1990 Urban Design Plan - a catalyst for investment

Concept drawing shown of Union Point Park improvements

Concept drawing of streetscape improvements
in downtown New Bern

In January 1989, the Kellenberger Historical Foundation notified Swiss Bear their application for a $25,000 grant to assist with funding of an Urban Design Plan was approved with the condition the City would provide matching funds which the City agreed to do at an April Board of Aldermen meeting.

To insure broad representation of the community, nonprofit organizations and area businesses and each Ward, they appointed 23 people to serve on the Urban Design Plan Steering Committee and Susan L. Moffat was appointed chairwoman.

Throughout the next six months the Steering Committee researched and sent letters to twenty five firms requesting their participation (RFP). Of the seventeen replies, five firms were interviewed with a final requirement of a summary and fee. The Committee’s final selection was Land Design Research, Inc. (LDR) of Columbia, Md.

On Nov. 14, the Steering Committee presented their recommendation to the Board of Aldermen for approval. The recommendation led to a confrontation between board members. Robert Raynor, Don McDowell and Max Freeze voted against the committee’s recommendation, citing they felt their Wards weren’t represented adequately in the process, even though the representatives they appointed from their respective wards served on the committee. With a final four to three vote, the city approved hiring LDR for $50,000. Development of the Plan began in January 1990.

In March 1990, Swiss Bear discussed expanding the plan to take in the Broad Street corridor from East Front to First Street which included the Five Points commercial area. Encouraging investment in that corridor was important and the increased traffic flow downtown and across the two bridges, with continual opening and closings, was creating major traffic problems. If funding for a new bridge over the Neuse River required permanent removal of the Cunningham Bridge, the Broad Street corridor would be the primary access into downtown.

The additional cost ($11,000) to expand the Plan came from funds from the Union Point Project contributed by three local banks and Weyerhaeuser and $4,000 of Community Development Block Grant money.

To address the overriding concern that downtown should retain its distinctive “sense of place,”the LDR team spent a great deal of time extracting the elements that made downtown New Bern unique: many historic homes, a largely intact commercial area, its intimate scale, the close relationship to the water and Tryon Palace and worked to reinforce this traditional pattern throughout the plan.

The project/process received great community support and input beginning with a public meeting on Feb. 14 at the Sheraton Hotel, attended by several hundred people. Throughout the year, the process, one of openness, public forums and many meetings enriched development of the plan and refinement of the final product.

On Dec. 11, 1990, the city officially approved the New Bern Urban Design Master Plan as the official policy to be used in decisions on public/private development in the downtown and Five Points area. The packed courtroom,  cheered when the final comprehensive 56 page Urban Design Plan was presented and approved by the Board of Aldermen, the culmination of the efforts of many businessmen and women, members of various organizations and interested citizens.

Highlights of the Plan:

Plan recommendations were intended to guide development and redevelopment decisions by the public and private sector over the long term, providing a unified sense of direction for the future. The implementation and strategies recommended were meant to suggest appropriate and effective steps to ensure implementation of the plan, the final form might vary somewhat from the Plan’s recommendation, but should not be considered if it compromised the Plan itself or prevented it from being endorsed in principle.

The $61,000 spent on developing the 1990 Urban Design Plan leveraged millions of dollars of investment in new construction and rehabilitation projects. In the early 1990’s, projects in excess of $12 Million were underway, including two new waterfront hotels, a new court house annex, business expansions and the First Baptist Family Life Center. The Urban Design Plan was the catalyst for the momentum and completion of priority projects throughout the decade.

UDP Steering Committee members:
Michael Avery, Planning/Community Development; Julius Parham, Ward 1; Kermit Moffit, Ward 2; Pete Monte, Ward 2;  Nancy Bottorf, Ward 3 and Appearance Commission; Ray Downing, Ward 4; Frank Evans, Ward 5; Roland Hill, Ward 6 and Planning and Zoning Board. John Thomas, New Bern Preservation Foundation; Harold Talton, Swiss Bear; Gray Wheeler, New Bern Area Chamber of Commerce; Alex Donaldson, Craven Arts Council & Gallery; Josh Willey, New Bern Historical Society; Margie Holton, New Bern Civic Theater; Kay Williams, Tryon Palace; Bill Faulkenbury, Historic District Commission; Tom Faulkenberry, Downtown Business & Professional Association; Lonnie Pridgen, Mayor’s Appointment/Developer, John Wilson, Hotel; Ray Rogers, Banking; Stewart Smith, Real Estate.

Effecting positive change in Five Points





2005 - Broad at Queen St., eastbound



Today - Broad at Queen St.,eastbound

 





  




1990's - Broad at First St., westbound

 



Today - Broad at First St.,westbound







  





1990's - old Wiggins property demolished
 Broad and First St., westbound



Today - Broad near First St., westbound









 





  

On April 17, Bob Mattocks, Swiss Bear Chairman, and I  attended the Board of Aldermen work session to present a request for an annual appropriation. The city has funded approximately one third of our budget since 1980 when we became a Main Street City, a program under the NC Department of Commerce.

