Meeting Notes 1

TABLE 1
Question 1: What do you like about the area?
Top Items:
1. landscapes at west end and east ends, bridge
2. post office in downtown
3. shape/curve (non-straight), means slowing traffic (cars)
Other Items:
- beautiful building on corner at 1st (Strollman's)
- first station is great entrance (landscape)

Question 2: What do you not like about area?
Top Items:
1. no pedestrians (nothing to do)
2. surface parking (visually)
3. dangerous, unprotected for pedestrians
Other Items:
- lack of landscape, unattractive
- crossing street is hard

Question3: Vision - what is the area like in 10 years?
Top Items:
1. "transitional architecture"
2. multi-level mixed uses (service on upper and pedestrian shops on ground, residential above (live-work)
3. from this core downtown, one can transact business, walking distance to five banks, post office, many shops and restaurants (convenience - ped. intersection)
Other Items:
- mixed architectural style
- mixed periods (but that fit)
- multiple buildings (narrow)
- "nooks and crannies" "interior cul-de-sac"
- important ideas: respect architectural character, improve pedestrian experience, expand downtown success, blend with railroad district visually
- visually interesting
- individual (visual) buildings
- water fountains
- pedestrian interests/park-like features

TABLE 2
Question 1: What do you like about the area?
Top Items:
1. pedestrian friendly
2. prime location: less "auto dependent"
3. opportunity to redefine Lithia way
Other Items:
- room to go 3 story
- near downtown/plaza
- near railroad
- long south facing site
- some parking exists
- walking distance to everything
- important corners
- entire block
- tabula rassa - anything can be done
- gradual change in texture from residential to commercial

Question 2: What do you not like about area?
Top Items:
1. Lithia Way:
- speed
- auto orientation
- noise
- ugly
- no human scale
- dangerous to pedestrians
2. Impact of site into railroad district
- traffic
- people
- ingress/egress
- overflow into neighborhood
Other Items:
- Lithia Way is barrier to pedestrian movement
- historic residential adjacent on rear
- confusion on name of street (Lithia Way or 'c')

Question3: Vision - what is the area like in 10 years?
Top Items:
1. main street that focuses on local shopping/services
- 4 story @ Lithia
- 2 story next to residential
- rental apartments that are affordable
2. park-like environment for walking, sitting, meeting opportunities
3. underground parking

Other Items:
- nothing orientated to tourists (let the natives 'come home')
- looks like plaza buildings - not a lot of glass, i.e. 'modern'2. park-like environment, walking/sitting/meeting opportunities
- have 'market' space in open inner plaza - like in europe 'growers market'
- street lighting in railroad district
- more parking lots or garages
- city bypass
- mixed uses
- public plazas and circulation
- pedestrian friendly second main street
- store fronts on sidewalks
- not themed architecture
- sun/view (?) - take advantage of that

TABLE 3
Question 1: What do you like about the area?
Top Items:
1. ideal for parking
2. large piece of land
3. walking distance to plaza
Other Items
- more people living downtown the better
- why doesn't new parking garage get used?
- slow down (?)
- pay-to-park could work in ashland
- no historical value about buildings
- groundwater springs prevalent
- parking is a big issue in downtown
- buzz through town...need reason to stop.
- use ground water for irrigation
- "(?)" existing downtown ashland
- bury parking
- wind sheer from east

Question 2: What do you not like about area?
Top Items
1. the sterile loop
2. not pedestrian friendly
3. the fast traffic/congestion
Other Items
- exposed parking
- ground water + or -?
- no connections to historic character
- no street trees, minimal landscaping
- complete the couplet
- need to review e. main r.o.w. plans

Question3: Vision - what is the area like in 10 years?
Top Items:
1. variety of architecture (roof lines)
2. think variance of rr-zones
3. keep the big box discussion going...could be a negative

Other Items:
- people, people, active space
- front door, not a back door
- skeptical if service office would work unless parking is included
- more people downtown living
- slower Lithia
- no chain stores - stay unique
- more mass transit
- don't take away from plaza
- grocery would be great-but feasible?
- smaller private deli-s market
- parking would be a draw

TABLE 4
Question 1: What do you like about the area?
1. proximity to downtown core
- easy for pedestrians to get to the site,
- easy to reach parking facilities
2. good site for affordable housing or varied income levels
3. could be a catalyst for tie-in to rail yards
4. existing buildings could be suitable for adaptive re-use, i.e. markers

