1.CITY OF BEAUFORTCI V I C M A ST ER PL A N Volume ISector 1: Downtown September 2011

2. This Civic Master Plan was prepared for:The City of Beaufort, South CarolinaCity Officials: Billy Keyserling, MayorDonnie Beer, City CouncilMike Sutton, City CouncilMike McFee, City Council George OKelley Jr., City Council Jonathan Verity, Redevelopment CommissionMichael McNally, Redevelopment Commission Ed Barnhart, Redevelopment CommissionMartin Goodman, Redevelopment CommissionHenrietta Goode, Redevelopment CommissionPat Kase, Redevelopment Commission Keith Waldrop, Redevelopment Commission Wendy Zara, Redevelopment Commission 2011 by the City of Beaufort, South Carolina. All Photos, Images, and Text by the City of Beaufort Office of Civic Investment unless otherwise noted. Reproduction Permitted with Credit in Print.i Civic Master Plan | Sector 1 3. CONTENTS iiPREFACE1 Acknowledgements3 Introduction4 The Planning Process12 Existing Conditions (City & Region) 16SECTOR 1 21 Executive Summary 23 Sector Conditions 29 Sector 1 Master Plan35 Sector 1 Vision & Overview36 Transportation46 Natural Infrastructure & Parks58 Bay Street & the Waterfront 66 Corridor Plans76 Neighborhoods 94 Specific Interventions104 Implementation Elements 112 Form-Based Code Calibration 114APPENDICES Appendix A: Sector 1 Maps Appendix B: Retail Report Appendix C: Redevelopment Commission Project Book (Sector 1) Appendix D: Sector 1 Charrette Closing Presentation Transcript Sector 1 Civic Master PlanCity of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 4. This page intentionally left blank. 5. P R E FA C EAcknowledgements3Introduction4The Planning Process 10Existing Conditions141 6. This page intentionally left blank.2 Civic Master Plan | Preface 7. Preface | Section 1ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS3The Beaufort Civic Master Plan-Sector 1 team representsthe joint efforts of the Beaufort RedevelopmentCommission and the Office of Civic Investment. ThePlans background reports and technical informationpertaining to site context, constraints and analysis weregathered over a three month process of public andprivate workshops as well as from previous studiesand existing data provided by the City of Beaufort,Beaufort County, The Beaufort County Open Land Trust,Beaufort Main Street, The Historic Beaufort Foundation,USCB, The Beaufort Chamber of Commerce and TheLow Country Economic Development Network. Theinformation forms the foundation for the planning anddesign efforts presented herein. The Civic Master Planwas prepared in draft form during an eight-day charretteheld in downtown Beaufort and refined and vetted over athree-month process.Under the primary direction of the RedevelopmentCommission, the Office of Civic Investment is a uniquepublic/private consortium led by The Lawrence Groupand Metrocology in partnership with city staff andother affiliated companies. Their primary focus is tomanage a transparent and aggressive work program thatcoordinates the activities of other staff members, boards,and related partner organizations in achieving the goalsof the Comprehensive Plan, this Civic Master Plan, andother key priorities of the Redevelopment Commission.The many participants on the Beaufort Civic Master Planfor Sector 1 represent a team of progressive thinkersand practitioners in the design of human settlements andnatural conservation. Working in collaboration with localgovernment representatives and civic organizations,stakeholders, technical specialists, and citizens, theSector 1 opportunities and constraints were assessed andcreative approaches tested for development.Civic Master Plan City of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 8. Preface | Section 2INTRODUCTIONTHE HUMAN HABITAT establishes a community with the power to affect a civic-minded resolution of the issues. This plan encouragesHuman communities share similarities with natural complex relationships that leverage cultural, economic,habitats. Both require diverse and complex environments and social forces to provide a resilient alternative to theto sustain their inhabitants. When properly provided, conventional suburban model of planning and design.these environments form the ecotones of the natural Laying the foundations for and creating community ishabitat and the various community settlement patterns ofone of the most important of human endeavors. Becausethe human habitat. When either habitat is denied inherent it is apparent that the existing model of development hascomplexities, or addressed in isolation of the other, its not resulted in a better community, the Beaufort Civicenvironment suffers and becomes non-sustaining. Master Plan becomes the tool for creating a communitythat properly balances the natural and human habitats.Having been subjected to modelling and specialistprofessions over the previous half-century, the humanenvironment has been severely eroded. Whereas inTHE REALITYthe past a natural area was lost, in its place a hamlet,village, town, or city was gained which was as equallyIf nothing were done to describe a vision for thecomplex and diverse as the nature it replaced. TheCity of Beaufort, existing property rights and ad hocprocess represented a fair trade between the naturaldevelopment and land use regulations would dictateand human environments because it can be argued a very different outcome than that proposed by thisthat culture, economy, and the growth of society areCivic Master Plan. The regulatory environment foras critical to humans as biodiversity and vibrant,the City is based on the application of conventionalsucessional ecosystems are to nature. But today when aplanning and zoning with an overlay of historicpiece of nature is lost, a housing estate, shopping center, preservation guidelines that have been inconsistentor business park replaces it. These products representin their enforcement. The results to date have been aa net loss to each system. The natural habitat destroyedhomogenization of what little new development hasis replaced by a substandard human habitat. Heavily occurred both in terms of site layouts and buildingreliant on modelling and simple statistics to facilitatedesign with an overall character that does not reflectits delivery, such development ignores the underlying the immediate history of the City. The inconsistentcomplexity of peoples actions and needs. vision has also lead to a freeze in the redevelopmentof significant portions of the building stock which overThis master plan provides a significant opportunity tothe years has nurtured a condition of demolition bycorrectly reconcile these needs, and show how they canneglect.coexist. With a favorable climate, a sizable historiccore, and breathtaking natural scenery, growth must beencouraged in already developed areas and properlyTHE VISIONprovided for in undeveloped areas so as to avoid undueexpansion into our precious natural areas. A full range The Beaufort Civic Master Plan proposes a fullyof human habitats must be part of the regional solution developed vision of a sustainable future for downtownand these habitats must engage the natural environmentBeaufort. Taking into account the environment,in order to preserve it. Downtown Beaufort has been land ownership, existing zoning and use rights, theheavily modified by human occupation since it was first Plan incorporates design elements with technicalsettled. It is logical and fair to impose upon the land the documentation to facilitate regulatory implementation.needs of a proper human habitat.The addition of the technical documentation and supportmaterial is an important distinction between BeaufortsPlanned according to the principles and techniques of Civic Master Plan and conventional strategic plans andtransect-based design, the Beaufort Civic Master Plan zoning initiatives.4Civic Master Plan | Preface 9. 5 KeySector Map Sector 1January 2011Key Sector 2 Sector MapSector 3 Sector 1January 2011 Sector 4 Sector 2 Sector 5 Sector 3Sector 4 0400 8001,600 Scale 1=800Sector 5B E AU F O RT S E C TO R M A P 04008001,600 Scale 1=800BEAUFORT CIVIC MASTER PLAN SECTOR 1 its expertise in planning, marketing and re-developingcompact, walkable, mixed-use communities, usingOn March 28, 2011, the Beaufort Civic Master Plan locally relevant architecture as a guide for futurefor Sector 1 was presented to a gathering of citizens buildings within landscapes of high amenity.and stakeholders. The presentation represented theThe Civic Master Plan illustrates ideal build-outculmination of an eight-day Charrette held by the scenarios for areas identified during the charrette and inOffice of Civic Investment for the City of Beaufort.the previous three months of workshops and technicalThe charrette design team was selected specifically for meetings. The scenarios incorporate a comprehensive Civic Master PlanCity of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 10. Preface | Section 2 | Introductionevaluation of environmental issues, existing regionalgrowth trends, local concerns and balances their impacton the delivery of community based design. The CivicMaster Plan is a vision document prepared as a technicalmanual through the incorporation of diagrams, sections,site-specific plans, a regulating plan and renderings.What makes the Beaufort Civic Master Plan differentfrom other planning documents and processes is itsadherence to a specific set of principles and techniquescalled transect-based planning, and a thoroughintegration of the transect into the Citys administrativestructure. Transect principles center on providingcommunity design that is pedestrian-based. This simplestatement requires an entirely different approach to theplanning and building of the places in which we live anda much different method of introducing it to those whoparticipate in building these places. The reason for thisis that a majority of development today is based on theprinciples and techniques of Conventional SuburbanDevelopment, or CSD. In essence, the differencesbetween CSD and transect-based planning relate tohow each accommodates the car, for it is the car thatdetermines most of the physical attributes of communitydesign.LEARNING FROM THE PAST ANDINCORPORATING THE PRESENT TO PLAN ABETTER FUTUREDowntown Beaufort is a community that recentlycelebrated its 300 year anniversary. It and thousands F I N A L P R E S E N TAT I O Nof other similar communities around the world weredeveloped using transect based design techniques.Narrow streets are laid out in an interconnected pattern.designing towns has been replaced with the practiceBlocks are typically short. Parks are interspersed and of developing single use pods. Pods are buildingaccessible, and civic sites with important community clusters compromised solely of residences, or offices,buildings are placed in prominent locations. Uses areor shopping. These are further segregated by productmixed and the housing stock varies from detached singletype. For example, residential uses are separated intofamily homes, to attached houses, and apartments.single family detached, townhomes, and apartments. The mixing of uses and of sub categories of the sameThe methods used to develop these communitiesuse was not only discouraged, it was made illegal oncehave been absent in the planning and development municipalities adopted segregated zoning ordinances.industry and in the curriculum of planning and designThe possibility of assembling the various componentsschools since the late 1950s. Since World War IIinto a coherent urbanism is no longer possible.6Civic Master Plan | Preface 11. 