CCP 09-25-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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11111 The former control tower was converted into a bookstOl"e at Glenview Naval Air Station. base is served by roads, as well as by public transit (such as buses, rail lines, or shuttles) and bicycle and pedestrian routes. On the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station, for example. the proposed develop- ment will be close to a commuter rail system that runs to and from downtown Boston. Street design is important, not only for automobile traHie, but also for pedestrians and bicyclists. Narrower, tree-lined streets with attractive sidewalks make pedes- trians feel safer and are more interesting and comfort- able to walk along. A grid network of streets distributes traffic more evenly throughout a development instead of concentrating it on a few heavily traveled arterial roads. For example, removing the fence that had sur- rounded Baldwin Park when it was a mil italY facility created more than 30 new entrances and actually relieved rather than increased traffic in nearby neigh- borhoods because drivers had more options. Is there existing infrastructure on the base {e.g., sewet; water}, or is there sufficient capacity nearby? Access to sewer, water, roads, and other infrastruc- ture is key to attractillg high-quality, compact develop- ment. If the existing infrastructure cannot support rc-- development, the LRA must find funding to rehabilitate sewer and wnter systems, roads, and other services. Many communities have had to rebuild the existing infrastructure on a base. This overhaul is expensive, 16 and some communities have offered deve-fopcrs incen- tives to balance the added expense. The city of San Diego gave Uberty Station's developer a ground lease on almost 200 acres of land to compensate for the cost of demolishing and replacing the base's infrastructure. The Glen, the mixed-use redevelopment of the former Glenview Naval Air Station io Illinois, covered its infra- structure replacement costs with revenues from land sales and property taxes. Many base redevelopmentsk including Liberty Station and Baldwin Park, recycled the demolished material into new roads and other in- . frastructure, saving money and conserving resources. . The proposed development around the commuter- rail station at South Weymouth, Creating a redevelopment plan for the base The LRA is responsible for developing a reuse plan for the property. Depending on its staff's size and expertise, the lRA may need to hire consultaots to help draft the plan. If the LRA or local government is going to acquire any oftl1e property, they may want to hire a developer early on to work with them as they draft the plan. Regardless of who the LRA hires to help, the reuse plan must be economically feasible. A pretty plnn isn't enough---it must respond to the market. .