The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About011190 Min Ag Packet f T PORT TOWNSEND, WASH ON 98368 Port 'To s n annCommission • 5t ■ CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND ... • Meeting of January 11, 1990 'II I. Roll Call Chairman Tavernakis called the meeting to order at 7: 35 p.me Other m - embers present were Lois Sherwood, Ron Kosec, Karen Erickson, Sally 1cDole, and Alan Carman. Also present was City Planner Kevin O'Neill. -. II . Reading and Approval of Minutes from Previous Meeting Roan Kosec moved to approve the Minutes from the meeting of December 28 , I s. Erickson seconded and the motion carried unanimously. /5 4 III , Communication Mr. O'Neill distributed a copy of the Parking ordinance recently adopted by City Council. He also distributed a copy of ars article from the Smithsonian Magazine,ine, entitled "Standing on , those corners; watching all the folks go by" see attached) . IV. old Busines4 1 A. Street vacation 8911-0 , Arne Willenhag, et. al. Ms. McDole left the meeting due to a possible donflict in interest. i 1 . Staff Presentation • Mr. O'Neill reviewed the draft fin li_ g and conclusions. Draft A recommended denial while Draft B recommended approval,. The applicants propose to vacate the ort ion - f the 33rd Street right-of-way extending Brom Raines stre'et',' east to McNeill Street. w Public Testimony Joshua Sage, representative t�F 5 they, a 'licant, stated that the gp applicant would agree to all the conditions in Draft B, He also stated that the vacation tion 'is neoessary,, f.that an easement be x t allowed for foot traffic. f John Barr, co-applicant -, stated, his approva-1 of th'e vacation. R Bjorn, Lunde stated that he was gin favor of the,,' racation to 4 y • I 1 Planning Commission-m-~January 11, 1990 Page 2 of preserve the greenery but also feels that an easement for pedestrian/equestrian traffic is necessary. Public Testimony was closed. . Committee Report (Kosec/Sherwood) Mr. Kosec stated that three of the departments opposed the vacation of the property, Ms. Sherwood stated that it might be possible to allow the applicants to work with the Parks and Recreation Department t develop the area as open space rather than vacating the street. Mr. Kosec stated that the Commission recently recommended denial f street vacation in the same area. Chairman Tavernakis asked the proponents of the property why it is necessary to vacate the property to achieve open space. The proponents indicated that they would be wiling to discuss any alternatives. r. O'Neill stated that the Commission may want to postpone until such time as the area to the west of the proposed vacation is developed. Mr. Carman suggested that the proponents wor : ith the Parks Department to develop a trail. Mr. Carman moved to continue the hearing for street vacation 8911-04 , Arae Willenhag, to the first meeting in April. Ms. Sherwood seconded and the motion carried 4. 1 With Mr. Kosec dissenting. Be Conditional Use 8911-05, and variance Application 8912-08, Discovery View and Associates. Mr. O'Neill reviewed the revised Site Plan and the Draft Findings of Fact and Conclusions. The applicants propose to construct 4-unit congregate care facility on a piece of property described as Block S, Eisenbeis Addition. The project requires a conditional use permit, Draft A of the Findings of Fact and Conclusions recommends Approval and Draft D recommends Denial . The applicants are also requesting a parking variance for the project to supply fewer off street spaces thah are required. Draft of the Findings of Fact and Conclusions recommends denial, Draft B recommends approval.. { 1. Public 'testimony ■ • Planning ung s on#--. nta►� I t s 1990 Page 3 of Richard spindor, realtor, stated that the site . was selected due to its proximity to services and feels that the site is a good one. David Haynes, architect for the project, stated that the typical resident will be in their late seventies. He stated that the proposed number of parking spaces would be adequate to serve the residents and employees, and emergency vehicle trips will b minimal. Len Brannen, of shelter Resources, stated that the previous site which was near- a cemetery was not a good location for this type of facility and the proposed site is the best location. The targeted residence would be low income. He submitted a letter from Farmers Horne Administration. Chuck McCaffery, an adjacent property owner, feels the streets are already over used, He stated that the covenants for the isenbeis Addition allow for residential only. He also stated his further concerns of the proposal . Marvin Ellis stated that he dial not