Neighborhoods Now 2022: Community League of the Heights

Challenges Highbridge Recreation Center New York-Presbyterian & Columbia University Medical Campus

Institutional Buildings

Boricua College Hispanic Society Museum & Library

Morris-Jumel Mansion

Labor / Demographics 1. Increasing household income and rent

Business & Marketing 1. Commercial vacancy rates are increasing

2. Connections between Broadway & Amsterdam need improvement

2. The population age groups are shifting older

2. Business Improvement District formation has been difficult to realize

3. Streetscape & retail storefronts lack cohesion

Existing Conditions Analysis Washington Heights Library

Public Realm & Open Space 1. The neighborhood has many distinct characters

3. Residents and businesses are concerned about displacement

Ground Floor Retail Parks Key Retail Corridors

Planning Approach

Gateways

Community League of the Heights (CLOTH) Washington Heights

The study area’s retail supply is stagnant, but rents have been creeping to $35 / SF over the last 3 years.

Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners BJH Advisors Cause + Matter Design Studio Fried Frank HLW International LLP

Race / Ethnicity (2019) Black or African American (10%) White (14%) Asian (3%) Hispanic or Latino (73%)

The team developed the Framework, presented here, based on the market and placemaking needs assessment as well as outcomes from the community visioning workshop. The Framework articulates (3) Neighborhood Districts based on existing land-uses and circulation, and then highlights (4) “Nodes” as key focal points based on existing and potential destinations. Links and connections between these nodes are intended to be strengthened by strategic streetscape and public open space improvements as well as unified messaging to be implemented throughout the neighborhood.

The neighborhood’s population is changing faster than Manhattan and NYC as a whole.

Goals “We want to establish a vision for Washington Heights that’s rooted in our rich culture and spirit, and will help all its residents grow and thrive.“ –Yvonne Stennett, Executive Director, CLOTH • Be Inclusive Respect the diversity of residents and businesses and showcase the best of our culture without allowing any one culture/demographic to become the dominant voice.

• Visualize Together Collaborate directly with the community members to understand their needs and desires and become advocates for their cause.

• Stay Grounded Acknowledge the functional business needs that drive commerce within the community and ensure these are supported or improved moving forward.

United Palace Node

Medical Campus Node

Neighborhood Park Node South Gateway Node

3. Lack of recognizable Neighborhood Identity

MURAL PROJECT

Rise Plaza Following the needs assessment and building on the Framework presented on the adjoining board, due to the large scale of the study area, the team chose a strategic location within the neighborhood to develop as a pilot, or template, for other areas of the neighborhood.

The area chosen is a vacant, highly visible, and accessible triangular area of land located at the intersection of 163rd Street, Amsterdam Avenue, and St Nicholas Avenue.

CANOPY

MOVABLE PLANTER

NEIGHBORHOOD SIGNAGE

PLAY PARTS

This vacant triangular lot could be transformed into a flexible gathering place to hold a variety of community-based and business-supporting programs.

Using desktop research and the surveys and questionnaires previously conducted, in order to give the plaza a cohesive look and feel with messaging to support it, a system for messaging was developed and drafted. As shown below, two design directions were presented to the team to help CLOTH better position the project for funding.

RAISED PLANTERS & SEATING

GROUND MURAL WITH PERMEABLE PAVING MATERIALS

Our plaza pays tribute to the people who make up the neighborhood and their energy. It pays tribute to the work of business owners, longtime residents, neighborhood activists, churches and synagogues, cultural organizations, and business leaders for what they’ve put into the neighborhood. The working tagline is “Greatness rises in Washington Heights.”

Additional public spaces can be named with these actions words, inspired by the spirit of the community and the essence of a growing, evolving neighborhood that respects all who comprise it and its past: Rise Plaza, Lift Park, and Build Square.

Design Direction 1: Sturdy, tall typeface with widths that match the rays of the sun. “Washington Heights” is set in an approachable and friendly font.

Rise Plaza Concept Design: Transformation of an empty lot into a space that celebrates neighborhood identity and community through local small business programming.

Although currently privately owned, this parcel presents an exciting opportunity for both temporary short-term and permanent long-term interventions as a small business focal point that will attract local residents, nearby workers, and city-wide visitors. Retail displays, streetscape elements, and plaza furniture are conceived as a “kit of parts” that can be implemented throughout the neighborhood along retail corridors and other smaller plazas.

Design Direction 2: Playful, modern, movement-filled typeface to symbolize the future of Washington Heights.

Sun rising on the horizon.

This vacant triangular lot could be transformed into a flexible gathering place to hold a variety of community-based and business-supporting programs.

Key Strategies Facilitate Connections Organize existing businesses to establish a strong local voice that advocates for resources and supports business

Establish an Identity Develop public realm and messaging strategies that celebrate a recognizable identity, support local businesses, and attract visitors

Grow from Within Build on existing programs that provide skill-building opportunities to help Washington Heights grow from within

MURALS

L AI T RE

STOREFRONT DISPLAY

K AL W DE I S NE O Z

FOOD TRUCK ZONE

NE E NG A I N L K O E R Z IK PA G B N EX TI EX L A FL F SE

E ZO CAP S D LAN

Conceptual Program Diagram

MARKET TENTS

LANDSCAPE ZONE SPECIAL PROGRAM ZONE

NE

FLEX ZONE

Flexible Space Design Concept, showing Farmers Market + Outdoor Art Gallery