7SECTOR 1 MASTER PLANBecause precedent no longer matters, the resulting refinements and adaptations within the knowledge baseConventional Suburban Development (CSD) is often shaped the different regional vernaculars which existdescribed as formless, or sprawl.today.Today, as planners, architects and developers seek toThe shift from place-based designs to placelessness wascombat the negative impacts of CSD, good precedent encouraged by, and helped usher in with, wide spreadfrom the past has once again begun to inform reliance on the car. Car ownership is now the rule notcontemporary urban development practice. Among the exception and the problem of getting motorists tothese has been the reintroduction of building typology and from their daily needs dispersed among the differentand coding to shape the civic realm. In the past great pods that make up their suburban settings, has becomeurban design occurred through the actions of manythe biggest challenge to continued growth and prosperityworking within a knowledge base which respectedfor communities around the world. The answer, untilprecedent. With minimal guidance, many of the greatest very recently, was to build more roads.examples of urbanism were constructed by individualsworking across disciplines and time. Over generations,Civic Master Plan City of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 12. Preface | Section 2 | IntroductionIn countries where CSD became the predominant model Unique community design and historic atmospherefor new development, a wave of road building ensued Access to local goods, services, and culturalwhich often changes the character of communitiesamenitiescompletely. Road widening and new bypasses built The military presence, hospital, and higherto help alleviate traffic have actually increased traffic,education institutionsbecause they mandate car use. Under this system Community interaction and small community feeltraffic is funnelled from a large system of low capacityroads into a small system of high capacity roads. AsTo achieve this vision, the following directives havea result, even nominal growth ends up generating abeen established to guide the decision making processdisproportionately high level of traffic congestion.both for this plan and future implementing elements.Today, municipalities and government agencies aroundorder to ensure the long term success and viability of thethe world employ the techniques and principles of City of Beaufort. We must support the continuation andtransect design in their planning and zoning ordinances.expansion of our primary economic engines - tourism,The codes control the visual outcomes and shape the the military, healthcare, and education - while alsoexperiences for residents and visitors. They introduce aseeking to expand opportunities for the arts and thedesign discipline that enables compatibility at all scales,from different types of uses within a development toSustainabilityvarious types of developments within a region. They arethe learning mechanism by which community building1 The activities of the City of Beaufort will considerthe balance of social, environmental, and economiccan once again rest on a knowledge base that adheres tosustainability principles for both the communityprecedent.and the private property owner with all of ourdecisions.ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES & GOALSRegionalismAs stated in the 2009 Comprehensive Plan, the City of 2 We are committed to the implementation of theNorthern Beaufort County Regional Plan as aBeaufort and its citizens envision a City with: Beautiful, stable neighborhoods guideline for our regional decisions and future A common community vision urban form and we will continue to engage and A sustainable economic base coordinate in regional planning activities. Our Transportation options and convenient accessplanning will extend to the established urbanto services & destinationsgrowth boundary and will tie together all areas of Attractive and vital community gateways and the community in a cohesive manner.corridors Natural resources that balance protection withNatural Infrastructurepublic access and enjoyment A balance between preservation and sensitive infill3 We must protect our environmental resourcesas fundamental to the natural ecosystem andand redevelopment of our historic coreour quality of life. We will utilize innovative and A predictable development process for citizens andcontext-sensitive solutions to conserve and protectdevelopers alikeour natural resources including our salt marshes, A welcoming atmosphere to all people. marsh islands, coastal waters, and marine resources;trees, forests, and wildlife habitats; beaches andTo help achieve this vision, we will build upon and dunes; and open space preservation.protect our assets and strengths: Natural beauty and open spaces8Civic Master Plan | Preface 13. 94 GrowthWe must encourage growth within our urban service10 Historic and Cultural ResourcesBeaufort is a living, dynamic community and mustbalance the protection of its abundantarea by primarily focusing on the regeneration ofour current assets through infill and redevelopment.natural, cultural, institutional and historicDevelopment in our urban growth boundary shallresources with managed growth that addsbe sensitively focused on a conservation ethic with to the communitys character for futurea compact and efficient built form that could begenerations without degrading thoseserviced with municipal services in the future. resources which we value.5 Economic DevelopmentA strong, vibrant, and healthy economy will be 11 Social DiversityWe will maintain and celebrate the integrated ethnicand socioeconomic diversity of theachieved through a successful economic developmentcommunity. To this end, we are committedprogram in order to ensure the long term success andto the provision of affordable and workforceviability of the City of Beaufort. We must supporthousing throughout the city.the continuation and expansion of our primary 12 Hazard Mitigationeconomic engines - tourism, the military, healthcare,and education - while also seeking to expandAs a coastal community, we will feel the directopportunities for the arts and the recruitment of impacts of tropical storm activity andcreative/knowledge-based industries.flooding. We must be prudent in ourpreparation for these expected hazards and6 Access and MobilityOur citizens and visitors need a transportationsystem that integrates regional solutions with a fine-mitigate against the loss of property to thegreatest extent practical. 13 Climate Changegrained local network of choices that accommodatethe automobile, pedestrians, bicyclists, and water- We must participate in solutions that reduce or avoidbased travel. potential impacts to our regional and globalclimate and in turn we must adapt to those7 Urban FormThe City will maintain its distinct urban form byencouraging growth and development using theconditions which are likely to be inevitable,most specifically sea level rise. 14 Resource Efficiencymodel of walkable, urban, mixed-use neighborhoodsestablished by the historic core of the City. We will manage our consumption of renewable andnon-renewable resources including energyNeighborhoods8and water and will continue to reduce ourWe believe that all our neighborhoods, includingtotal waste stream. In addition we will bethe downtown, must be vibrant and diverse and thussupportive of community activities thatrequire consistent and continual public and private promote resource efficiency and theattention, maintenance and re-investment. Our production of alternative energy andneighborhoods should be reinforced in all planninginnovative water use and protection practices.and infrastructure projects.9 Parks & Public Open SpacesThe City will permanently preserve and expand 15 Fiscal SustainabilityThe city, as a provider of urban services, must focuson long-term solvency with each incrementala community-wide parks, recreation and open decision. Capital investments should leveragespace network that serves the entire city from thefuture benefits and must consider theneighborhood playground to the regional reserve.Civic Master Plan City of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 14. impact on long term operational costs prior to their implementation. Perhaps most importantly, we will constantly seek efficient and innovative ways in which to deliver services and maintain our assets. 16 Facilities of Infrastructure andAdequacy The contiguous extension of our corporate boundaries will be considered to the extent that the provision of city services can be economically and efficiently provided and will be subject to the adequate availability and timely construction of community infrastructure and public facilities. 17 Planning & Implementation We will continue our history of thoughtful, detailed planning and will include practical implementing elements to leverage our ideas with actions. Success is bred not from what we say but what we accomplish.10Civic Master Plan | Preface 15. 11This page intentionally left blank.Civic Master Plan City of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 16. Preface | Section 3 THE PLANNING PROCESS The Civic Master Plan for Beaufort is being developed VISION BEAUFORT: 2009 COMPREHENSIVE by the Citys Office of Civic Investment through aPLAN carefully designed, transparent planning process that is intended to be inclusive of input from a wide varietyIn 2009, the City of Beaufort adopted Vision of community stakeholders, elected officials, the Beaufort, a comprehensive plan that articulates a development community, and the general public. Thevision for the growth and development of the City plans and recommendations presented in this booklet and establishes a guide for the implementation of that represent the culmination of that process through a vision. In completing the plan, a broadly inclusive public weeklong design charrette, held from March 22nd participation process was used to ensure that the vision through March 28th, 2011. The detailed plans completedestablished in the plan is shared by a wide variety of at that charrette were preceded by two other recent Beaufort citizens and is truly reflective of the aspirations planning efforts in Beaufort, the 2009 Comprehensiveof the general public, elected officials, city staff, the Plan and the Sector 1 Synoptic Survey. These significantdevelopment community, business owners, property efforts have informed and enabled the parcel-level detail owners, and visitors alike. The plan was completed by considered in the Sector 1 Charrette planning and designthe Carolinas Office of The Lawrence Group, a town recommendations.planning and architecture firm that is also leading thefive: a framework for growthComPlete framework iNCorPoratiNg tHe eNtire urBaN growtH BouNdary VISIONBEAUFORT2009 Comprehensive Plan Adopted by City Council 12.08.2009vision Beaufort | 2020 Comprehensive plan56 2009 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN12Civic Master Plan | Preface 17. 