approve of the project. Len Brannen stated that the area right hold 30 residences if developed as single family. The project will improve area road standards and also the quality of neighborhood water pressure. Randy Johnson, owner of Block 199 of Eisenbeis, stated that he would like more information concerning the project. Chuck McCaffery stated that he bought his house under the impression that the surrounding area would be developed as single family hausing. Cindy Hall , a neighboring property owner, stated that road access in the area is not the best. Public Testimony was Closed Mr, O'Neill submitted a traffic study to the Planning Commission which was given to him by David Haynes (project proponent) . Mr. Haynes stated that the proposed project would improve Hancock Street to a 40-foot road, loth Street and 12th street to 24 feet. The stormwater would be detained on site. He also reviewed the proposed access plan. Mr. O'Neill reviewed the proposed access and drainage plans as well as the location of fire hydrants. Planning Co i s on--o- a uary Ilp 1990 Page 4 of The applicants stated that about 88 occupants can be expected. Ms, Sherwood stated that this facility would leave more open space and buffers for the surrounding areas than would a single family development. Some discussion followed over the access plan and possible traffic generation. Mr, Cannan stated that the applicant has addressed the site very well, He felt it was a good site and that traffic and fire service will be improved, as well as allow for open space. Mr, Cannan recommended approval of Conditional Use 8911-05 and denial of parking variance 8912-08. Ms. McDole seconded. Discussion. Mr. Tavernakis told the public that the Council will hold a public hearing. Mr. Carman stated that he could find no special condition to allow a variance from the parking requirements in the code. if Ms. Erickson as] ed Mr. O'Neill city council would receive letters from the City Departments and Fire Departments. roll call vote was taken and the motion passed 5-ml with Mr. Tavernakis dissenting. C. Conditional Use 8911-06, James and Linda 'Dornan 1, Staff Presentation and Review Mr. o'Neill reviewed the Draft Findings of Fact and Conclusions. The applicants propose to establish a bed and breakfast inn in an existing single-family dwelling at 1.8 F Street. Staff recommended approval of the conditional use permit. 2. Public Testimony James Dorman stated that parking will be provided off-street. Linda Dornan stated that the inn will start out with a two bedroom unit and they may add another later, The business will not be their primary source of income. , Committee Report 1s. Erickson stated that the house meets all the criteria for a bed and breakfast and if approved will help meet the needs of the city"s increasing tourist business. Planning Commission--January 11, 1990 Page 5 of Ms. Erickson moved to approve conditional, use application, 8911- , for Janes and Linda Dornan. Ms. McDole seconded and the motion passed unanimously. D. Draft ordinance relating to binding site plan review Mr. Carman mored to continue the binding site plan review to the February 8th meeting. Ms. Sherwood seconded and all were in favor. VII New Business February 8. 192Q Meeting Variance 8912-01, Admiral Marine Works osec/MoDole Conditional. Use 8912-03, Painela Bird and Richard Lloyd (Sherwood/Carman) Draft Ordinance relating to the binding site plan, D. Variance 8911,-02, Judith and Kurt Dobs insky (Sherwood/Carman) February Februxary22019 ^Meeting A, Short Plat 8912-04, Glenn Wood Erickson/Grim Be Street Vacation 8912-05, Robert and Jacqualine Rickard (Kosec/McDole) C. Rezone 8912-06, City of Port Townsend Sherwood/Carman D• Conditional Use 9001-03 , City of Port Townsend (Erickson/Carman) Mar-ch-8 . 12,.fie A. Rezone 8912*-02 ,1 Philip Hassrick (Erickson/Sherwood) BO Conditional Use 8912-07, Dong and Fancy Lamy Sherwood/Grimm x C. Conditional Use 9001-02, Mary Anne and George Iieminen (Kosec/McDole) March 9 .. . A. Conditional Use 8908-01, Sperry/Little' Apr��.990__Meet . A, Street Vacation 8911-04, Willenhag continued from January 11, 1990' meeting. Cosec/ herwool Darlene Bloomfield Planning Commission Secretary `PORT TOW N S E D. 1 AS i Q 1 g e 3 e Port To send Planningx s CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND (Revised) Business Meeting January 11 1990 F 1. ROLL CALL ��__MEW Me . READING AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETING G . COMMUNICATIONS: t f a, current mail . OLD BUSINESS: a. PUBLIC HEARING: Street Vacation Appl. 8911-04, Arne Willenhag, et. al. I* Staff Presentation and Review Public Testimony , Committee Report - Kosec/Sherwood) Findings and Conclusions �,�...