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Browsing by Author "Serge, Will"

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    Greater Park Place: Community Gateway and Neighborhood Beautification
    Gilboy, Elizabeth; Browning, Lara; Serge, Will; Moskaluk, Lexi (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2015-07)
    Greater Park Place is a term used to represent four adjoining neighborhoods – Lamberts Point, Kensington Place, Park Place, and Villa Heights – located in the City of Norfolk. Developed as a streetcar community in the late 19th and early 20th century, this area makes up one of Norfolk’s oldest neighborhoods. The aesthetic character created by its historic architecture, as well as its proximity to downtown, the Zoological Gardens, Lafayette Park, and Old Dominion University, make it an attractive neighborhood.

    Over the years, the Greater Park Place has struggled with high poverty rates, low property values, and low home ownership, which has led to reduced property stewardship and neighborhood appeal. In recent years, however, the community and various partners have come together to try and revitalize the neighborhood. As part of this process, residents worked with czb LLC in 2010 to draft a Vision Engagement Plan (VEP) report for the Greater Park Place neighborhood. This document was authored “by the residents for themselves and their future partners” and serves as both a status report and a mission statement for future development. Within this document, residents were able to identify a Target Area where there is the greatest concentration of marketable strength; where stabilization and health can be achieved with the greatest efficiency. The Target Area is located inside Omohundro-Debree-38th to mid-block of 30th and 29th. After after the purchase of a tract of farm land by the city, the Park Place Neighborhood was incorporated into the historic City of Norfolk in 1902. Now the diverse community within the Park Place neighborhood boasts its own Civic League run by its residents, who pride themselves on their rich history as a neighborhood, the opportunities their location has to offer, and a close-knit community feeling. The neighborhood has recently built a new YMCA and houses Monroe Elementary School, a community garden, and many churches. The historical architecture featuring houses in Late Victorian, Tudor Revival, Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revival, and Craftsman styles is also a prominent feature of the neighborhood.

    The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) was tasked with developing a number of conceptual designs: a gateway park at the intersection of Broadway, Granby, and Omohundro Streets, a design of gem lots, a series of proposed parklets, and residential planting designs. In addition, the team explored community branding and street-scape design. CDAC worked closely with the community and stakeholder groups to develop these concepts, which are discussed in further detail in the following report.