Jose Rodriguez: Planning, Architecture, Urban Design Portfolio

JOSE RODRIGUEZ TRUJILLO

Introduction

The problems and beauty of our cities and towns are not only found in our structures, but also the political acts and relationships between the people that help create these structures. Under these conditions, it is the urbanists’ duty to understand the politics of his/her projects and its underlying systems. As such I aspire to create equitable urban systems through the lens of urban design, architecture, and planning that can bring human dignity and equity into the public realm and hopefully do good in the world.

Merge Emerge: Localizing & Integrating Ecosystems

Spring 2020 | Jose Rodriguez Trujillo & Taamara Rath Hospitality + Commercial

DESCRIPTION:

We were tasked with designing an auxiliary winery for the Scribe Winery to house shipping, bottling and aging along with supporting the tourist accommodations of the winery by providing additional amenities for long term and short term guests.

The Scribe Winery, located in Sonoma California, is managed under the principle that “the best wines are a result of a healthy relationship between people and nature and that a vineyard managed in harmony with the greater ecosystem results in more site-specific wines that represent a sense of time and place

Inspired by this ethos, we wanted to understand all aspects of the site, and accentuate its features through our spatial and programmatic organization. The site benefits from specific climatic, topographical and experiential conditions that provided opportunity to integrate the project within its context. By understanding the site we manipulated the form and placement of the guest pavilions all in service of the primary views towards San Pablo Bay, the Hacienda, and the Mayacamas Mountain Ranges while maintaining overall wine making efficiencies.

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Index

1. Hacienda

2. Winery

3. Existing Road

4. Vineyards

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Section A-A

Section B-B

Section C-C

Section Perspective

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

San Leandro Bay Flood Risk

Bridging the Cracks: Resilience by Design

DESCRIPTION:

Bridging the Cracks: Ownership by design examines Deep East Oakland’s current land development and infrastructure strategies It identifies that current land use, water infrastructure, and ownership laws have failed to recognize a varied spectrum of land uses and needs through a forced rigid adherence to property lines that fragments neighborhoods. This has led to an underdevelopment of the area and a lack of upgrades of homes and neighborhoods to combat future projected sea level rises. Many people within these communities are forced to bridge these cracks through localized Ad Hoc strategies, such as the makeshift ADU.

To help develop a more formalized community-driven land use strategy that shift away from current individual ownership land parcels we propose to reconfiguring the standard land parcel from fully private to three new categories, private (in white), collective infrastructure (in red), and to accessory dwelling units (in pink) to create a proposed collective infrastructure, designated as “the commons” that will allow the communities to shift the risk, from sea level rise, from individuals to the larger community and allow them to redevelop their neighborhoods at the local level.

The commons would be composed of small parts of private parcels handed over by individual owners and turned into public spaces that would be interconnected and turned into usable public soft scapes These soft scapes would not only serve recreational uses but would also act as areas of protection against groundwater inundation. The soft scapes would flood as groundwater levels rose while leaving individual homes protected from flooding.

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Fall 2018 Jose Rodriguez Trujillo & Taamara Rath Master Plan + Urban Design

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Block Scale Section

Neighborhood Section

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

The Food Belt: Investigations in Food

& Transportation Infrastructure

DESCRIPTION:

The Food Belt focuses on the disparity between California’s Central Valley’s large agricultural output and its inability to provide fresh/healthy food options at an affordable price to the people that feed the rest of the country. The current configuration of food logistics systems, privileges maximum efficiency that starts at the farm and ends in the city centers of Los Angeles and San Francisco while completely bypassing the communities of the valley.

Currently produce remains at local farms from 1 to 2 hours while it is loaded onto trucks, often gas guzzling refrigerated units, these 2 hours will be the only contact the food has with the community that grew it. The next 5 to 6 hours will be spent traveling down the I99 or I5 highway, all while continuing to pollute and bypass massive swaths of agricultural communities. From here the produce will either arrive at a large logistics center in either SF or LA where it will remain for 1 to 2 days until picked up and sent to it final destination of either restaurant of markets.

propose to leverage the California High Speed Rail stops as logistics nodes (what we call L1-L5) and embed in the central spine of a new foods logistics web that allows food to linger longer in the valley communities while sustaining overall time requirement. This retools the current stations into food logistics warehouses, community centers, and housing while retaining its transportation hub requirements. This new configuration will help to eliminates food deserts by allowing public access/siphoning of the food at the station proper.

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Spring 2019 Jose Rodriguez Trujillo Transportation Hub & Master Plan + Urban Design

Food Transportation Diagram

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

The High Cost of Convenience: Understanding

Food Deserts

DESCRIPTION:

The continued urbanization and subsequent concentration of the US population has caused the siphoning of resources into hyper-localized urban cores while also excluding less profitable urban areas not within these cores, leading to a lack of healthy food options through under-served transportation options and lack of food outlets. Which has caused the growth of convenience stores and the creation of food deserts.

