New Hampshire Avenue Corridor Concept Plan
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New Hampshire Avenue Corridor Concept Plan PMS 166 CVC Orange PMS 123 CVC Y e llow PMS 355 C Green PMS 280 CVC Blue New Hampshire Avenue Corridor Concept Plan PMS 166 CVC Orange PMS 123 CVC Y e llow PMS 355 C Green PMS 280 CVC Blue City of Takoma Park Mayor and Council Consultant: TND Planning Group Stuart Sirota, Project Manager City of Takoma Park Staff in collaboration with: Barbara Matthews, City Manager Randall Gross, Development Economics Sara Daines, Director of Housing and Community Development Barry Mahaffey, Rettew Associates Ilona Blanchard, Community Development Coordinator Shaun Barattia, Rettew Associates David Suls, Associate Planner John Moynahan, Urban Design and Planning Paul Grenier, Planning Staff Kevin Klinkenberg, 180 Degree Design Studio Martin Salmon, Planning Staff Brian Hendrickson, 180 Degree Design Studio Dan Jarrell, 180 Degree Design Studio Maryland National Capital Planning Commission Rick Hall, Hall Planning and Engineering, Inc. John Marcolin, Montgomery County M-NCPPC Kathy Poole, Poole Design Aldea Douglas, Prince George’s County M-NCPPC City of Takoma Park 2 New Hampshire Avenue Corridor Concept Plan Table of Contents Page 1. Background 1.1 Introduction 6 1.2 Historic context 8 1.3 Planning process and approach 10 2. Analysis 2.1 Planning areas 14 2.2 Land use and zoning 18 2.3 Transportation network 19 2.4 Business conditions and market opportunities 22 2.5 Natural environment and open space 27 2.6 Precedents 29 3. Plan recommendations 3.1 Corridor-wide recommendations 35 3.2 Planning-area specific recommendations 45 4. Implementation 64 4.1 Strategy for redevelopment 64 4.2 Priorities and phasing 66 3 4 1. Background 5 1. Background 1.1 Introduction he City of Takoma Park initiated this plan in establishments along the corridor despite their after the City master plan identified the need. Trecognition of the need and potential for proximity. redeveloping the New Hampshire Avenue Corridor. In August 2007, the City, citizens, property owners, New Hampshire Avenue (Maryland Route 650) is a In 2000, the Takoma Park Master Plan identified the and businesses of Takoma Park and neighboring major roadway linking the District of Columbia to two commercial areas along the corridor as priorities jurisdictions, along with the town planning firm of Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and for pedestrian-oriented, neighborhood serving TND Planning Group, gathered to create a plan for points beyond in Maryland. New Hampshire Avenue redevelopment. These commercial areas are referred the redevelopment of the corridor. This document lies directly adjacent to much of Takoma Park’s eastern to as the Ethan Allen Gateway, around the intersection presents the recommendations that form the basis for edge. Yet travelers unfamiliar with the area easily drive of Ethan Allen Avenue/East-West Highway (Maryland the concept plan. through without realizing that Takoma Park exists or Route 410) and New Hampshire Avenue, and the seeing what it has to offer. What they do see, however, Maryland Gateway, which extends from the District is an area that has been in decline for some time and of Columbia line at Eastern Avenue north to just south is widely viewed as unappealing and sometimes of Poplar Avenue/Ray Road along New Hampshire unsafe. Similarly, many area residents do not feel the Avenue. Developing a shared vision for improving the corridor is an asset to the community in its current corridor and a conceptual framework for implementing state and generally avoid patronizing the commercial that vision was the next step to improving the corridor Ethan Allen Gateway: view north on New Hampshire Avenue from east sidewalk. Maryland Gateway: view northeast from Eastern Avenue towards New Hampshire Avenue. City of Takoma Park 6 New Hampshire Avenue Corridor Concept Plan This aerial photograph shows the corridor outlined in red. It is approximately 1.25 miles long, extending from the District of Columbia line at Eastern Avenue, north to the intersection of Sligo Creek Parkway. The corridor includes