Leytham, A New Traditional Neighborhood

West Omaha, Sarpy and Nebraska metro counties.

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Herb
Home Owners Association
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Location: 168th and State Streets
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Re: Leytham, A New Traditional Neighborhood

Post by Herb »

Yes, hope for an SID commitment springs eternal.

Herb
Herb Freeman
Full Circle Ventures, Inc.
16510 State Street
Bennington, NE  68007

402.689.4000
Herb@FullCircleVentures.com
http://www.Leytham.com
http://www.NewHerbanism.BlogSpot.com
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Coyote
City Council
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Re: Leytham, A New Traditional Neighborhood

Post by Coyote »

Herb wrote:Yes, hope for an SID commitment springs eternal.

Herb
Hey, welcome back Herb! How far do you think you are away from getting the Planning Board to creating enough new codes for Leytham?
Herb
Home Owners Association
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2006 12:43 pm
Location: 168th and State Streets
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Re: Leytham, A New Traditional Neighborhood

Post by Herb »

Coyote wrote:
Herb wrote:Yes, hope for an SID commitment springs eternal.

Herb
Hey, welcome back Herb! How far do you think you are away from getting the Planning Board to creating enough new codes for Leytham?
All,

It has been a long time since I explained this, so it may be review for some with long memories and news to others. The City Planning Department and Planning Board were and are very supportive of Leytham and like concepts. At the time we were first entitling Leytham, the issue was how best to accomplish the mix of uses and other new traditional neighborhood design elements with a city code that was not written to enable new traditional development. The solution that we adopted was to make Leytham a Conservation Neighborhood. We did this because a conservation neighborhood writes it own regulator as an overlay to the city's usual zoning. The regulator for Leytham is called the "Leytham Development Regulation," (“LDR”). The LDR is a variant of the SmartCode modified for Leytham and Omaha. It is through the LDR that we are able to have form-based (not use-based) zoning, a mix of uses on the same block and even in the same building, more enlightened parking regulations that permit shared parking for different uses, non-standard setbacks to permit houses up close to the sidewalk, etc.

At the time, no neighborhood could be designated a “Conservation Neighborhood” until it was twenty-five years old. That requirement was removed when it was realized that it should not matter how old a neighborhood is to enable us to preserve something worth keeping. So Leytham is a Conservation Neighborhood before it is even built. Subject to final LDR adoption, It is entitled with all the development codes it needs in one document. The new urbanists, town planners and place makers across the country that I have explained this to are very impressed with Omaha’s creativity and support to make new urbanist projects possible.

On a related note, back in 2007 and 2008, shortly after the Leytham charrette and the preliminary plat approval, I sponsored a calibration by the PlaceMakers, Leytham’s urban designers, of the SmartCode for Omaha. The SmartCode, which is a form-based model uniform planning, urban design and zoning ordinance, was modified in draft form for use by the City of Omaha as an optional overlay to enable developers to do new urbanist and traditional neighborhood development projects more easily. The Great Recession put that project in hibernation, but the draft still exists and it would not take much to finalize and adopt it as a an optional development tool.
Herb Freeman
Full Circle Ventures, Inc.
16510 State Street
Bennington, NE  68007

402.689.4000
Herb@FullCircleVentures.com
http://www.Leytham.com
http://www.NewHerbanism.BlogSpot.com
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Coyote
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Re: Leytham, A New Traditional Neighborhood

Post by Coyote »

Herb, I did a quick search, does this look like definitions which would be used here?:
A neighborhood conservation overlay district (NCOD) is a zoning tool used to preserve, revitalize, protect, and enhance significant older areas within a community beyond what is specified in the standard code. The conservation overlay regulations are applied in addition to standard zoning regulations and will usually take precedence. NCOD regulations will differ from neighborhood to neighborhood depending on the area’s character and needs.