This analysis focused on Anderson IN, a medium sized Midwestern town Northeast of Indianapolis and is part of the Indianapolis Carmel-Anderson Metropolitan Statistical Area. The demographic data indicated that Anderson IN had a slightly higher average of nonwhite residents then the state average but followed an overall similar trend to the rest of the state in terms of racial makeup. An analysis of the population growth of the surrounding metropolitan statistical area around the Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson metro Area showed that the Lafayette and Bloomington areas were projected grow up to 2030 but the surrounding metro areas around Madison County (Anderson) of Kokomo and Muncie showed a stagnating or declining population growth projections. This indicated that the region in and around Anderson Indiana was struggling economically and losing population.

Along with declining population, the data showed that the poverty levels in Anderson were almost double that of the states indicating a lack of job opportunities within the area. This type of economic environment was easily exploitable by convenience stores, such as dollar general since other healthier grocery store options are unable to maintain a presence within such economic environments. This caused the development of significant food deserts within the city and with a lack of resources the city has struggled to find a solution to this issue.

PROJECTED POPULATION GROWTH (METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA)*

Summer 2021 Jose Rodriguez Trujillo Urban Study + Economic Development

Step 1: Median Family Income Analysis

Anderson, IN Low Income Areas by 2018 Census Block Group

Step 2: Low-Income Analysis

Step 3: Low-Access Analysis

The limited economic conditions of the area may limit the City of Anderson from executing large scale investments and instead will have to focus on strengthen its existing infrastructure. As such identified current bus routes in operation, and discovered that CATS Route 7 currently bisects thorough two of the main food deserts in the city.

I propose that special attention be given to CATS Route 7 and through increased funding, increase capacity and trips on that route. In addition to this, the city should develop appropriate ordinances and the creation of partnerships with local businesses, community organizations, and local food banks/charities to develop surrounding parking lots use these areas into farmers markets/local stands during specific times.

ANDERSON, IN Combined Low Access & Low Income Areas by Census Block Group

Identify the median family income by CBG within the city.

Step 4: Combined Analysis

Identify the low-income CBGs (those with less than $50,001.6 median family income)

Step 5: Supermarkets Analysis

Access Area by Census Block Group

Identify overall car access in each CBG and overlay over low income analysis area.

Step 6: Food Desert Analysis

These pop up markets through a formalized city program may help mitigate the impacts of the existing food deserts in the city will minimizing the strain on city resources.

Anderson Census Block Groups

Low Income Census Block Group

Grocery Store

0.5 Mile Distance

FoodDesert (Full)

Food Desert

CATS Route 1

CATS Route 2

CATS Route 3

CATS Route 4

CATS Route 5

CATS Route 6

CATS Route 7

All the CBG’s that met both criterion were isolated for further analysis. city.

Major grocery stores/outlets identified and overlayed over the combined analysis area

Final results separated into two categories- full and partial Food Deserts

Urban Analysis & Data Visualization

Summer 2021 Jose Rodriguez Trujillo Mapping + Urban Studies

DESCRIPTION:

Successful urban strategies require a careful understanding of the urban fabric and of the potentialities between the existing fabric and new urban propositions. This requires a clear understanding of the built environment at different scales. To achieve this data must be collected and visualized for the underlying patterns to be visible and to provide support for the development of sustainable solutions within communities. The following are a set of mapping urban studies done during my Intro to GIS class. Different criterion and methodologies were implemented in each study to identify different aspects of the built environment, from understanding route times to existing services within an area.

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Post Office Locations in Delaware County, Indiana

The following two writing sample show how one interface within a planning department and focus on the legal aspects of planning. They provide basic legal opinions drafted for the review of public officials to determine how to proceed with specific policy choices.

The first sample was drafted after conducting a legal analysis of the Indiana Impact Fee statute and shows how to communicate with a municipality how best to interpret the statue and provide a comprehensive framework to in devising a new impact fee system for the municipality.

The second sample focuses on how to enact an ordinance to regulate student housing in a college town and provides basic legal analysis for the town council to consider its options before proceeding in consulting with the city attorney and all other stake holders.

Date: 11 25/2022

To: Valparaiso Planning Commission

From: Jose Rodriguez, Associate Planner

Subject: Impact Fee Updated Proposal

Hello, have received and reviewed the consultant reports regarding the projected growth for Valparaiso. Based on the reports we expect that within the next 10 to 12 years the city will gain 18,000 people spread between 7,500 dwelling units in the northern section of the city. The reports indicate that in order to meet adequate service levels the city will need to build a new fire station and increase the overall park acreage in the city from six to eight acres In addition to needing to build the cities irst public pool.

treatment facility a park or recreational facility a road or bridge a drainage or flood control facility, or a water treatment storage distribution facility.

a new fire station. Under this approach we would be able to charge impact fees on the road improvements.

n reviewing the matter on how to implement a new successful impact fee system to help pay for some of these expansions the city will need to ensure it follows the Nollan and Dolan tests established by previous supreme court precedents. Additionally, the impact fees can only be used to cover specific things enumerated in Ind. Code Sects. 36-7-4-1301 et seq.

