The Holland Area Gateway Charrette will focus on the area between 8th Street and Lincoln Avenue.  Current conditions include neighborhoods with houses in declining condition, an older commercial corridor with congested roadways, parcel access challenges, complex intersections, 600,000 square feet of vacant industrial space and the need to accommodate expansion pressure from AMTRAK and Hope College.  ”This charrette effort will build on the 2005 AIA/WMSA charrette process by expanding involvement of community participants while narrowing the focus of community-wide attention to this critical corridor in our community“ explained Jon Mersman, Planner with Holland Charter Township. ”The new charrette initiative will benefit the regional community by bringing leadership and engaged property owners and other investors in the two municipalities together on important issues in a genuine partnership“.  The Charrette will help the City of Holland and Holland Township to reach a common vision for these border neighborhoods and traffic corridors, revitalizing housing, rejuvenating and reusing industrial space, integrating transportation, and significantly enhancing the character and function of a gateway for the Holland area.

First Name

Jon

Last Name

Mersman

Professional Title

Planner

Municipality

Holland Charter Township

Address

PO Box 8127

City

Holland

County

Ottawa

State

Michigan

Zip Code

49423

Phone

616 395-0151

Email

jonm@hct.holland.mi.us

Charrette Title

Holland Area Gateway

Geographic Area

Chicago Drive/8th Street between Clover east to Lincoln

Summary

The charrette area has two neighborhoods with houses in declining condition, an older commercial corridor with a congested roadways, parcel access challenges and the west part of the area is being studied for the feasibility of a roundabout due to a gateway redevelopment and focus opportunity and a complex traffic intersection. The area also is home to an AMTRAK train station which is destined for expansion as a multi-modal transit hub. Immediately to the south and west is Hope College which is looking at this area as a very visible ”front door“ and potential expansion area. The area also has a 45 acre industrial facility destined to close in the next few months with 600,000 square feet of industrial space under roof.

Community Issues

The community issues that the City of Holland and Holland Charter Township are working to resolve together include reaching a common vision for these border neighborhoods and traffic corridors, revitalization of housing, commercial rejuvenation, industrial reuse, transportation integration, and significant enhancements in character and function of a gateway for the Holland area.

Interface

Entities that comprise the communities’ civic leadership, in addition to the legislative and planning bodies of the City and Township of Holland, include the Holland Area Chamber of Commerce, The Downtown Development Authority Board and Strategic Planning Committee, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Tulip Time Board, Hope College leaders, Habitat for Humanity, Latin Americans United for Progress, religious groups, area merchants and property owners, and various other organizations

Community Benefit

This charrette effort will build on the initial AIA/WMSA charrette process by expanding involvement of community participants while narrowing the focus of community-wide attention to this critical corridor in our community. The new charrette initiative will benefit the regional community by bringing leadership and engaged property owners and other investors in the two municipalities together on important issues in a genuine partnership. Challenges including enhancing corridor character, revitalizing housing, intensifying both residential and commercial neighborhoods, changing socioeconomic factors, defining broad community development opportunities, protecting and connecting to the natural environment, and revitalizing vacated industrial and commercial properties will be envisioned. This process will assist both municipalities in realizing a diverse yet cohesive place to live, work and recreate. The process will benefit property owners, businesses, and residents by engaging them in a process to better understand current conditions and the opportunities for defining an exciting future for this area.

Relate to Principles

1. Design on a Human Scale: This study area and its challenges are centrally focused on transitioning the highway-dominated environment to the east of the area (US-31 corridor) to the pedestrian-dominated environment of Downtown Holland to the west. The creation and reinforcement of a compact pedestrian-friendly environment is a central theme of work to-date in these neighborhoods.

2. Provide Choices: This study area offers opportunities for choices in housing type and density, commercial activities and character, transportation modes, and physical character.

3. Encourage Mixed-Use Development: This area already presents a great diversity of uses. The challenge is to find better organization, expression, and integration of these uses.

4. Preserve Urban Centers: This area is on the edge of downtown, of an urban college, of an intensely developed and redeveloping highway corridor. Revitalizing this area at the heart of one of our region’s urban centers is vital to the urban center.

5. Vary Transportation Options: As noted, this area has automobile and truck access, train service, is central to the regional bus network, is immediately adjacent to the Macatawa River Greenway bike and pedestrian corridor, and has an opportunity to become much more friendly to bikes and pedestrians throughout.

6. Build Vibrant Public Spaces: In the initial less focused charrette, the establishment of vibrant public spaces became central unifying elements and key activity foci for an intensifying revitalization of this area. These demand much greater exploration.

7. Create Neighborhood Identity: The residential neighborhoods within this study area are virtually invisible to most passrs-by. The commercial edges of these areas are disjointed and transitional. The greatest opportunity is to instill a sense of place about this area, re-establishing lost identity and substantially enhancing neighborhood identity and cohesiveness.

8. Protect Environmental Resources: Immediately adjacent to the channel and associated wetland areas of the Macatawa River, sensitive environmental resources dominate one edge of this study area and demand sensitive, creative attention.

9. Conserve Landscapes: Other than the natural landscape of the River corridor where protection and careful access are necessary, this charrette effort is about redefining a highway corridor and neighborhood landscape.

10. Design Matters: Design is hugely important in the exploration process as we explore a new vision and as we proceed thereafter with implementation of a commonly shared vision. It is critical as an exploration tool, as a communication tool, and ultimately as a unifying and engaging force in creating a more livable gateway area. As the AIA policy statement expresses, ”Architecture (and urban design) profoundly affects people“. The engagement of the AIA in this process, along with the involvement of other professionals and concerned citizens and property owners, will advance the initiative in this gateway area tremendously. It is sincerely hoped that by inspiring this process, and with better inclusion of area youth in this process, that we are inspiring not only interest in this area but in the importance of design in other efforts and within the residents of our community.

Sustainability

The City of Holland and Holland Charter Township will work together to provide improved and diverse housing and commercial opportunities, improve traffic flow and provide more effective travel options to reduce congestion, thus reducing energy consumption over the long term, provide assistance to low income home owners to improve the quality and energy efficiency of their residences, pay careful attention to environmental concerns along the river corridor, and address economic obstacles to existing business to improve their business climate and viability.

Juristictions

City of Holland and Holland Charter Township

Map

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