New York Avenue Corridor Strategy Adopted Report New York Avenue Corridor Strategy Adopted Report | Page 18

PHYSICAL CONDITIONS
EXISTING STRUCTURES
munity Service) which allows for a wide range
of retail and office uses. Along E. Abram Street,
the commercial zoning includes NS (Neighbor-
hood Service), CS and B (Business). The B zon-
ing category allows all of the uses allowed in the
CS category, plus additional uses including mi-
nor auto repair, motor vehicle sales, pawn shops
and warehouses.
The configuration of buildings, the sizes of their
footprints and the spaces that they enclose can
have a direct correlation ON the perceived aes-
thetic quality of an area, as well as the desirabil-
ity for businesses to locate in the area. Devel-
opments with large expanses of parking located
at the front of buildings with minimal landscaping
are configured for consumers to arrive by car,
walk directly into a business, and then depart.
In general, the existing zoning in the Study Area This approach to retail development was the
supports the uses that will be a part of the future norm in the 1950’s and 1960’s, but is not desired
vision for the area. In limited areas, however, it by quality retailers today who want to attract con-
will likely be necessary to re-zone key parcels sumers to get out of their cars and peruse multi-
to accommodate the desired vision for targeted ple establishments.
parcels in the corridor, or to exclude some uses
that are currently allowed but not supportive of The existing character of the New York Avenue
the future vision for the area.
Corridor Study Area is indicative of a 1950’s
suburban development pattern (see Figure 2.4).
EXISTING PARCEL SIZE
The majority of buildings are one story and have
footprints that are less than 2,000 square feet.
The ability to accommodate significant change In the major commercial areas, the buildings are
in the development pattern of corridors is typi- set back a great distance from the roadways
cally dependent upon parcel size. One of the with parking located in front of the buildings.
largest roadblocks to corridor revitalization is This configuration negatively impacts the overall
the existence of small parcels with fragmented street character. Opportunities exist for the re-
ownership. This condition can severely limit the configuration of these areas through infill devel-
ability to redevelop at a scale that can change opment or redevelopment. This would create a
market perceptions related to a corridor. With- more vibrant street life, a more walkable corridor,
in the Study Area, 18 parcels are larger than a more visually pleasing environment, and a bet-
five acres and 16 parcels are between two and ter business climate.
five acres. While some of these parcels contain
parks, schools and churches which are import-
ant anchors for the surrounding neighborhoods,
several contain underutilized commercial cen-
ters or are vacant (see Figure 2.3). Overall, the
existing parcel sizes favorably contribute to the
ability to accommodate new development within
the New York Avenue Corridor.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS
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