RobertsonCo2.pptAND REVITALIZING HISTORIC TOWN CENTERS
SUMMARY REPORT
April 27-28, 2007
A partnership of Robertson County, City of Springfield, A.I.A.
Middle Tennessee, Nashville Civic Design Center, University of
Tennessee College of Architecture + Design, Cumberland Region
Tomorrow, and the Greater Nashville Regional Council.
Principle One: DESIGN IN A HUMAN SCALE Compact, pedestrian-friendly
communities allow residents to walk to shops, services, cultural
resources, and jobs and can reduce traffic congestion and benefit
people’s health.
THE A.I.A. TEN PRINCIPLES OF LIVABLE COMMUNITIES
THE A.I.A. TEN PRINCIPLES OF LIVABLE COMMUNITIES
Principle Two: PROVIDE CHOICES People want variety in housing,
shopping, recreation, transportation, and employment. Variety
creates lively neighborhoods and accommodates residents in
different stages of their lives.
Principle Three: ENCOURAGE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT Integrating
different land uses and varied building types creates vibrant,
pedestrian-friendly, diverse communities.
THE A.I.A. TEN PRINCIPLES OF LIVABLE COMMUNITIES
Principle Four: PRESERVE URBAN CENTERS Restoring, revitalizing, and
infilling urban centers take advantage of existing streets,
services, and buildings and avoid the need for new structure. This
helps to curb sprawl and promote stability for city
neighborhoods.
THE A.I.A. TEN PRINCIPLES OF LIVABLE COMMUNITIES
Principle Five: VARY TRANSPORTATION Giving people the option of
walking, biking and using public transit, in addition to driving,
reduces traffic congestion, protects the environment, and
encourages physical activity.
THE A.I.A. TEN PRINCIPLES OF LIVABLE COMMUNITIES
Principle Six: BUILD VIBRANT SPACES Citizens need welcoming,
well-defined public places to stimulate face-to-face interaction,
collectively celebrate and mourn, encourage civic participation,
admire public art, and gather for public events.
THE A.I.A. TEN PRINCIPLES OF LIVABLE COMMUNITIES
Principle Seven: CREATE A NEIGHBORHOOD IDENTITY A “sense of place”
gives neighborhoods a unique character, enhances the walking
environment, and creates pride in the community.
THE A.I.A. TEN PRINCIPLES OF LIVABLE COMMUNITIES
Principle Eight: PROTECT ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES A well-designed
balance of nature and development preserves natural systems,
protects waterways from pollution, reduces air pollution, and
protects property values.
THE A.I.A. TEN PRINCIPLES OF LIVABLE COMMUNITIES
THE A.I.A. TEN PRINCIPLES OF LIVABLE COMMUNITIES
Principle Nine: CONSERVE LANDSCAPES Open space, farms, and wildlife
habitat are essential for environmental, recreational, and cultural
reasons.
THE A.I.A. TEN PRINCIPLES OF LIVABLE COMMUNITIES
Principle Ten: DESIGN MATTERS Design excellence is the foundation
of successful and healthy communities
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
Principle One: DESIGN IN A HUMAN SCALE How could your community or
all of Robertson County become more compact and pedestrian
friendly?
• There is a need for smart growth through countywide planning and
design. Smart growth requires planning both where and how you want
to grow, as well as where and how you don’t want to grow. It also
requires changing regulations to match your desired outcomes. (30
dots)
• Renovate or adaptively reuse underutilized building stock
throughout the county, such as the tobacco warehouses in
Springfield. (19)
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
• Rehabilitate and extend sidewalks. (17)
• Continue the improvements made already to downtown Springfield--
which as county seat, and a traditional American square, embodies
the “downtown” of everyone in the county. (14)
• Provide more flexibility with regulations, codes, zoning and
distance requirements to promote growth within the footprint of
existing infrastructure. (13)
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
• Expand the greenway trail systems-- they are very popular.
(11)
• Don’t allow sewer use outside of city limits and don’t upgrade
water facilities outside of non-growth areas. This is an expensive
taxpayer burden for less desirable development. (9)
• Promote unique and small businesses. They are consistent with the
rural character and traditions of the county. (5)
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
Principle Two: PROVIDE CHOICES What housing, shopping, recreation,
or employment choices are currently missing in either your
community or all of Robertson County?
• Restaurants (including liquor by the drink), family
entertainment, and unique, locally focused shopping alternatives
were cited as lacking. (33)
• Employment that requires higher education and higher pay, with
office parks and housing options for this market, were cited as
lacking. (32)
• Recreational options for young people are needed. (17)
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
Principle Two: PROVIDE CHOICES
• A broader range of quality housing options, including high end
multifamily, downtown lofts, and affordable (or workforce) housing,
as well as shelter for the homeless, is needed. (13)
• Community arts facilities and programs are desired. (8)
• Full service grocery store(s) were cited as inadequate. (6)
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
Principle Three: ENCOURAGE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT Where and how
should mixed-use development, integrating different land uses and
varied building types, be encouraged in your community or Robertson
County in general?
