1 study area. Connecting these amenities to each other and the rest of Sector 1 with greenways and bike lanes will allow the Pigeon Point neighborhood to more firmly establish its identity as the city’s recreational hub.

The redevelopment of Basil Green Park (see page 58-59) and nearby infill along Woodward Ave., Lafayette St. and Emmons St. will anchor the western portion of the neighborhood, while the Boundary St. corridor plan will guide development along its southern boundary.

DIXON VILLAGE

Dixon Village currently contains a mix of residential blocks, commercial strip, and some remnant industrial parcels. It is anchored in the southeast corner by Beaufort Elementary and in the northwest corner by the Piggly Wiggle shopping complex.

Future development along the perimeter of the neighborhood will be guided by the corridor plans for Boundary St. (see page 78-80) and Ribaut Rd. (see page 83), as well as the redevelopment plan for the Piggly Wiggly shopping center (see page 81). The rest of the neighborhood will grow in the form of incremental infill development. The amenity of a nearby elementary school will be attractive to young families and thoughtful infill development will seek to allow young families to buy into the neighborhood at a fairly affordable price point.


S P E C I F I C I N T E R V E N T I O N SNOT TO SCALE

S P E C I F I C I N T E R V E N T I O N SChapter 3 | Section 7

In addition to the five corridor plans and three neighborhood plans prepared at the Sector 1 Planning and Design Charrette, a series of specific interventions for proposed project sites were studied. These sites were identified before the charrette by the Office of Civic Investment in concert with the Redevelopment

Commission, City Manager, and input from the general public and are as follows: the Post Office block in the Old Commons, the old Beaufort County Jail site and Washington Square Park in the Northwest Quadrant, and the Basil Green Park in Pigeon Point.

BASIL GREEN PARK EXPANSION

wASHINGTON SQuARE PARK

FORMER JAIL SITE

POST OFFICE BLOCK


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POST OFFICE BLOCK

The current design of the Post Office, with a low, angular, awkward building set back from the street and surrounded by a moat of parking, is emblematic of urban dysfunction and poor civic design in cities and towns all over the country. Instead, the redeveloped Post Office block is designed to reinforce the streetscape with a perimeter of buildings while parking and a stormwater bioswale (runoff drainage course) are provided on the interior of the block. The retail functions of the Post Office, including the front-of-house services such as parcel shipping and postal purchases as well as post office boxes, should be maintained on the site as a key retail anchor for the site. This civic and religious node is supported by three-story mixed-use buildings along Charles Street and smaller residential units along West Street.

C O N C E P T U A L R E D E V E L O P M E N T o f t h e P O S T O F F I C E B L O C K

C O N C E P T U A L P L A N f o r t h e P O S T O F F I C E B L O C KSCALE: 1”=200’


K I N G S T R E E T

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REDEVELOPMENT of the FORMER JAIL SITE

The former Beaufort County Jail is a beautiful Art Deco building that has been vacant and neglected for decades. It shares a block with the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) offices. The adjacent blocks occupied by the old School Board building and the County Health Center are also underused and are included as part of this local redevelopment area.

The distinctiveness of the jail building makes it an attractive candidate for reuse as a restaurant, a boutique hotel, or condo units. Mixed-use buildings will phase in to replace the DHEC offices and the County Health Center. The County Health Center and old school board building sites are developed with townhomes and urban

E X I S T I N G J A I L B U I L D I N G

mansion-style units, both of which can be used as senior housing. The existing mature trees and small park areas along Wilmington Street are also preserved in the plan.

Chapter 3 | Section 7 | Specific Interventions


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P R O P O S E D R E D E V E L O P M E N T o f t h e F O R M E R J A I L S I T ESCALE: 1”=200’


Neighborhood Park

Jail Reuse Possibility(Condos or Hotel & Restaurant)

Multi-family Infill(extends existing King Street townhomes)

Multi-family Infill/ Senior Housing

Carriage House Infill

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Multi-family Infill/ Senior Housing

Carriage House Infill

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VACANT BLOCKS NEAR BASIL GREEN PARK

Just to the northwest of Basil Green Park is a large vacant lot currently owned by the City. The plan below shows how this lot can be subdivided into multi-family residential units to capitalize on the excellent location for young families near the park.