NCODs versus Historic Districts

Both a NCOD and a historic district are overlay districts; however, a NCOD will typically regulate fewer features and will focus more on significant character defining features, such as lot size, building height, setbacks, streetscapes, and tree protection. Unlike historic districts, NCODs rarely consider specific elements, such as windows, buildings materials, colors, and decorative details. In addition, most NCODs do not include demolition delays, a tool utilized in historic districts.
The SmartCode is a model transect-based planning and zoning document based on environmental analysis. It addresses all scales of planning, from the region to the community to the block and building. The template is intended for local calibration to your town or neighborhood. As a form-based code, the SmartCode keeps settlements compact and rural lands open, literally reforming the sprawling patterns of separated-use zoning.

The SmartCode is distributed by the nonprofit Center for Applied Transect Studies (CATS), which promotes understanding of the built environment as part of the natural environment, through the planning methodology of the rural-to-urban transect. The open-source SmartCode is the most complete transect-based model code to date. CATS offers numerous other transect-based tools, including supplementary Modules designed to plug into assembled codes as needed.
A form-based code is a land development regulation that fosters predictable built results and a high-quality public realm by using physical form (rather than separation of uses) as the organizing principle for the code. A form-based code is a regulation, not a mere guideline, adopted into city, town, or county law. A form-based code offers a powerful alternative to conventional zoning regulation.

And, the I found this:
Leytham | Omaha, Nebraska

Developer Herb Freeman’s home, a Georgian mansion that sits in the geographic center of his 160 acres, inspired the design for Leytham, a traditional neighborhood development just outside Omaha, Nebraska. Directing all facets, PlaceMakers delivered master planning, regulatory codes, charrette communications, implementation advisory and, after the charrette itself, brand marketing support.

The design problems associated with Leythem were two-fold: beautiful but challenging topography led the public to ask, “Don’t TNDs only work on flat land?”, while the equally beautiful land surrounding the project had developed in recent years with a conventional, and regrettable, pattern of generic American sprawl. PlaceMakers was challenged by the client to design as intensely as possible while respecting the topography, and to capture the long views of the countryside while avoiding the views of the surrounding suburban development.

The solution was found in a very medieval plan not unlike a spider web draped over the high point of a hill. Greenways were established to serve as public parks and pedestrian enjoyment. Existing wetlands were reclaimed, and the ravine with a creek became a preserved natural open space. Concurrently, the charrette architects developed hillside solutions for all housing and commercial types that are commonly used in traditional neighborhoods. A variety of civic buildings and spaces were planned, and a pervasive green network was established throughout the site.

Meanwhile, the team’s transportation engineer negotiated pedestrian and retail-friendly access to the major thoroughfares at the corner of the site, while public relations and outreach efforts achieved major coverage in the local media and drove sufficient web traffic to generate a sales prospect list of over 200 people.

The result was much support throughout the surrounding community, helping speed approval at the preliminary platting phase as City Planning and Zoning established a new provision for TND entitlements citywide.
Herb
Home Owners Association
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2006 12:43 pm
Location: 168th and State Streets
Contact:

Re: Leytham, A New Traditional Neighborhood

Post by Herb »

Coyote, your quotes are spot on.

Leytham is an "NCOD" and the "conservation overlay regulations" mentioned in the second sentence are the "Leytham Development Regulations" I mentioned in my previous post.

Herb
Herb Freeman
Full Circle Ventures, Inc.
16510 State Street
Bennington, NE  68007

402.689.4000
Herb@FullCircleVentures.com
http://www.Leytham.com
http://www.NewHerbanism.BlogSpot.com
TechnicalDisaster
Parks & Recreation
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Re: Leytham, A New Traditional Neighborhood

Post by TechnicalDisaster »

Herb wrote:Yes, hope for an SID commitment springs eternal.