In order to comply with the Nollan and Dolan tests along with meeting the state code we will need to conduct further studies to establish a clearly defined growth area within the city that we believe will be strained by future developments. Establishing an empirical basis for our impact zone boundaries should partially shield the city from legal challenges. Furthermore, we should establish an impact fee formula that calculates the expected traffic congestion and strain on the sewer and water system caused by proposed developments in the impact zone to get a unit price per acre of the cost to provide city services. The city can then impose that fee cost to each developer within the impact zone.

Regarding our wish to expand our recreational facilities through an added 2 acres of park land and building a public swimming pool, the state statue does permit the use of impact fees to help offset these costs. However great care should be taken so that the public pool is an integral part of the development area. If not, any mpact fees imposed to cover its construction may be challenged since it may not pass a rough proportionality test. Instead, recommend we cover the costs of building the public pool through our general fund or other sources. Regarding the need to increase the park land, we can either require developers to provide dedications of land that can be used towards the 2 acres of park land or require they pay impact fees where it is not possible or practical to have dedications of park land.

The Supreme Court’s Nollan vs. California Coastal Commission case determined that for exactions “impact fees” to be constitutional they must have a “rational relationship” between the exaction and the need for the new public facilities generated by the new development. In Dolan v. City of Tigard, the supreme court determined that exactions must also have a “rough proportionality” between the impacts of the land use proposal and the exaction.

The city should also note that the state statue does not consider fire stations as a capital expense pertaining to infrastructure and thus cannot be covered by impact fees. However it may be possible to come to an agreement with the developer that holds the land on where an ideal fire station can be placed to dedicate the land to us in exchange for waiving all impact fees comparable to the value of the land. We can expect the value of the land to be upwards of $75,000 However if we cannot come to an agreement with the developer, the cost of the fire station will need to be paid for through our general revenue.

Moving forward, recommend we setup a meeting to discuss further studies to determine the impact zone boundary lines and to determine a preliminary impact fee formula. Once we have established these two points, recommend we bring the entire planning department together to draft a preliminary impact fee ordinance for review.

The Indiana code governing impact fees indicates that impact fee can only be imposed on new development when pertaining to he capital costs of infrastructure needed to serve the new development. The code defines infrastructure as being: a sanitary sewer system, wastewater

Additionally, all expenses to build the fire station and obtain equipment must be funded through our general revenue or other means since the state statue does not permit it and previous court decision have been murky as to the legality of impact fees on non-permanent improvements such as equipment. A final potential solution to the fire station could be to improve the city’s street infrastructure to improve the response of our existing two fire stations rather than building

Cordially,

Jose Rodriguez City of Valparaiso Associate Planner

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Date: 10/09/2022

To: Valparaiso Planning Commission

From: Jose Rodriguez, Associate Planner

Subject: Preliminary Student Rental Ordinance

Per request I have analyzed the city council proposal to enact ordinances restricting student housing/rentals in single-family neighborhoods To regulate the nuisances caused by the university student population in an equitable and effective matter the council may wish to update the city ordinance o prohibit rentals in single family zones adjacent to the university without a special use permit. The city council should consider the following: presumption of validity, comprehensive breadth of the proposal, and relief for current property owners and residents.

requiring special use permits be “rentals associated with university functions” By maintaining a broad definition, the city may avoid undue litigation

The final point to consider is relief for current residents and landowners affected by the ordinance change. By updating the ordinance to require a special use permit the city council can provide a more comprehensive tool to regulate rentals around the university in residential areas. Fully excluding student rentals may not be the desired goal, but through the special use permit the city need not fully exclude all student rentals around the university and instead have a mechanism/criterion to review all applications on a case-by-case basis.

The enactment of the ordinance will be difficult to challenge if the objective behind the ordinance is to “protect the public health, safety, and general welfare” If we maintain the rational of the updated ordinance to be in the service of limiting noise during unreasonable hours driving and parking congestion then the ordinance will be viewed as protecting the safety and the general welfare of the community. As such courts will presume the ordinance to be valid and under the purview of the city council in accordance with various court rulings.

Moving forward request that all changes or questions be sent back to me next Friday so that they can be reviewed by the entire planning staff. look forward to your feedback and questions.

