Contributors to the Independent Citizens Task Force called for a new vision for growth in Auburn's downtown area at the City Council meeting on Tuesday. The members of the group called for a form-based city zoning code and a greater focus on aesthetics in the downtown area.
"The current vision seems to be, for downtown development: high-rise, high-density student housing and retail developments to offer an increased tax revenue for the city," said Susan Hunnicutt, the leader of the task force. "What we're trying to do is offer an alternate vision for Auburn's downtown future, and then we're also trying to come up with some additional ideas to have additional revenue streams come into the city. We just kind of brainstormed and got some ideas."
The adoption of a form-based city zoning code was the first recommendation of the force. A form-based code focuses on the style and architectures of buildings, as well as the design of streets and sidewalks, before reviewing the intended use of the building.
Auburn currently uses a use-based zoning ordinance. Under Auburn's current code, the approval of a construction project depends on the intended use of the building instead of the building's style and design.
"One of the suggestions I had for the task force was using a form-based code as a way of implementing the [Downtown Master Plan]," said John Pittari, an associate professor of city planning and urban design. "There are a lot of concerns about development considerations and planning concerns but a lot about the look and feel of the place and what its since of character is going to be."
Members of the task force said a form-based code could create a more aesthetically pleasing downtown by providing more certainty about location and character.
"Rather than paying attention to use primarily, which is generally what our conventional zoning codes do, a form-based code pays much more attention to the actual design of the buildings, and the public spaces and the streets themselves," Pittari said.
The task force used other small college towns to develop their ideas for Auburn.
"If you look at many good communities and cities over time, buildings change use depending on market considerations or whatever it might be," Pittari said.
Daniel Bennett, dean emeritus of Auburn's College of Architecture, Design and Construction, was a key contributor to the task force and presented several points to the Council during a 30-minute presentation. Other members of the task force included Harris Hollans, a finance associate professor, John McCarthy, a professional planner in New Jersey.
Bennett called for wider sidewalks, which could accommodate more outdoor dining space and other uses, and more trees for shade in the downtown area. He also said the city could consider using more of the ally spaces in the city for outdoor opportunities.
"All of the controversy we hear has to do with the facades of the buildings," Bennett said. You know, whether they're brick or not, how much stone is on them or whatever. I think sometimes we forget about the opportunities that happen in between the buildings. … It's not always what's on the street but what's between the buildings that connect the streets."
The Independent Citizens Task Force is the brainchild of the Keep Auburn Lovely movement and contains many pro-Keep Auburn Lovely members. The grass-roots movement has opposed the construction of large student-housing developments in the downtown area.
It sprang to action after the construction of the 160 Ross apartment complex last year. On Tuesday night, the task force delivered their report in the shadow of 160 Ross, which sits across the street from City Council chambers. One prominent detractor of the Keep Auburn Lovely and resident of 160 Ross, Stone Ray, a sophomore in architecture, sat on the task force.
Keep Auburn Lovely's opposition to large developments shone through in another one of Bennett's recommendations: a citizens' architecture review board. The board would review submitted design proposals and then make non-binding recommendations to the city's Planning Commission.
Members of the Keep Auburn Lovely movement supported banning student-housing developments in the downtown core all together, which found its way into the city's codified Downtown Master Plan adopted earlier this year. KAL has also opposed developments taller than 65 feet.
Two downtown business owners disagreed during citizens communications after the presentation.
"We are very fortunate to have a vital and thriving downtown business district," said Donna Young, a business and property owner. "To ensure continued prosperity, our downtown needs to grow and evolve. It is tiny, and while the city has tried to expand its borders, going up is the only option."
Young said businesses depend primarily on students and visitors because normal townspeople don't come downtown regularly because of congestion and parking issues.
"The location of housing right in downtown in the urban core is a real boom for us," Young said. "Lots and lots of costumers who can walk right outside their doors to shop and dine, and more retail spaces on the ground floor expands the offering of our districts, increasing its draw and ensuring it will stay important."
Read the full presentation by the task force:
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