Herb
With the shortage of lots in Omaha and surrounding areas, I'm surprised you couldn't get the ball rolling on this soon. I'm glad to see the idea is still alive. I was excited about this developement back in 2006 when it was first announced.
"This is America.  It is my God given right to be loudly opinionated on issues I am completely ignorant of."
cdub
Parks & Recreation
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Re: Leytham, A New Traditional Neighborhood

Post by cdub »

TechnicalDisaster wrote:
Herb wrote:Yes, hope for an SID commitment springs eternal.

Herb
With the shortage of lots in Omaha and surrounding areas, I'm surprised you couldn't get the ball rolling on this soon.  I'm glad to see the idea is still alive.  I was excited about this developement back in 2006 when it was first announced.
Shortage of lots being a relative term I suppose...
Herb is doing something unique in this market, particularly in a start from scratch suburban area. The mechanisms of finance don't like unique because it looks to them like risk. Unfortunately, its far easier to do same old same old.
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Garrett
Planning Board
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Re: Leytham, A New Traditional Neighborhood

Post by Garrett »

Quick question... Who is this neighborhood for?
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Herb
Home Owners Association
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2006 12:43 pm
Location: 168th and State Streets
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Re: Leytham, A New Traditional Neighborhood

Post by Herb »

Thanks for great question, Garrett. The short answer to the question “Who is this neighborhood for?” is “Leytham is for everyone.”

Leytham is a walkable, new traditional mixed-use neighborhood. One of its distinguishing features is the very wide array of housing types, sizes and price points. There are lots for

• “apartment mansions” (think of a multi-family building with four or more units that looks like a large house),
• flex buildings (with commercial/retail on the first floor and apartments and/or condos on the second and/or third floors),
• live work units (row houses with commercial uses on the first floor and residential uses above),
• row houses,
• carriage houses (think of row houses cut apart into separate single family dwellings),
• cottages on lots from 28’ to 48’ wide,
• garden houses on lots from 49’ to 56’ wide,
• village houses on lots from 57’ to 64’ wide,
• park houses on lots from 65’ to 72’ wide,
• boulevard houses on lots from 72’ to 80’ wide, and
• manor houses on lots over 80’ wide.
• Additionally, accessory dwelling units (separate dwelling units above the garage or in a separate building on the lot) are not only permitted but encouraged. These accessory dwelling units can be used for a business, be occupied by parents or teenagers or “bounce back” adult children, or they can be rented out.

The smallest single family lots in Leytham are 30’ by 50’ carriage house lots totaling 1,500 square feet (about 3.5% of an acre). The largest single family lots are over 16,300 square foot manor lots (about 38% of an acre). Notice that the largest and smallest single family lot sizes vary by a factor of about ten times: the largest lots are more than ten times larger than the smallest lots.

Similarly, the single family home prices could vary by a factor of 10. A carriage house could cost $180,000 and a manor house could cost $1,800,000. And with rental options including units in apartment mansions, over retail in flex buildings and live/work units, and in accessory dwelling units, Leytham will appeal to a very diverse group of people from a variety of income levels and in all phases of life from young adults to seniors. Check out the Letyahm site plans here to see the wide variety of lot types.

It is just this sort of variety and socio-economic diversity that makes a new traditional neighborhood like Leytham so compelling for so many people.

For more information, see the Leytham website at http://www.Leytham.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
Herb Freeman
Full Circle Ventures, Inc.
16510 State Street
Bennington, NE  68007

402.689.4000
Herb@FullCircleVentures.com
http://www.Leytham.com
http://www.NewHerbanism.BlogSpot.com
User avatar
Garrett
Planning Board
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Joined: Wed Nov 26, 2008 6:29 pm
Location: New York City

Re: Leytham, A New Traditional Neighborhood

Post by Garrett »

That's great to hear Herb. In my studies thus far I've often found that communities built similar to yours often exclude the working class.

Now, is there any sort of community group or center that you intend to propagate along with this development? Another issue that tends to arise in mixed income communities is the lack of trust between the rich and the poor. I think it's a potential issue that you should try to address before it arises.

Also, is there anyway that the city would be able to bring transit to this development?
OMA-->CHI-->NYC
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