Cordially,

The city can regulate household types so long as it is not arbitrary and is in service of health, safety, and the general welfare. In the case Village of Belle Terre v. Borras the supreme court determined towns governments have the discretion to exclude/limit different housing types based on the definition of a family. However, this may negatively affect non-student renters around the university Additionally, courts have struck down special use permit requirements City of Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Facility) for being applied in a discriminatory fashion. That is to say, for requiring a special use permit for certain buildings but not for other similar building types. To this end, I recommend the breadth of the updated ordinance indicate the properties

Jose Rodriguez City of Valparaiso Associate Planner

Writing Sample: Pro Formas & Development

The following two writing sample provides examples of how to condense and filter economic/technical data into readable reports to assist with development choices both in the public and private sector.

The first sample provides a feasibility study for an apartment development from the standpoint of a governmental agency and provides with clear recommendations on how to proceed with the project.

The second sample focuses on analyzing a street facade renovation program and compared two different scenarios under which provided the most advantages solution to the problem

The third sample is done through the perspective of a private developer and provides a technical report on the finances of a potential deal to redevelop a warehouse structure into loft apartments.

TO: Greenfield City Council

FROM: Jose Rodriguez Trujillo, Associate City Planner

DATE: December 11, 20214, 2021

SUBJECT: Barrett Preserve Feasibility Study

Per request, am writing to inform you of my findings and recommendations regarding the feasibility of the Barrett Preserve apartment Complex, to be located in the southeast quadrant of State Street. Under the current proposal by RealAmerica, Barrett Preserve would be composed of 18 one-bedroom, 24 twobedroom, and 18 three-bedroom units. The city can expect to gain 141 new residents and 21 schoolaged children.

Based on the analysis conducted, the potential revenues created by the influx of new residents will be $10,503,702.78. The city will incur $303,100.96 to provide services to the new residents. If we allow the development to proceed, the city can expect an overall net positive fiscal impact of $10,200,601.81 (see chart for a detailed breakdown of costs and revenue). Additionally, if we assume that no children will be added to the community and the city does not obtain the state funding that is associated with them, the city can still expect to acquire $7,432,068.43 in revenues.

Based solely on the economic aspects of the project, as currently presented, I recommend we allow the development to proceed. However, the developer intends to use the state rental housing tax credit program to obtain funding for 100% of its units, therefore potential tenants may have lower incomes and require higher levels of assistance from the city. I recommend we obtain further information on the socio-economic background of the target market from the developer to determine if the city has the sufficient economic ability to support less revenue and increased costs.

TO: David Grohl, Director of Planning

FROM: Jose Rodriguez Trujillo, Associate Planner

DATE: September 18, 2021

SUBJECT: Façade Program Financing Analysis

TO: Christopher Palladino Director of the E. Street Community Development Corporation

FROM: Jose Rodriguez Trujillo, Summer Planning Assoc ate

DATE: October 4 2021

SUBJECT: Warehouse Redevelopment Analysis

Per request, am writing to inform you of my findings and recommendations regarding the bonds/grant options for the city’s downtown façade program. Assuming the city is unable to obtain another grant due to the competitive nature of the grant process all three municipal bond options will provide us more funds and would crucially be a guaranteed source of funding (Chart 1). As such recommend, we proceed with obtaining the funds through the issuance of municipal bonds.

Within the three bond options, options two and three provide the most funds while option one provides the least. However, option one will require significantly less in total interest to be paid back than the other two options. But in terms of annual interest payment, all three are comparable to each other and deviate by a few hundred dollars (chart 1).

Of concern for both options two and three is that the only source of funding for this program will be through CDBG funds and are subject to reassessment by HUD. Due to the potential risk of the funds allotted being decreased by HUD, it may not be advisable that we commit to a 20-year bond. Past option two the loan amount would increase by 16% but require an increase of 45.5% to the interest amount (Chart1). Taking all the factors into account, at this time recommend that we proceed with option two to maximize the most funds for the program while minimizing the potential risks of default and total repayment required.

However, I also recommend that moving forward we conduct a façade study to ascertain the average cost of renovating a commercial façade in our area and determine the current amount of commercial stock that may benefit from this program. Through this, we may be able to determine with more precision whether option two is in line with our current objectives or if the other two bond options should be reconsidered for reassessment

055 38

Per request, am writing to inform you of my findings and recommendations regarding the feasibility of redeveloping the vacant downtown warehouse building into loft apartments. In order to secure a 20-year loan at a 4% interest rate from our current lender we are required to meet the following: a loan to value ratio and oan to project cost not exceeding 75% and meet a minimum debtcoverage ratio of 1.20

To satisfy these requirements under our current assumptions/budget we will need to have equity of $2,950,000 (see chart 1). Under this condition we can expect to have an internal rate o return of 7.99% (see chart 2) However present conditions do not allow us to meet the required 20% internal rate of return to actualize the project But through our partnership with the city, we can obtain a maximum grant of $355,000 for the project If we obtain this grant, we will be in a stronger position to meet the investors required rate of return but we will still need to modify certain aspects of the current proposal to meet the 20% benchmark

