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A Vision for Mercy Drive

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Mercy_Drive_Meeting

Hidden behind the Central Florida Fairgrounds and nestled between College Park and Pine Hills, Mercy Drive is a predominantly African-American community with a unique mix of single family neighborhoods and a variety of large and small apartment complexes housing moderate and low-income families. Additional pockets of commercial, industrial, and institutional development are scattered along its main street, Mercy Drive, as well as some recreational uses such as the City of Orlando owned and operated Northwest Community Center.

The community has had its challenges, ranging from traffic concerns to the closure of several poorly maintained apartment complexes that are now in City ownership. Limited transportation connections in the area make Mercy Drive a popular cut through, especially for freight truck traffic from the nearby industrial properties.

Recognizing the need for a unified visioning approach, and under the leadership of Commissioner Regina Hill, the City retained Canin Associates to work with the residents and stakeholders to create a forward-looking Vision Plan to improve the community’s quality of life and bring out residents’ talents to build a better future for their families and their community.

“A safe, attractive, and connected community with quality homes and apartments that empowers neighbors of all ages to learn, build, and create together.”
-Mercy Drive Vision Statement

The visioning process kicked off with over 100 residents and stakeholders in attendance at the first of three public meetings to be held within the community at the Northwest Community Center. After analyzing the information gathered from the first meeting as well as from an area-wide walking audit, expert interviews, and a housing conditions assessment, a second public meeting was held to present a vision statement as well as physical design and community building concepts. Residents and stakeholders then voted on which of the concepts they thought were most appropriate for their community’s future.

Mercy_Drive_NHC_Render

The design concept that received the most votes was a multi-use neighborhood center that provides public gathering space along with new commercial and small business opportunities. Streetscape enhancements to help mitigate traffic issues, improve walking and biking, and provide community gateway features came in a close second place along with ideas for new higher density single-family housing opportunities on a couple of City-owned parcels.

The community building programs that received the most votes were focused mainly on home maintenance, such as a tool lending library and home repair classes, as well as increasing community-wide events, some of which could even include partnering with the Orlando Police Department.

With the community’s priorities determined, a vision report was produced that will help guide both public and private investment for current and future Mercy Drive residents. The executive summary of this report was distributed during the third and final public meeting, which was in the form of a community resource fair. This final meeting brought multiple city departments, third party organizations, and more into the Northwest Community Center to engage with residents and stakeholders, and to help begin the process of realizing their community’s new vision.

Canin Associates is proud to have partnered with the City of Orlando and Mercy Drive residents and stakeholders in developing the vision for their future. We look forward to what will be coming next for this high-potential community!

Visit the City of Orlando’s project page for access to the final vision report documents and additional information.

Event Recap: ULI’s Project DTO, From Vision to Reality

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This morning I attended Project DTO: Advancing Downtown Orlando, From Vision to Reality, an event put on by ULI Central Florida. Project DTO started in 2014 with the goal of creating a comprehensive visioning process for the next ten years of Downtown Orlando’s evolution.

Over 90 diverse community thought-leaders convened for Project DTO to build an innovative vision, a thorough marketing strategy, and a major update to the community redevelopment area plan. I was looking forward to this event for a while because the effort championed the engagement of all sectors in the planning of our urban core’s future. The resulting vision plan highlighted ten big ideas:

The panelists included Philip Holt and Brooke Myers (vice chairs of Project DTO), Shelley Lauten (chair of the Access Committee), and Jennifer Quigley (chair of the Arts and Culture Committee). The conversation, moderated by the City of Orlando’s Thomas Chatmon, touched on topics ranging from transportation and education to arts and homelessness.

A common theme throughout the discussion was the involvement of and planning for the community itself. “We’re building for our own residents, not necessarily for tourists,” said Myers. The focus on the area’s own citizens was echoed by Holt, who said, “Cities that succeed are defined by their people.” On the note of education, Myers talked about how the planned K-8 community school in Parramore and the UCF/Valencia campus (scheduled for 2017) in Creative Village will continue to activate downtown.

Shelley Lauten discussed recommendations from the Access Committee, which included Canin’s Eliza Harris. Lauten talked about changes that will make it easier to get around, including improved pedestrian conditions, expansion of the Lymmo bus circulator, and the forthcoming bike sharing program. She encourages listeners to “get on a bike or walk and see a part of your city you haven’t seen before!” Lauten also mentioned the proposal for converting downtown’s one-way streets back to two-way streets, a notion that garnered applause from the audience. “Downtown Orlando needs to be a destination, not just a thoroughfare,” she concluded.

By spring 2015, Project DTO will share its final vision for Downtown Orlando with a comprehensive document and a community-wide event. With our offices located in the Downtown CRA, we’re thrilled to see how much effort is put into further turning downtown into what we call a “great people place.”

Canin Associates is a proud annual sponsor of ULI Central Florida for 2014.

 

 

Appealing to a Booming Market: 5 Must-Haves for the Baby Boomer Generation

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With a growing number of baby boomers looking for their ideal new homes, designers and developers are turning their attention to this explosive new market. When creating the perfect baby boomer residence, architects must strike a balance between features that are needed now, and features that will be essential in the coming years.

Our country’s diversifying housing market has made it possible to craft specific homes for every niche, leading to accelerated sales and more satisfied residents. For the baby boomer generation, we’ve pinpointed five must-have elements that are important to every community’s success:

Baby Boomer Home Features

1. A Single-Story Experience

The ideal boomer home focuses on the present, but looks to the future: designs should feature a single-story experience for those who wish to age in place; an optional second story gives flexibility and extra space to those who need it.

2. Multi-Generational Living

What do retirees do with that second story when they no longer require it for themselves? Smart floor plan designs ensure that the house can be used for a single generation (baby boomers) or expanded for multi-generational living (baby boomers and their children or grandchildren).

3. Great Indoor/Outdoor Relationships

Many homebuyers move to Florida for one simple reason: the weather. To make the most of a transplant’s new lifestyle, homes should be designed with a focus on great indoor/outdoor relationships.

4. Parks and Street-Side Patios

Baby boomers will be looking for ways to meet their new neighbors. By socializing the street and promoting it as a community space through parks and street-side patios, residents have the opportunity to be part of an active neighborhood network.

5. Modern, Open Floor Plans

Finally, this is a generation whose members have worked hard to afford their dream homes, and what better way to enjoy it than with modern, open floor plans? A frontrunner in market research, open plans are perfect for living, dining, and entertaining.

 

By implementing these features, architects and developers can deliver homes that are tailored to the growing demand of baby boomers. Focusing on these five primary elements ensures that a house will become the perfect home, for now and in the years to come.

Visit our Portfolio for these and other exciting new market-focused home designs.