Howard Commons

CHALLENGE:

Create and execute a revised master plan to transform a collection of partially developed and undeveloped parcels into a community hub and catalyst for urban development.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• The master planning exercise presented more than a mixed-use development with a mixture of office, retail, and living uses, ranging from single-family duplexes to senior living. It offered a hub of community activity with distinct destinations and experiences.
• In addition to the retail and lifestyle experiences, the master planning effort created several planned lots to accommodate future single-family housing, duplexes, townhomes, and denser multifamily and mixed-use opportunities.
• The design team oriented three mixed-use buildings around a public green space to serve as the anchor of the community experience.
• This outdoor gathering area was planned to support a band shelter, an enclosed community ice rink and a beer garden.
• By establishing a connection between the mixed use portion of the development and the main thoroughfare in Howard, the design team created a destination for residents within the development and members of the greater community.
• The retail components and apartment building amenity spaces were thoughtfully planned to tie to the public green space. For example, the apartment building’s community room and raised outdoor patio face the public area.
• The more private amenities were centralized and shielded between the three buildings. While a fairly exposed public area, this organization established a sense of privacy for residents accessing the apartment pool, fire pit and grill area.
• Details, such as first-floor units with a walk-out capability from elevated patios, enhance the connectivity and community appeal of the development by orienting pedestrian pathways and activity to the public green space.
• The design team continued to provide site plan concepts for additional townhome and single-family configurations as the success of the initial planning engagement led to adjacent parcels being worked into the development.
• The AG Team continues an ongoing relationship with the Village of Howard, advising the Design Review Board to ensure proposed projects align with the vision of the master plan.