Based on my analysis of our current project cost, and assuming we obtain the maximum grant amount from the city we will need to decrease the project hard cost by $5000/unit and operating costs by $500/unit increase the rent by $100/unit and reduce our equity amount to $2,300,000 (see Chart 1)

Under these new conditions we should be able to obtain increase internal rate of return from 7.99% to 20.18% while still meeting our obligations to our lender (see chart 2) I believe these changes are small enough and spread throughout different parts of the project that it will not incur a substantial burden on any one area of the project.

propose we setup a meeting with our bu lder and leasing coordinator in the following weeks to see if we can reduce our construction and operating costs to our new expected goals Additionally, suggest we conduct a study on the current rental rates in our area to determine if the new apartment rates are in line with the current market.

CONDITION 1

CONDITION

CHART 2

Cordially,

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo

Jose.Rodrigueztrujil@bsu.edu

(317) 123 - 4567

Cordially, Jose Rodriguez Trujillo

Jose.Rodrigueztrujil@bsu.edu

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Gaston Comprehensive Plan

G aston GelawareTogether

COMPREHENSIVE

PLAN 2030

A plan that acknowledges our past and future

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Prepared by:

Jessie Muncie

Genevieve Zircher

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo

Alyssa Liebman

Lordina Aikins

Sandra Misigo

Jazen Cosby

Joe Fillenwarth

Taylor Mathews

Michael A. Burayidi, PhD Professor of Urban Planning

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Spring 2022 Jose Rodriguez Trujillo Comprehensive Planning + Branding & Design

DESCRIPTION:

The town of Gaston, Indiana is located in the Northern portion of the state. The town has suffered from depopulation and lack of investment as a result of the continued collapse of the manufacturing sector in rural Indiana. Additionally the town has struggled to maintain and attract younger demographics into the community. Thus through a collaboration with the town of Gaston and my Ball State University planning studio we developed a comprehensive plan along with actionable strategies for the community to consider and adopt. The comprehensive plan was developed through a methodology of data analysis, field work, and strong community input. The process culminated in a strategy that aimed to consolidate the available resources of the community in conjunction with incremental strategies that could leverage the limited resources of the community with the goal of revitalization the downtown area and expanding outwards from that nexus.

R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning Ball State University Muncie, IN 47306

In collaboration with the Town of Gaston.

Special thanks to:

Brett A. Ellison

Audra M. Koontz

Katina Gleeson

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo

(317)-840-2817

jrodt37@gmail.com

Working within our multifaceted team, my focus and responsibilities were in gathering and analyzing economic data of the town to help identity the ec0onomic challenges and opportunities the community had. Additionally dialogged with the town council president and conducted a review of the towns zoning ordinances to identify issues with the town ordinances along with developing policy suggestions for revamping the town ordinances to support the revitalization of the downtown core along with overall town development. The planning process also required field work in regards to surveying the physical features of the community along with interfacing with the communities residents. To this end assisted in surveying and documenting the town’s physical features along with presenting and outreaching to the community for feedback. Finally within our planning team, coordinated and lead design and graphics for the entire comprehensive plan, ensuring consistent fonts, accurate renderings, and developing an overall professional asethics for the plan.

Traci J. Pittenger

Figure - Photo from small town Indiana photo survey

Introduction

Gaston is a small farming community located in northwest Delaware County, Indiana. See Figure1 for an image current downtown Gaston, and Figure 2 for a historic image of downtown Gaston. Established in 1855, Gaston (then called Snagtown) began as a small settler community until the first railroad depot in 1901 and the gas boom of 1904 allowed it to develop into a proper town (Oliver et al., 2005). In time, the town’s population grew, and it expanded its amenities, opening restaurants, businesses, and places of entertainment (Oliver et al., 2005). After the town’s beloved generations-old, skating rink was irreparably damaged in a 2011 snowstorm, Gaston lost one of its most valued community spaces.

Drivers of Gaston's Economy

According to the 2020 American Community Survey, there were 362 workers in Gaston’s labor force. Of these, 23% worked in management, 24% worked in service occupations, 20% worked in production, transportation and material moving occupations, and 17% worked in sales and office occupations (see Table 2). The data also shows that 91% of the workers worked outside Gaston, that 96% used a car, truck or van to commute to work, and that 84% of them drove alone to work.

To rebuild Gaston into the once thriving community that it once was, the town in partnership with the Department of Urban Planning at Ball State University, has prepared this comprehensive plan to help guide its development and to chart a path for accomplishing the vision of town residents. The plan first describes Gaston’s current state, identifies its strengths and weaknesses, and proposes ways to utilize the town’s assets and take actionable steps for revitalizing the town and community.

