These are not the only goals of the planning process, but these are the major objectives that keep bubbling to the surface.
Again, there are other action items in the final report, but these all seem to be priorities that come up over and over.
There is a committee currently working on writing this ordinance. It is hoped that it will be ready for city council review in the next few months.
Existing Zoning Maps for the City of Bradford, Bradford Township and Foster Township. As a part of the process, the planning consultant will be rewriting the zoning code for the City of Bradford. For the two townships she will be making the recommendations listed below.
This slides shows conceptual improvements for the Bradford Mall site.
- Replacing the center part of the building with a plaza for outdoor gatherings, music or possibly outdoor restaurant/cafe seating
- Locate stand-alone restaurant or bank along East Main Street
- Provide planters and trees in parking area, and alone East Main Street
- Make Bolivar Drive more green and welcoming from the 219 Interchange to East Main Street
- Relocate mall entry to traffic signal at Walmart Entrance
On the City Zoning map, the designations in smaller type are the former zoning district types and the larger type is the proposed types. The residential districts are being refined to limit non-residential uses in them other than typical neighborhood uses (schools, churches, etc). The non-commercial districts will not allow residential units, with the exception of upper floor apartments being permitted in the C1 (downtown commercial) district.
This map shows the general descriptions of the major commercial areas in the region. The goal of the zoning code revision is to keep similar types of commercial buildings together - so stand alone buildings with large parking lots don't get added to the downtown core or other areas where building and parking lot size should be more limited to keep in context with the neighborhood.
Next, a look at the gateways into Bradford.
Roundabouts are being considered along Davis Street at the main cross-streets into the city. What do you think?
The entrance into town at Interstate Parkway and West Washington Street. The upper left photo is the existing condition.
Proposed work in the downtown core. All of downtown can't be revitalized at once, and this seems like the logical area to start given the proximity to the creek and the presence of Veterans Square.
A closer look at the proposal for Veterans Square. More grass and a bigger square with the closure of Marilyn Horne Way.
The paved area could provide a place for a farmers market or other outdoor market, as well as possible seating for a potential restaurant in the Italian Club...
Consolidating and organizing the parking behind the Seneca building and neighboring buildings would improve the area's appearance and make it easier and faster to find available parking spaces.
The possibility of closing Pine Street for pedestrians only is being considered. This would create a connection between Veterans Square, Pine Street, The Creek and outdoor gathering space on the other side of the creek. Outdoor events could spill into several nearby downtown locations.
A view of the same proposal from Main Street.
At the same location, below is a proposal to install one elevator and fire stair that could serve several adjacent buildings. This is a option that could make the use of the upper floors on Main Street more palatable. And by providing one elevator for several buildings, it makes it more cost-effective since it is not economically feasible for each building owner to install an elevator. Also, because of the narrow nature of historic downtown buildings, there is rarely enough square footage to install an elevator in each building.
One goal of the planning process is to make the creek more of an asset in town. This might be by using an inflatable dam to raise the water level for recreation, adding lighting or landscaping along the creek and/or by building a portion of the trail system that runs right along the creek in town.
A look at inflatable dams.
Both positive and negative comments have been made about the idea of extending Campus Drive directly to West Washington Street along the bed of the former railroad tracks. The planning team feels that a more direct connection between the town and campus is important, but this may or may not be the best way to achieve that goal.
A perspective view of the proposed campus drive extension. New buildings at a more urban scale could be built between the extension and Barbour Street. The planning process has also revealed a lot of comments about the poor state of the Kiwanis Housing, and cities across the country are disbanding public housing because it is a poor concept. The structures aren't really at a good scale for their location and may not be worth renovation if residents are disbursed into other parts of town. It was mentioned that this might be replaced with green space instead of feeling that *something* new needs to be built there.
One proposal involves lighting up downtown buildings to make Bradford more intriguing from the highway. Better signage on the highway and/or billboards are also strategies that could pull in visitors from 219.