� be PUBLIC HEARING: � ri Ti i r� l� � ppl . 8911-0 an Variance Apple 8912-08, Discovery view Associates 1. Staff Presentation and Review 29 Public Testimony 3e, Committee Report - McDole/Carman) 4e Findings and Conclusions C, PUBLIC HEARING: Conditional Ipplication 8911-06, James and Linda Dornan 1. Staff Presentation and Review Public Testimony 3 , Committee Report - (Erickson/Grimm) 4,v Findings and Conclusions . d'. Draft ordinance relating to binding site plan review r r • I NEW BUSINESS: i Conditional Use Appl . 8912--.07, Doug and Nancy Lamy Schedule Hearing: March 1990 � '"� . Committee: rn b, Conditional Use Appl. 9001-02 , Mary Anne and George Nieni 4 y ca Rezone Appl , 8912-061 City of Port Townsend Committee: Sherwood/Carman March rch , 1990 a. Rezone App1 , 8912-02, Phili Hassrick 7. ADJOURN j M M Guest List Oe4CU�� 5> Do youv�sh to If yes, indicate Cwa Pe C3PAO'kQq )Pd I lg�jrz&s NAME Wease ptlnll ADDRESS U present lesmony7 topic. YES NO � Di'xoucr� (/fcrJ S cS "Se El 10 0. ❑ E3 0 0- 19-Pt d I Ig e. 0-- s zv 0 L JON L&t' za� I Ow 1135 ,?r ❑ o -F 4f 0 tie. J ic/1Inc( ��.,�� ❑ �i�;o�y Uz..d NL .Svrr� Lia rN Aj•fN lljjj� /'ZoTt/ Ns D/ � I��SCavE2y i .0 ?ggou�Cgg T use z. Mee" El5 u Lu�C �°�" G QT s st• 5+r?, c,Z e 4+ CO&I 33L5 Ac -�etl33 50 `� fos� S �. o .bb 6 � L st .0.00Y V=-' 0 .ers VGcO--t, M J l7oRtiRN "7 � 8 °F" 5T p� ,iowNsc--^'D O 91 AIL'- .El ji— _.-k oil tA 4"' 404 ixil t 11111 11111% X#44 k RpodPdb a T,�PM '�Ir t"�hlk . � ft Yl � ' *�� } • r *dF F. rit T 40 �. `rtexice-14 �I`he site, crossrads e � . stu�dled� intensl�-e!�•.Basking in pedestrian t�nstle. �rlThte�urve � �orr�e rirne territr�r for ply€ting fit-traffic pa,iter;�_. is favorite turf: the intersection of 50th and `iftha i�" 'his is rn bloc:k." Fro the backseat f a rnovino,car. Ste hen . Hal! ' � +illiam . �'�hyte shakes a gnarled Rngeri wan great lea,sure. toward orae the most narro . con� iF , w'os0�n , infuriating and%lital street scenes �n the L.e in ton ventre at59th Street. e� York itv. � ;Standi � the city distorteti rr�irror. accencr�ate , e { . in se �' 4 lace of ed es. You haN'e eop�e zerted vi Iiin here.Yoe here orae of�tie great eon�er�tr tion �ent mo ie theaters. : nd the bway. And [ivy ear��tchingrain dale's and a le nder's. . 11 a 4��tx��ie. � � res. l�� sty orn cr- ,� it's o lively. o r urrdthe l eka ': e r r'Z r �`flalt . i est r1nCr [i�['� of �Fer�cira itehrxYer� :fir t�an�.volks � f handbill assrsa +fat cnri�alltaus . BattlesIt is, ire Whyte s urbanthe -��rzse long i a l -pecent lc cati nt., the ide *alk is e caetly 121 � fee: across v e has riesred its. and ac peak rush : r :i-Wt. more than 5*000 pedestrians Il h Lid ar�� end dbustle by he has measured that. toy . r�a t%'p�cn �. $ Greet is o itively Dickensian in its collision fh tools r•orrt te[ hoto to tape r� asure, the s P gs :v' rkers Ott senses rid sensibilities: shoppers luG in bag_. ��_'�� - ears. ndorsa ico - street-smart o s rY r- �i is r F . phyte totrn briefca ses, l p�esi be 0 ets, all ainst backdrop f honking horns and the o re is end � ar ion life at city nterr.+ ' ! 119 Id y Y+ �11 i P{►' S �'I J + � •y d'1 i �' + y7 .w !.wr i# ud I rty+lX V' o tii* ,Ys Si S + � wr 1.i* r } M•# r(YT AN + N � +�'^y� ti' s � y ��:.+''• �� l; oar Id + x , ■r}■ i. ��t� Y }�l: # ':'•�� d..- r" ��+fit �* 0�jld t Lq 1I �~ i 'i!" Jill +4 .. ' Street musicians. drawing a crowd of concertgoers. Stripped of welcoming amenities (such as chairs)l? 'L + create an instant community at Grand Army Plaza. Lincoln Center seems empty and cheerless at midday. ,. dl r smell of candied nuts and the voice of the newsstand mingle, where they congregate, what they like and II man hawking the , York Post (today's dependably just as important—what they don't. understated headline: "KILLER A AIM K- Armed with data based on 16mm 16mmoves, photo- I -I T"). [urban planners love to show slides of this graphic stills, tune-lapse photographs, and a truster intersection.: Whyte saes , as documentary evidence of tape measure,for sidewalks and ledges, he has arrived': ! hell on earth. To 1 h%,te, it is not only heavenly, but at a series ofprovocative and erha s un • . perhaps e peered CI]- represents a vitality to which ev er r city should aspire. cluslons. His original and eminently useful bserva- +�I larl ltin s Orthhate— dolly t his friends tons are spelled out In 'Jc .t edisc�o rin Its Center, ' —canspeak with such a�uthorit because he has spent a published this month by Doubleday.Y � byte' latest , # fair part f the past 0 Fears holed u In offices looking book,a wise and witty compendium f insights gleaned t * g P g out on the street, stationing himself like a birder in a over two decades, redeems the urban experience* +I blind and observing the life below hirci. A self-taught This is not a man to mince words. Spry of tongue at '+ il sociologist and acclaimed author of The Organization age 71, though::temporarily slowed down by recent Man. published In 1956. Whyte is perhaps our leading heart surgery, Whyte is this day confined to an auto- scholar sst -scholar of people and how they behave in urban en i- motive tour of Manhattan. BuL there is nothing frail or r nments. W'ith students from Hunter College in New pale about his commentary. The urban cacophony of w1� Yorki where he. as Distinguished Professor, taught Lexington rushes b See that streetsape. he cackles. ' urban sociology in 1970. he has recorded how people "What just makes their hair stand on end down at City I � 120 � ,I P .i `i►4.a ' #JA'l4F' JA • 4 f 1 t { 1 t LZ 444 1 { 1 'f•r. I lie M f r 4 1 i r + t f . a w r y + •� 1 y � r y is. popJ rk Me JA P k. � `+•' iw - oy .s f y. T` 1 lir Ed 0i fi 1t4 _ s+ -f I t 3 } - W♦ r+1100* ► { t t + JIr y 4t47.• rJLylf •� w ,�.+ Syf•[41..�' •; r �, ' r� ��}A.y'A�r F_• •..N..,+yi +. r■ {„j '..'s apt # t �.,'. { Y. �;!•�r�StrI /� + {+.T ,JS #' }y�y.*•r'�-�#' s\ y.�w 7�+ J * --- ;"L},lw Frf•V{ ' tF1 tai. T wy*�+"1 * kik. 4 Iitr oitan iusrr Art stes as ps fror,. or�`glare bow}„ a phyte calls ** �� to negotiate,goad to watch people The unshaded plaza, #i comfortbi it,could be salvaged by adding handsome big trees. ' 4 Yi Calhoun, actually a researcher at theNa- John � w F , na�rro v f ace, dominated P to Mental I-3.ea�lth, conducted ai series 4 � 1ant-��ng, n �Il�hyte g� there � tiona�l �nst�tute of suggesting etin that ' eyebrows and droll expressions, erir ents with mice in the 1 f�f�s, g g. . � bushy y of exp 4 pastoral contentment, became more neurotic a their living look of (dare one say} eo 1e:1 hate their behavior Unlike mice,Whyte ,. he t of my research i the way p p 4 conditions became more �rowde - gravitate 'interact'—but the way people interact 1n t red eo le can adjust to and even the word 1 ironTrient�� discovered, r of en The thrive on�t.In the course city, and the effect of the physical e time of the toward high density. y Whyte:�� work in 1 '70, at th to concluded that ocher bits o con.I started this Yo couldn't his research, by r� experience didn't -water mark of the antidensity kick. p h� h e- ent�onal oda about the ur ��these . e or newspaper without seting sora nerutin , iter.There area wealth P ick up a magazine ere were pictures hold up to y b found in City, but in about our crushing density.Th counterintuitive conclusions to thing and his r� �ce in Bethesda. The rats a most �rx portant refutes the density a�rgu- f r. Calhoun damn ood. But perhaps the p • w York is no g �� t people says„ phyte argues, the commit suicide.ergo, the eouen- mens. Despite h p le}„ * work, our couldn't help but see that thin that attracts them most Is people-19 of r not true.,, who has seen him in action on behalf tint �scforrn r�ra As anyone rt Society or the few Fork Landmarks i is from the Municipal copal Art y a man of strong Ues S. Hall who has written on subs servant can attest,Whyte i Stephen� � Conservancy ryes digin for r I-rri ori Ns dislikes. a defends street vendors, street eater- inventors to� Village. and drones hi,s street-wise kills in Greenwich � 121 lW It ... ;# �M ; r �► ' " �-- x. Aq r r *.t 41 - + *-yo- AL - * + • , Y} Z V F IL Ar 46 V ip pp. # ;4 i ZIP f • .fir` �' G � w dop +, A., •f++fir !y From11 * ; eye 40%i T f µ et vantage point, Whyte has recorded everyday comings andfir oinG til at 59th `• Street and Lexington f -.-' w'k} since the 60s. His patient * stakeouts and time-lapse ` ' '' •�� ; - studies have allowed him to film the small dramas 46 P of the city's street life. + � ,+ nor atrocity{below} IM _`" .'; .�f ". that did not escape notice. the demise of a convenient perch at a midtown bank. The building ledges made ♦ " OF+i`�' a4�+ti.,.t �-4- great place to hang IP ' �' •-A. out, until "mama gement �', '�"'�`+ ;, ,..� ..� ,_ ,.�•.;: `; took action"and installed ♦ � � � ., � t ��` *ice *1 ��*„r�' �. w. �'. �*��`� y�i�; ' �� '; . •-�'� ti '. ,;* ,� rows of forbidding spikes. 41 � � L• 7L� r �c r t * 1 + f � Ar 196 X x �'4 `S�'• +.to 1a r a.� '� �' r+ 1. .