In 2022, approximately 25 businesses were located within the town limits. Of those, 5 were operated from people’s homes and 20 were commercial businesses with an average of 5 employees. Table 3 shows the 5 largest employers in Gaston by revenue, based on 2020 data from ESRI. Sorting organizations by number of employees, ESRI data tells us that the largest business sectors in town consisted of retail trade (40.4%), construction (23.4%), finance/insurance/real estate (9.6%), and services (8.5%). In summary, the economic base of Gaston is based around small, local businesses focused on retail and construction services.

An economic analysis of retail businesses in Gaston demonstrated that demand within the town was not met by local supply. Instead, some expenditure of town residents is spent on goods/ services outside of town. As a result, Gaston is losing approximately $8,461,627 a year to businesses outside of town limits (see Figure 19). To ameliorate this deficiency, the town needs to attract or incentivize more businesses to locate in Gaston.

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Figure 3 Gaston farm

Figure 4 Gaston mural Figure 5 - Manuel Lykins Park Sign

Every small town has its dramatic group, its barbershop quartet, every home has music in one form or another. Kate Smith -

Table 2 2020 ACS: Gaston Occupational Status

Business Districts

The wording and verbiage used to describe the permitted uses and titles for the business districts is opaque and unclear. As such we propose that the town adopt simplified verbiage for the business districts going from B1 to B4 and become broader in scope. Currently, the allowed usages in each business zone are a verbatim description of the preceding zone with minor changes. We propose the town adopt new zones based on broad categories of retail, office, special purpose, and mixed use.

The wording and verbiage used to describe the permitted uses and titles for the business districts is opaque and unclear. As such we propose that the town adopt simplified verbiage for the business districts going from B1 to B4 and become broader in scope. Currently, the allowed usages in each business zone are a verbatim description of the preceding zone with minor changes. We propose the town adopt new zones based on broad categories of retail, office, special purpose, and mixed use.

Strategy 3: Creation of a Central Business District Designation

Strategy 3: Creation of a Central Business District Designation

desires to become a certified Indiana Main Street community so that it may acquire funding through the state and access various county and state resources. However, to the certification of an Indiana Main Street Community, it will be crucial for the town strong guidelines for the development and maintenance of its downtown core. To we propose that the four blocks at the intersection of Sycamore and Elm become the new Central Business district. The provisions within this zone should limit the uses to light commercial and other businesses that encourage local ownership. Additionally, we propose town adopt an architectural review process within this zone that will require any changes be approved by the town's zoning board.

The town desires to become a certified Indiana Main Street community so that it may acquire more funding through the state and access various county and state resources. However, to achieve the certification of an Indiana Main Street Community, it will be crucial for the town to create strong guidelines for the development and maintenance of its downtown core. To this end, we propose that the four blocks at the intersection of Sycamore and Elm become the town's new Central Business district. The provisions within this zone should limit the uses to light commercial and other businesses that encourage local ownership. Additionally, we propose that the town adopt an architectural review process within this zone that will require any façade changes be approved by the town's zoning board.

desires to become a certified Indiana Main Street community so that it may acquire funding through the state and access various county and state resources. However, to the certification of an Indiana Main Street Community, it will be crucial for the town strong guidelines for the development and maintenance of its downtown core. To we propose that the four blocks at the intersection of Sycamore and Elm become new Central Business district. The provisions within this zone should limit the uses commercial and other businesses that encourage local ownership. Additionally, we that the town adopt an architectural review process within this zone that will require façade changes be approved by the town's zoning board.

The town desires to become a certified Indiana Main Street community so that it may acquire more funding through the state and access various county and state resources. However, to achieve the certification of an Indiana Main Street Community, it will be crucial for the town to create strong guidelines for the development and maintenance of its downtown core. To this end, we propose that the four blocks at the intersection of Sycamore and Elm become the town's new Central Business district. The provisions within this zone should limit the uses to light commercial and other businesses that encourage local ownership. Additionally, we propose that the town adopt an architectural review process within this zone that will require any façade changes be approved by the town's zoning board.

Gaston, Indiana Proposed Zoning Changes

Rezoning Gaston

Rezoning Gaston

Gaston, Indiana Current Zoning (2022)

Gaston, Indiana Current Zoning (2022)

Issue

Issue

The Town of Gaston’s ordinances and zoning map have not been revised or updated since the 1970’s. Due to this, the current zoning map has outdated zoning classifications/defections and locations of land uses that may not align with Gaston’s future development goals. Figure 25 shows the current zoning map.

The Town of Gaston’s ordinances and zoning map have not been revised or updated 1970’s. Due to this, the current zoning map has outdated zoning classifications/defections locations of land uses that may not align with Gaston’s future development goals. shows the current zoning map.

