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http:// --> Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Local Issues Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Galleries Video Readers Polls O-Zone Online Games Movie Preview Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad Top Galleries: February 27, 2007 Surface planning lacks foundational strength The failed Northlight project is an opportunity lost. A large, coordinated, multi-use facility has been replaced with seven divided lots, each on their own left to tackle such difficult issues as parking, financial viability, and type of use. For those who wanted to defeat any large building project at any cost, the new sliced and diced Northlight is a victory. Proponents say the new smaller mini-Northlights will offer a variety of size and shape that will be more consistent with the development of downtown in the past. One problem: Modern infill planning is mostly designed to correct the haphazard mistakes of the past by coordinating large properties with a mix of use that isn't feasible, or financially viable, in smaller projects. The move to chop up Northlight is a step backward in effective downtown planning. Density is restricted, parking will be more scarce than the coordinated plan of the original Northlight, and yes, affordable units will be lost. The original Northlight had large commercial spaces that bigger companies need. At more than 3,000 square foot, companies that employ people with well-paying jobs could consider moving to the downtown. Northlight had an integrative cancer center as one of its anchor tenants. Imagine attracting an innovative medical company to a town with an aging, affluent population. There would be high-paying jobs offered right downtown. That isn't going to happen in these smaller buildings, that will be forced to offer smaller office spaces, most likely to be used by existing businesses. The original Northlight also had a mixture of high-end condos and smaller apartments, some for sale, and others for lease. Rest assured the combined financial and parking pressures of these smaller buildings will not allow such diversity. High-end condos like the Jasmine buildings across the street will dominate, fetching as much as $500 a square foot for the purchase. These will sell, most as second homes to the super wealthy who will use them sporadically at best. The original Northlight would have had its share of these, but also smaller condos that were more affordable as primary homes, and rentals that would have allowed more people to choose to live downtown in a new building. If planning in Ashland is only about such raw figures as overall size, number of floors and "bulk of scale," then the new divided Northlight is both where we have been and where are headed. But if planning is more than just a skin-deep political battle, a significant opportunity for genuine infill and economic development has been lost. With so few parcels left that could be even be considered for this type of project, the loss is a significant one. Current Comments: Thank you, Tidings, for noticing the cost of fighting planning actions for the sake of fighting. The original Northlight, which I was involved with, was the type of project that 30 years of planning in Ashland hoped for. That a few vision-less obstructionists were given credence to kill it was a huge mistake. This is the sort of unfortunate missed opportunity Ashland will face until a majority of us recognize the ill-effects of listening to those few who think Ashland shouldn't change. George Kramer - Ashland, OR - February 27th, 1:36 PM Oh, and by the way, before certain former planning commissioners in town take pains to point out that I am "...just a shill for the development interests which pay me a tidy sum," give me a break.please. Those of you that know me can make your own decisions as to whether I tailor my opinions or not. Those of you that don't know me, be aware that I make my living as a restoration consultant throughout Oregon. I think I have a pretty good idea what cities can do while maintaining their character George Kramer - Ashland, OR - February 27th, 2:31 PM This man is a local genius. Christian Norberg-Shultz - Finland - February 28th, 12:47 PM Bigger is always better! Jane Jacobs - NYC - February 28th, 12:48 PM The design lacked any level of ambition. The moderne failed to understand that anything beyond rationality is corruption and equally as decadant as the that of Ecole de Beaux Arts. Glass and Steel are the materials of the future! Mies Van der Rohe - Karlsruhe, D - February 28th, 1:00 PM And people say that the art of discussion is dead. Nice to see Europe and the East Coast is so concerned about Ashland. Too bad nobody from Hornbrook weighed in. George Kramer - Ashland, OR - February 28th, 1:40 PM I see that three of the four horsemen have weighed in under aliases...hey number four, aren't you just itching to show off your subtle understanding of what's bad for Ashland too? enough - ashland,or - February 28th, 2:10 PM It is a stark prospect and a difficult choice that not everyone in the design professions is equally free to make to the same degree, that is to say, the choice between going with the flow of the market or cultivating a self-conscious resistance along the lines of Ernst Bloch's projected hope, his evocation of the �not yet.� Certainly living needs, as opposed to desires, demand to be met but surely not in such a way as to ruin the world for generations yet unborn. Kenneth Frampton - London, UK - February 28th, 3:38 PM There you go, Enough...number four has weighed in. Too bad nobody west of the Rocky Mountains has anything to offer to this issue. George Kramer - Ashland, OR - February 28th, 3:49 PM That cancer center could have been a good source for methadone. Siskiyou County is having to pay the price of these obstructionists. Lester Sunger - Hornbrook, Ca. - February 28th, 3:52 PM Mr. Swales, who never misses a chance to promote himself, is obviously having fun here. Good to see that his internet connection is set to "sarcastic" so that he doesn't have to address the issue that Mr. Kramer's right. The planning commission now bemoans that we have lost density and parking in the downtown. They have no one to blame for than other than Stromberg et al, for doing Swales bidding. enough - ashland, or - March 1st, 7:10 AM Don't you people get it? Ashland is for retired people and theatre enthusiasts -- no other businesses or individuals need apply. Richard Cranium - Ashland OR - March 1st, 12:35 PM What happened to the era when Oregon Architects led the nation with quality cutting-edge design. Pietro Belluschi - Portland OR - March 1st, 2:49 PM What are you talking about, I'm the definitive figure in the history of Oregon Architecture. That project was great! Michael Graves - Tallahassee, Fla - March 1st, 2:51 PM It is a sad commentary on the current lack of vision by some in Ashland that all that can be done to respond to this editorial or my comments is the conjuring of mostly deceased architects and planners. EVERY ONE of whom who be appalled by the childish nay-sayers behind these posts. Whomever you are, you should be ashamed of yourself and the vison-less negativity that seem to think passes for "concern" about Ashland. Geprge Kramer - Ashland, OR - March 1st, 9:21 PM I always thought Belluschi OD'd on cocaine. Lester Sunger - Hornbrook CA - March 1st, 10:04 PM So, it would appear that despite the numerous people who make it their regular business to come and testify regarding any planning action in Ashland, that I am only one willing to do so here, at least under my own name. I would like to think that is not an indication that people are unconcerned but rather they are afraid of being seeing seen as being opposed to our vigilant "watchdogs" or being "for change." I am neither. George Kramer - Ashland, Or - March 2nd, 2:14 PM Leave a Comment: Advertisement: Advertisement: Paid Advertising: Debt Help Inkjet Printers Payday Loans Free Ringtones Debt Consolidation Security Systems Debt Relief New Hampshire Primary Advertisement: Copyright © 2007 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved. Del.icio.us