1 4 0 3 L A F A Y E T T E S T R E E T C O N C E P T U A L P L A N f o r M U L T I F A M I L Y H O U S I N GSCALE: 1” = 50’

Existing Oak

Existing Oak

Existing Oak

Duplex

4 units4 units

Pervious Parking(2 spaces/unit; Total of 20 spots)

New Parallel Parking

New

Parallel Parking

Unit Count(1) Duplex(2) Four-plex10 Units (2 BR/2BTH)

Basil Green Park

New Rear Lane (Positioned to accommodate existing trees)


C O N C E P T U A L P L A N f o r W H I T E H A L L M I X E D U S E D E V E L O P M E N TNOT TO SCALE


wHITEHALL

The old Whitehall Plantation property sits directly across the river from downtown Beaufort on the bridge from Carteret Street to Lady’s Island (US Business Route 21). The property offers impressive views of the Beaufort River, with downtown Beaufort just beyond. The currently vacant land is envisioned as a traditional neighborhood development with the northwestern tip of the property preserved as public open space for the regional parks and greenway system. There is one major entrance to the property marked by a civic or religious

structure and a public green defined by townhouses and mixed-use buildings. The town center green includes a diversity of uses, while land closer to the river is more residential, with apartment buildings, townhouses, and single family houses. A public dock provides another connection to downtown Beaufort or other destinations from the river. With this approach, the Whitehall property becomes a logical extension of downtown that compliments, but does not compete with the historic core.

L A D Y ’ S I S L A N D G AT E WAY / U. S . 2 1


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C O N C E P T U A L I L L U S T R AT I O N O F W H I T E H A L L

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I M P L E M E N TAT I O N E L E M E N T SChapter 3 | Section 8

THE REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION PROJECTS BOOK

The City of Beaufort Redevelopment Commission has been established to renovate, revitalize, and regenerate underutilized and distressed areas of Beaufort.

The Redevelopment Commission’s mission is to lead a coordinated strategy for redevelopment through targeted investments and partnerships aimed at strengthening the City of Beaufort as: 1. The heart of economic development for Northern Beaufort County. 2. A prosperous place for business and institutions; and 3. An attractive urban environment for residents and visitors.

In support of this mission, the Office of Civic Investment (OCI) has prepared the a Projects Book (see Appendix) detailing the list of initiatives documented in the Civic Master Plan for The City of Beaufort: Sector 1. The Civic Master Plan was generated through a vigorous six-month process of data collection, community outreach, and urban design. The Projects Book serves as the “implementation” document of the Civic Master Plan and is to be used by the Redevelopment Commission (RDC) to prioritize projects and coordinate efforts across the public and private sectors. It is formatted to incorporate changing priorities and is expected to be a living document that leads Civic policy and investment.

The Projects are categorized in two ways. The first is by timeline. Each initiative has been prioritized according to its anticipated delivery and placed within one of three time periods: 1. Short Term: 1 to 18 months, 2. Mid-Term: within 5 years, and 3. Long Term: within 20 years.

The second is by RDC subcommittee representing the four categories of: 1. Commercial Redevelopment 2. Residential Redevelopment

3. Finance 4. Communication/Public Relations

The table on the facing page illustrates the categorization of each project and serves as the Index for the Projects Book.

Please see Appendix C for the complete Redevelopment Commission Projects Book.