the commercial properties in the two gateway areas, the New Hampshire Avenue right- Ethan Allen Gateway of-way, as well as a number of other parcels that have the potential to be improved. Maryland Gateway 7 1. Background 1.2 Historic context In the 1890s, Prince George’s County, but remained Takoma Park was T a two-lane country road, effectively a tiny enclave well akoma Park, founded in 1883, was the forming the eastern edge of Takoma beyond the edge first “railroad suburb” of Washington, DC. Park. Immediately east of New of Washington, During its early years, it was an enclave Hampshire Avenue lay several miles accessible primarily of Victorian and bungalow homes “out of rolling countryside all the way to by train. in the country,” considerably removed Hyattsville and College Park, similar from the city itself. By the end of World railroad suburbs along another rail War II, development within the District corridor emanating from Washington. of Columbia had encroached to the southern and western edges of Takoma The rural areas between these Park. However the areas to the north developed rail corridors, and areas and east were still largely rural. beyond, rapidly began to develop soon after the end of WWII, as an New Hampshire Avenue had been unprecedented demand for housing extended north from the District into from returning GI’s, coupled with a new form of automobile-centric upgraded and widened to keep up suburbanization took hold in the with ever-increasing traffic volumes, Washington, DC region and the U.S. Vast as it evolved into a primary commuter tracts of mass-produced housing were corridor between booming “bedroom” developed to meet the burgeoning communities in Prince George’s demand. With this also came a new and Montgomery Counties and the form of arterial roadway, designed to downtown employment centers of move large volumes of cars quickly and Washington, DC. efficiently, as well as shopping centers designed for the convenience of Most of the development that occurred automobiles. In the following decades, along this new suburban corridor Takoma Park was an original “transit oriented development.” New Hampshire Avenue was repeatedly reflected the automobile-oriented City of Takoma Park 8 New Hampshire Avenue Corridor Concept Plan MINTER PL S LI G A G O L G C R H A L R E E E IL R E V N E M A T L K L S A N O A P O I K P S N N R K D MERW D C A D E OOD DR Y JA V S E A D L N E R IG HA V R D O C E C T R R D E E E O JE K S F P O E FE K C V O W A RS T O SL T C D N N I T E L O A G N I M V O A E E C T W RE R V R F E E A EK L P A K V E D R D R SL O IG F O R C E R V EE A K H PK N S I L A IG G O A C R R A E E C K T P K E FL V OW A E R A Y VE R R E H development pattern in the postwar During the past decade, there has been C E RSKIN E E ST This aerial view of V A SLIGO CREEK PK L L K PK S EE E O O CR H S SLIG V E R L IG A R R O A I C H D C E R A V E T N A EK 3 P 1 A N K S V E L E P A IG S S O A P C E R N E era: functional and utilitarian, yet an influx in international residents that C EK T K PK the corridor in 1951 P K E E R C O E VE S THER A G A B V L HE O I A I Y G L D O S AV Y C E R R R E E E K E H P V lacking the pedestrian-friendly scale has resulted in a marked change in C A K M shows the rapid pace of L L L P IN E ON D S E EL N C IR IR C R L E I O N V C N A E A O V L M N N A COLBY L O A AVE I N V N S D E E E K E E R P I or small town character that typified the corridor. These new residents are C V N S H A A S JA A V suburban development D E P R M A A H W Y W A E H N R AVE H HESTE I WINC L L W M O A O older neighborhoods like Takoma Park. more apt to walk and use public transit N D O which occurred in the R C D T R The corridor remained this way during than their predecessors and there are VE LE A early post-war period. YRT M E CT AV YD D O OO B W ZE AI GL LA R C H A D V L much of the last forty years. more people out on the street. Small E E IN V D O E NS N ET HI A H RE V AN R E A D L K LE E N N AV T LA N D A V A E UB VE U ELL A RN PEW RD A HO N businesses and shops along the corridor V SO E The boundary line OL S Y C A Prior to 1997, the entire study area was in largely cater to the new arrivals.