Walk-Testing Waverly


Civic By Design has launched a "Walkability Scorecard" matrix we will be testing on a variety of places.  This is  is similar to "walk score" https://www.walkscore.com/ for places, but in this case it's more about the walking experience when you are actually there as opposed to just the statistical distance between two different uses which has been a criticism of "walkscore" since created. https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2012/08/walk-score-great-it-still-doesnt-capture-walk-appeal/2858/ Our hope is this will help influence future projects to continue to raise the bar. 



Waverly Master Plan, Recent Aerial Photograph, and Town Center Rendering:

credit Waverly Development and Charlotte Observer


The June 2017 Civic By Design Forum took another fun field trip, this time going to Waverly in south Charlotte  promoted as a walkable community where you can live/work/shop/play all within walking distance.  


We meet at the entrance to the Whole Foods and took a walk-test stroll of the substantially completed areas and then debriefed with our impressions and tabulate our Walk-Appeal score.


The following are results of our Walkability Test for Waverly which scored a grand total of 41 our of 100.








REFERENCE:


Address:  Providence Road NC-16, Ardrey Kell Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277.  (Providence Road south of I-485)


Website and Media details:

http://www.waverlyclt.com/

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/development/article139619063.html

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/development/article101547442.html

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/development/article30037995.html


Boomers, Millennials, and the McMansions No One Wants: “What's really attracting millennials are the communities that are bringing the urban flavor out to nonurban towns"

http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/boomers-millennials-and-the-mcmansions-no-one-wants/


Waverly by the numbers:

 Up to 250,000 square feet of retail space anchored by Whole Foods

 A 60,000-square-foot medical office anchored by Novant Health

 Two five- or six-story office towers, with 300,000 square feet of office space.

 150 single-family houses and townhouses

 375 Solis-brand upscale apartments 

 A 141-room Hilton Garden Inn developed by Naman Hotels. The hotel is on top of retail space, and includes a rooftop pool.


Reference articles:

The March of the MINI-CITIES

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/digger/wp/2015/08/12/in-the-washington-suburbs-the-march-of-the-mini-cities/

The Mosaic District: Urban Village Grows from SUBURBAN WASTELAND

http://www.naiop.org/en/Magazine/2013/Fall-2013/Development-Ownership/The-Mosaic-District.aspx

Goodbye Office Parks 

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444914904577619441778073340