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Commercial Residential Finance Communications Project Policy Infrastructure Form-based code

Short-term Projects (within next 18 months)Policies & Initiatives

1 Incentives X X X X XCode Enforcement X XEnforcement of Tax Liens X XExpedited Permitting X X X X XRDC Marketing Campaign X X

2 Lowcountry Housing Trust Recommendations X X XResidential Market Study X X X

3 Pre-approved House Plans X XPre-approved Small Area Plans X X XAerial Utility Lines Clean up X X X X

Projects1 Pedestrian Crossings X X X X X

Old City Hall/Green Grocery X XMidtown X X XCommunity Garden X X X XBus Livability Grant X XEastern Boundary Street Road Diet X XBicycle Friendly Community X X XBladen Street Streetscape X XDuke Street Streetscape X X

2 City-owned Properties Plan X X XBanner Area at Bay & Ribaut X X XDay Docks & Public Boat Ramp X X XBasil Green Park X X X XResidential Pilot Projects X X X

3 Sycamore Street StreetscapeBeaufort Museum X X XDowntown Wayfinding Package X X X X1409-1411 Duke Street X X

Mid-term Projects (within 5 years)1 Extension of Waterfront Park (boardwalk) X X

Farmers Market Pavilion X XDowntown façade improvements X X X XBusiness campus expansion (Hoogenboom) X X XUSCB expansion & student housing X X X

2 Washington Square Park X XVisitor Center X X X XArtist Studio space X X XNWQ residential infill X X XHigginsonville residential infill X X X

3 Bellamy’s Curve infrastructure improvements X XRibaut Road streetscape improvements X XBusiness Incubator X X X X

4 Bladen Street commercial infill X X XCharles Street commercial infill X X XPost Office block redevelopment X X XFormer Jail site redevelopment X X X

Long-term Projects (within 20 years)1 Marina redevelopment & parking garage X X X

Boundary Street infill X X X XPiggly Wiggly redevelopment X XPort Republic infill development X X

2 Convention Center X X XPerformance Center X X X

3 Whitehall redevelopment X X X X X

COMMITTEE TYPE


F O R M - B A S E D C O D E C A L I B R AT I O NChapter 3 | Section 9

FORM-BASED CODE IN BEAuFORT

In 2009, the City of Beaufort adopted “Vision Beaufort: 2009 Comprehensive Plan”, which included a number of elements ranging from natural infrastructure to economic prosperity. The 2009 Comprehensive Plan sets forth a vision for City of Beaufort to be implemented over the next twenty (20) years.

One of the first priorities for implementation of the Comprehensive Plan is to “Update the UDO as a complete form-based code. Form-based codes differ from conventional zoning codes in terms of the process by which they are prepared, the substance of the standards they contain, the mechanisms by which they are implemented, and the built form they produce. Form-based codes are vision-based and prescriptive, requiring that all development work together to create the place envisioned by the community. At last, form-based codes regulate private development for the impact it has on the public realm (Source: Parolek, Parolek, Crawford: Form-Based Codes--A Guide for Planners, Urban Designers, Municipalities, and Developers).

In 2010, the City of Beaufort entered into a contract with Beaufort County as part of a countywide form-based code effort. The aforementioned effort will provide the overall framework of a form-based code for the City of Beaufort based upon the countywide initiative. As the City of Beaufort completes the Civic Master Plan, the form-based code for the respective sector(s) of the Civic Master Plan will be calibrated accordingly eventually yielding a form-based code for the entire City.

CODE CALIBRATION

Once the macro scale of the City’s Framework Plan was established (Sector Plan), it became imperative to survey the City Limits on a parcel-by-parcel basic to record and map existing conditions that combine to resemble analogous contexts and place types. Using the “synoptic survey” process, the existing conditions of the existing built environment in Sector One were recorded.