• Mixed use is encouraged for Springfield, especially around the
square and Main Street. (18)
• Reuse buildings ex.: old tobacco warehouses. (9)
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
• Provide incentives to developers to follow architectural,
landscape, scale and walkability guidelines. (5)
• Preserve farm / agricultural land in north Robertson County, and
implement smart growth zoning practices in southern “Nashville”
influenced areas. (5)
Principle Three: ENCOURAGE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
Principle Four: PRESERVE URBAN CENTERS How can we encourage the
establishment or revitalization of your community’s town center, or
Robertson County’s town centers in general?
• Identify and offer diverse financial incentives for quality town
center development. (33)
• Provide friendly cooperation from the city of Springfield to
community groups, working together, to form public / private
partnerships. (19)
• Encourage festival events and downtown marketing. (11)
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
Principle Four: PRESERVE URBAN CENTERS
• Remove the 300-foot buffer around churches in the core commercial
district to allow “by the drink” alcohol sales (6)
• Identify historic districts and overlays, and promote
preservation and tours. (5)
• Develop regulations that encourage smart growth, reinforcing town
centers and restricting growth in agricultural areas. (5)
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
Principle Five: VARY TRANSPORTATION What additional transportation
options, including walking, biking, driving, and public transit,
are needed in your community or Robertson County in general?
• Rail / bus transit into large employment areas is needed.
(19)
• Local public transportation options (between communities) is
needed. (10)
• Require, increase and improve sidewalks. (10)
• Continue the development of greenways, as well as other walking
and bicycle paths. (8)
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
• Provide public transportation (northeast corridor) from
Nashville. (5)
• Widen Route 431. (5)
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
Principle Six: BUILD VIBRANT SPACES What are the best public spaces
in your community, and Robertson County in general, and where could
new, memorable public spaces be established?
• Existing Courthouse Square in downtown Springfield (18)
• Both existing and new parks, including pocket parks and athletic
fields under development, are among the best public spaces.
(15)
• Establish a Farmers Market. (11)
• Use greenways as connectors to parks, shopping, neighborhoods,
etc. (10)
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
Principle Six: BUILD VIBRANT SPACES
• The existing greenways in White House and Springfield are among
the best public spaces in the county. (6)
• The theater in downtown Springfield is among the best public
spaces. (5)
• Economically depressed areas need new public spaces. (5)
Principle Seven: CREATE A NEIGHBORHOOD IDENTITY How would you
describe “the sense of place” in your community, or Robertson
County in general?
• An open, rural scenic countryside with small towns, yet in close
proximity to Metropolitan Nashville. (22)
• County history and culture ex.: “whiskey, weed, witch and more.”
(15)
• The Courthouse Square in Springfield. (9)
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
• The historic homes, farms, families, architecture and
neighborhoods (8)
• “Agricultural.” (7)
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
Principle Eight: PROTECT ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES What environmental
resources in your community or Robertson County in general need to
be protected and preserved?
• All natural water features in the landscape countywide should be
protected and preserved as environmental resources. (55)
• Farms and woodlands should be protected and preserved as
environmental resources. (15)
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
Principle Nine: CONSERVE LANDSCAPES Where should open space, farms
and wildlife habitat be preserved in your community, or throughout
Robertson County?
• Concentrate city centers where they now exist, thereby preserving
open space, farms and wildlife habitat in the north and west of the
county. (24)
• All natural water features in the landscape (countywide) should
be preserved as open space and wildlife habitat. (23)
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
• Retain open space, farms and wildlife habitat where it already
exists to the fullest extent possible-- encouraging concentrated
growth around it. (10)
• Preserve farmland. (5)
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
Principle Ten: DESIGN MATTERS How do you feel design excellence can
promote successful and healthy communities throughout Robertson
County?
• Express a vision for quality growth, and then shape your planning
and zoning accordingly throughout the county, in order to reduce
sprawl, reduce community infrastructure, and maintain green space.
(28)
• Keep design standards high and variances low. (21)
WORKSHOP RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
• Promote a distinct look and identity for the town centers,
through preservation, “Main Street” principles, buried utilities,
etc. (12)
• Promote alternative, higher densities in areas already urban.
(7)
• Promote health and “quality of life” through planning that
promotes walking. (6)
Principle Ten: DESIGN MATTERS
• Guide our region’s growth with comprehensive community
plans.
• Update zoning, subdivision and building codes to implement
community plans.
• Use design to protect and enhance our region’s diversity of
community character.
• Redevelop and strengthen our region’s cities, towns and rural
communities to ensure a range of unique lifestyle choices.
• Create a variety of housing choices for our region’s diverse
workforce.
• Conserve our region’s land, water, natural and cultural resources
for our future economic, health, and social well-being.
CUMBERLAND REGION TOMORROW QUALITY GROWTH GUIDING PRINCIPLES
• Link land use and transportation planning to promote an
integrated framework to guide growth and development.
• Guide public and private investment to efficiently use
pre-existing infrastructure and developed land.
• Think and act regionally to ensure our future livability and
economic vitality.
CUMBERLAND REGION TOMORROW QUALITY GROWTH GUIDING PRINCIPLES