On October 23, dozens of people gathered at Wynnewood Seniors Housing Groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the new construction that will bring affordable housing and social services to residents 55 or older. The Senior housing represents the first phase of the revitalization project for the Parks at Wynnewood. The CityDesign Studio held a charrette on Saturday, November 3 to gather ideas on the location of Phase II and to determine desired housing type and density for future phases of the Parks at Wynnewood. Stakeholders from The Parks at Wynnewood along with stakeholders from five surrounding neighborhoods attended providing their ideas and desires for the future of the area. Attendees were broken into five tables and given "playing cards" that included illustrations, descriptions and land requirements to help inform and direct the conversations.
Locations for Phase II were identified by each table. Based on the identified locations, the recommended location for Phase II is a 3.9 acre area south of W. Louisiana Ave, east of Zang Blvd, north of the Empowerment Center and west of Brookhaven Dr.
Positives of recommended location for Phase II
- Places a concentration of families closer to retail, services, and public transportation
- With improvements to the creek running along the back side of the property, a trail network along its edge could provide alternative recreation and transportation opportunities
- Existing single family neighborhoods are not threatened by proximity and height of new development buildings
- Removes a total of 22 existing units for redevelopment of site
- Adjacency to the Empowerment Center, an established community resource and services center
- Small site, 3.90 acres, leaves a larger balance for phase III and future market rate development
Negatives of recommended location for Phase II
- Located away from phase I, leasing center, community park, and dog park
Design Objectives
- Small setbacks with windows and direct access from each ground level unit to the street. Stoops/porches provide transition from public to private
- Shape and character of the street is enhanced with parking hidden internal to the building
- Reduce traffic speeds and safety along Zang by providing parallel parking, a landscaped buffer, improved lighting, and comfortable sidewalk accommodations
- Connect The Parks at Wynnewood along an enhanced creek and trail system
For more details about the recommendation, review the November 3 charrette notes.
July 21 Charrette
On the morning of Saturday July 21, the CityDesign studio held a design workshop with the residents of the Parks at Wynnewood and neighboring communities to discover, through an open and collaborative effort, their views on opportunities, challenges, and "must happen" priorities for this area. This charrette along with the information gathered from four community meetings served as a foundation for the charrette held on November 3, 2012.
These questions and many more were asked by local stakeholders:
How will the Parks at Wynnewood change? How will my neighborhood benefit? Can Wynnewood Village attract quality retailers and fill it's parking lots with shoppers? What is the vision for this important part of our city?
Background
The Parks at Wynnewood is an apartment home community which first opened more than 60 years ago. In 1995 it was restored, renamed, and became restricted to low-income tenants on 404 of its 408 units. Owners of the Parks at Wynnewood are now planning a redevelopment of its 48 acres. In accordance with existing requirements, a minimum of 404 units will be redeveloped in phases on a reduced footprint within the 48 acre project site to include a combination of both affordable multi-family housing and low-income senior housing units. Surplus land will then be released for development of market rate housing, retail and/or office. In connection with the development of the property and as consideration for the City's approval of the debt restructuring, the owners of the Parks at Wynnewood will reimburse the City for an amount not to exceed $125,000 for planning and urban design services by the CityDesign studio for the project's 48 acres and the nearby Wynnewood Village.