Current Map

Current Map

The current zones within the town of Gaston can be subdivided into four categories: industrial, residential, business, and special. Within the industrial category, there are limited industrial and intense industrial zones. In the residential zone, there are residential zones 1 through 5, with a mobile home residence zone (MHR) created for the accommodation of mobile homes. The business zones within Gaston are categorized into the following: variety business zone (BV), community business zone (BC), business and professional office zone (BP), and limited business zone (BL). Additionally, there are currently two special zones within Gaston, the flood area zone and the recreation and conservation zone. Tables 9 12 show the permitted uses within every zone, with the green indicating permitted uses and the red prohibited uses.

The current zones within the town of Gaston can be subdivided into four categories: residential, business, and special. Within the industrial category, there are limited industrial intense industrial zones. In the residential zone, there are residential zones 1 through a mobile home residence zone (MHR) created for the accommodation of mobile homes. business zones within Gaston are categorized into the following: variety business zone community business zone (BC), business and professional office zone (BP), and limited zone (BL). Additionally, there are currently two special zones within Gaston, the flood and the recreation and conservation zone. Tables 9 - 12 show the permitted uses zone, with the green indicating permitted uses and the red prohibited uses.

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo – Architecture & Urban Design Portfolio

Figure 26 - Proposed Gaston Zoning Map (2022)

Gaston, Indiana Proposed Zoning Changes

Business Districts

Figure 26 - Proposed Gaston Zoning Map (2022)

STRATEGIES

Strategy 1: Removal of Outdated Zones

There are a number of zoning designations that are outdated in the ordinance that no longer apply as the town has grown and changed.

a. Farm Zone

The current Gaston City zoning map indicates the existence of a farming zone; currently, there are no lots within the town limits that are designated as such. Additionally, the permitted uses under the farming zone allow for large agricultural structures that are not compatible with the size of the roads and town. We recommend the Farm zone be removed, or partially subsumed into another zone.

b. Flood Area

i. Due to FEMA requirements and the safety of the residents of Gaston, the current Zoning Map has a large flood area surrounding Pipe Creek, that limits activities and uses for only recreational purposes. However, the current boundaries were determined by the Louisville District of the Corps of Engineers of the Department of the Army at some previous date that may no longer be accurate to current conditions. We recommend a new study be done to determine updated flood area boundaries.

C. Mobile Home Residence

i. The current Gaston City zoning map allows for mobile homes to be built within specific areas of the town. Due to the explicit allowance within the zoning map and ordinances, it may incentivize the creation of more mobile homes which may not provide the type of development the town wishes to pursue. We recommend that the Mobile Home zone be removed and instead become a conditional use for the R1 through R5 zones to allow the Town more control over the future values of the properties and guide desired development.

Strategy 2: Consolidation of Redundant Zones

The second strategy for updating the current zoning map is the consolidation of redundant zones that we identified as being virtually compatible with each other (with minor deviations). Consolidation of these zones will allow for a clearer reading of the towns' ordinances and provide clearer guidance to property owners and investors of what is clearly permitted and not. This will incentive development by reducing confusion and providing clearer guidance. Additionally, consolidating zones and broadening their definitions will provide more discretionary power to the town zoning board to make clearer and more flexible zoning determinations in the preceding years.

d. R1-R2

Strategy 2: Building Murals

Another strategy to help beautify downtown Gaston is to organize local artists to work with building owners along Elm Street to paint murals on prominent walls along the street. This will help to cover blank walls with interesting stories about the town and make the downtown a livelier place. This could draw visitors interested in learning about the history of the town to the area. An example of such is shown in Figure 34.

Strategy 3: Landscaping Improvements Along Elm Street

As one of the arteries through the Town of Gaston, Elm Street and other strategic locations downtown should be spruced up through landscaping. This would include planting trees along the north side of Elm Street, repainting parking stalls, giving buildings a fresh coat of paint, and installing raised flower beds on either side of the street. An example of such an improvement is depicted in Figure 35.

The current Zoning map and ordinances have provisions for R1-R2 however the current map does not have any R2 zone within the town. Additionally, the current differences between the R1 and R2 zones are based ON lot sizes and setbacks that are minor. As such we recommend that the R1 and R2 zone be consolidated into an R1 zone with modified setbacks and lot sizes.

e. R3

We propose the R3 zone be maintained as currently stipulated with potential changes to setbacks and lot size requirements.

f. R4-R5

R4 through R5 allows for larger sizes and development, with specifically R5 allowing for multifamily units. We propose that the R4 through R5 be merged into a single zone that allows for the largest lot sizes and multifamily units with the intention of placing these towards the northern or southern portions of town (or wherever direction the town may choose to expand) so that future development may be more easily established.