� � 122 I C M 1 a tainers, outdoor seating (benches, ledges, steps and, heartburn. Back in 1961, city planners enacted leisla- cially, movable chairs), the city grid plan and tion called "incentive zoning." It permitted developers ril"ication. The chief threat to housing for the poor, to add extra stories to skyscrapers if they in turn pro- � . h argues, is not the movement of the middle class to vlded outdoor parks or plazas for public use.I t sounded � g deteriorating neighborhoods. but "landlords who let like a good idea, but in Whyte's opinion a lot of the buildings rot„ and the federal government's failure to public space was designed as an afterthought and used subsidize housing.) He inveighs against l nd•g bblin r accordingly. "Planners pled time after tithe with the own a►rkin art� •'cr plin in small M architects, ;For God's sake, don't sink that plaza.' dow:: � --.'-. '� �� it and nowt is little u►sed.., cities , f nk-wal s, malls. shops t h r o street access, They went ahead and did dimega-structures' `i self-contained hotel-office coram- And so Whyte organized something called the Street p lexes like Detroit's Renaissance Center), and the way Life Project to determine what made a good urban cities Ileal with "undesirables"�-making an urban parr space—what people like, what they use and why certain soundesirable that others won't use it, either. He em- plazas,like GM's,go unused. The group's observations los deep passions in the fight for urban amenities; as resulted in three seemingly innocuous commercial zon- he says in "I will not feign neutrality.,, ing provisions, enacted since the 'los, that Whyte be- t i r Heves have helped restore the essence of a lively street t Nonetheless, Whyte attempts to bang scientific rigor P to his work. He is routinely described as an urban s ci- experience. One, even new building must devote its olog ist, but one is tempted to see in his activities qua]- street-level area to retail use (no cavernous lobbies). it almost Darwinian in its patience. its curiosity and Two, the street-level shops must be directly accessible y its astute analysis: e reminds one f a biologist peering no "downtown malls,,, which turn their back to the into an urban tide pool and documenting the scuttling street). And three, street-level windows must be trans- r 4 streetwise crustaceans.or of a human ornithologist per- parent no fortresslike blank walls). haps. He smiles at the suggestion and says he prefers the simple word "observer." In demand:a touch of glitz � "Quite a lot of birds out already," he says, motion- rr nt of the'Metropolitan Trump Tower rears Its ilded, gaudy head on the ung toward the open space in f � P g Museum of Art ars the carr starts down Fifth th Avenue. left. "I like it," Whyte pronounces. "It's vulgar as hell. ; " his is ag retp ace,a [remendously rich scene.They I could fault it on lot of Things. Where's no seating: } activity here by putting out chairs." phyte is big they got away with murder on that. But it's got that on chairs. Obsessed, you might say. One of his prin- bad taste.That's the trouble with so man `ideal'street- p a ci al conclusions, deceptively unimpressive, i that stapes. You see, they're the result of studies. It's all in $$ eo le tend to sit most where there are places to sit." such goddamn good taste! You need a touch of glitz.You pin to see need something like rum Tower. It seems like a�trivial observation, until you beg g Trump vastp arts of the urian landscape that are underused "r' h,,, he continues, "here's my 100-percent corner, or empty. One key reason, which has escaped many right here." He noels toward the corner of 50th Street well-remunerated architects, city planners and devel- and Fifth Avenue. It is the kind of place, Whyte e - o ers, i that there is no place to sit, plains in his book, where people have "100-percent :# p conversations„—conversations so serendipitous,so spir- OLI Centrad Park;a magical convergenceiced, so engrossing, that their perpetrators stand right � in the flow of pedestrian traffic.Observing from hidden " complex,"" erches,Whyte ma � "We're fast approaching a� wonderful urban p � p y mapped the locations of these conversa- he announces a few minutes later, "one of the greatest tions and noticed that most take plane "right smack in in the world. Grand Army plaza." This is the magical the middle of the pedestrian traffic stream.", Not only convergence of Central park South and Fifth Avenue, that, people who begin conversations in the fringe anchored by the parr. monitored by the Plaza Hotel, drift, by their own choice, right into the flow. It illus- with the Pulitzer Fountain as centerpiece and with tr tes one of Whyte's more profound theses: contrary reliably accomplished street musicians as the "'house to the urge for isolation and escape, people have what band," "'Most people think it's a tourist place. It's not. he calls the "tendency to self-congestion." The office work force uses it. A town