13current Civic Master Planning process through the OfficeSYNOPTIC SURVEYof Civic Investment.One important way that the Office of Civic InvestmentThe Comprehensive Plan includes a wealth of has sought to translate the community-wide visioninformation about targeting public investment,into detailed plans and recommendations is throughestablishing community design objectives, pursuingthe Synoptic Survey process. The Synoptic Surveypotential catalyst projects, and most, importantly, process involved collecting data for every parcel ofimplementing the vision that will guide Beaufortland in the Sector 1 planning area, in order to helpinto its next decade of growth and development. The calibrate the community-wide vision established in thetask of the Office of Civic Investment is to translateComprehensive Plan to the specific conditions of eachthis shared vision into specific parcel-level plans and parcel of land.recommendations for the entire city and manage the day-to-day tasks involved in their implementation.two: the path forwardtwo: the path forward 2.1 Our VisiOn, EssEntial PrinCiPlEs and gOals The City of Beaufort and its citizens envision a City with:5 Economic DevelopmentA strong, vibrant, and healthy economy will beachieved through a successful economic development 12Hazard Mitigation As a coastal community, we will feel the direct impacts of tropical storm activity and flooding. Beautiful, stable neighborhoodsprogram in order to ensure the long term success and We must be prudent in our preparation for these A common community visionviability of the City of Beaufort. We must support expected hazards and mitigate against the loss of A sustainable economic basethe continuation and expansion of our primaryproperty to the greatest extent practical. Transportation options and convenient access to services & destinationseconomic engines - tourism, the military, healthcare, Attractive and vital community gateways and corridors Natural resources that balance protection with public access and enjoyment A balance between preservation and sensitive infill and redevelopment of ourand education - while also seeking to expandopportunities for the arts and the recruitment ofcreative/knowledge-based industries. 13 Climate Change We must participate in solutions that reduce or avoid potential impacts to our regional and global climate historic core and in turn we must adapt to those conditions which A predictable development process for citizens and developers alike A welcoming atmosphere to all people 6 Access and MobilityOur citizens and visitors need a transportationsystem that integrates regional solutions with a fine- are likely to be inevitable, most specifically sea level rise. 14 Resource Efficiency To help achieve this vision, we will build upon and protect our assets and strengths:grained local network of choices that accommodate Natural beauty and open spacesthe automobile, pedestrians, bicyclists, and water-We will manage our consumption of renewable andSuccess is bred not from Unique community design and historic atmosphere based travel.non-renewable resources including energy and waterwhat we say but in Access to local goods, services, and cultural amenitiesand will continue to reduce our total waste stream. The military presence, hospital, and higher education institutionswhat we accomplish. Community interaction and small community feel7 Urban FormThe City will maintain its distinct urban form byencouraging growth and development using the In addition we will be supportive of community activities that promote resource efficiency and the production of alternative energy and innovative To achieve this vision, the following directives have been established to guide the decision model of walkable, urban, mixed-use neighborhoodswater use and protection practices. making process both for this plan and future implementing elements.established by the historic core of the City. 1 SustainabilityNeighborhoods15 Fiscal Sustainability The city, as a provider of urban services, must8 The activities of the City of Beaufort will consider the balance of social, focus on long-term solvency with each incremental environmental, and economic sustainability principles for both the community We believe that all our neighborhoods, including decision. Capital investments should leverage future and the private property owner with all of our decisions.the downtown, must be vibrant and diverse and thus benefits and must consider the impact on long termrequire consistent and continual public and private operational costs prior to their implementation. 2 Regionalismattention, maintenance and re-investment. Our Perhaps most importantly, we will constantly seek We are committed to the implementation of the Northern Beaufort County neighborhoods should be reinforced in all planning efficient and innovative ways in which to deliver Regional Plan as a guideline for our regional decisions and future urban formand infrastructure projects. services and maintain our assets. and we will continue to engage and coordinate in regional planning activities. Our planning will extend to the established urban growth boundary and will tie together all areas of the community in a cohesive manner.9 Parks & Public Open SpacesThe City will permanently preserve and expanda community-wide parks, recreation and open16 Adequacy of Infrastructure and Facilities The contiguous extension of our corporate boundaries will be considered to the extent that 3 Natural Infrastructure space network that serves the entire city from the the provision of city services can be economically We must protect our environmental resources as fundamental to the naturalneighborhood playground to the regional reserve. and efficiently provided and will be subject to the ecosystem and our quality of life. We will utilize innovative and context-sensitive adequate availability and timely construction of solutions to conserve and protect our natural resources including our salt marshes, marsh islands, coastal waters, and marine resources; trees, forests, and10 Historic and Cultural ResourcesBeaufort is a living, dynamic community and mustbalance the protection of its abundant natural, community infrastructure and public facilities. 17 Planning & Implementation wildlife habitats; beaches and dunes; and open space preservation.cultural, institutional and historic resources with We will continue our history of thoughtful, detailed 4 Growth managed growth that adds to the communitys planning and will include practical implementing We must encourage growth within our urban service area by primarily focusing character for future generations without degrading elements to leverage our ideas with actions. Success is on the regeneration of our current assets through infill and redevelopment.those resources which we value. bred not from what we say but what we accomplish. Development in our urban growth boundary shall be sensitively focused on a conservation ethic with a compact and efficient built form that could be serviced with municipal services in the future. 11 Social DiversityWe will maintain and celebrate the integrated ethnicand socioeconomic diversity of the community.To this end, we are committed to the provision ofaffordable and workforce housing throughout thecity.11 City of Beaufort, SC Vision Beaufort | 2020 Comprehensive plan12 Civic Master PlanCity of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 18. Preface | Section 3 | The Planning Process The Synoptic Survey process was developed as a means to identify the unique attributes of specific places and calibrate development regulations accordingly. The Synoptic Survey in Beaufort captured information such as building material and use, lot condition, street frontage, and neighborhood condition, among many others. In total, 51 unique data attributes were collected and assembled from January 24 to February 4, 2011 for every property in the Sector 1 planning area. (See Synoptic Survey Example.) Collecting this data has done three essential things for the Civic Master Planning process. First, it has allowed the Office of Civic Investmentteam to build a geographic information system (GIS) database that accurately describes the conditions of every lot in the Sector 1 planning area. This data was then used to more broadly analyze the existing conditions in Sector 1 and inform the detailed plans and recommendations developed during the Sector 1 Planning and Design Charrette. Second, the Synoptic Survey data allows the Office of Civic Investment, in partnership with the Beaufort Redevelopment Commission and other S Y N O P T I C S U RV EY E X A M P L E organizations, to identify specific sites as candidates for pilot projects and redevelopment efforts. Third, it establishes a set of benchmark design feedback on the many topics to be addressed in each elements for every neighborhood in Beaufort that planning sector. The public workshops each focus will be used to calibrate development regulations for on a unique discussion topic and provide invaluable the City, specifically the Form-Based Code that is comments and feedback. being developed in cooperation with Beaufort County. These workshops, combined with the vision for the community described in the Comprehensive Plan and the data collected through the Sector 1 Synoptic Survey, SLOW CHARRETTE PROCESSgave the charrette design team an incredible wealth of information to help guide their efforts during the In order to maximize the design efforts during theweeklong charrette process for each sector. charrette week for each Sector, the Office of Civic Investment is taking the slow charrette approach. Rather than trying to squeeze all the public workshops into one week, they are spread out over a month- and-a-half prior to the charrette in order to maximize participation. The OCI team has hosted a series of public workshops to engage the community and solicit14Civic Master Plan | Preface 19. 