For each parcel, neighborhood, and civic space, characteristics such as average lot size, lot coverage, building condition, building height, public frontage (curb type, posted speed, planter type, sidewalk), and private frontage (building height, building disposition, setbacks, lot size, and lot coverage) were documented accordingly. A sampling of the results of the synoptic survey are illustrated below:

The data gathered during the synoptic survey process becomes important as the DNA of the study area can be determined and reflected in the resultant development and building standards of the form-based code. These standards have the primary role in defining the physical form of the built environment. The building standards establish specific physical and use parameters for each

S Y N O P T I C S U R V E Y E X A M P L E


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five: a framework for growth

v i s i o n B e a u f o r t | 2 0 2 0 C o m p r e h e n s i v e p l a n

ComPlete framework iNCorPoratiNg tHe eNtire urBaN growtH BouNdary

G R O W T H F R A M E W O R K P L A N ( F R O M 2 0 0 9 C O M P R E H E N S I V E P L A N )


Chapter 3 | Section 9 | Form-based Code Calibration

transect zone, such as build-to lines and heights, in addition to parameters that apply to all zones, such as frontage types and the size of parking spaces. (Source: Parolek, Parolek, Crawford: Form-Based Codes--A Guide for Planners, Urban Designers, Municipalities, and Developers)

Moreover, during the crafting of the final draft of the form-based code, such historic district documents and standards as the Milner Report and Northwest Design Principles that relate to matters such as scale, absolute size, rhythm and variety of size, massing, proportions, forms, siting, transitions, and signage will be addressed and integrated into the form-based code to ensure that users of the code will be able to locate all applicable regulations within one single document.

REGuLATING PLAN & TRANSECT ZONES

The Regulating Plan for Sector One precisely locates the various Transect Zones within the overall Civic Master Plan. The Regulating Plan is used in conjunction with the form-based code and shows the Transect Zones and Special Districts if any, and special requirements if any, or areas subject to regulation by the form-based code.

For the purposes of regulatory planning, communities, like natural systems, can be categorized into tiers. The full range of tiers from most urban to most rural is called a Transect. Each tier is structured by a series of mutually reinforcing elements that together establish “immersive environments” called Transect Zones. Within the range of natural and community systems, from wilderness to downtown, there are dozens of elements that, when taken together, establish the character of a particular Transect Zone.

For example, it would be inconsistent to construct a wood farmhouse and accompanying barns in an urban setting. Similarly, a glass and steel office building, or a parking garage would be incompatible in a rural setting. Transect Zones assign the various elements of the built environment so that compatibility between the many

elements within a specific Transect Zone is assured. Transect Zones are assigned to areas within a Master Plan to establish the pattern of community development for planning and zoning purposes.

The Regulating Plan is a visual representation of the Transect Zones. Each Transect Zone establishes the specifications and regulations required to enable development through planning and zoning processes at the proper scale and intensity.

Transect zones are administratively similar to the land use zones in conventional codes, except that in addition to the usual building use, density, height, and setback requirements, other elements of the intended habitat are integrated, including those of private lot and building and frontage types.

As a result of the Sector One code calibration process, the following transect zones represent the array of contexts within Sector One:

T3—Edge (T3-E) T3—Sub-Urban (T3-S) T3—Neighborhood (T3-N) T4—Urban Neighborhood (T4-UN) T4—Neighborhood Center (T4-NC) T5—Historic Core (T5-HC) T5—Urban Corridor (T5-UC) Special District – Institutional (SD-INS)

The following pages give detailed descriptions and imagery of each transect zone.


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R E G U L AT I N G P L A NNOT TO SCALE(See Appendix A for larger map)

T3-ET3-ST3-NT4-UN

T4-NCT5-HCT5-UCSD-INS



T3—Edge (T3-E)T3 Edge Zone is a special area that forms at the fringe of the City Limits where lands meet adjacent waterways. While almost exclusively residential, civic and park functions are also complimentary to the character within the T3 Edge Zone;

T3—Sub-urban (T3-S)T3 Sub-Urban Zone has the least activity and is single-family residential in character with less development than other transect zones within the City. While almost exclusively residential, civic and park functions are also complementary to the character within the T3 Sub-Urban Zone. Sub-Urban Zone serves to promote and protect the sub-urban neighborhood character within the City;

T3—Neighborhood (T3-N)T-3 Neighborhood Zone is residential in character. It includes a mixture of residential and civic uses. Residential units are an assortment of different sizes including cottages, small houses, duplexes, and village houses. Carriage houses located behind single-family homes and on the interior of lots may contain studios or other small businesses;

