Principles for Mixed-Use Development at BRIC

The Boca Raton Innovation Center (BRIC) is a great place to start this blog, because it's directly relevant to my neighborhood. I live across the street in the Centra complex. I picked this neighborhood largely for its walkability among other factors. My family and I walk to the shops along Yamato, including Palm Beach Bagel, with some regularity; I bike past BRIC on my way to the El Rio Trail and FAU; and sometimes we walk this area just for fun. So what happens at BRIC affects us directly.

 Note that we never, ever walk along Yamato. Cars on Yamato are traveling at highway speeds, and so it's unpleasant even to walk on the sidewalk there. But there is a parallel street behind the shops where cars are traveling about 20 mph. It's on this internal street that we walk. And it's this kind of slow speed internal street that the complex needs much more of.

Most people reflexively oppose development near them because of "traffic." Honestly, I am not sure if I believe this is the true reason for people's opposition. Traffic is pervasively bad across south Florida, in large part because we've built south Florida to entirely rely upon a single mode of transportation, privately owned autos, for getting everywhere. I haven't really seen an area that does not experience traffic problems due to having "less" development. I don't see "less development" as a viable solution to decreasing traffic, because traffic is largely a regional and not a local issue. Anyways, this is a tangent and I don't want to get stuck on the traffic issue right now.

My larger point is that it is beneficial to be near things that you enjoy. I enjoy being near restaurants and coffee shops. I enjoy being near parks. I enjoy being near the grocery store. I enjoy being near interesting places to walk. So, having new development near me is not something I reflexively oppose. It really depends upon the quality of the development.

The BRIC property is particularly interesting and valuable for a number of reasons. First, it's a historic property designed in the Brutalist style by famed architect Marcel Brewer. The exposed concrete design is striking. It's also historic as the location where IBM invented the personal computer, or so I'm told. Recently, my family and I ventured inside the "circle" of the Brewer building to see some live theater - this is exactly the kind of urban experience I'd like more of. There's a coffee shop in the BRIC complex which I wish stayed open on weekends. Another striking characteristic of the property is the large number of mature trees of diverse species. In fact, the campus could easily become an arboretum under the right supervision. Finally, the BRIC site is within easy walking distance of the Tri-Rail station. Ideally, all of these factors of history and context should influence the design of the site.

So as a nearby resident, how could both the property value be enhanced while also improving my experience as a neighborhood and potential customer?

The most important principle, I think, is to get the walkability right. This means that more streets should be added to make it easier to walk in and around the BRIC complex. And each of these streets should be two-lane streets (no four-lane streets please!!) to slow down traffic and make them easy to cross. The streets should be "complete streets" with ample sidewalks and bike lanes, pedestrian furniture, and street trees that produce shade. I'd endeavor to keep as many of the mature trees on the site as possible, though no doubt some will have to come down for the development.

Further, because the Brewer building has a very large and odd-shaped footprint, I think the building needs some permeability at key locations. That is, it should allow members of the public to walk through, arcade style, ideally 24/7 or at least during all operating hours. From overhead, the site has basically a crab-like shape, and each leg should offer a permeable route, making it easier to get from one side to the other without having to walk all the way around. When you're planning for pedestrians, creating the shortest possible route is paramount.

Next, the parking should be kept to a minimum, and it should all be priced - no free parking. The research shows that basically you will get a car for every residential parking space, and that car will be driven a lot. The best way to cut down on traffic is to cut down on parking. Also, there is a Tri-Rail station and a shared-use pathway (the El Rio Trail) within walking distance, so alternative transportation choices are more ample here than about anywhere in Boca (except downtown). Pricing parking by the hour will make sure sufficient parking is available for shoppers. Charging office employees for parking will provide an incentive for switching to alternative modes. But the most important characteristic of  parking in an urban environment is that it is wasted space. It's space that is not designed for people (usually), places things further apart, and exacerbates the urban heat island. What we want is small parking lots and decks, strategically placed, and kept to a minimum.

And of course I'd like to see mixed-use development. Residences would be very helpful to activate the place 24/7. Right now it's only a daytime place. A grocery store would be wonderful, especially if it's modestly scaled. We'd welcome additional restaurants and entertainment venues, so long as nothing operates too late at night.

What I've seen of the development proposals - a main-street focused development in the 3-4 story range with housing and shops - it seems like it's on a promising track. They just need to get the transportation infrastructure right, as I've noted above.