The Pierce County Planning Department hired BCRA to develop a report identifying potential boundaries for rural activity areas of Key Peninsula, where major roads intersected. At these nodes were commercial, residential and limited mixed use. The county wanted these centers to be foci of urbanization for incoming populations to create vibrant sustainable neighborhoods. From community charrettes, boundaries of seven activity centers were defined depending on properties stakeholders wanted upzoned or stay rural. This is an example of the urban design planning concept studies of what is possible.
The neighborhood of Tillicum is in the City of Lakewood, Washington, across Interstate 5 from Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM), and Madigan Hospital is nearby. A functional rail line for passenger and freight rail runs along the eastern boundary between I-5 and Tillicum. A new train station at Maple street and the tracks would turn this into a transit oriented development, using form based zoning for mixed use corridors and gateways. (DW BCRA work)
This is a perspective rendering of the Tillicum planning study showing building scale around the core, mixed use strip, and connections to American Lake.
This was a design study on a very steep site in Tacoma for the Asia Pacific Cultural Center group of citizens from around the Pacific Rim. The design was to include a market, informational houses, with exhibits from each country represented in Asia, along a pathway leading from an upper street to a main court yard and descending to the next street downhill. (DW BCRA work)
Overall site plan showing features of the main plaza and path connections. (DW BCRA work)
Center line section through the north/south axis of the Asia Pacific Cultural Center showing grading, parking and building massing. (DW BCRA work)
Main plaza and grocery store section. (DW BCRA work)
In an urban design study for the City of Tacoma, studies like this were undertaken to examine what to do with streets that are closed to traffic. (BCRA work)
Done for the Foss Waterway Development Authority, my work has helped the real estate arm of the City of Tacoma to study and promote properties in Commencement Bay lands for development and bring desired connections from the city core to these parcels, and attract compatible commercial and business uses.
On Olympia's Budd Inlet in Washington state, former lumber mill lands were investigated for potential mixed uses of residential, hotel and office functions. The spectacular views of Olympia and the eastern skyline would have provided for regional trails to connect through this site. A complicated study, it involved Shoreline Management Act overlays on top of the current city land use layer.