Quote:
Originally Posted by ExpatBaman
Question for Montgomery forumers: Does anyone have renderings of the proposed improvements for Old Cloverdale that were in the paper a few months ago?
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I remember those renderings but I don't have pics of them.
I do have an article about it though.
Joint effort planned to make over Cloverdale
By Tiffany Ray
Montgomery Advertiser
Capital City residents and merchants are joining forces with architects and designers to make Old Cloverdale a better place to be.
Next month, the American Institute of Architects' Montgomery chapter, along with Historic Southview, a new coalition of neighborhood and business associations, will play host at a three-day event intended to create a common vision of the future of the historic neighborhood.
Called a "charette," the event will focus on Cloverdale's Fairview Avenue commercial corridor and surrounding residential areas. Organizers of the project will draw together the concerns, comments and suggestions of local homeowners and other stakeholders. Then, during a two-day work session in April, teams of architects, designers and other experts will work free of charge to mold those ideas into possible realities.
An informational public meeting about the event is planned for Tuesday. The charette, which will include two subsequent public meetings, will take place April 22-24.
Don Brown, a partner in Montgomery-based Brown Chambless Architects, said public meetings held at the start and the end of the April charette will give "before and after" views of the neighborhood. The first will focus on the neighborhood's current issues. In the followup, designers will show off their work, giving participants a glimpse of how the community could look in the future.
The Fairview Avenue corridor is the first in a series of neighborhoods the AIA and Historic Southview plan to target, Brown said. Others include a west-side location, the Mulberry Street district and the neighborhood surrounding the intersection of Cloverdale and Norman Bridge roads.
Plans generated by the charette will dovetail with the city's efforts to create a new comprehensive plan for the city, Brown said.
John Acken, a Montgomery attorney who serves as president of Historic Southview, said Old Cloverdale was an ideal starting place because the neighborhood already is well-defined. With a strong business association in place, it also offers built-in momentum, he said.
Chris Vaughan, owner of Christine's Feathered Nest, a home accessories shop at 1048 Fairview Ave., said the charette will address all kinds of issues, from parking, land use and maintenance to green space, sidewalks and lighting.
Ella's, Tomatinos, Cafe Louisa and Fronduti's are part of the Cloverdale shopping area.
The intent, she said, is to "create a charming atmosphere without taking away any of the uniqueness that is Old Cloverdale."
Vaughan said the Old Cloverdale Business Coalition, for which she serves as president, formed a couple of years ago to address ways of promoting and improving the area. Joining a larger group will help "get some steam behind our purpose," she said.
Brown said the charette is important not only for Old Cloverdale residents but also for all of Montgomery. The neighborhood draws visitors from throughout the city to its restaurants and shops, he said. And the charette is a project that can be emulated in other Capital City communities, he added.
Acken said charettes have been done in other parts of the nation, but they are new to Montgomery.
Tom Kaufmann, a designer for the Alabama Main Street Program of the Alabama Historical Commission, which is involved in the Cloverdale charette, said a similar event held in Greenville in 2003 yielded a number of benefits, including the preservation of historic houses that had been slated for demolition.
It also generated community interest in the future of Greenville's downtown, he said, and "interest is always the precursor to investment."