Following our presentation, we were asked by Alderman Taylor why Swiss Bear’s focus has only been on downtown and not Five Points. We responded with a list of projects that were focused on Five Points. Although the list was substantial, including initiating, partially funding and coordinating the 1990 and 2000 Urban Design Plans that included Five Points and the surrounding neighborhoods and led to the city’s investment in building a new fire station, police station, buying the First Citizens Bank for city offices, purchasing and demolishing derelict housing and recent major improvements of 1.5 miles of Broad Street, he indicated it wasn’t enough. 

The fact is we are limited in what we can do. Our participation is dependent on the City, its implementation of a Master Plan and the commitment to follow through with the implementation. Private investors must feel confident the public sector has a plan and the commitment to make it happen.



The 1977 Downtown Revitalization Plan was the foundation of downtown’s renewal and the City supported the plan. The creation of a nonprofit (Swiss Bear) was recommended in the plan as a strategy to involve the private sector. The focus was the central business district, a 12 block area. It was an effort in which the impetus for economic development was primarily driven by the private sector and for the first decade occurred without significant public investment.  Most of the funding for downtown improvements came from assessments on the property owners themselves, federal and state grants and fundraising campaigns. Tax assessments on the property owners continues in the 12 block Municipal Service Tax District (MSD) to fund public improvements.  

In reality, effecting positive change in Five Points requires going beyond the core retail/commercial area. The area in need is much greater with many more challenges. The poverty rate in this area is the highest in a four county area. Education and jobs skill training is a critical need. Many buildings have been lost, there are large vacant tracts, retail and commercial is lacking and the area is in need of private investment. A program of rehabilitation, infill construction, and encouraging owner-occupancy needs to be undertaken to strengthen the neighborhoods. Improved infrastructure is needed in the areas north of Broad Street, streets need to be widened, more derelict housing demolished and new homes constructed.

This is beyond Swiss Bear’s scope. Quite simply, we do not have the authority or responsibility to lead the charge. We are committed to working with the city, however, the leadership in developing a plan and carrying out the recommendations and implementation must come from the city.  Our elected City officials, in particular those whose Wards are in this area, must be committed to doing what it takes to effect positive change in the greater Five Points area. It  requires public improvements, development incentives, the City’s long term commitment to create a quality environment and provide the necessary infrastructure to attract and sustain investment. Private sector support and investors must believe that local government is committed to carrying out a long-range plan. It will also require the support and commitment from business owners and property owners in the greater Five Points area. They too must be committed to the long haul…in the best of circumstances, the change will be incremental and take many years as it did in the downtown.



Fortunately, under the leadership of City Manager, Mike Epperson, a new planning effort is underway for Five Points and surrounding neighborhoods. This is a new planning effort with the help of Goody Clancy, consultants from Boston, MA. Its purpose is to develop realistic and implementation-focused revitalization strategies for both the commercial and residential parts of the study area. If the City adopts the plan, which should be presented to the Board of Aldermen in the near future, and they commit to going forward to implement it, Swiss Bear is committed to partnering with the city and directing our energy on projects that will make this revitalization effort a success.

Your comments are appreciated.

Susan Moffat Thomas

Executive Director

Serving as a catalyst to attract a new Sheraton Hotel and Marina

In 1980, responding to the crisis situation, the newly chartered organization known as Swiss Bear, hired a full-time director using city, county, and private funding and identified the development of the urban renewal land as a key to the downtown’s future.  The consensus of the Swiss Bear Board of Directors (composed of local officials, community leaders, and businessmen) was to conduct a market study to determine the highest and best use of the remaining twelve acre tract which had been vacant since 1970 and was being used as an informal park.

The City agreed to Swiss Bear’s request to place a freeze on further sales of individual parcels on the site until a marketing study could be completed.  It was believed that a unified development was needed, one that would complement the existing downtown rather than relocating existing businesses to that site.

Swiss Bear coordinated the $45,000 study (funded by a $15,000 Kellenberger Historical Foundation grant), matched by the city and county.  Upon completion, the study reinforced the belief that the waterfront represented a valuable under-utilized resource, and confirmed the need for a 100 room hotel/motel with meeting facilities and a marina.

The recruiting and selection process included members of the Swiss Bear organization and local officials who aggressively courted interested developers.  The strong show of local support sent a clear message that the revitalization program would enhance and promote the development of the business market.

To facilitate the process, Swiss Bear and community members evaluated proposals from three developers and elected officials accepted their final recommendation.  As the City was not financially in a position to underwrite land costs or make any of the traditional infrastructure improvements, i.e., streets, sidewalks, and water sewer facilities, the group explored the possibility of acquiring state and/or federal grants to make the project financially feasible.

When it became apparent a federal Urban Development Action Grant was possible, a formal contract outlining the terms and responsibilities of both parties (developer and city) was negotiated.  Political support for the project again involved Swiss Bear members who continued to entertain bankers, appraisers, analysts, designers, and architects and communicated the City’s confidence in its future growth.  The $13 million waterfront Sheraton Hotel and Marina, (today known as the Hilton) partially funded by a $1.9 million Urban Development Action Grant became a community showpiece, upon completion, in November 1987.

Susan Moffat Thomas

Executive Director



Sheraton/Hilton Hotel and Marina - Today

 

Twelve Acre Tract - Before