For The Town of Vestal Planning Board during Summer and Fall 2019 in Vestal, New York.
Over the summer and fall of 2019 I was hired to create a report for the Town of Vestal in upstate New York. The report was to include a brief analysis of existing conditions and a series of images depicting what Vestal could achieve in its built environment should it acquire the capital necessary from grants and investors. The final product was a 27-page document outlining an initial analysis, improvements to circulation and paths, and possible future development patterns.
The current assessment began with plotting all the important existing elements on Front Street. This information was gathered by interviewing a local resident and visiting the site. The spots on this map represent sites that should remain in existence (even if modified) through the end of a redevelopment plan.
After a series of analyses on building typologies and streetscapes, the Target Area was divided into three distinct character zones. These zones will be crucial in future planning and design of Front Street because they alert us to both what is present and what is lacking in each part of the target area. They also inform us of place identity along the street and provide a framework for future development.
The commercial core has the most dense retail and presents the greatest opportunity for short-term new store development. The residential mix zone is quieter, with more greenery and larger street setbacks. This area represents an opportunity for future mixed-use development. Finally, the garages and lots zone consists large-scale developments. This zone will likely present the greatest challenge, and plans for its redesign should consider infill development and a need for more greenspace.
With bike path development planned along the Vestal Parkway, implementing biking infrastructure along Front Street would maximize its connection to the region in the future. A bridge connecting a planned bike path along Front Street to the Rail Trail and any future bike path in that area would effectvively bring people to Vestal, as well as allow residents a sustainable and affordable means of reaching larger employment centers a few miles away.
This street section would run uniformly down Front Street from the Memorial Park to the bridge over Choconut Creek.
In the eastern, “downtown” portion of Front Street, Vestal might consider the implementation of mixed-use, affordable developments. These could be studio spaces and apartments built with affordability in mind to be attractive to artists, young students, local workers, and senior citizens, creating a mixed community of involved residents.