REINTERPRETING CITY ALLEYS Design Guidelines for the City of Vallejo Karlo Antonio Manalang Felix City and Regional Planning Department College of Architecture and Environmental Design California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo December 2013 INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Reinterpreting City Alleys: Design Guidelines for the City of Vallejo by Karlo Antonio Manalang Felix Senior Project City and Regional Planning Department College of Architecture and Environmental Design California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo 2013 INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Approval Page Title: Reinterpreting City Alleys: Design Guidelines for the City of Vallejo Author: Karlo Antonio Manalang Felix Date Submitted: December 2013 Vicente del Rio, PhD Senior Project Advisor Signature Date Hemalata Dandekar, PhD Department Head Signature Date INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Contents 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Document Structure ..................................................................................................................... 2 2 City Form and Alleys .......................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Historical Overview of Alleys ....................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Alleys and City Form.................................................................................................................... 7 2.3 Design Principles ....................................................................................................................... 10 3 Case Studies ...................................................................................................................................... 11 3.1 Selection and Evaluation Criteria ............................................................................................... 11 3.2 San Francisco ............................................................................................................................. 13 3.3 Sacramento ................................................................................................................................ 15 3.4 Baltimore ................................................................................................................................... 17 3.5 Austin ......................................................................................................................................... 19 3.6 Lessons Learned ........................................................................................................................ 21 4 The City of Vallejo and its Alleys ...................................................................................................... 23 4.1 Regional Context ........................................................................................................................ 23 4.2 Historical Overview ................................................................................................................... 25 4.3 Project Area ................................................................................................................................ 27 4.4 Existing Conditions .................................................................................................................. 30 4.5 Regulatory Framework .............................................................................................................. 35 4.6 Opportunities and Constraints ................................................................................................. 38 5 Reintepreting Vallejo’s Alleys ........................................................................................................... 39 5.1 Vision for Vallejo’s Alleys ........................................................................................................... 39 5.4 Private Realm Design Guidlines ................................................................................................ 43 5.5 Public Realm Design Guidelines ................................................................................................ 45 5.6 Alley Programs .......................................................................................................................... 49 6 Implementation ................................................................................................................................. 51 6.1 Planning Context ........................................................................................................................ 51 6.2 Implementation Strategies ........................................................................................................ 52 6.3 Regulatory Review Process ........................................................................................................ 53 i 6.4 Financing Strategies .................................................................................................................. 53 6.5 Concluding Remarks ................................................................................................................. 54 References ............................................................................................................................................. 55 Figures Figure 3.1: San Francisco Context ........................................................................................................ 13 Figure 3.2: Belden Place Figure-Ground ............................................................................................. 14 Figure 3.3: Sacramento Context ........................................................................................................... 15 Figure 3.4: Liestal Row Figure-Ground ............................................................................................... 16 Figure 3.5: Baltimore Context .............................................................................................................. 17 Figure 3.6: Glover-Luzerne Alley Figure-Ground ................................................................................ 18 Figure 3.7: Austin Context .................................................................................................................... 19 Figure 3.8: Alley #111 Figure-Ground ................................................................................................. 20 Figure 4.1: Regional Context ............................................................................................................... 24 Figure 4.2: Project Area ....................................................................................................................... 28 Figure 4.3 Project Alleys ...................................................................................................................... 29 Figure 4.4: Amenities ........................................................................................................................... 31 Figure 4.5: Block Figure-Ground ........................................................................................................ 32 Figure 4.6: Building Figure-Ground ................................................................................................... 33 Figure 4.7: Circulation System ............................................................................................................ 34 Figure 4.8: Zoning ............................................................................................................................... 36 Figure 4.9: Regulatory Districts ........................................................................................................... 37 Figure 5.1 Alley Districts ...................................................................................................................... 42 Tables Table 3.1: San Francisco at a Glance .................................................................................................... 13 Table 3.2: Belden Place Summary ........................................................................................................ 14 Table 3.3: Sacramento at a Glance ....................................................................................................... 15 Table 3.4: Liestal Row Survey .............................................................................................................. 16 ii Table 3.5: Baltimore at a Glance .......................................................................................................... 17 Table 3.6: Glover-Luzerne Alley Survey .............................................................................................. 18 Table 3.7: Austin at a Glance ................................................................................................................ 19 Table 3.8: Alley #111 Survey ................................................................................................................ 20 Table 4.1: Vallejo at a Glance ...............................................................................................................24 iii INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv INTRODUCTION 1 Introduction This document analyzes a specific topic, a single piece of the urban fabric – the alley. Designed as a means to access the rear of properties, its function has given way to its reputation