15This page intentionally left blank.Civic Master Plan City of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 20. Preface | Section 4 EXISTING CONDITIONS Beaufort is a city in, and the county seat of, Beaufortat colonization before the British successfully founded County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered inthe city in 1711. The city initially grew slowly, subject 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina,to numerous attacks from Native American tribes and behind Charleston. In 2010, the citys population wasthreats of Spanish invasion before flourishing as a center estimated to be approximately 12,361. It is located in the for shipbuilding. In the antebellum period before the Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan Area. Civil War, the city thrived as the aristocratic center forthe Lowcountry plantation economy. Beaufort (pronounced /bjufrt/ BEW-frt, unlike its counterpart in North Carolina) is located on Port RoyalSeveral months after hostilities began between the states, Island, in the heart of the Sea Islands and Lowcoun- Beaufort was occupied by Union forces following the try. The city is renowned for its scenic location on the Battle of Port Royal. Due in part to its early occupa- Beaufort River and for maintaining a historic charactertion, the city became a center of emancipation efforts for through its impressive antebellum architecture. The city newly freed slaves during the war and into Reconstruc- is also known for its proximity to major military estab- tion. After the war, the city relied on phosphate mining lishments. Beaufort is home to the Marine Corps Air Sta- before a devastating hurricane in 1893 and a fire in 1907 tion Beaufort and Naval Hospital Beaufort. The Marinebrought economic turmoil and stagnant growth to the Corps Recruiting Depot Parris Island is also a major city for nearly half a century. The community rebounded military installation located about 11 miles to the south. in the later half of the 20th century due to the growth ofthe military presence and the development of tourism. Inspite of new development, Beaufort has retained much HISTORYof its historic character through its renowned architectureand historic preservation efforts. The Lowcountry region had been a subject of numer- ous European explorations and several aborted attemptsSource: Vision Beaufort: 2009 Comprehensive Plan. City of Beaufort, SC D OWN TOWN B E AU F O RT ( 2 0 1 0 )16Civic Master Plan | Preface 21. 17Image Source:: www.polawanaisland.com Image Source:: www.polawanaisland.comB E AU F O RT D O C K c . 1 9 3 9 D OWN TOWN B E AU F O RT (d at e un kn own) Image Source: Historic Beaufort FoundationH I S TO R I C V I EW o f D OWN TOWN B E AU F O RT Civic Master PlanCity of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 22. Preface | Section 4 | Existing Conditions THE REGIONCharleston to Savannah or Hilton Head. Given that the Sector 1 planning area in Beaufort offers the most in The City of Beaufort, and more specifically, the Sector terms of local economic and cultural momentum and 1 planning area, occupies a unique position withinthe most opportunity for regional interconnectivity, it is the Lowcountry region of South Carolina. The rich an ideal place to begin planning for Beaufort to assume estuarial ecology and centuries old history of this areaa more prominent role within the Lowcountry region. contribute to a special sense of place in the LowcountryImproved regional transportation connections, from that is unique within the South and the United States.regional greenways and transit routes to expanded ferry/ Characterized by diverse trading ports, antebellumwater-taxi opportunities, will be essential to assuming architecture, and traditions that borrow from a wideand maintaining a more prominent role in the region. variety of European, Caribbean, and African roots, theIn order to support this goal, a specific strategy for Lowcountry is a distinct cultural and geographic region.regional connectivity across a variety of transportation modes was developed in this initial charrette of the Civic In many respects, Beaufort is a secondary urban centerMaster Planning process and is illustrated in the diagram in the Lowcountry region. Its institutions, businesses andat right. industries are well-established, but exist in the shadow of the larger Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA markets.In particular, a strategy for the creation of a regional Nearby, Hilton Head Island is also a significant source parks system centered on the Beaufort River will of economic activity as one of the largest vacation and allow Beaufort to offer something to residents and resort centers in the country.visitors alike that is entirely unique to the region. The Beaufort River Regional Greenway and Parks Although it is not as prominent as some its neighbors,System is a parks and greenways network that offers Beaufort plays a distinct and significant role in the over 10 miles of riverfront parks and trails, as well as economy and identity of the Lowcountry. The large regional connections to a Rail-Trail system that extends military presence is a tremendous economic engine for pedestrian and bike paths north into Beaufort County. the region. The parks system will begin by extending Beauforts Given its proximity to Hilton Head Island, Charleston existing Waterfront Park through a boardwalk along the and Savannah, Beaufort is certainly not the onlyBluff to the west. (see page 56) It will continue along the economic engine of the region. However, distinctBeaufort River, through a series of publicly accessible from its neighbors, Beaufort Countys large militaryboardwalks and parks, to the Port Royal riverfront at presence plays a significant role in the areas economy.Battery Creek and also across the Beaufort River to Also, the combination of Bay Street and Waterfrontthe Whitehall Plantation property. Along the way, piers Park in downtown Beaufort continues to be a regionalextending through the salt marshes along the river will draw for tourists. Beaufort is more than a stop on theprovide spots for picnicking, fishing, canoeing/kayaking, road between Charleston and Savannah; it is a vibrant sailing, and docking other small boats. Key destinations community with great amenities to offer. In short,on the greenway system include Beaufort Memorial Beaufort has a history, cultural identity, and economic Hospital, the Technical College of the Lowcountry, the vitality all to its own.Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club, the Naval Hospital Beaufort, and a connection to the proposed Rail-Trail The success of the Sector 1 planning area, and the City that terminates in Port Royal. of Beaufort in general, is dependent upon how the city positions itself in relationship to the Town of Port Royal, Other significant regional transportation investments will Beaufort County, and the Lowcountry region beyond.include a regional bus system that connects Beaufort, to Beauforts challenge will be to establish itself in the Port Royal, Parris Island, Laurel Bay, Habersham and region as more than just a stopover on the journey from other significant destinations in the county. A water taxi18Civic Master Plan | Preface 23. 19PROPOSED REGIONAL INTERCONNECTIVIT Ysystem will also offer tourists and business travelers of mode options provided in the regional transportationeasy travel to destinations as far as Hilton Head Island,scheme, in addition to personal automobile travel, willCharleston, and Savannah through the Beaufort River. position Beaufort for success in the coming global era beyond cheap gas and universal automobile dependence.In the short term, the transportation strategy described This combination of systems will allow Beaufortabove will broaden the opportunities for regional access residences to live locally without sacrificing regionaland help to position Beaufort as a primary economicmobility and create a sustainable platform for regionaland cultural urban center in the Lowcountry region. In development.the long-term, the Beaufort River Regional Greenwayand Parks System will become an incredibly valuablepublic asset shared between The City of Beaufort, theTown of Port Royal and Beaufort County. It will be anational draw for new residents and tourists, helping toattract and retain educated and talent people. The varietyCivic Master Plan City of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 24. This page intentionally left blank.20 Civic Master Plan | Sector 1 25. SECTOR 1CHAPTER 1 Executive Summary 23CHAPTER 2 Sector Conditions 29CHAPTER 3 Master Plan 35 21 26. This page intentionally left blank.22 Civic Master Plan | Sector 1 27. SECTOR 1CHAPTER 1EXECUTIVE SUMMARY23 28. Chapter 1 E XECU T I VE SUMM ARY INTRODUCTIONdaily needs within walking or biking distance Positions the community for an era beyond The Sector 1 study area represents the heart of our current pattern of dependence on the personal Beaufort, SC. It includes many of its major culturalautomobile institutions and significant civic assets, as well as its Provides attractive parks and greenways on a local historic neighborhoods and its greatest concentration and regional scale of commercial activity. As such, Sector 1 was an ideal Envisions regional connections that will strengthen point of departure to begin an extensive master planningand invigorate Beauforts economy and cultural process that resulted in the development of the Civic institutions Master Plan for the City of Beaufort. Engages a wide variety of people and lifestyles across a broad socio-economic spectrum The civic master planning process, led by Beauforts Preserves Beauforts historical legacy without Office of Civic Investment, was an intenselycompromising opportunities for new development collaborative effort between elected officials, city staff, local residents, and community stakeholders. Marked by a weeklong planning and design charrette, the Sector PLANNNING & DESIGN CHARRETTE 1 planning process led to specific interventions and recommendations for the entirety of the sector at a level The Planning and Design Charrette for Sector 1 was held of detail that engages each individual parcel. The pagesfrom March 22 to March 28, 2011. During these seven that follow contain the results of this effort for Sector days, over 20 urban designers, planners, architects, and 1 and amount to a collective vision that will carry the engineers gathered in a Bay Street storefront to develop heart of Beaufort into the next 50 years of its growth andland use plans, renderings, street sections, and specific development.recommendations for nearly every block and parcel in the Sector 1 planning area. In general the plans and recommendations on these pages describe a future for Sector 1 that:Public meetings and open design sessions were held Celebrates the waterfront and the natural contextthroughout the week to allow members of the publicwhich the city occupiesto interact with the designers, identify concerns, share Is mixed use and walkable in character ideas for specific projects, and vet the work of the design Enables people to live locally and accomplish theirteam. This comprehensive input allowed the charrette MAR 23MAR 24 M F R 2 5 R U M AR Y2 6A E B A RMAR 27MAR 28 USCB MeetingDeveloper MeetingRedevelopment Mid-CharretteDesign StudioFinal PresentationCommission Meeting Presentation NeighborhoodRetail & MerchantsAssociations Meeting MeetingBoards & Commis-sions Meeting TIMELINE of CHARRETTE EVENTS24Civic Master Plan | Sector 1 29. 