Developers put Ruskin Heights plans on display for public
BY KATE WARD Northwest Arkansas Times
Posted on Sunday, July 30, 2006
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/43276/
Area residents got the chance to examine several ideas for a proposed 28-acre neighborhood development on Saturday during a pin-up and public review session at Scarpino.
“ These really are the very first preliminary sketches, ” said project director Mike Watkins. “ There will be a lot more refinement in the next few days. ”
Watkins presented a PowerPoint presentation and explained the pros and cons of each design proposal for the neighborhood dubbed Ruskin Heights, which lies along Mission Boulevard, between downtown Fayetteville and the historical district. The project is anticipated to be mixed-use and open to a diverse range of residents. Preliminary plans call for dense housing as a means of preserving open space.
“ We’ve lived there for more than 50 years, ” said Ken Kvamme, a resident who lives next to the proposed land development. “ This is the last forest on Mount Sequoyah. I see lots of deer in my yard all the time — it’s a ripe habitat. ”
Kvamme also expressed his concerns over the effects the development could have on other residents.
“ They’re advertising for high density, but when the forest goes, we’ll have run-off problems, ” he said. “ My neighbor’s house got flooded when SWEPCO took just a few trees down. If they take down any more, we’ll all be in trouble. ”
Watkins said public input sessions give developers a chance to address residents ’ concerns.
“ I know a lot of you have concerns about building on a slope, and so do we, ” Watkins said. “ We’ve developed a model of the different slopes to measure the areas of trees and the width of slopes. We’ve used that model to develop footprints that show the way buildings will sit on the slopes. ”
Other concerns about the development centered on increased traffic along Mission Boulevard.
“ On 28 acres of land, we’re not going to solve all of Fayetteville’s traffic problems, ” Watkins said. “ But we can form an alliance with you to identify the problems and what needs to be done. ”
Watkins said creating a boulevard with trees would help slow traffic.
“ This is just one of the ideas we’ve taken into consideration, ” he said. “ We don’t take traffic speed and volume into mind. The concern we have is actually getting it from the state department. If we can’t even get a sidewalk, think about the time it would take to get a boulevard. If we could pay for one small section, maybe the state would be more inclined to pitch in. ”
Watkins went on to present a series of design schemes, the first of which included an extra turn on Mission Boulevard and a traffic light.
“ This is a radical proposal, ” he said. “ But if we were to add a light, you wouldn’t have to wait for someone to let you out. It also slows traffic down. Where the light occurs, we’re proposing a commercial venue that would allow drivers to look into store windows s they wait. ”
The plan calls for grouped housing that shares a common space.
“ We’d have a Ruskin Heights Bungalow with a garden, ” he said. “ It would include a lawn between them, so even the small houses would be able to have a big yard. ”
In the second design scheme, Watkins identified two main goals — locating commercial uses along Mission Boulevard and taking advantage of views.
“ It’s the most conventional of the commercial proposals, ” he said. “ The buffer between the commercial businesses and Mission Boulevard would be series of ponds that serve as storm water management. ”
The scheme also calls for scenic views accessible to all residents, rather than just those who live there.
“ We’d create a trail system to the hilltop, so it’s not sealed off from the appreciation of everyone else, ” Watkins said.
The plan includes an estimated 255 residential units — 40 percent single-family detached, 30 percent singlefamily attached and 30 percent multifamily housing.
“ The retail would be below the residential area, but on the same land, ” Watkins said.
The scheme suggests retail that can also be used for residential housing.
“ The mixed use could continue to the top of the hill, ” he said. “ We had the idea of adding a labyrinth as a public amenity. ”
The plan proposes attached buildings along high streets in order to capture the view for the greatest number of people. A loop around the development would create smooth traffic flow and a community center would stand at the peak of the property.
“ We also had the idea of adding a garden pavilion with garden plots that would be available to anyone in the community, ” he said.
The final scheme features an estimate of 330 units.
“ This scheme is interesting in how it addresses traffic, ” Watkins said. “ It would have an island with one way in and one way out. It would allow neighbors to visit the community center without having to battle the traffic on Mission. It still gives some of the retailers access to Mission and some of the units would be able to go from commercial to residential. ”
The plan calls for a pedestrian path over the ridge of the development, rather than a street.
“ This plan has the least amount of streets than the other schemes, ” he said. “ Essentially, it would just be one big loop around the whole site. In this case, everyone gets the views into the trees. At every turn, there would be some civic point of interest such as a space that a group of houses share.
“ Some people have said that they’d be open to the idea of having a slice of their yard made into a public space for a path. A lot of parents say their kids end up cutting through people’s yard when they walk to school. ”
Residents will have the opportunity add their own input during a closing presentation on Wednesday at the Fayetteville Town Center.
“ We’d like to zero in on one design by then, based on the feedback we’ve had so far, ” Watkins said. “ Nothing will be finalized, though. ”
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