Comprehensive Plan - Carbondale, IL

Adopted June 22, 2010City of CarbondaleQUALITY NEIGHBORHOOD DESIGNContemporary subdivision design often overlooks the elements of what makes a neighborhoodappealing and viable for the long term. Typical features of a quality neighborhood design include:• Some focal point, whether a park or central green, school, community center, or small-scalecommercial activity, that enlivens the neighborhood and provides a gathering place.• Equal importance of pedestrian and vehicular circulation. Street design accommodates, but alsocalms, necessary automobile traffic. Sidewalks on streets, and/or a network of off-street trails,provide for pedestrian circulation and promote interconnectivity of adjacent neighborhoods.• A variety of dwelling types to address a range of needs among potential residents (based onage, income level, household size, etc.).• Access to schools, recreation, and daily conveniences within relatively close proximity to theneighborhood, if not within or at its edges (such as along bordering major streets).• An effective street layout that provides multiple paths to external destinations (and criticalaccess for emergency vehicles) while also discouraging non-local or cut-through traffic.• Appealing streetscapes, whether achieved through street trees or other design elements, which“soften” an otherwise urban atmosphere and draw residents to enjoy common areas of theirneighborhood. Landscape designs consistent with local climate and vegetation.• Compatibility of fringe or adjacent uses, or measures to buffer the neighborhood fromincompatible development.• Neighborhoods should be a defined “unit” through recognizable identity and edges, withoutgoing so far as to establish “fortress” neighborhoods.• Set-aside of conservation areas, greenbelts, or other open space as an amenity, to encourageleisure and healthful living, and to contribute to neighborhood buffering and definition.• Use of local streets for parking to reduce the lot area that must be devoted to driveways andgarages and for the traffic calming benefits of on-street parking.• Respect for historic sites and structures and incorporation of such assets into neighborhooddesign.for CDAP grants for a housing rehabilitation program that targeted parts ofNortheast and Northwest Carbondale. Many homes in Carbondale are in need ofrehabilitation; however, many homeowners in Carbondale have low to very lowincomes and do not have the financial resources necessary to make the neededimprovements to their homes.4.20The proposed CDAP grant applications are normally for housing rehabilitationfor $350,000. This CDAP application also serves as an application to the IllinoisHousing Development Authority (IHDA) for a $90,000 grant to provide part of therequired matching funds for the CDAP grant. In addition, $24,500 of “in-kind”contributions of City staff time, postage, copying, other nominal and incidentalcosts, and $10,000 of City funds would be used as matching funds. The proposedmatching funds meet the minimum requirement set by DCEO. The grant applicationproposes to rehabilitate approximately nine houses of low- and very low-incomeowner-occupants in small targeted areas. A 3:1 ratio of eligible low-income owneroccupiedhomes per house intended to be rehabilitated is required.Chapter Four