T4—urban Neighborhood (T3-uN)T4 Urban Neighborhood Zone represents a low-intensity, mixed-use zone primarily in the form of secessional residential fabric. A wide range of building types exist in the T4 Urban Neighborhood Zone including, but not limited to, rowhouses, corner stores, and attached and detached single-family housing;


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T4—Neighborhood Center (T4-NC)T4 Neighborhood Center Zone represents a medium-intensity, mixed-use zone primarily in the form of attached, mixed-use fabric. A wide range of building types exists in the T4 Neighborhood Center Zone including, but not limited to, mansion apartments, apartment buildings, mixed-use buildings, and rowhouses;

T5—Historic Core (T5-HC)T5 Historic Core Zone consists of higher density, mixed-use buildings that accommodate retail, rowhouses, offices, and apartments. A tight network of streets defines this transect zone as a highly walkable area. Buildings are set very close to the front property line in order to define the public realm;

T5—urban Corridor (T5-uC)T5 Urban Corridor Zone consists of higher density, mixed-use buildings that accommodate main street retail, rowhouses, offices, and apartments located along primary thoroughfares. A tight network of streets defines this transect zone as a highly walkable area. Buildings are set very close to the front property line in order to define the public realm.

Special District – Institutional (SD-INS)Special District—Institutional consists of areas within Sector One that, by their intrinsic size, function, or configuration, cannot conform to the requirements of any Transect Zone or combination of zones. The Special District—Institutional Transect Zone accommodates such functions and uses as colleges, trade schools, and hospitals that are assimilated in a campus arrangement.


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THOROuGHFARE STANDARDS

Good streets form the backbone of healthy neighborhoods. They perform dual roles as vehicular and pedestrian corridors, as well as the community’s primary public spaces, destinations in and of themselves. The impact of their design on communities cannot be underestimated.

Unfortunately, many of the existing thoroughfare standards that regulate the Sector One thoroughfares are comprised of rural thoroughfare standards that make the creation of walkable communities impossible. In addition, in the Sector One Planning Area, adaptations to historic thoroughfares, including the removal of on-street parking, the narrowing of sidewalks, the integration of higher-speed one-way thoroughfares, and the insistence of maintaining high levels of service for motor vehicles have only prevented the revitalization and improved walkability of these areas.

For communities to be walkable, thoroughfares must be designed with pedestrian comfort and safety as critical goals along with the safe and efficient flow of traffic and other considerations, such as the accommodation of emergency vehicles, parking, utilities, and storm water. The focus for thoroughfare design should be on design speed rather than the volume of traffic and the level of service, especially in urban areas. In addition, thoroughfares should be typically narrower than conventional thoroughfares and arranged in an interconnected, gridded network; intersections should be carefully considered, and such design details as tighter curb radii should be implemented.

It is important to keep in mind the notion “Know where you are and behave that way,” not only within the realm of thoroughfares but all part of the codes. During the synoptic survey process, the defining characteristics of the thoroughfares within each context. For example, it would be quite inappropriate to construct a commercial street in a very remote, rural area just as it would be equally inappropriate to build a dirt road in a planned main street area. The following represents a sample of

thoroughfare standards that would be appropriate in the Sector One Planning Area. Moreover, the Sector One portion of the Civic Master Plan outlines opportunities for thoroughfare improvements that include road diets and streetscape projects that are designed to promote and accommodate of safe pedestrian (crosswalks) and cyclist (sharrows) movement. The thoroughfare standards and thoroughfare infrastructure projects should be viewed together in order to create a complete street system within Sector One that to designs, operates, and maintain Beaufort’s streets to promote safe and convenient access and travel for all users - pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and people of all abilities.



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S T R E E T R E G U L AT I N G P L A NNOT TO SCALE

Boundary StreetRibaut RoadCarteret StreetCharles StreetBladen Street

Bay StreetPort Republic StreetG-5 StreetG-3 StreetRear Lanes

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