First of all, let me introduce myself, my name is Alison Cox and I along with David Miller and Sara Summerfield represent the Founder of Brytan. The Founder is Brice Development and the three people primarily responsible for the development will be providing some insight into why we developed this project the way that we did and share some of the experiences that we have had along the way.
Let's start with a bit of history. The site, located along Archer Road, has long been the target of large box retailers and other commercial enterprises. As a company, we had developed many traditional neighborhoods with homes on large lots but this location seemed to need something different. The site is in an area defined as an Activity Center and we had always been told that when it was developed, the road would need to "re-connect" with 75th Street on the south side of Archer Road. Many presentations and ideas were presented but none seemed to be right.
One day in 1998, a planner asked David and I to attend a presentation and conference featuring Andres Duany of DPZ & Company, a renowned town planner. We went to Reston, Virginia and toured Kentlands (a large TND/new urbanist project). At the conference we heard from other founders, lenders, engineers and architects. We came back thinking that the idea of a new urbanist project may be just the answer for the development of this property. Duany was familiar with Haile Village Center and we invited him to visit the site the next time he was in the area.
Duany visited Gainesville and walked the site. Like any site, it had challenges but overall he thought the location in an Activity Center along a major arterial road was a real plus. Duany laid out several of the positives and negatives and indicated he would be willing to send us a proposal.
My thoughts at this point were mixed. It seemed like we had the right development for the location but the current rules and regulations did not allow for the mixing of uses, especially vertically; residential above commercial was a no-no. Should we invest in designing a project that may never be allowed or should we just allow the big box retailer to develop the site as the rules currently allowed? We finally decided to get several proposals from reputable and noted firms. We realized that this was a large project, the largest we had ever undertaken and that it would require extensive assistance from experts. We interviewed several different firms and it was an impressive experience to talk with these people. Each firm had certain strengths but the one common thread was their enthusiasm for this type of development.
Then we got the proposals. Wow. This was far different than anything we had ever seen. We really had to think through what we would be getting for the dollars spent because it was a lot of dollars for design work. Also, we still did not have the rules to allow the development so this was an investment based on hopes for change. Once we recovered from the initial shock, we tried to analyze each proposal. David and I started the adventure with Duany and I think we developed a rapport that made him the person that we wanted to work with. If you know Duany, you know that he will give you his most honest assessment and, quite frankly, we needed that feedback. We looked at the pros-- a great design in the right location and encouraging lifestyle choices that were gaining in popularity (e.g., walkability)-- and at the cons-- no regulations permitting such design and a huge front end investment. Finally, we looked at the local governing body. The commission at the time was certainly promoting TND type developments. So, we decided to make the investment.
Next: The process begins...
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When I first came to work for the developers of Brytan, I was impressed with the infrastructure and background work that had been done on the Brytan Development. Not only hiring Duany, one of the founders of the New Urbanist movement to design the community, but spending time and money on the quality landscaping, parks, civil infrastructure, playgrounds, and even conservation. I am sure Alison is going to share the rest of this story, but I was impressed and was proud to be associated with the development -- and with developers willing to do the "right thing".
ReplyDeleteI have been trying to read your blog entries with interest and in the process also trying to keep an open mind on what is being written. This entry "the process begins" is a bit of a turn off. I am sure you went through "great expense" to assemble this bunch of individuals, but frankly who cares? I am sure readers would like to get the meat and potatoes of what the "first LEED subdivision" is all about. Where are you know in the project? as a community what can the public expect in the future from brytan? what is the city doing to help this green community? how is the public reacting to it? future plans? we or I want to know the vision of brytan not the boring details of what happened months or years ago. I hope you can deliver the grit and grizzle of what you are bringing and have brought to Gainesville.
ReplyDeleteMaria- Thanks for the feedback. Those issues that you inquired about are things that we want to address in this blog. The reason for providing some of the history is two-fold. Others have asked us to share our experiences in terms of conducting a charrette and secondly, it is important for people to understand that we truly made every effort to design the best project for that particular location. It is not about trying to show that we spent money rather it is about trying to show people how much effort was invested in getting the most information and some of the leading experts in their fields to help design this project. These projects take so long that people often forget much of what occurred in the early stages of planning and what the vision was before it went through the permitting process.
ReplyDeleteI have passed along your comments to Sara and to David, as Sara has really coordinated our LEED efforts and David is instrumental in shaping the future and vision of Brytan. Hopefully their remarks will provide answers to some of your inquiries.
Thanks for reading and for asking the questions!