25process to work in short feedback loops where ideastopics to be addressed in this first charrette. The fiveare continually refined and presented to the public. public workshops, each with a unique discussion topic,This inclusive process enriched the final plans andwere very successful and provided invaluable commentsrecommendations. Specific input was sought from theand feedback, detailed in the following section. TheUniversity of South Carolina at Beaufort (USCB), the workshops included the following:various neighborhood associations that represent Sector1 residents, local developers and property owners, Neighborhood Associations Workshoplocal retailers and merchants, the Redevelopment February 17 Approximately 60 participantsCommission, and Beauforts various other municipal Development Community Workshopboards and commissions. These multiple layers of input February 24 Approximately 50 participantshelped to create plans and recommendations that are Neighborhood Walking Tourvibrant, real, nuanced, and appropriate for all membersFebruary 26 Approximately 40 participantsof the community. Redevelopment Commission Workshop March 3 Approximately 30 participants Retail & Merchandising WorkshopSLOW CHARRETTE PROCESS March 8 Approximately 50 participantsIn order to maximize the design efforts during the These workshops, combined with the vision for thecharrette week, the Office of Civic Investment took thecommunity described in the Comprehensive Plan andslow charrette approach. Rather than trying to squeeze the data collected through the Sector 1 Synoptic Survey,all the public workshops into one week, they were spread gave the charrette design team an incredible wealthout over a month-and-a-half to maximize participation. of information to help guide their efforts during theThe OCI team has hosted a series of public workshops toweeklong charrette process from March 22nd to Marchengage the community and solicit feedback on the many28th, 2011.JAN 1 FEB 17 FEB 26 MAR 8Office of CivicNeighborhood Neighborhood Retail &Investment begins AssociationsWalkingMerchandisingplanning workWorkshop TourWorkshopJ A N U A R YF E B R U A R YM A R C H JAN 24 - FEB 4FEB 24MAR 3 MAR 22 - MAR 28 Synoptic survey DevelopmentRedevelopment Sector 1 conducted Community Commission PlanningWorkshopWorkshop CharretteTIMELINE of EVENTSCivic Master Plan City of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 30. Chapter 1 | Executive Summary PRE-CHARRETTE PROJECT MAP (See Appendix A for larger map)26 Civic Master Plan | Sector 1 31. 27IDENTIFIED PROJECTSRelating specific projects (identified on the ProjectMap) to the regional systems and connections describedon the previous page help to support their individualand collective success and contribute to a richer builtenvironment on a local and regional scale. The projectsidentified for closer examination during the Sector 1Planning and Design Charrette were selected by theOffice of Civic Investment, in concert with the BeaufortRedevelopment Commission and local citizens, in orderto create a coherent vision for the future of the Sector 1planning area and to best utilize potential catalyst sitesand city-owned properties.Some major projects include: Old City Hall Redevelopment Eastern Boundary Street Road Diet Bladen Street Streetscape Improvements Duke Street Streetscape Improvements Basil Green Park USCB Expansion & Student Housing Bellamy Curve Infrastructure Improvements Ribaut Road Streetscape Improvements Post Office Block Redevelopment Former Jail Site Redevelopment Extension of Waterfront Park Washington Square Park Marina Redevelopment & Parking Garage Piggly Wiggly Redevelopment Whitehall Plantation Property RedevelopmentCivic Master Plan City of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 32. This page intentionally left blank.28 Civic Master Plan | Sector 1 33. SECTOR 1CHAPTER 2SECTOR CONDITIONS29 34. Chapter 2 SECTOR CONDITIONS ANALYSIS of EXISTING CONDITIONSNorthwest Quadrant and Higginsonvilleneighborhoods. Prior to the Sector 1 Planning and Design Charrette, Some of Beauforts historic residential data from the Synoptic Survey was combined withneighborhoods, particularly the Northwest Quadrant, geographic data from the City and County to create a are hampered by inadequate property maintenance series of maps that amount to an analysis of the existingand are in need of reinvestment/redevelopment. conditions in the Sector 1 planning area. In general, the Neighborhood commercial uses are generally analysis established the following conclusions:lacking. The Bay Street commercial district serves avery limited, tourist-driven, retail niche that does not There are plenty of infill opportunities on vacantprovide for the day-to-day necessities of itsland in the Sector 1 planning area, especially in the residents. WHITEHALL E XISTING BUILDING FOOTPRINTS (See Appendix A for larger map)30 Civic Master Plan | Sector 1 35. 31 Beauforts existing regulatory structure does not adequately promote the development of mixed-use walkable neighborhoods throughout the Sector 1 planning area.The analysis and corresponding maps were discussedand distributed to all the of charrette participants at theoutset of the Sector 1 Planning and Design Charrette inorder to familiarize all charrette participants with theissues presented by the Sector 1 planning area.EXISTING LAND USE(See Appendix A for larger map) Civic Master PlanCity of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 36. Chapter 2 | Sector Conditions O W N E R v s . R E N TA L / S E A S O N A L BUILDING HEIGHT EXISTING DEVELOPMENT CLASSIFIEDVA C A N C T o r A B A N D O N E D P R O P E R T I E S by TRANSECT ZONES32Civic Master Plan | Sector 1 37. 33CONDITION OF GROUNDS and EXISTING ZONINGSTRUCTURE SOURCE: Google Earth, March 2011E X I S T I N G D OWN TOWN B E AU F O RTNote: Please see the Appendix A for larger versions of the maps shown on this and the facing pages. Civic Master PlanCity of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 38. This page intentionally left blank.34 Civic Master Plan | Sector 1 39. SECTOR 1CHAPTER 3 MASTER PLANSECTION 1 Sector 1 Vision & Overview36SECTION 2 Transportation & Streets46SECTION 3 Natural Infrastructure & Parks58SECTION 4 Plan for Downtown 66SECTION 5 Corridor Plans76SECTION 6 Neighborhoods 94SECTION 7 Specific Interventions 104SECTION 8 Implementation Elements112SECTION 9 Code Recommendations 114 35 40. Chapter 3 | Section 1 S E C TO R 1 V I S I O N & O V E RV I EW VISIONARY PLANNING AND GREAT to something you would have seen in continental Europe COMMUNITIESat the time: grand park systems and iconic civic buildingarchitecture. This is a time when much of Chicagos The point we have arrived at today is the culminationindustry was on Lake Michigan and along the Illinois of planning and analysis that began on January 2nd,River rail yards, slag heaps, factories. It was not a 2011 collecting information through meetings withpretty place. Commerce was the law of the land, so individuals, groups, and organizations, and by collectingimagine the disbelief when he proposed to reclaim the data, physically through on-the-ground surveys of everyentire Lake Michigan waterfront for a park. People lot, as well as digitally through all the various plans, looked at him as if he were crazy. This is the man for reports, and studies completed in the past. The resultswhom the now famous quote has been attributed, make from this three-month effort culminate in this Civic no little plans; they have no magic to stir mens blood. Master Plan. Like many plans for great communities One hundred years later, Chicago has one of the most this plan is expected to generate discussion points, amazing park systems in the world and is also one of a establish budget priorities, and create implementation handful of communities in the rust belt of the Midwest objectives for the City of Beaufort over, at least, thethat is truly growing and prospering. And, its a result next twenty years. In a sense we believe that this planof a process similar to what were embarking on here in coherently and properly lays the groundwork for theBeaufort. citys next three hundred years.Another example is Bostons Emerald Necklace What Beaufort and its leaders have had the foresight todesigned by another visionary planner and contemporary do follows in the tradition of some really great places. of Burnham, Frederick Law Olmsted. Olmsted, known The great communities of today are great because theytoday as the nations first landscape architect, is also spent the bad times thinking about what they wanted to credited with the design of Central Park, among many be when times got good again. In the United States,other wonderful places. He envisioned a future Boston the era of grand planning during the late 1910s, 1920s ringed by parks. For those who have visited Boston it is and the Great Depression, occurred in many of theeasy to see how the City and its residents have benefitted places that are admired in the country today for their from his vision. Boston has some of the most loved civic resilient economies and excellent quality of life. The spaces and urban structures in the United States and one thing these places have in common is that they had easily ranks amongst the greatest cities in the world. the vision to think outside the box and a desire to take control of their destinies. Some of the greatest plans We can also look to The Presidio in San Francisco and architecture that the United States has today - places where Daniel Burnham again inspired its citizens to and buildings that are admired around the world - can be aspire to greatness. At that time in the late 1910s, The dated to this period. Most of the grand civic buildings, Presidio was on the outskirts of town. It was a hilltop schools and town halls; almost all the impressiveupon which he designed a park connected to the rest museums; and many of the beautiful park systems that of the city with grand civic monuments. Today its a are today the treasures of their respective communitiesmagnificent urban park surrounded by some of the most had their initial plans prepared during this time period.valuable real estate in the United States. So compellingwas the plan and the illustrations that accompanied One such example is in the City of Chicago. Chicagoit that a few of the monuments were actually built as hired Daniel Burnham, one of our centurys mostdrawn. visionary planners, to prepare its master plan. He laid out a vision that is extraordinary today for its beauty and, in his day, for its boldness. It was a vision similar36Civic Master Plan | Sector 1 41. 