By Adam Stewart
From the Newsroom
Four boards of education and two city councils in The Hutchinson Tribune’s coverage area meet the second Monday evening each month, so I wasn’t able to attend the big public presentation by Urban3 about what kinds of development make sense for cities generally and Hutchinson specifically to encourage.
Fortunately, though, I was able to get a sneak peek, attending the first run-through Monday morning.
The central tenets are familiar from previous Strong Towns events in Hutchinson: that land is a finite resource, cities need to use land better, and that includes really doing the math on what development makes sense for cities. Doing that math then shows that density is the most consistent predictor of development that makes financial sense for cities.
Density isn’t just a synonym for big, though. Downtown Hutchinson—which is mostly small businesses—has higher values per acre than the big box stores. Downtown storefronts with second-floor apartments are even more valuable per acre.
One thing that did surprise me was the example presenter Heather Worthington used for residential density. Kisiwa Village Road would not have been where I first thought of a neighborhood with good density. But at least between Maple and Plum streets, it actually is. It includes some duplexes—which don’t feel out of place at all—and the single-family homes are close together. It doesn’t feel like a high-density neighborhood, but just by keeping the yards small, it fits a lot of homes per acre.
Another thing the presentation touched on was the harm caused by vacant land. Worthington spoke about how it generally makes more economic sense to reinvest in a dilapidated building than to tear it down without a solid plan for redevelopment. This is something I’ve noticed a lot, first as neighborhood development coordinator at Hutch Rec, and now as a member of the Hutchinson Land Bank Board. Even though infill development is great for the city—because the expensive streets, curbs and gutters, and water and sanitary sewer pipes are already built—it can be hard to get vacant lots redeveloped. The City of Hutchinson offers a variety of incentives for infill development, with waived or refunded building and water and sewer tap fees and property tax rebates through the neighborhood revitalization program south of 11th Avenue (where most of the infill lots are). The Land Bank is typically eager anytime someone with the credible ability to build on one of its lots expresses interest. But it’s always so slow to happen.
I’ve covered several demolition hearings at Hutchinson City Council, and I’ve never seen a single council member who would rather demolish a dangerous property than see the owner fix it. I imagine the slow pace typical of redevelopment plays a part in that.
It’s why I’m excited about the Meyer Landmark Apartments project. Demolishing the old Landmark Hotel never would have been an easy decision, if only because of the cost involved, but it was in rough shape, to put it mildly, before work began.
But instead of an empty shell of a building or a vacant lot at a highly visible intersection, private investment and public incentives are restoring it to what should be a valuable asset for many decades: high-density, mixed-use development with multiple floors of apartments.
I expect it will be a real bright spot downtown, and I hope Hutchinson, as a city and community, will continue to find ways to breathe life back into areas where we have already made the investment in infrastructure.
Adam Stewart is the assistant news editor of The Hutchinson Tribune. He can be reached at adam@hutchtribune.com.