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Downtown McCall is in an exciting period of transition. What was once a timber mill town on the south end of Big Payette Lake has seen dramatic change since the mill closure in the late 1970's. Gradually, after the mill closure, McCall began to embrace tourism, as many other mill towns have done, and more summer homes around the lake and area have been built. With the development of tourism and a greater number of vacation and second homes comes the desire of many for additional amenities; shops, restaurants, and a vibrant downtown environment. Relatively little changed in McCall until Tamarack Resort opened for the 2004/2005 ski season, at which point, in many regards, McCall was put on the destination resort map.
At this time there are numerous mixed use projects either approved or in the planning stages within McCall's downtown. To gain further understanding of this subject, please read the information below, and call Mike for information; or for a tour of downtown McCall.
Critical design components contributing to the success of this building type include:
The encouragement of human activity at the street level "activating the street" is paramount to the success of the commercial component at the base of the mixed-use building. Fundamental design strategies should include a clear demarcation between the commercial, street, semipublic open space, and the private areas such as unit entries, courtyards, and decks. There must be a distinct separation of the commercial entrances from the residential access and a clear identity for each use. Extensive glazing (pushed to the sidewalk with recessed entries and niches allowing for landscaping, water features, benches and tables) encourages interaction between the pedestrian and the activity established within the commercial frontage. Urban characteristics such as short blocks and mid-block connectors, or alleys that provide horizontal distances scaled for pedestrian movement, help create an excellent urban framework for the mixed-use concept.
Most mixed-use buildings developed in our neighborhoods or integrated into the suburban pedestrian-oriented villages are four to six stories in height. Architectural features and elements clearly oriented to human activity and scale must blend into the overall design. The pedestrian interacts and becomes familiar with a building at its base, usually fourteen to sixteen feet vertically, so the use of quality finishes, materials and details such as stone, brick, tile and metal in this zone can elevate that experience. A sense of human scale can be achieved by incorporating overhead weather protection at the sidewalk such as canopies and awnings, terracing at the second floor and upper floors, cornice treatment, balconies and projected bay windows at the residential façade.
A clearly established a base, middle and top of a mixed-use building is achieved through the use of modulation vertically and horizontally, changes in materials, colors and textures at the façade are elements that should be a design strategy to mitigate bulk and scale. Introducing this dense building type into an existing neighborhood context can be a challenge that must respect the context and vernacular of adjacent properties and uses with less intensive zoning designations. Appropriate scale will encourage human activity and vitality.
Signage should be integrated into the architecture and applied at a scale that is appropriate for the person on the street. It should tell the story and must avoid visual clutter and redundancy. Well-proportioned signage on the window fronts placed perpendicular to the storefront just below the canopy, or at the face of the canopy typically works best. Quality mixed-use condominium projects must have strict standards for signage and information that will be graphically displayed on the building, preferably restricting box signs in favor of hanging blades and other more visually appealing solutions.
Lighting is a critical component to all mixed-use buildings. The design and placement of lighting must give the pedestrian a sense of scale, place, direction and security. It should not conflict with the residential user's need for autonomy and privacy. Successful lighting design must be respectful of neighboring properties, avoiding glare and visual intrusion, while at the same time, contribute to the security and visual quality of the neighborhood as whole.
Parking in the mixed-use building is typically sub-grade or at-grade and is buffered from the streetscape with a 30 to 40 foot deep commercial component. The advantage of this configuration is the minimal impact the automobile has on the pedestrian experience. It also provides a secure environment for the residents, and eliminates the visual blight associated with surface parking lots. The challenges intrinsic with this arrangement are: segregation of the commercial and residential parking, delivery and servicing for the commercial tenants, and public/private access and vertical circulation. Solutions to these issues are readily achievable on larger scale projects through clearly defined loading areas, separate vehicular access points, lobbies, elevators, and stairs. Smaller scale in-fill mixed-use projects are more problematic, and some compromise becomes apparent.
The renaissance of the mixed-use building continues to revitalize our downtowns, sustains our small neighborhood commercial areas and has become a viable component of the suburban pedestrian urban village concept. Even with the design challenges inherent in mixing residential and commercial, the density impacts on our established neighborhoods, and the continued skepticism of lenders, this is a wonderful building type that enhances the human experience. Mixed-use promotes convenient urban opportunities for residents to work, shop and play within a small community. This lifestyle takes advantage of public amenities such parks, greens and public transit. In addition, it provides something that has been lacking for the past 75 years: a more secure 24-hour character to our urban areas. Most essentially, good mixed-use design fosters a more vibrant and livable urban environment and nothing has greater impact on improving life in the city.
Excerpt from the Pudget Sound Business Journal
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Mike & Karen Maciaszek, Real Estate Agents, Coldwell Banker McCall Real Estate Company Email
Mike & Karen Maciaszek, Real Estate Agents, Coldwell Banker McCall Real Estate Company Email