37THE SECRET OF SUCCESS have no money. This is a false excuse a straw manargument. No place that has ever accomplished long-With all great plans, like the Burnham and Olmstedterm greatness has had money at the start. In fact, itsplans, they aim to improve the fortunes of a placealmost a prerequisite that a place be poor in order to beand they foster change. Just as people questioned able to achieve greatness. All great work starts off withthe drawings Burnham prepared showing parks and an idea. Wealth follows ideas. You make people excitedbuildings on private land, we are sure that people will about what it is youre doing, and clever people rallyexamine the drawings in this master plan and have around the vision, and the money follows.many concerns: I see youve knocked down mybuilding to construct a park, or you have removed myLocally, the Open Land Trust (OLT) is generating theneighborhood park to construct a building, or youveexcitement and getting the money, and as a result,put a road through my yard. Keep in mind the mostthey have become the de facto regional planners forpowerful tool planning possesses: time. Planning is anthe entire County. Through donations and successfuleffort that lasts generations, but youve got to start at tax referendums, they have made saving the naturalsome point, or you will never achieve anything. It is habitat and scenic views of the local area exciting andalmost always the case that what is needed to be done important. Much time and effort by the citizens of thisis impossible to do today. If you were told to learn acommunity goes into the work of the Open Land Trustsecond language and you said I cant do that today, including the preservation of places here in Beaufort likedoes that mean you can never do it? Just because youthe Bluff and Bellamy Curve. These purchases havecant master Spanish or French by the weekend, do you shaped the image of Beaufort as well as its developablethrow in the towel? Of course not. It took hundreds offootprint. To properly leverage this fine work, it isyears to arrive where Beaufort is today. Nearly all ofcritical to ensure that as much effort and care are paid tothat time passed without access to an endless pot of gold the Human Habitat, (the neighborhoods and communitiesat its disposal. Very little is possible today yet nearly we live in) through excellent planning and urban design.everything is possible in the long term.The natural habitat has the OLT. The Human Habitatnow has the Office of Civic Investment (OCI). We haveAnother important ingredient is the champion. You an opportunity to weave the communities we live in withcan have a collection of plans and ideas, but unless they the natural setting they exist in. To succeed, the visionsfind a champion that makes it his or her business to will we have and the plans developed to execute them needthem into reality on a daily basis, they never materialize. to be as compelling as the nature that is saved.The final need is for compelling visions, such aswhat Burnham provided the residents of Chicago. Itgalvanized the thoughts of the citizens and businessTHE PURPOSE OF THE CIVIC MASTER PLANcommunity to nominate champions, who, over the yearsshaped policy that allowed the vision to be realized. This plan is intended to complete the work of the 2009Comprehensive Plan. That plan did two importantBeside the beauty and technical expertise of the planning things. First it established that the primary means byand urban design achieved by these masters, there is onewhich the city could achieve truly sustainable andadditional take away from these examples. They were resilient growth was not through annexation and sprawlenvisioned and executed in a time when these places but rather through infill and redevelopment. And second,were not wealthy. We accomplished the best communityand perhaps most importantly, it tore through decadesdesign and building in this country when it was poorworth of unfulfilled planning efforts to prioritize andin relation to today. Imagine that. All you hear aboutconsolidate plans that were both unrealistic and lackedtoday, if you try to get anything done, from placingchampions. The number one priority recommendationa cross walk on a street to paving a sidewalk, is, wewas for the city to stop focusing on large scale policy Civic Master PlanCity of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 42. Chapter 3 | Section 1 | Sector 1 Vision & Overview planning and instead turn its sights on the needs of its some pretty amazing things. It allows us to quickly see neighborhoods and corridor, the living tissue of the patterns through the creation of thematic maps. This city, with a block by block physical plan to encourage information allows us to study the Citys DNA - how it investment and redevelopment. In essence, it was a works on the ground. This is an important step because roadmap for reversing the slow downward spiral ofit allows you to understand how to help it grow while decline that had become the norm in the city.retaining the charm and character that made it special.This urban DNA was combined with information The Comprehensive Plan therefore serves as the gathered from several dozen meetings over the previous framework and undergirding for the Civic Master Plan inmonths with nearly every key stakeholder in the area the grand tradition of cities like Chicago, San Franciscowho wanted to participate, and even some who didnt. and Boston. This is no small feat for a community the size of Beaufort. But, as we all know Beaufort may be small in terms of its resident population but it lives large THE SOLUTION TO THE DILEMMA OF in the historical and cultural memory of the LowcountryGROWTH and of this county.In addition to understanding thoroughly what exists In order to achieve the necessary level of detailednow, we also took a careful look at what existed before. planning, we divided the city up into four sectors.In many communities around the country, growth has Weve started with Sector 1, the downtown area. When meant the destruction of history, historic buildings, and we first started this process, someone asked, youreplaces. Beaufort hasnt suffered that as much. Everyone going to do a master plan for downtown, so what are youwants growth and prosperity, but with it, post-World going to do with Bay Street? Our response was, well, War II, that growth and prosperity has come with a lot of Bay Street is not all of downtown: Theres Boundaryreally bland and uninspiring things that some might label Street, theres Bladen Street, theres Carteret Street and as simply ugly. Pigeon Point Road, the Old Point, and Higginsonville, and on and on. Theres also the Bluff and the NorthwestIts quite a dilemma for most communities: If we grow, Quadrant. Downtown is in fact a series a collection we lose what we are through the haphazard consumption of neighborhoods the core of the larger area that is of a communitys past. However, if we dont grow, Beaufort, so you have to study it comprehensively, not we stagnate and lose what we are by neglect. The just Bay Street. We believe that downtown is not simplyreason for the dilemma is because we stopped building Bay Street and the Waterfront Park. Rather downtownreal communities after World War II. This is not to is a complex web of interdependent neighborhoods and say we stopped building. In fact, we have built more corridors that geographically is bordered to the west by things in the sixty-five plus years since World War Ribaut Road and by the Beaufort River on its other three II houses, shopping centers, offices, factories than sides. The three blocks that constitute the historic Main nearly all of human history prior to that period. But Street cannot be the vessel in which every aspiration,rather than building authentic and lovable places like idea, and need for Beaufort is forced. It is simply tooneighborhoods, villages, towns and cities, we simply small. aggregated real estate product. We have built only ahandful of new places since World War II yet weve We started on several fronts simultaneously. For built endless miles of suburban product. four weeks, students walk every foot of every street in downtown and collected an extensive amount of Suburban development became an industry unto itself, information about every house, curb, and sidewalk. The and as you may have heard, it was one of the major result is a robust database comprised of more than thirtyreasons for the financial collapse and the subsequent unique attributes, the analysis of which allows us to do38Civic Master Plan | Sector 1 43. 39Great Recession. When you introduce car-orientedTIME TO OUT-MAIN STREET THE MALLsuburban development into traditional urban fabric,like downtown Beaufort, that development destroys What is available once you arrive downtown cannotthe surrounding traditional development. It might be just one thing. A common mistake is to thinknot do it initially, but the accumulation of this typeof a community as needing only one amenity be itof development ends up eradicating what is the most a convention center, a ball park, or a museum. Thatsspecial part about place-based traditional communities, a suburban mentality. Real places are complex. Thewhich is their mixed-use, walkable quality of life. fabric of real places must be complex and varied tomeet the needs of a broad range of people and, justIt is important to keep in mind that the suburban as important, the broad range of moods each of thesedevelopment model is the default setting for all zoning,people experience over the course of a day, a week, andfinancing, and health and safety matters in the Uniteda lifetime. Sometimes you want to sit alone in a park,States today. Whether you plan or not, whether you have sometimes you want to be in the center of all the action.zoning or not, the suburban model is so entrenched in Sometimes you want to view a scenic vista, sometimesevery aspect of American development and marketingyou want to be walking the crowded sidewalks shoppingthat it is what growth delivers. Ironically, not much and socializing. If you are a cyclist, sometimes yougrowth has happened post-World War II in Beaufort. Themight want to ride fast through the countryside, whereasside benefit of this lack of growth is that not as much has at other times you might want to be on the street ridingbeen lost.through town. Every pastime, every facility, and everymotivation takes a different tone depending on mood.One piece of the community that was lost was theThis gets to the point about the need to develop somebuildings along the waterfront. They were unique andof our waterfront. Sometimes you might want to sit oninteresting in a scruffy yet unassuming way. However, ita swing or in the grass and watch people or the waterwas largely replaced by something worthy Waterfront and sometimes you might want to sit on a dock or at aPark. In city building this is called a fair trade. This is restaurant on the water and eat, dance, work, live, oran important concept, a litmus test for anyone passionate buy things. The Water Festival need not be limited to theabout community. Development decisions should highly programmed week of activities each July. It canalways be evaluated with this simple question Was it last all year long.a fair trade? If you lose a piece of marsh land and gain avillage, or a meadow and gain a proper neighborhood the Unfortunately, Americans have been trained totrade is fair. When either of these is lost to a shopping experience places as a consumer..to live and shopcenter that spends most of life in decline or subdivision as if were in a mall. The American retail industrythat condemns it occupants to the use of the automobile has created shopping snobs out of us and were veryfor every daily interaction, it is not. Yet, even witheasily bored, very quick to lose our patience if thingsthe achievement of the Waterfront Park, Beaufortsarent perfect, and particularly fickle with our attentionwaterfront redevelopment has not always been a fair and money. The mall environment and the shoppingtrade. Case in point is the present Marina parking lotcenter environment in the United States is perfection atwith the single largest parcel along the waterfront every level designed by mall planners who subtly anddedicated exclusively to the suburban pattern of parkingnot so subtly influence almost brainwash you to docars to the exclusion of great urbanism. In many ways, it everything that they want you to do when you enter theiris these negative impacts of the suburban development realm. In a sense we are a bunch