that is really Of course, when congestion is caused by street rnusi- i good is one that is good to its people, who regularly cians or sidewalk vendors, the merchants on Fifth Ave- use it, inside and out. nue and elsewhere suddenly lose their ardor for free "Arid that is why," he sags, turning to the General enterprise, to say nothing of urban sociology, and call Motors Building across the street, "this is such a terri- the police. For that and other reasons, Whyte believes mistake." The building's "lousy sunken plaza„ has merchants contribute mightily to the "dull ification" of en Whyte, and other critics, a case of intellectual the cityscape. "If they had their way, this place would 1 F F Y' M" J Witham H. VVI t '.s urban odyssey be so dull," he complains. "They hate vendors, They hate performers. My God, they should thank their { lucky stars that we have this corps of screwballs and entertainers to make the place reall 'very exciting." You would think that a person of such shamelessly { ' urban jingoism would have been born and bred in the F big city. Holly hyte's first taste of the grid, however, carne is the small market town of West Chester, Penn- sylvania, where he was bora in 1917. The grid of West Chester,just beyond the suburban fringe of Philadel- phia in those days, was modest and contained, and Whytets family lived vire block from the cornfields. Yet it had a center, and. Whyte now sees the town center— ; ; whether county seam or soaring metropolis—as crucial point of social convergence and coherence. By con- � and low-density metropolitan tras�, centerless suburb p sprawl—one of his favorite examples of the latter is'the Route 1 corridor outside Princeton, New Jersey- are 1 extraordinarily waE f ul." They m e poor use of " walks,, there is no seater, a land resources; no one nd V7 L . _ sus for interaction. sWhyte insist , one of # dF '_ " thus no focus. , .a�, �x „ = h.. ' 5 �. ' '�;. the react human sir es is to move toward the center. �♦ Whyte kn w Princeton because he went to School r F �' _ ; * ,..•+ �, there. He graduated as an English major in 1939 and E {� '. `.� "`.� �` .� ;� "�,F � '�� I Inas trained the r �' '', thea worked for two ears as a a e to by ' ,. ,t#-.rK.+ate• `+ s+ � - '*' ';1�1�i"�: � "Vicks School of Applied Merchandising, peddling F _.I '� . ``,,,r ' ' " `• , + *:-'+1y�'.'44 1 y OJrL , Vicks Vag oub on the road.I le doesn't exactly say that _ the Vicks folks were grueling, but—well, yes, he sloes. V7V }`"' , .#k - f y� - !# f The Marines were a breeze compared to Vicks, he L �- *�; .5+� I ice.: �,� ( I Y� �■L' °" ., �` I ti allows with cheer exaggeration. He saw action at " _ ' y; '. . • " ' ,�a,,,`,*` `{ N. Guadalcanal,d chronicler of that # y ; IL1 VIII ar alcarral, finzhe his hitch as a f r +� � it v1 � �+ F ; +4y Irt��k4 Y� campaign and thea joined Fortune magazine as a *may 14 '77 GY '- -?.. ,�� .- r•*' .r.� *k1W� .k*. writer 1n 1946. # ' �".,� .'J ?�� '� "�,i�: `, r ;,3'',r�.x�•. x..F T �IYy1k L i,r ':� 1 y w r 'i F book that became modern classic"' ' There, Whyteeras given the time and freedom to .� pursue broad thematic stories about postwar social - treads. It was a series about the sociology of the emer }l. - ing corporate managerial class (and its postwar flight to tract-housing suburbs) that resulted in his 1956 The � '` i P. '`�`5 Organization �L —a book that "survives as a modern �•"•` .� . *F F� classic," Robert J. Samuelson wrote not long ago in "because it captures a permanent part of our social eonitior." In 1958, in an essay in The Exploding Metropolis, Whyte considered the problem ' of urban sprawl and noted, rather presciently, that "much more of Jhis kind of progress and we shall have x� the'paradox of prosperity lowering our real standard ' of living."The issue of urban sprawl begat ars interest in land use and conservation, which in turn piqued his , Only the most extreme conditions—frigid winters in interest in urban density, and the question of density f m Minnesota, for instance—can justify a skyway for brought him back to the city center. Whyte. As pedestrians are removed to upper reaches, After leaving. Fortune in 1959, Whyte took an in- the deserted streets below become "deader than ever." ereasingly active role in urban affairs, consulting for x 3 124 !ti , 4 cities, proposing zoning legislation, battling ill-con- ceived projects andraisingwell-intentioned hell with the powers that be. Although best known to the public f or Th e 0 rganization,Man,he has written a nurnber o r ; T feisty and influential tracts ori urban planning, notably '-Y `.: �' he Social Life of mal Urban aces(published in �. ,• _ 1980 ."lie's certainly done more than any single person to tell us how cities actually work, especially how New •. Fork Cit works," sags Brendan ill of the Muni ip l i Art Society. "His work has been pretty revolutionary, Jry +y ' and some of it has made its way into legislation.10 It 4- .i, " + _q-1 4 g.