Future Design Guide

-respect existing architecture with mass and scale.
-create site specific designs with visual anchors.
-avoid low solid building planes. ex. every 50 feet there should be a horizontal or vertical shift in the building.
-no false fronts on buildings. the exterior should reflect the interior.
-in the downtown mixed-use district there shall be no residences on ground level. this is a public level.
-create visual depth.
-tax lots by square foot.
-to make winter walking manageable, provide heated public space or covered pathways on ground level (bus stop, open business, etc..) every so many feet.
-a certain percentage of a lot should be occupied to avoid suburban style building.
-each lot should manage its run-off.
-existing parking lots should be upgraded to satisfy today's standards by a certain date.
-new structures should be built to carry the load of 3 additional floors.
-new structures must be built to last many years and the space within must be flexible.
-determine Fargo's height threshold for the renaissance zone.

Specific Stuff I Notice.
-no fake awnings.
-use indirect lighting for buildings exterior. with few exceptions, exposed lighting looks tacky.
-bright colors are for architectural details.

NDSU Master Plan

The master plan for NDSU will infill between the main campus and downtown campus with mix-used and commercial development to eventually serve 4,000 downtown students. To reach this goal, the plan focuses on the 10th Street corridor, public transportation, bike/pedestrian paths, and landscape links.

  

Area Zoning. NOTE: all images retrieved from NDSU Campus Master Plan

Future Bike/Pedestrian Paths

Parking Guides

Fargo needs to adopt quality parking standards.

Zoning Analysis

Renovation
Woodrow Wilson Site = Public Institutional zone
To accommodate uses of a governmental, civic, public service or quasi-public nature, including major public facilities. USES = colleges, health care facilities, schools, and similar uses. CONTEXT = Surrounded by Single Dwelling (SR-4) zone, Downtown Mixed-Use, Limited Commercial space. PROPOSING = as of now...Downtown Mixed-Use District
New
The Northern Block = Downtown Mixed-Use
To preserve and enhance the City's downtown area. The district allows a broad range of uses in order to enhance downtown Fargo's role as a commercial, cultural, governmental, and residential center. In recognition of existing public facility capacity and downtown planning goals, very intensive development is allowed, with high building coverage, large buildings, and buildings placed close together. Development is intended to be pedestrian oriented with a strong emphasis on a safe and attractive street-scape. Current zone suits my needs.
Infill
Current Fire Station = Downtown Mixed-Use (DMU)
Current zone suits my proposal.
Transportation
Proposed bike path also falls into the DMU zone. Setback issues may apply if warming houses are used. 

Zoning

NEWness

 

I call the block north of Barry Hall a concrete haven. The only green area on the site is a 10 to 20 foot border of grass buffering the sidewalks from the street. The whole lot is barren and full of hard concrete. Besides parking places, this block offers The Northern, a gas station, and a house. I find it interesting how the neighborhood operates with a church directly east, a college building south, small businesses to the west, warehouses to the north, and family homes among it all. In my opinion, this site greatly lacks unity and reason.

After discussing the future of the 'town and gown' relationship for Fargo, I feel it is necessary to develop the 10th Street corridor, giving this unwelcoming block a new face-lift. 

I want to embrace the students of NDSU, neighborhood residents, and the homeless traffic along 3rd Avenue and provide a space for them to live, learn, work, and celebrate. It is my goal to transform and unify the existing structures on the site into new quality spaces where people can feel uplifted.

 

 

Think about:

Fargo weather. Shelter green space in summer from wind. Provide fun opportunities Fargo citizens don't already experience downtown ex. winter garden. 

Connect and Link. Brent, Matt, and Marita are working on sites either adjacent to this site or close. Design fluent circulation between these areas.

Traffic Congestion. A citizen from this neighborhood expressed concern with the 3rd Avenue one way (south side of block). The NDSU parking lots are accessed through here and people drive like maniacs through the neighborhood threatening the safety of pedestrians and destroying the peaceful ambiance. I need to figure out how to re-route these drivers or just slow them down.

Ethics.  Is it appropriate to have a men's club next door to a church, in the middle of a neighborhood? It has existed here for a while, but does it prevent businesses to anchor in this block? Should I relocate it, or just work with it? College students probably don't mind going to a bar with a strip joint in the basement; homeless people probably don't mind either. It operates during different hours than the college and the church, so these people probably don't cross paths.

Spaces to Include:

-disco/club connected to the Northern (lawn bowling)

-enclosed shelter for homeless (transition space between 3rd Avenue and courtyard)

-multiple level commercial building (office space, outreach/tech center-basic courses for homeless taught by students) 

-place to project outdoor movies? for church/neighborhood

-shared parking for church and center

-partially enclosed green way (water feature, ice skating?, outdoor study space, spaces for kiosks, walls can open to outdoor green space)

-connect gas station and house, transform into market, pharmacy, gas station, coffee shop

After Team Input

Out of the three buildings on this site, I decided the only building worth keeping is the gas station. It is highly used by the people going up 10th street, NDSU faculty, and students (also it costs a lot of money to close down gas stations.) This is a downtown mixed-use zone and I feel the church creates a buffer between the single family housing style and something new. I don't find it important to re-use the house on site.

 

The green represents potential buildings for this area. The whole site will tie into the dense university development Brent has proposed, as well, it continues to provide parking. The spaces proposed will still fit into these structures.

Transportation

Bike and Pedestrian Path.

With the NDSU campus branching out into the downtown area, students and faculty now encounter the Fargo citizens via the road.  

My goal is to provide a safe and efficient transportation route for all downtown occupants by creating a landscaped pedestrian and bike path between the downtown NDSU buildings.

With downtown Fargo embracing sustainability issues, the need to accommodate alternative transportation methods is pertinent. I plan on incorporating a new bike sharing system throughout NDSU's campus and downtown Fargo/Moorhead.

 

This picture is an example of the BCN Bicycle sharing system in Barcelona, Spain. These bike stations are disbursed throughout the community for bike check-out and check-in points.   I think these stations could easily be phased into downtown Fargo and be used daily. 

green = proposed path
orange = open green space (benches/outdoor lounge/special feature)
red = parking
purple = alternative routes

Parking:
The path I am proposing would work best if NP and 1st Avenue North became 2 way streets again.  I would fill in the curvy street that connects Roberts Street with 8th street to replace parking that I plan on turning into a path. If the additional parking is unnecessary, it would be a great green space. 

Quality Materials: 
-unique detail
-stamped concrete or brick
-permeable pavers whenever possible
-add vegetation for shade, weather protection, scent, aesthetic reasons too

CHANGING IDEAS:

• After careful traffic analysis, filling in the curved street between 8th Street and Roberts Street would create a congestion of cars at the Roberts Street intersection which isn't ideal for being directly next to a school. 
• Instead of eliminating the parking structure to create more green space, I decided to "green" up the existing parking lot using the guidelines I found.  
  

3 out of the 9 months during the school year it is pleasant enough to walk outside. Breaking up outdoor travel time with heat waves makes a difference when walking outside during the cold months. This plan suggests an outdoor bike/pedestrian path with periodic enclosures. At least three buildings along the route could easily shelter the path by either completely enclosing it or creating a built canopy for it. The transitions between buildings aren't able to shelter the path, so using plants that would eventually create a natural awning could provide adequate protection.

The orange blocks represent obvious places buildings could shelter the path. In addition, the buildings to the west of the Plains Art Museum and the west side of the Federal Building could also provides solutions to cover the path.

I am looking into ways of creating a sky-way system that would connect these buildings for complete protection for the downtown NDSU occupants.