of snobby zombies.model are what we are trying to remedy through thismaster plan.When youre someplace where things dont happen toclick just right a store might be closed too early, or the Civic Master PlanCity of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 44. Chapter 3 | Section 1 | Sector 1 Vision & Overview merchandising in the window isnt quite up to snuff, or predominately purchase whatever high-end wares are you didnt get asked if you needed help right away, orsold downtown. The tourists well, youve seen them it doesnt smell as you think it should this is the bar they buy whats left and dont spend much time at the thats been set by the retail industry in this country, and park either. Why is this important? Because if we are most of the older retailers on traditional main streets are only a trinket tourist-stop and our local population is not the ones who cant compete. I like to tell people thatsufficient enough to support other pastimes that include it wasnt Wal-Mart that killed Main Street America, itcultural offerings now unavailable, then our residents are was the Mall. It replicated the idealized Main Street left with jobs that are not sufficient to build a resilient experience, air conditioned it, and then did everything community. Places like that are exporters of talent, and better Cleaner walkways, consistent hours, superior that is what Beaufort is now. merchandising, and even pleasant landscaping (inside no less). Wal-Mart, and what it represents, is only a factor What if the offerings were much more varied and robust when you have two goals in mind: cheap prices and free offerings that embed you in the place and its history? parking. If thats your towns goal, youre probablyImagine getting off the boat and browsing local arts already standing in the ruins of your Main Street.and crafts markets, visiting a museum or two, staying at a spa/hotel or inn grounded in wellness and health and dining at fabulous restaurants that offer indigenous LETS BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING -- ITS ALLlocal cuisines that only places like the Louisiana gulf ABOUT THE WATER coast can boast. Theres a lot of history in the area - all of it scattered about. If properly coordinated it could The Master Plan for the downtown is not so much be centered here in Beaufort as the hub for those also about what can be achieved tomorrow or next yearlooking to do day trips out into the historically rich by a few individuals. Rather, it is about a collectivecountryside especially if it is supported by a local investment by the community through a coordinateuniversity that provides quality environmental and fine series of incremental yet strategic investments by many arts programming. Because Beaufort is also less busy hands. This is a plan whose vision was constructed forand hectic than our neighbors to the north and south the different yet equally important experiences by thewe can take the lead in the environmental, wellness, resident and the tourist in twenty-five years and it alland tourist industry if we so desired. To distinguish begins at the waters edge. ourselves, Beaufort needs to provide a compelling reason for more than a simple afternoon stop on a bus tour of Wouldnt it be fabulous if there were a reliable system the region. We must provide a palette of amenities that of water taxis and ferries that allowed you to travel will make us a multiday or weeklong attraction or most up and down the Intracoastal Waterway between fromimportantly a hometown in which to raise a family and Savannah, Charleston, Hilton Head, and Beaufort? In retire. such a world, what do we need to do here in Beaufort to make ourselves a destination that would require aSo, if you were to come by boat, what you would come day, or maybe two, to fully appreciate? After all, if you to, in our vision of this future, would be a new marina- really look at the region correctly, Beaufort is the belt side development, basically an extension of Bay Street. buckle of the lowcountry, the mid-way point between Right now, its a parking lot. While thats an important Georgetown, SC and New Brunswick, GA. What wouldasset to have at the moment because it provides people be compelling enough to entice someone who landed with convenient parking, it does happen to be located here, at a new day dock for example, to walk into townon some genuinely prime real estate real estate that and do something besides turn to the right and buy awould be much better used by people, rather than cars. t-shirt, eat a hamburger or have a drink and then strollWe believe that its time to trade up. You can always the park? Keep in mind that it is in fact the locals whoput the cars someplace else, like a parking garage. They40Civic Master Plan | Sector 1 45. 41normally dont care about the view as much, dont like day, and its got Bull and Abercorn Streets, which offersitting in the sun, and they dont shop. neighborhood scaled boutique shops and cafes. These represent three distinct markets, all of which a singleIn order to reclaim our waterfront parking lot for human person who wants to spend a day or two in Savannah canhabitation we must relocate the cars to a deck on Port experience as their mood strikes them. The importantRepublic Street. They must be in a location that requiresfact is that these distinct attractions and shoppingthat they experience the full breadth of the Bay Streetexperiences do not happen on the same street. In spitearea on their short walk from their car to the Waterfrontof how long Broughton, Abercorn, and Bull Streets are,Park to create a more robust and diverse shopping andno one complains and gripes about walking the distancesdining district. Mind you, this distance is shorter andrequired to reach them or walking along them. Theyrefar more interesting than the trip from the edge of thecompelling, inviting, and people are drawn to exploreparking lot at the Wal-Mart to it front door (much lessthem, just like a person is drawn by a mall layout tofrom the front door to the electronics section in the back walk from one end to the other and back the distanceof the store). This same walk through the often hostileof one-half a mile or more. Beaufort doesnt have theWal-Mart parking lot is equivalent to the distance along population or the tourist draw that Savannah does, butBay Street from its intersection with Charles Street to thewe can do a smaller version of that very easily.west and Carteret Street to the east, yet with an infinitelymore engaging and satisfying journey.In terms of the commercial improvement downtown, the four streets that are Carteret, Boundary, Bay and BladenAnd once this impediment is removed, we can continue are the commercial corridors. Three of these corridorsour journey along the waterfront to the west. Connecting allow Beaufort to be able to expand its retail andthe visitor to the beauty of Beaufort beyond Bay Streetcommercial menu, without destroying the existing fabricis an important objective. The vision here is to tie the or character of Bay Street. Because, as we said from theWaterfront Park, the formal front door of the community, beginning, Bay Street is just three blocks. It cant be theand its new active dock and marina development, to active main street for all the citizens of Beaufort, whilethe more passive open space of the marsh front along also being the historic Main Street for all the tourists.the Beaufort River. At Waterfront Park the walking It cant be the place where you go to get whatever youexperience is along an esplanade, which continues as need from a Walgreens or a FedEx/Kinkos and stilla plaza and pier condition at the Marina. As the walkbe the place that has unique furniture shops and artcontinues to the Bluff, a boardwalk would be built along galleries. The residents and the city have decided thatthe waterline at the foot of the Bluff following the curve the historic structures along Bay Street are importantof the river all the way to Ribaut. There was once a low enough to keep and this plan clearly support that priority.road in addition to the existing high road (Bay Street). In order to keep it like it is, you have to provide otherThe low road is what was used to carry the freight fromplaces for certain things to go that dont fit into thethe port down to the depot. Within the next 20 years,buildings there. That is the role of Boundary Street. Itthis boardwalk could stretch all the way to the Hospital.is the location where residents of the neighborhoods canThat requires some giving. Kind of harkens back to shop for daily conveniences from a broader mix of local,Chicagos once industrial lake front, and Burnhamsregional, and national shops and business that requirevision of turning it over to the public. larger lots and more convenient accessibility.Bay Street has its place and Carteret/Boundary StreetThe transition then occurs at Bellamys Curve wheredoes to Savannah has its waterfront, where all the the long view of the Beaufort River beyond has fortourists shop and dine at the touristy establishments. Itmost of its history greeted travelers and begun theirhas Broughton Street, which is the shopping street where decompression from the region at large to the intimacyyou can get just about everything one would need day toof the historic waterfront. It is anchored around the bendCivic Master Plan City of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 46. Chapter 3 | Section 1 | Sector 1 Vision & Overview by the campus of USC-Beaufort which serves as anwould argue that those against it were short-sighted important institution embedded directly into the fabric ofand selfish because a neighborhood, a proper human the historic neighborhoods. The University provides anhabitat, is a fair trade. Of the few places capable influx of students and the vitality that age group brings of handling development at high density within the to the businesses and the shops that they frequent. The sensitive ecosystem in which Beaufort sits, this is one. integration of higher education into a community is a The volume of water that flows along the Beaufort River key element for all vibrant places. at this point provides for the greatest amount of natural flushing. Its at the foot of the bridge that connects to The master plan envisions the redevelopment ofdowntown Beaufort a quarter mile away and it has the current campus as a more traditional southern been developed on in the past. Instead of sprawling quadrangle with some current non-historic, under- on Ladys Island in the form of shopping centers and utilizes structures giving way to more formally designedcar-dependent commercial uses, a town center located at campus buildings more appropriate to the setting. Also, Whitehall would serve the community more efficiently the provision of full-time student housing both onand provide more opportunities for residents seeking campus as well as around the corner on Boundary Streetlifestyle opportunities not dependent on car use and long provides an important symbiotic relationship that can fillcommutes. in certain gaps in the urban fabric with students, giving both life and character to the corridor simultaneously. Our plan saves a tremendous amount of trees and