Comprehensive Master Plan - City of Alvin

facts & figuresLand Useintensity of use to draw people into close contact, where congestion andpersonal encounters are both expected and essential for creating a vibrantcommunity center.Suburban ResidentialSuburban EstateRural CountrysideRural AgriculturalNaturalUrban spaces are“architectural,” meaningthat they are enclosed bybuildings. In otherwords, the distanceacross a space, e.g. thewidth of a downtownstreet in relation to heightof the block face, isessential for creating an“urban” environment.This environment is formed Downtown by the block faces on either side of S.Gordon Street north of Willis Street. These buildings have a consistent heightof two stories and are abutting the right‐of‐way with only a pedestrianpathway (sidewalk) separating them. The distance‐to‐height (D/H) ratio atthis cross‐section offers enclosure that is characteristic of an urbanenvironment.The block face along S. Gordon Street south of Willis Street is the only portionof Downtown that reflects an urban character. The rest of the largerDowntown area is more characteristics of an auto‐urban character as a resultof single‐story building heights, increased building setbacks, parking lotsabutting the street right‐of‐way, and signage that is oriented to the attentionof the passing automobile. However, the urban character could be greatlyenhanced by an increase in population and employment density along S.Gordon Street, Sealy Street, and throughout the Downtown area, extendingthe streetscape enhancements to further improve the pedestrian orientation,and creating additional public plazas and gathering areas.Auto-Urban Character ‐ This character type represents all of the commercialand industrial areas throughout the community. It is most commonlyassociated with the auto‐oriented retail strip centers and small commercialsites along each of the major roadways. Fast food restaurants, gas stations,small shopping centers, and big‐box retailers, like those found along S.H. 6,increasingly along the S.H. 35 Bypass, and particularly along S. Gordon Drive,are the dominant commercial images of an auto‐urban character. Higherdensity residential uses, such as attached and multiple‐family housing,April 1, 2005Page 3-30