The Alley: Block Development in Muncie, IN

Fall

2022

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo Urban Graphics + Site Design + Land Development

DESCRIPTION:

Poten�a Townhome Rent

The Alley Row

Muncie Indiana, is a vibrant city with a population of 65,292 people. The City is home to Ball State University, one of Indiana’s largest public universities. Its downtown area also holds an Ivy Tech campus. Muncie has had an increase of 1.1% in its job market since 2021. The cities housing stock is evenly split between homeowner occupied and renter occupied housing units; this housing composition can be primary be attributed to the large student population found in Muncie (from both Ivy Tech and Ball State). However the overall Muncie resident population has been decreasing. While the student population continues to recover to pre COVID19 pandemic levels the overall Muncie resident population has remained stagnant.

As we transition out of the pandemic we can then expect an explosion of student housing demand and young professionals within the downtown Muncie area. To this end we believe our proposal for the development of predominately town homes near the downtown area will provide an ideal housing typology that can cater to both future young professionals and to Muncie’s growing student population. The town home model provides a higher density form of housing that can more readily be rented out to a student population or sold to younger professionals hoping to live near the downtown area and its amenities. Additionally our plan provides a transitional zone of moderately dense town homes between the downtown area and the existing adjacent residential zones.

The Alley Row Development Group Identity & Strategy

The often forgotten alley takes center stage in The Alley Row. Turned from an ancillary feature to the social space of the neighborhood. The use of the town home typology encourages a seamless transition between zones and provides th required density to make this project feasible while also providing each unit with a garage unit below each unit thus providing adequate parking per the Muncie ordinances while avoiding the creation of ancillary detached garages, thus keeping a more open spaces. With the anticipation this development may spur on intense use and development of the area we have also proposed the placement of an additional parking garage to meet the parking needs of the residents and the ivy tech students and all other potential visitors.

Muncie Indiana, is a vibrant city with a population of 65,292 people. The City is home to Ball State University, one of Indiana’s largest public universities. Its downtown area also holds an Ivy Tech campus. Muncie has had an increase of 1.1% in its job market since 2021. The cities housing stock is evenly split between homeowner occupied and renter occupied housing units; this housing composition can be primary be attributed to the large student population found in Muncie. However the overall Muncie resident population has been decreasing. While the student population continues to recover to pre COVID19 pandemic levels the overall Muncie resident population has remained stagnant.

Aerial Perspective PLAN 605 Module 6

Executive Summary

Parking

Development

Poten�a Apartment Rent

Parking Requ rements: 1/un t 29

Parking Requ rements: 1/200sq� of retai

Muncie Indiana, is a vibrant city with a to Ball State University, one of Indiana’s also holds an Ivy Tech campus. Muncie since 2021. The cities housing stock is evenly renter occupied housing units; this housing the large student population found in Muncie ever the overall Muncie resident population population continues to recover to pre COVID19 resident population has remained stagnant.

As we transition out of the pandemic we housing demand and young professionals end we believe our proposal for the development the downtown area will provide an ideal young professionals and to Muncie’s growing model provides a higher density form of a student population or sold to younger area and its amenities. Additionally our dense town homes between the downtown zones.

Identity & Strategy

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo

PLAN 605 Module 4 Jose Rodriguez Trujillo

As we transition out of the pandemic we can then expect an explosion of student housing demand and young professionals within the downtown Muncie area. To this end I developed a strategy for the redevlopment of large parking areas within the Muncie downtown area to be converted into down town homes that will provide an ideal housing typology that can cater to both future young professionals and to Muncie’s growing student population. The town home model provides a higher density form of housing that can more readily be rented out to a student population or sold to younger professionals hoping to live near the downtown area and its amenities. Additionally my plan provides a transitional zone of moderately dense town homes between the downtown area and the existing adjacent residential zones.

Tota Apartment SqFt 17747

Parking Requ rements: 1/un t 11

Parking Requ rements: 1/200sq� of retai 45

Proposed Park ng: Parking Garage 96

The often forgotten alley takes center stage feature to the social space of the neighborhood. encourages a seamless transition between make this project feasible while also providing unit thus providing adequate parking per creation of ancillary detached garages, anticipation this development may spur have also proposed the placement of an needs of the residents and the ivy tech students

Executive

PLAN 605 Module Jose Rodriguez Trujillo

Jose Rodriguez Trujillo

The existing parking garage along with the new parking garage frames the development to allow for multiple parking options for visitors thus allowing for less on street parking within the development

Branding Guide

Parks have been interspersed throughout the development to provide adequate recreational opportunities not just to the residents of the alley but also local existing residents.

The Alley Row Master Plan

Both apartment complexes have been placed on the side furthest from the residential homes to allow for the town homes to provide a smoother transition of housing typology

The central alley/bike path allows for a direct access from the residential homes straight to the parking garages and vice versa thus creating a unified walking core