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THE RIVER CITY NEWS MORE COVINGTON NEWS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE
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by Michael Monks
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This post will focus on the second aspect of the Covington Center City Action Plan: Creating and inviting public realm.
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PART ONE OF THE CENTER CITY ACTION PLAN AT THE LINK BELOW:
Suggestions include parking meters for Mainstrasse, zoning changes, and a database of vacant, available spaces for new businesses. Click it. ---------------
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CREATING AN INVITING PUBLIC REALM
An appealing and inviting public realm is a fundamental part of a strategy to strengthen neighborhoods and business districts alike, writes PUMA in its newly crafted Center City Action Plan. This part of the plan is loaded with recommendations on how to capitalize on Covington's natural geography, including a recommended trail system throughout the city, wayfinding signage, public art, and the development of more and better greenspace and access to the river.
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Suggested strategies included in the plan:
- Plan for and develop a trail network throughout Center City to accommodate walkers and bikers. Incorporate the Ohio and Licking River bridges into any pedestrian/bike trail plan; take advantage of flat terrain in the area.
- Consider commissioning a bike master plan for the City that can provide strategies to support bike mobility and amenities throughout Center City.
- Create a wayfinding framework with a common design theme that reinforces the unique attributes. Two hierarchical levels of signage are recommended to help reinforce a sense of place as well as direct automobile, bike and pedestrian traffic through the center city areas.
It is recommended to have not only the common design theme of the signage family but should also incorporate some distinctive characteristics or logos/marks specific to the focus areas in which they are located. Examples of such distinctive characteristics are the Goebel Park Clock Tower, the lively/kinetic/action signage within Mainstrasse or the Basilica within the Cultural Campus area. In order to highlight and provide a stronger sense of orientation, consideration should be given to employing the use of pedestrian scaled signing elements that can be easily modified as tenanting evolves within the focus areas. Future consideration should also be given to include the identity of the residential districts, such as “Licking Riverside” or “Eastside” on signage within the Center City core.Recommended locations for such signage include 5th Street, Madison Avenue looking south from Convention Center, along with improved directional signage in Mainstrasse, Roebling Point, RiverCenter, Gateway College, the Library, MLK Blvd, 4th Street, 11th Street, and the area around the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge.
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ANTICIPATING CHANGES BROUGHT ON BY BRENT SPENCE BRIDGE PLANS
From the plan:
Although plans have not yet been finalized for the alignment of the roadways with the new Brent Spence bridge and potential of 12th Street/Martin Luther King Blvd being one of the primary main interchanges for Covington – it is recommended that an alternate route or loop road connecting 12th Street with 5th Street and the Pike Street area be enhanced as “boulevard streets” to create a sense of place as well as creation of potential investment opportunities along these enhanced corridors and the gateway area as a whole.|
DEVELOP OPEN SPACE AND RIVER ACCESS
The plan suggests identifying and prioritizing open space opportunity sites throughout the Center City that will enhance an existing amenity; determining if the IRS site can be integrated into Center City by allowing better access and movement through the site; providing better access to both river though ensuring that new development near the rivers preserves physical and visual access, that the new river trails relate to the Center City so that access is logical and intuitive, and identifying green space opportunities near the rivers.
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CELEBRATE RAILROADS AND BRIDGES
During PUMA's most recent visit to Covington, the firm's leader Brad Segal urged the city to spruce up its historical industrial infrastructure with creative lighting displays or artwork. In the new plan those points are re-emphasized:
View the elevated rail that bisects Center City as a unifying, identifying and historical feature, as opposed to a barrier that divides the community. Creating an identity for Covington that is visible from Cincinnati and the highways will elevate Covington’s presence and help brand it as a unique, creative and inviting place.PUMA suggests lighting treatment to "reinforce the kinetic energy of the rail and unique ground lighting to illuminate the industrial character of the raised rail as public art.
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ENCOURAGE HISTORIC PRESERVATION
PUMA, in the plan, notes that Covington's character is largely drawn from its historic urban design with mostly two to three story buildings built to the curb with generous pedestrian access. The plan offers zoning strategies to enhance this character through ensuring that zoning is appropriate ine ach district, making sure that there are appropriate transitions from business districts to neighborhoods, adjusting design guidelines so as to preserve historic character while ensuring guidelines are not so rigorous as to inhibit reinvestment, and providing design and financial assistance for businesses that are undertaking exterior finishes.
|Part 3 of this report will focus on "Strong Neighborhoods" and PUMA's recommendations for the city to build upon that theme.
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