For the latest information, visit www.RansonRenewed.com.

The City of Ranson, along with our partner Charles Town, received the three seminal grants from the President's Partnership for Sustainable Communities in October 2010. The Ranson-Charles Town community has been selected by DOT, HUD and EPA to serve as a national model for how small rural cities on the fringe of a major metropolitan area can foster sustainable economic development, transit, and community livability through targeted and strategic planning and infrastructure investments. We were the only community out of 1,700 applicants who received all three grants. So, this has gotten a lot of attention on the federal level - including www.Whitehouse.gov.   This project is approximately a $1.5 million planning project.

To facilitate this transformative change, planning funds are being used for the following four linked and interdependent project components:

+ Develop a form-based SmartCode system that joins a green downtown overlay district with a new zoning approach for the undeveloped, outlying areas of the Cities.

+ Redesign and engineer the Fairfax Boulevard-George Street Corridor into a "complete street" with green infrastructure, to promote a better transportation route for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit; and

+ Design a new regional Charles Washington Commuter Center in downtown Charles Town that will facilitate access to regional rail and bus transit systems for Ranson, Charles Town and Jefferson County.

+ Create a master plan for downtown that spurs job growth and economic development in former dilapidated manufacturing sites.

As if this was not ambitious enough, the City Council authorized funds to revise the City's comprehensive plan at the same time.

Ranson Renewed Week

From September 8 through the 14th, 2011, we hosted a number of consultants and experts (approximately 30 representing a diverse range of skills - engineering, architecture, economic development, planning, urban design, landscaping, storm water, environmental, utilities), investors, business people, residents, citizens and dignitaries on the federal, state and local level to help create the plan for our future. City Hall was busy with people. The public portion kicked off on September 8 at 7:00 p.m. at Washington High School with an opening session. Former Maryland Governor Parris Glendening was our keynote speaker, followed by EPA Assistant Administrator, Mathy Stanislaus - a presidential appointment underneath the EPA Secretary. Find out all about it on www.RansonRenewed.com.

So what is this all about and what are we hoping to achieve when this is over?

The simple answer: economic development and jobs!

1. A form-based zoning ordinance to ensure that future development in this region is traditional-neighborhood, mixed-use, green-focused development. A few of you may be asking "What is a form-based code" Form-Based Zoning Codes are a method of regulating development to achieve a specific urban form or look. Form-based codes place an emphasis on the relationship between the street and buildings, pedestrian and vehicles, public and private spaces, and the relationship between multiple buildings, a block, a neighborhood and transitions in scale. They create a predictable public realm by controlling physical form of private developments, with a secondary focus on land use regulations. This is in contrast to conventional zoning's focus on the micromanagement and segregation of land uses, and the control of development intensity through abstract and uncoordinated parameters (e.g., floor area ratios, dwelling units per acre, setbacks, parking ratios) to the neglect of an integrated built form. Not to be confused with design guidelines or general statements of policy, form-based codes are regulatory, not advisory.

Differences between Euclidean Codes & Form-Based Codes:

Euclidean Codes segregate uses where Form-Based Codes stress the importance of mixed-use areas.  Because Form-Based Codes are prescriptive (they state what you want), rather than proscriptive (what you don't want), form-based codes (FBCs) can achieve a more predictable physical result.

Form-based codes are pro-active, rather than re-active. Form-Based codes are much shorter, more concise, and organized for visual access and readability.

This feature makes it easier for non-planners to determine whether compliance has been achieved.

FBCs work well in established communities because they effectively define and codify a neighborhood's existing structure and promote compatible infill with ease. Euclidean zoning focuses on and regulates use, ignores design and human scale.

Euclidean zoning codes regulates use and deemphasizes concerns for design and human scale.

