Thomas Construction Group’s Post

The EIGHTEENTH post in my "32 days of Case Studies in Retrofitting Suburbia" project. Case Study II.18: Historic Fourth Ward Park, Atlanta, GA, USA Can the #regreening of 17 acres of parking lots into a stormwater park trigger award-winning lot #redevelopment, building #reinhabitation, and trail building on a grand scale? That's the case that can be made by Atlanta's decision to address its combined sewer overflow (CSO) problem with a $23 million stormwater park instead of a $40 million underground tunnel. Historic Fourth Ward Park attracted the first major investment to support the Atlanta #BeltLine. By solving the site's recurring flooding problems, the park enabled the renovation of a large vacant Sears distribution warehouse into Ponce City Market, a highly successful mixed-use complex with a popular food hall.   For some, however, Fourth Ward Park is seen as an example of "eco-gentrification." Is the lesson learned that we shouldn't invest in great design that integrates stormwater solutions into beautiful parks? Hardly. But we recommend that municipalities planning similar green infrastructure upgrades should anticipate the potential for displacement and get ahead of it.   Team: Markham Smith Architects, HDR, Trust for Public Land, Wood Partners.   Image: Before-and-after diagrams looking northeast show the former parking lots regreened into Historic Fourth Ward Park adjacent to the BeltLine trail. Source: Authors. #RetrofittingSuburbia #urbandesign #urbandevelopment #regreening #reinhabitation #AddWaterandEnergyResilience #CompeteforJobs ULI Australia Suburban Futures Ellen Dunham-Jones Mike Day of Hatch

City of York Council have announced that affordable housing is to be increased to 100% on their Ordnance Lane Passivhaus site in Fishergate, with the number of affordable homes being doubled from around 50 to 100. We are currently working with City of York and our Consultant Team to make these changes to our original proposals.   Commenting on this, Cllr Michael Pavlovic, Executive Member for Housing and Safer Communities at City of York Council, said: “The average home in York currently costs 10.9 times the average earnings, rents have risen 10% in the last year and energy costs continue to rise. To tackle this, a core commitment of the new Council Plan ‘One City, for all’, is to increase the supply of good quality, affordable housing with high energy efficiency and low emissions.   “Creating 100% affordable homes meets that commitment. Now, on our Ordnance Lane site alone, we’re doubling the high-quality Passivhaus housing which will be affordable to rent, buy and run, from around 50 to 100 homes.”   Read more at: https://lnkd.in/eQh2QYKA   Tibbalds // Civic Engineers// Turner & Townsend // URBED (Urbanism Environment and Design) Ltd // Warm: Low Energy Building Practice // LEDA - Certified B Corp // BBUK Studio // ImaginePlaces Ltd. // #ordnancelane #york #ukhousing #passivhaus #affordablehousing

Following Michael Fox’s participation in the South West Insider roundtable in Exeter in May, the pressing question remains: “What’s Next?” Mike played a crucial role in the discussion about ‘Building homes to meet demands in the South West’ and concluded that “something is going to have to give” in the planning system and wider development sector. As a team of planners, urban designers, and landscape architects based in the South West and Wales, this topic is a key concern to us. The planning system is fundamental to the success of all residential development. Funding is critical to delivery in two ways: - Resourcing planning departments, which in turn affects how quickly plans are put in place, how consistently policies are enforced (and how this translates into land values) and how quickly decisions are made. - Supporting best practice - while we understand there are competing demands for public sector funding, facilitating development is essential. To allow the market to evolve, a certain level of financial support needs to be provided for land assembly, infrastructure or pilot projects. To find out what other members in the sector concluded from the roundtable, follow the link below: https://lnkd.in/en4MNsTE #TheUrbanists #Urbanists #FutureofProperty #SouthWestInsider #BusinessInsider #SpacePlanning #SMEDevelopers

The national housing shortage has elevated zoning to a prominent national concern. Zoning, once a topic inducing glazed eyes, is now acknowledged as a crucial factor in solving the housing crisis. NAR’s fall 2023 On Common Ground Zoning Innovation explores zoning solutions aimed at creating more housing, including missing middle, ADU’s, adaptive reuse, transit-oriented development, form-based codes, reducing minimum parking requirements, mixed-use walkable, new urbanism and more. https://lnkd.in/ghjyw8w3