still provides a marketable and successful building program We would be remiss to discuss encouraging pedestrianthat leaves about 25 percent of the property open. The activity and business vitality along Boundary Streetmain street of Whitehall and the buildings that front if we did not also address the current geometrics ofSea Island Parkway will have riverfront and park the four-lane thoroughfare. Very simply, the currentviews. Through proper design, the new village center configuration encourages speeding, is hostile towould allow the waterfront walk to continue forming an pedestrians and cyclists alike, and does not provide anyimportant anchor for pedestrians and cyclists enjoying convenient, shared on-street parking forcing each site to the now extensive and unique waterfront experience create their own parking lot. Its time to put this section we have begun to envision, stretching from maybe the of Boundary Street on a road diet shrinking it from Hospital all the way to Whitehall. Imagine landing four lanes to three with on-street parking and this can in a boat at the marina and being able to walk three be done by restriping, not rebuilding, with cans of paint miles, a little over a mile and a half in either direction, and thermoplastic stencils to be specific.through plazas with cafes and shops, into parks, along boardwalks that lead to points where you can access the water by Marina or boat launch, by kayak and boat, and WHITEHALL AS A COMPLIMENT TO BAYcross the river by foot on the bridge. STREET There are those that would scream that the WhitehallAND FINALLY, A STRONG DOWNTOW property be left undeveloped and we would joinIS SURROUNDED BY STRONG them, tied to a tree if a shopping center or a big boxNEIGHBORHOODS store, or a series of gas stations and fast food outparcels were being proposed. That would not be a fair trade,For too long, the neighborhoods surrounding the would it? You cant remove nature and replace itdowntown have either been in a state of stasis or with development that not only degrades the natural deterioration. With the exception of The Point and environment, but also negatively impacts the humanperhaps parts of the Old Commons, investment and environment. But if you propose a neighborhood, wepopulation have been in decline. This slow decline42Civic Master Plan | Sector 1 47. 43has left entire blocks in nearly every neighborhood a once dying part of town into some of the highestvacant, blighted, or otherwise destabilized. For thehousing values in the area. Streets in the Point willentire downtown area to succeed, it must be bolstered benefit from a systematic burying and relocation of theby continual investment and re-investment in theaerial utility lines that obscure the beautiful mansionsneighborhoods. The pedestrian traffic of the resident and cottages than sit cheek to jowel. Lastly, new housingpopulation is the constant to the ebbs and flows of has sprung forth from the largely abandoned Post Officethe tourist market. To increase the population is toand around the old Jail. These entire blocks alongimprove the market conditions for every business andwith the hundreds of vacant sites scattered around therestaurant in the downtown area. Once we move fromdowntown will provide a living framework on whichthe waterfront area, the Beaufort of 2051 must consist of new homes will rise.a series of closely connected, highly walkable, diverse,neighborhoods and mixed-use corridors that maintainthe charm and character of their historic roots amidstA CHARGE TO OUR FUTUREnew construction that has sensitively infilled all of themissing gaps. As you will see by this Master Plan, we have created avision for a community that is walkable and mixed use;We have identified opportunities for more than 2500 that reinforces its urban character, but also celebrates thepeople to move in tomorrow without a new street, sewernatural context in which it sits. We leverage nature toline, or using any more gas to collect garbage. We will raise awareness of its importance in order to celebratesimply build on our existing network of well-connectedthe history and aspirations of the people of Beaufort andstreets and do so at a density that would be generallyBeaufort County.unnoticed by the average citizen.All in all, we hope that present and future generationsAlong Bladen Street in the Northwest Quadrant, newshare our vision. Most importantly, for this plan tomixed-development along an improved streetscape succeed, it will need leadership and determination ofwill usher in a wave of housing in the form offew champions and it will need to be powerful andcottages, duplexes, bungalows, and perhaps even somecompelling enough to make visitors think that Beauforttownhomes and apartments. Up in Higgonsonville, has its act together and would be a good place to movemany individuals, many of them artists, will reclaim ato and invest in.number of the homes in the area lost to neglect to createa thriving community. In Pigeon Point, the former baseFor this plan, the fabric of each new building in thehousing from Parris Island that were moved to scattered downtown was intentionally set to the same scale aslots throughout the neighborhood will be expanded,such historic precedents as the Elliott House as well asrenovated, and redeveloped with homes that are more buildings that are now only remembered in photographs.suitable for the gracious lots that exist there. And in Gone are the days of the mega-project on the superblock.the Old Commons, particularly along the periphery byIf progress is to be made, it will be slow, calculated andBoundary Street and Carteret Street, large old homes in in small increments. The work will be done by manydecrepit conditions and new homes on empty lots willhands and over a long period of time. But, if we havebe reclaimed by the University and others to providedone our jobs like Burnham did in Chicago, we will havemuch-needed housing for faculty, staff, and student for created a legacy that will ably secure our rights as a greata thriving University that is a regional leader in the arts American city for centuries to come.and environmental studies. - The Office for Civic Investment, 2010The Point will continue to be a beacon of the success ofthe national preservation movement that has resurrected Civic Master PlanCity of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 48. Chapter 3 | Section 1 | Sector 1 Vision & Overview SECTOR 1 STUDY AREA EXISTING BUILDINGS The study area covered in the Sector 1 Planning and Design Charrette includes the Beaufort peninsula to the east of Ribaut Road. Sector 1 also includes the Whitehall Plantation property on Ladys Island (just across the Beaufort River) as a logical extension of downtown Beaufort. In addition to Beauforts entire 304-acre National Historic Landmark district, the following neighborhoods are included in Sector 1: Downtown/Bay Street Northwest Quadrant The Point Old CommonsPROPOSED DEVELOPMENT The BluffPHASE 1 Dixon Village Pigeon Point Uptown Beaufort Higginsonville Whitehall Each of these neighborhoods has a unique character, form, and personality that were recognized during the charrette process. For the Sector 1 Planning and Design Charrette the Sector 1 study area was split among five design teams each with a specific focus area for design. The sequence of images at right illustrates the summation of that work, across the entirety of Sector 1, in phases. The existingPROPOSED DEVELOPMENT building footprints are shown at the top. Below that is PHASE 2 the proposed Phase 1, which illustrates development potential within 10 to 20 years. Finally, Phase 2 is shown as a long-term build-out of the Sector 1 planning area. The image on the facing page (Sector 1 Proposed Development Plan) is the aggregate of all the proposed interventions for Sector 1, including short- and long- term development strategies and key open space improvements. In total, the plan accommodates about 2,500 new people living in Sector 1, as well as about 180,000 square feet of new commercial (non-residential) space and 126,000 square feet of new civic space.PHASES OF PROPOSEDDEVELOPMENT(See Appendix A for larger maps)44Civic Master Plan | Sector 1 49. 45SECTOR 1 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT PLAN(See Appendix A for larger map)Civic Master Plan City of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 50. Chapter 3 | Section 2 T R A N S P O R TAT I O N WALKABILITY key corridors such as Boundary Street, Bladen Street, Ribaut Road, and Carteret Street will foster walkability The average distance that a typical pedestrian is willing throughout the Sector 1 study area over the long term. to walk is one-fourth to one-half miles, which equates to a five to ten minute journey. This distance is often Currently, the historic district, and Bay Street in referred to as the pedestrian shed. The downtownparticular, is the most walkable area in town. It includes Beaufort peninsula is about 1.5 miles across at its the greatest variety of uses at a potentially walkable widest point (from Waterfront Park up to Pinckney scale. Part of the intent behind the Open Space Plan Park). Because this distance is greater than a typicalis to create attractive walkable corridors throughout pedestrian shed, it is important to provide employmentSector 1. While the establishment of mixed-use nodes opportunities, services, neighborhood retail, and spacesalong key corridors occurs in the long term, streetscape for recreation throughout the downtown Beaufort improvements and the development of an open space peninsula. Encouraging an appropriate mix of uses along network help to extend the walkability of the Bay Street area in the short term.10 M INWALK (1/ TE UT 4NUEW MI IL5MA L K (1/ 2 M I L E E) ) WA L K A B I L I T Y (See Appendix A for larger map)46 Civic Master Plan | Sector 1 51. 47ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION MAP dedicated bike lanes that connect to the regional parks and greenways system. Finally, the existing marinaSidewalk improvements throughout Sector 1 are anotherserves as a terminal for regional water taxis and boatmethod of extending the walkability of downtowntourism.Beaufort. The Alternative Transportation Map belowillustrates blocks where sidewalks are recommended toThese improvements all support a more sustainablebe installed, if they are not so already. The introduction built environment for Beaufort residents and strengthen/of a downtown circulator bus that shares stops withbroaden the tourism industry by allowing people to reachregional routes also improves local and regional downtown Beaufort in new ways, move around moremobility.easily once they are there, and explore parts of town that were not previously within a reasonable walkingBike infrastructure improvements range from can-of- distance.paint solutions that create shared bike travel lanes, toA L T E R N AT I V E T R A N S P O R TAT I O N M A P(See Appendix A for larger map)Civic Master Plan City of Beaufort, SC | www.beaufortcivicinvestment.org 52. Chapter 3 | Section 2 | Transportation STREET HIERARCHYCombined with a future development strategy that promotes a greater variety and mix of uses in Sector 1, The predominant gridiron pattern