Question 2: What do you not like about area?
1. no pedestrian access
2. heavy traffic on Lithia (speed)
3. corner buildings are not attractive - not street friendly
4. very little green space - lots of asphalt

Question 3: Our 10 Year Vision
Top Items:
1. expand downtown zoning to both sides of Lithia
2. scale for new buildings re-iterates character of existing downtown
3. spaces built where people can walk through the site - circulation a community oriented downtown

Other Items
- spaces are built where people like to gather
- street trees in abundance
- new civic space - could be museum
- great site for housing

TABLE 5
Question 1: What do you like about the area?
Top Items:
1. small town flavor preserved, (individual buildings) variety of heights
2. human scale of existing - currently comfortable
3. no chain stores
Other items:
- psychologically connects railroad district and downtown
- interconnectivity of grid - downtown streets
- walking distance to theaters
- available public parking
- evening public parking/daytime commercial parking
- no single architect's vision defines the downtown
- relationship of residences to business district
- green trees, foliage "nature's gift"

Question 2: What do you not like about area?
Top Items:
1. auto oriented (Lithia Way parking loss)
2. loss of view - view preservation
3. slowing traffic down - car and bicycle conflicts
Other Items
- because of size of site - might look too urban
- width of Lithia Way
- difficult pedestrian crossing
- parking areas too obvious
- lack of greenery
- openness of site

Question3: Vision - what is the area like in 10 years?
Top Items
1. growers' market
2. businesses serving residents, not tourist oriented - basic needs
3. variety of smaller buildings (1-2 story)
Other Items:
- 'green' and sustainable development (include affordable housing)
- compatible with main street
- art in landscape form
- charm - nooks and crannies
- viewing wall on side of building - for showing old movies

TABLE 6
Question 1: What do you like about the area?
Top Items:
1. pedestrian friendly, downtown post office, nearness to plaza and library
2. property size - unrestricted potential
3. good public transportation
Other Items:
- close to the heart of downtown (has an active feeling)
- potential to do away with dysfunctional and wasted space
- historic area

Question 2: What do you not like about area?
Top Items:
1. unattractive
2. unsafe for pedestrians @ 1st and Lithia
3. parking already overtaxed
Other Items:
- too much traffic in residential area
- very noisy
- building problems w/ underground springs

Question3: Vision - what is the area like in 10 years?
Top Items:
1. 1-2 story buildings - mixed use w/ affordable housing (mixed income)
2. quaint village-type shops
3. greenspace
Other Items
- open-air market
- benefits to both residents and tourists
- attractive sidewalks, parklike promenade
- more parking
- people, plants, bikes, cafes, mixed-use, downtown living, park, bakery, deli, local oriented, buried parking
- classic timeless look, a modified 'historical' look

TABLE 7
1. Question 1: What do you like about the area?
walking distance
- 25 restaurants & bars
- Ashland community food store
2. view through and over the full length of block east
3. character of buildings across the street from the parking lot
Other items
- existence of lumberyard downtown
- existing trees throughout parking lot
- long term parking downtown
- public transportation accessible on bike lane
- next to post office
- character of b street neighborhood
- not in the urban/wildlands interface
- links downtown and railroad district
- needs improvement

Question 2: What do you not like about area?
Top Items:
1. existing buildings - old, out of character
2. no alley
3. no set-backs
4. no park row or street trees
Other items
- traffic
- no trees on copeland site
- chain link fence
- nasty intersection at 1st and Lithia
- post office traffic back-up
- narrowness of 1st street
- danger of drive up mailboxes across street
- fact that bike locker is hidden
- such a large site being considered for development all at once
- no crosswalk between 1st and pioneer

Question3: Vision - what is the area like in 10 years?
(prioritization not completed)
- a unique design set back from the street that builds on the traditions, but is not ersatz victorian
- pedestrian friendly retail not geared to tourists
- 100% affordable housing for people 60% or less of AMI over city lot, with more than 2 stories
- mixed age income/residential with plaza roof top garden, underground parking
- roof top gardens on 3 story buildings that house downtown workers
- USGBDC #1 award winning (national) building housing mixed income people who drive co-operatively owned hybrid vehicles and bicycles
- convenience store
- architecturally historic buildings with undivided elevations and varied rooflines, separated with view through, less than 35 K ft squared each
- blue jeans and socks store