How a historic neighborhood east of Officer’s Row was revitalized
Ralph R. Willson
LSW Architects
Investing in my neighborhood began over twenty years ago, when my wife, Kathy, and I found an old, run-down house with loads of character, history and potential. All it needed was a family and a lot of elbow grease to make it a home.
Over the years, we had seen some pockets in our neighborhood improve, but often it was by outside developers with minimal investment who were mainly concerned with maximizing returns. We felt our neighborhood was at a tipping point. It would either begin declining or something would have to be done to strengthen the quality of projects developed. Nearly four years ago, a small group of neighbors concerned with past and current development got together. We decided that if opportunities came along, we would try to shift new development toward a higher standard.
When a parcel adjacent to our home went up for sale, we purchased the land to develop 12 upscale row houses. The following are my ten rules for investing in your neighborhood:
Rule # 1: No outside developer understands or cares for your neighborhood as much as you do. While developers will have more know-how and experience, a large amount of their motivation is profit. That alone can cloud what is best for a neighborhood. Ensuring the quality of life of the neighborhood is the responsibility of the residents.
Rule #2: Learn about the zoning codes in your area. Visit the city planning department. Know what each zone designation means. For our project, the R-30 zone designation meant the possibility of a 17-apartment complex poten-tially 50 feet tall, on a small triangular-shaped block.
Rule # 3: Think about the future. What would need to happen over the next five years for you to be happy with your neighborhood? For us, this meant more owner occupancy and a stronger sense of stability and community.
Rule #4: List all the obstacles and dangers that need to be eliminated. Our main issues were eliminating transients from squatting in a vacant house, preventing a developer from constructing an apartment complex that would be detrimental to home values and our lack of property development experience.
Rule #5: List all the opportunities that need to be captured in your neighborhood. Our opportunities were that we could have some control over the quality, look and feel of our immediate neighborhood, we could enhance the existing building landscape and we could increase the values of the homes in the neighborhood.
Rule #6: Write down the strengths that need to be reinforced or maximized.
The main strengths were the great location near the Historic Reserve and the unique historical character near the site. We were also able to reinforce the city’s density objectives while respecting the heritage of the neighborhood.
Rule #7: When you sense an opportunity, look at the larger context. The lot and derelict house came up for sale across the street from our home. The land was zoned R-30, which meant 30 units per acre. We knew our proximity to Officer’s Row would attract developers whose interests might conflict with neighborhood values.
Rule #8: Know your own strengths. Each of us has gifts and talents. Visit with your architect about what needs to be done in the process and make an honest assessment of your unique skills, and then identify the areas that will frustrate you. While I had some construction experience and led many projects, my talents lay within the creative design process, not the construction process. I needed a partner.
Rule #9: Develop your team. For us, it was a matter of using our network to assemble our team. Our team was made up of a realtor to purchase the property, LSW Architects to take our design concept and get the project through the planning and permitting process, an attorney to create our developing entity, a business partner to run the endeavor, a builder to construct the project, a lending institution to finance the endeavor and someone to market and sell the homes. We also partnered with a local custom builder, who filled the roles of business partner, developer, builder and trusted advisor.
Rule #10: There will always be those who will oppose change, even when it strengthens a neighborhood. Know that vision will create opposition. Though some may not approve, never lose sight of your vision and the potential to make positive change.
Ralph R. Willson, AIA, is a principal with LSW Architects and a twenty-two-year resident of the Historic Hudson’s Bay neighborhood.