2. A shovel-ready Fairfax Boulevard/George Street project so that we can seek funds to construct. Originally envisioned by the founders of Ranson as a grand central avenue linking the urban centers of Ranson and Charles Town, the Fairfax Boulevard portion of the Green Corridor instead grew organically into a car-centric roadway that is unsafe and dysfunctional. The lack of sidewalks or safe crossing points make it difficult for pedestrians, cyclists or transit riders to safely utilize Fairfax Boulevard, while haphazard parking and overhead utility lines hinder private development along the corridor. The complete streets improvements identified for the re-design include the introduction of a landscaped (green infrastructure) median, the creation of dedicated bicycle lanes, the installation of street trees, streetlights, bus shelters and safe walkways, and the development of pocket parks and green infrastructure to manage storm water runoff. Once constructed, this improved corridor will connect the central downtown areas of Ranson and Charles Town, including brownfield sites and workforce housing areas, to the Charles Washington Commuter Center, community and institutional facilities, park and recreational facilities and regional jobs centers.

3. A shovel-ready Charles Washington Hall renovation project to construct a regional Commuter Center at Charles Washington Hall, along the Green Corridor in Charles Town. Charles Washington Hall is a major community landmark, dedicated in 1786 by Charles Washington, brother of George Washington and founder of Charles Town. The PanTran commuter bus that services the Harpers Ferry MARC rail station makes four stops in Charles Town, two of which are located in the downtown. However, these stops currently exist in theory only, and as a result PanTran bus service is severely underutilized. There is no signage to mark the stops, no shelter to protect waiting passengers from the elements, no ticketing or other commuter information, no means to purchase PanTran (or MARC rail) tickets, and no dedicated bus lane to ensure the safe loading and unloading of bus passengers along this busy roadway. In order to make it safer, easier and more convenient for residents to access regional transit services, as well as to clearly demonstrate the complementary nature of respect for historical preservation and preparation for future growth, Charles Town will re-design Charles Washington Hall to transform it into the Charles Washington Commuter Center. This new Commuter Center will not only provide a sheltered waiting area for bus passengers, but also include bicycle facilities, a sales and information area that will allow passengers to acquire transit schedules and purchase rail and bus tickets, and a dedicated lane for buses to safely pick up passengers. By locating a Commuter Center in this prominent public building on the newly reconstructed Green Corridor, Ranson and Charles Town are able to preserve and strengthen the existing community while making their downtown areas an attractive location for ex-urban growth from the Washington, DC region.

4. A master downtown plan to revitalize brownfields. Our ultimate goal is to create a more livable community in Old Town Ranson and Charles Town – a place where residents can live where they work, walk to shop, and have easy access to nature and recreation. In order to lay the groundwork for this ambitious objective, Ranson purchased the former Kidde Brass Foundry site located in the Corridor from United Technologies Corporation (UTC) in 2009 after conducting All Appropriate Inquiries. Utilizing a significant donation from UTC, Ranson developed a vision for redeveloping this 7+ acre brownfield into a vibrant mixed-use, pedestrian- and environmentally-friendly LEED-ND certified development named „Powhatan Place.‟ Plans for Powhatan Place include 150 units of affordable and market-rate housing, 30,000 square feet of commercial office space, 44,000 square feet of retail space, recreational spaces and community gardens. A major focus of an EPA Area-Wide Plan effort by Ranson will be to take the Powhatan Place vision to the next level by creating more detailed reuse plans and strategies. A second benefit of enhanced planning and strategies in the Corridor will be the development of high-tech commercial office buildings in vacant areas between downtown Ranson and downtown Charles Town, building off the DC-Loudoun-MD technology corridor. Already, Ranson/Charles Town have taken a major step toward this goal with the redevelopment of the Viener scrapyard into the American Public University's Academic Center, the purchase of the Peoples Supply site by a commercial office redeveloper, and the pending purchase of two (2) other brownfield sites in Ranson by American Public University. A third focus of area-wide efforts will be the development of parks, recreational, greenway, and green infrastructure in the Corridor. Part of this major initiative would be incorporating the Charles Town dump and public works yard into an expanded Evitts Run Park, together with the adjacent Ranson Civic Center and Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson County located in former Maytag/Dixie-Narco manufacturing buildings. This Evitts Run Park effort is a top community priority of community groups. With close proximity to Washington, DC, millions of tourist visiting the neighboring Harpers Ferry historical sites or Charles Town Casino annually, and between 5,500 and 15,000 car trips along the Corridor per day, Ranson/Charles Town have significant potential for economic growth if the brownfields areas are successfully redeveloped.