# . Whyte began to"stud Lexington Avenue as a kind of y '�' � yi�•k- �i hobby and grew t see that it-captured some uintes; + -- sential human vitality missing from suburbs and from suburban malls. That and subsequent observation has rt Vii+ a{ -' -. *� also produced lovely nuggets of eccentric data. t ,' ry4'� y ' �:. - � f� He found, for example, that the single most ipr- ��; Cant step to take in attracting people to a location ` is to make food available. While the mayor of New ' York recently sought to curtail streetside catering, Whyte says bring on more. "The fare is surprisingly ` — good,"he writes in City, and far superior to that of the = ' franchised fast-food outlets.,, 4 � 41 } i intro parking offenders ..._'A - :Of 4t �� :y. Whyte also discovered an interesting thing about downtown parking when he proposed that a lane of I.e cington Avenue be closed and the sidewalk widened. Merchants, as the;'y always do, screamed that the loss t- - - of parking would cripple their business. Whyte and his researchers hauled out the time-lapse cameras and p discovered that more than two-thirds of city spaces x#G.It were hogged for all-day parking. The culprits, most likely, were merchants and their employees. "Look at y� . . + ,, that urban space!"Whyte will cry,pointing out a park- T ; ii i .�= r rent that should be AIN. ing spot. f you calculate the true e .� � I _ charged for that, it's unbelievable'. During survey of midtown-Manhattan streets, 36 miles in all, Whyte and company counted a total of ! 4,031 vehicles parked. Two thousand of there were all - only had been ticketed. Moreover, parked ille y , on every single block at learnt one lane of traffic was L illegally blocked by a parked vehicle. And Whyte dispelled the myth of the careless slob, .; ►: observing that people are quite good about throwing away litter—if there is a place to throw it. In studying r the ..daily life of a trash container," Whyte discoveTed that scavengers actually la a useful role—their scav- enging av-ening helps settle the contents of trash containers, in- creasing their capacity. These containers are visite ,. + ' } Over the years, Whyte has chronicled a cast of street Whyte notes, by about one scavenger per hour. characters: friends settled in for chess, a drummer Studying Lexington Avenue's horrific traffic, hyte's who devises instruments from his scavenged finds, team discovered that buses make up 4 percent of the a button•and-placard• tudded neighborhood gadfly. vehicles, but carry 37 percent of all passengersPrivate rate i t f 16 F i a a goingalongwith that,although critics Paul Goldberger aacobs share hyte s distaste for the design . and j ane j ' n chairs. Lincoln enter complied, 4� Whyte did insist grudgingly, for a while, but now provides there only Y on special occasions. Except for a fewminutes before man e, the space has all the warmth } _ and after a perf o p 1 ` ' of and hubbub of a De Chirico painting, with none the allure and mystery. ' ,If you get this t the right time of day,"Whyte says, "�t' looks gorgeous. Seep the fat cats and the board of �., . trustees never see it in the glare of noon, only at night. Now it looks sort of crummy. And yet, it wouldn't take Y much to make it look good. 3 -•* •: Whyte believes this precisely because of the success �.t of two other small urban parks in New York, Paley Park East 5d Street) and Greenacre Park ion Pa East 51st . They are tiny spaces, yet among the city's most heavily used parks. Paley Park, the prototype, � opened in 1967 and is outfitted with a waterfall,chairs and tables and sittable ledges, and a snack counter. significant new urban space � r good service and mel ting Whyte galls it troost sig l ail Vendors get high marks fo , . anywhere." Greenacre Park represents a prttu y of menus featuring fare from knishes toux ' h dor civic r forced a developer a delicious tri rurnp groups (at Y C to to three planned stores off a nearby high-rise ' -because it would have cast a shadow Cos of 5 mill i • d leader- over the ark for 5 minutes during the day.Given the � there's common denominator here. go absence of large tracts o land in pity centers, phyte . .