Ottawa continues to move forward on setting the groundwork for a complete overhaul of our zoning by-law. The outcome will be a leaner, fairer, more flexible, and more straightforward Zoning By-law will allow the city to evolve more effectively and with fewer rezonings, fewer site-specific exceptions, and fewer ambiguities leading to community friction, drawn-out review processes, and costly legal battles. Getting from here to there involves a lot of discussion, analysis, and dialogue, and a clear recognition that we will be affecting homes and communities for existing and future residents in significant ways - so we must also approach this monumental task with empathy. The next piece of our work is the Form and Function Paper, which lays out the key issues for consideration as we craft what the next generation of neighbourhood zoning will look like. We welcome your comments. #zoning #ottawa #housing #nzbl #planning #urbanplanning

You have probably heard of, or at least wondered about, 'grandfathering' in old buildings that pre-date the Zoning Resolution. Typically, you can continue to use existing 'non-compliances', as long as they legally existed before the adoption of the ZR. Even better, if you want to convert or enlarge the building (hint hint, office-to-resi 😉), you can maintain your existing conditions, as long as you don't make them worse. With one catch... If you plan on tearing large portions of the building down and then rebuilding it, you may have to comply with current zoning bulk requirements, and lose out on your beautiful grandfathered-in envelope. Depending in the circumstance, you have different thresholds, but just one more thing to keep in mind when you work in this increasingly aging City. #zoninghacks

Are you aware of zombie buildings? City-centers that were once bustling are now weighed down by vacant office buildings – the vacancy rate of these nearly empty structures has reached its highest point in 30 years 🤯. We are thrilled that the Biden Administration has made an announcement this week, outlining pathways and providing support to convert these commercial buildings into energy-efficient residences 💡. This is a great opportunity for America to tackle both the housing shortage and the need for solutions to make our cities and buildings climate-resilient 🌎. Read more about the announcement here: https://lnkd.in/eCvu7NNv #Resilientcities #SustainableFuture

Approval ☑ for another happy client! Project Name: Six Occupancy Development   Location: 14 Blair Road Glen Waverley   Client: George Zoraya   The Task: The client sought to develop the land with 6 occupancies residential development within the Residential Growth Zone.   The Outcome: To make sure the application would receive favorable outcome, our team organized a pre-application meeting with council officers and they received good comments and recommendations on how best to prepare the project. With plans prepared by Genton, the application proposed six attached townhouses, each containing four storeys and basement car parking. The character of the development was in accordance with that of the immediate surrounding area, whilst providing for a transition to the residential dwellings surrounding. The proposal accords with the broader objectives of the Planning Policy Framework, including urban growth and consolidation in areas well supported by existing infrastructure and services, to facilitate sustainable supply of land for Residential uses. #townplanning #approvals #development

🏗️ British Columbia has recently adopted new updates to the province’s Building and Fire Codes to improve building safety and ensure new buildings are more sustainable, resilience, and accessible! Key updates include requiring new buildings to have: 🏢 Living spaces designed not to exceed temperatures of 26 C 🏢 Power-operated doors in all building entrances 🏢 Universal washrooms 🏢 Elevators in large two- and three- story apartment buildings. These changes, effective March 8, 2024, align with the Residential Development Act to encourage multi-unit housing and pave the way for a more accessible energy-efficient future. Read the full article to dive into the details of these transformative updates shaping the landscape of BC construction: https://buff.ly/3HnrcUv #AWWCanada #BritishColumbia #BuildingCodes #Sustainability #Accessibility

The Missing Middle... It’s clear that there is a pressing need for more housing options to accommodate our increasingly diverse population. We must introduce changes to R2 and R3 zones to foster vibrant communities that offer better access to transportation, open spaces, and retail. Emphasising good placemaking and prioritising housing near public transport are crucial steps. This is an issue that affects regions and cities across NSW. Let’s work together to create richer, more inclusive communities through diverse housing options...   Project Image: Heart of Willoughby, Urban Design by Dickson Rothschild   INSPIRED? - https://lnkd.in/gxS2YdRJ   #dicksonrothschild, #missingmiddle, #councilsupport, #consent, #approvals, #architecture, #contemporaryarchitecture, #residential #construction, #housingcrisis #HousingDiversity #CommunityDevelopment #NSWUrbanPlanning