5. A revised comprehensive plan. Not long after the consultants were selected under the three grants it became very obvious that the City's 2004 comprehensive plan had served its purpose and needed updated. Therefore, a couple of weeks ago, the Council authorized the revision of the City's comprehensive plan. Building upon the extensive planning work conducted as a part of the HUD Challenge Planning Grant, PlaceMakers will utilize the charrette as the comprehensive plan public process, and assure all necessary revisions and additions are provided to legally empower the new form-based code. Additionally, work conducted as part of the TIGER and EPA grants will be embedded to update the Comprehensive Plan. Simply, this package will wrap everything into a concise package that can be used as a blueprint to future planning.

So, if you are still reading at this point, some of you may be asking "Why are we doing this? or "What are we going to get out of this?"

Short-Term Outcomes

• Increase Community Participation and Decision-Making. A seven day charrette will precede the development of new zoning ordinances and incentives. This charrette will provide an opportunity for a wide variety of community stakeholders to play a vital participatory and formative role in the creation of a form-based code for Ranson. Representatives of minority and low-income community residents, such as the Jefferson County NAACP and the Interfaith Housing Alliance, have had integral roles in planning past initiatives in the Ranson-Charles Town area and their expertise will be utilized during this charrette as well.

• Promote Economic Development. One of the primary goals of revising Ranson zoning ordinances is to promote the productive redevelopment of the brownfield properties along the Green Corridor. Having a zoning structure in place to promote the smart development the City of Ranson desires will enable the City to more effectively partner with prospective developers and return these brownfields to productive use.

• Reduce Energy Usage and Manage Stormwater Runoff. The "green overlay district" created during this project will ensure that future development in Ranson‟ downtown meets high standards of energy efficiency. Since buildings are responsible for more than 40% of national greenhouse gas emissions, encouraging building efficiency will not only reduce electricity consumption at these sites but also significantly lower Ranson‟ carbon footprint. The plan for incentivizing green infrastructure to manage stormwater runoff throughout Ranson will also provide immediate environmental dividends by protecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed from contaminated runoff – a goal already sought - and soon to be mandated - by U.S. EPA and the WV Department of Environmental Protection, which have provided funding and strong encouragement to Ranson, Charles Town and Jefferson County to begin tackling Chesapeake Bay issues through a green infrastructure plan.

• Preserve Recreational and Open Space. By enhancing the City of Ranson's ability to direct growth in its undeveloped areas, a revamped zoning code will ensure that valuable community recreational and open spaces are kept free of development. Primarily, this will mean the continued preservation of Evitts Run Park, which runs directly adjacent to the Green Corridor and provides the most convenient recreational space for Ranson's minority and low-income residents.

• Enhance Supply of Affordable Housing. Ranson's existing zoning has provided incentives for the development of workforce and affordable housing throughout both its downtown and undeveloped areas. A new Smart Code will enable Ranson to enhance these incentives by more effectively promoting a mix of market-rate and affordable housing, and locating these low-income resident developments near public services, workplaces and transit.

Long-Term Outcomes

• Enhance Local Utilization of Transit. Once constructed, the bus shelters along the Green Corridor and the establishment of the Charles Washington Commuter Center will encourage more commuters to utilize PanTran bus service and MARC train service. Enhanced utilization of transit will reduce vehicle-miles traveled by Jefferson County residents and result in an increase of riders on both PanTran and MARC.

• Increased Accessibility to Job Centers. Improved local transit will enable easier access to affordable transportation in the Baltimore/DC metro area for low-income residents of Ranson and Charles Town.

• Promote Livability, Walkability. The reconstructed Green Corridor will make it safer and easier for both pedestrians and cyclists to travel along this main thoroughfare. Combined with the development of mixed-use facilities that provide jobs along this corridor, these improvements will further reduce vehicle-miles traveled, simultaneously producing significant decreases in per capita greenhouse gas emissions.

• Promote Economic Development. The roadway improvements made along the Green Corridor will amplify the development potential of Ranson's zoning code revisions. By producing an attractive road that facilitates multiple transportation modes, these improvements will encourage businesses to locate to the Ranson-Charles Town downtown area and drive its revitalization.

• Improve State of Repair of Infrastructure. The reconstruction of the Green Corridor will not only directly service livability goals, but also significantly improve the state of repair of this central, yet severely dilapidated road.

• < Prev
• Next >