„These are towns,in short,that have rediscovered g more amenable city center ship." believes the battle for a j their souls in the city center. . mind roust be waged over these small but highly used spaces Compromised city cores? Topeka comes to t question underlying all these } all its downtown n, The ] little successes parking lots, as does Houstor. Whyte, not sur r� n l , with a a ital of blank walls). rs: dill the center hold. i yAtlanta and Albuvercve (the as an opinion about that. "I think it will hold," he good intention or ill, they have conspired to h P With g s. "It's i ortant,even dor suburb,to have a place en their renters with parking lots,skyvralk ,malls, say p dead to relate to in the center. This is not orr�ethn that r sunken plazas, blank walls. All the things, in short, � going to b orchestrated by planning commissions. It's that draw people array from the street. g g rtes effect of wise policies. The renter that holds i te's resea has shown anything, it is that thedin cor oration who If W by p ` difference. chairs.Trees. made up of a lot o�things, including little things can make a big r- elect to stay in the city. It's a place that regains in new # aster fount The things that developers add as gar y once it l'lad..' sketches.far frorr� arnlsh,people terms the variety that nish to architectural s e g The car makes its wary up Madison Avenue, a street clearlylike and use then. In fact, Whyte argues, they i rovan- etrrrYir�- that has retnventd itself in just such vera . are the single most important component to t stones that once housed vaell-to-do families decay es in whether a public space will be used or not. w been regrouped into a prosperous bazaar, g midday, and the car has stopped in front of the ago have no s both on the street I t y, vast amphitheater o Lincoln Center. Whyte stares out opulence behind glass, with shops 199 ' at this travertine desert, mumble oaths about its pain- level and above ("Look at the second- toriness. full h� h footcandles of light during the day and Whyte cries). There is rhythm to th buildings, a ce�te- y g -rnent for the eye. "'Now lour at that! vacs Holly shakes his head. a still gets steamed about the Lincoln particularlysmashingrow of i you can hardly bind it Whyte, pointing.out a # tenter drinking fountain. first, y shops. i ,, About • � s, "You don't get that out in the suburbs, because it's located behind the bandstand. Second, it P ii ears nova,,. he laments. that he is 100-percent right. , doesn't work. ""Going on eight } Some time ago, Whyte tried to convince the Lincoln s Center bureaucracy to put in a couple of trees an , hairs to break up the space. He stopped short of sense of"too much good taste, Redeemed b the ab rnrr�endirr what he calls"major building changes" indow-sho ers glitz to the max. t recd g Trump Tower offers p g (it's hard to imagine architects like Philip Johnson P �Y y in A 4 { 11 *r { ` dpr or ' 4 �� a fir *♦ , Al +* f �` ' • / N IL •�� ';l or W WIT jr VIP r 'lie o. Ire .'�r..•..��. -, vx� •'+.4r � Y.; .1 . ARC� r �•.►� ,�'�_� +s��y.#1, i �� 'ter ��+ IFA # *� .i'r.{ter sF _ �,5 ' ti �; - p F * T y+ y jW r. r0"i �' j��' '� �� Ilk 4 # a/ '*�-�' '' - i " �;i[£* k y# -" r i:' .• '{ MIN 4 �lllllIl * ' ' ' . # f� t, a� � }#�wti 1 !"XF �?"'"�'�9�� 1 # r �• � �4' �. a * : t* IRV A ,+-}.� 4 - ►". - { -- - � - fit+•-►� � j - J4 1 '.rte vzj " t_�i..' F i .,� . , .� it __ +. % * i �r"'4'' ; �.r_;; �� air .L« �•` 4 .� '�"} .{� r-•� IF pl Ilk at WIN. Mig Ago 110 _ 4 _dp ` R _fie+ 71 �\ '101 �. .ter r y 4k IL -IS ! +�±1�.F'+r •,!# 41 kL Awl LIZ 1' i * ..r it r� - l � #�•y"# "� , .!` y '} a� ..." ....T ��`+'+ JPO * • '•� � a M a _� � -� T �..�. �. ,�' � � ■ice `• � * !-� � r� # +od -- +# • . t i • t r #- - i4 t }y i • I � T=#{i r'+ µ -ms.. 40 1 If ,.ala. ,. f 'i \7 i • . 'sem+4 ��; -� �s `�VIP ! i••rr q - t } �+�+.fik1 .a'., a �"��,"y't k h �* ��.,J1'y �' �, �'� •' _ }i i��; _ '+ ��// � J � #i. }""r * * „lr. • ++ t ..Y •# `�. 1 yr ; �F i a �} • a` y'4 4p 1p 16 Ak 4. xx :'V- r+#r +•,� AL1 +• + w ��`- �-�+ + + ' # � # '�� IrArl # t mil'/ S I# � � i•4 i. 5# 4 46 - 'k AF IIIP all do two ' 4F. t' tee # IF V. XL s �.' "�' " • �' ',:' . `'' - inrr # ,_+tea 11 T • ' -,` , . _,� .,.* it '16, ,��• \L a + La ` ! i # •• +• 4, : S + fir ,.* rr '.,y � � F,y ! _ �'+�-,rt}}ter# �. � �ti ff.i .,is •: ��,�:.7� Fr- 110.4�F=, _+ "I I 44 // T r I14 b. Y .. r ' It # . " •• ' .. +� A;F-Alll _--low _ r y ■fir' r " _ •+T' • it Jti fr. f h T -r =dl y� Y. '�'• �� a/ n 5 �► � i; �t'�_� ■#yr.�� •¥ r` �R ��.r � � .ter{. +••'�"*''E' '+� rt / r.'f �"�k�t ' i i l / • two.�r�� fps+ "• +- +F i s ' IllyFY .�+ �� i • � ,-41, f � +��-� � *r#moi rt#'!4 _�i #� `y�� + fill Ir 4L k 16 f+` �` T L•r moi' F ti # *+4� #PIIII: .Y }i 0y 1 r++do r� k •4 j `i r + .i.i�1>a{ ; rtl irk w } , r .� } Ilk I ttk Af dk Of * # pk ` a 1 rid -••}. •` je �:' ■. � rs IL 10 "Y� _ 3 ' i