Comprehensive Master Plan - City of Alvin

Land Usefacts & figuresTYPES of Character • • •The core values of the community were identified through the input receivedat the community forum, as well as an exercise conducted with the planadvisory committee. The values that most clearly reflect the desired futurevision of Alvin are to be an economically balanced, well‐educated, clean andattractive, family‐oriented, small‐town community that has its ownuniqueness and identity. To achieve this vision, a means of converting thisstatement of future intent into land use policies and implementation must beformed. An inventory of existing land use character was used to characterizeexisting development and document the general patterns of use and designfeatures that form the character of development and identity of thecommunity as a whole. Once the existing character is known, standards maybe formulated to alter the character of certain areas and enhance others.Urban CommercialEach of the community character types described below is present in Alvinwith varying degrees of significance. Those that are more readily identifiableinclude the indication of urban character along S. Gordon Street in theimmediate Downtown area; the auto‐urban nature of commercial andindustrial development along S.H. 6, S. Gordon Street (Business 35), the S.H.35 Bypass; and the suburban character of neighborhoods throughout thecommunity. In addition, there are a few higher density manufactured homecommunities and apartment complexes that exhibit an auto‐urban residentialcharacter, which are scattered throughout the community. The outlying areasaround the community are agricultural and increasingly rural estate andcountryside in character. The range of community character types and theirfunctions are as follows:Urban ResidentialAuto‐Urban CommercialUrban Character – In communities like Alvin, the only remaining areas withany indication of an urban character are the remnants of its historicDowntown. These areas were traditionally a center of commerce, culture, andentertainment in the community. With the advent and increasing popularityof the automobile, its reflection on the patterns of contemporary communitieshas led to an auto orientation of nonresidential use in strip centers alonghighways and arterial streets. Hence, urban areas have declined, leavingbehind only portions of what may have existed at one time. However, thevalue of the urban character is once again being recognized and, as a result, isreturning to communities of all sizes. A mixture of uses, most often with firstfloor commercial and upper floor residential use, streets enclosed bybuildings, an emphasis on pedestrian scale, and public spaces, arecharacteristic of the urban environment. An urban center is designed with anAuto‐Urban ResidentialSuburban CommercialPage 3-29April 1, 2005