Tag Archives: 40517

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Day 44-Early Halloween and Duplex Row

day 44Today’s walk passed through both an area of single-family homes and of duplexes, similar to Day 43.  Unlike the Boston Road area, however,  these homes were all built in a relatively short period of time in the late 1990’s and perhaps early 2000’s.  Both of today’s areas are technically part of the Emerson Woods subdivision, located near Tate’s Creek and Laredo, though naturally the separate areas have different textures.

I probably talk about the implications of neighborhood age too much, but it’s amazing to me how strongly it impacts its feeling.  Homes in both 1980’s era Boston Road and late 1990’s Emerson Woods have Halloween decorations up.  But the decorations I saw the other day were subtle, tasteful, perhaps leaning toward being “fall” oriented rather than Halloween-oriented.  Here, they are playful, witches, cobwebs, jack-o-lanterns that have already been carved, reflective, one suspects, on the presence (and age) of children whose parents would have moved into the area as young families 15 years ago.

"Calvin-and Hobbes-esque jack-o-lanterns
“Calvin-and-Hobbes”-esque jack-o-lanterns

The single-family neighborhood, with modest homes on modest lots and streets lined with pear trees has some natural visual appeal.  The lots here are generally on the small side, probably averaging around 1/10th of an acre each (with larger lots on the ends of cul-de-sacs), meaning the density here is relatively high for a neighborhood of single family homes.  The adjacent area of duplexes, surprisingly, does little to improve the density.  The smallest parcels are 0.2 acres, and at least one parcel is well over 0.45 acres, well more than twice as large as the largest single-family parcel.  While some of this additional space is taken up with a shared wooded area behind the homes, this is only part of it.  Density has a parking problem and it is evident in this area where driveways and curb cuts dominate.  In some cases, the entire front of the house is paved.  This is clear enough with a few homes but it is striking when you have an entire street with no street trees and this much concrete.

What works: Comfortable density

What doesn’t: The separation of single family homes and duplexes is jarring.

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Day 29

day29Today’s walk was through a neighborhood that was very similar to yesterdays, with a mix of multifamily and single family homes, and nearby businesses.  The big surprise today was the sheer number of four-unit apartment buildings along Yellowstone, Winter Garden and Snow Rd, which made walking this stretch feel like walking through an apartment complex, though one with similar but not identical styles and upkeep.  Overall, this area stuck to it’s 1970’s-vintage aesthetic, car oriented, though not as obnoxiously so as some newer neighborhoods.  An ambitious person could walk to Wal-Mart or other shops on Richmond Road (“walking distance” is for practical purposes anything within a quarter to a half mile; these places are just over a mile each way.)  Construction also appears to be generally high-quality, leading me to think that this could be a good “sleeper” neighborhood for someone looking for low rent or a good value home to buy.

The good: Good mix of housing, good quality construction.

The bad: Not, strictly speaking, “walkable.”

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Day 19

day 19Today was spent in a neighborhood called The Vineyards, and we have the wine reference to thank for many of the street names, e.g., Marsanne, Chardon, Gamay.  Sometimes, I wish I could spend more time thinking about street names (too often, they are attached to impossibly short segments of road).  Here, one could learn something.  This neighborhood is also home to another street name that should please me because of it’s relation to walking: Promenade.  Unfortunately, today, Promenade hardly felt like a street you would walk for pleasure, being, I would suggest, a little too long an uninterrupted (though not as bad as it’s neighbor, Colonnade).

This neighborhood (especially the portion south of Crossen, had some neat features.  First, trees were planted between the house and the sidewalk rather than in what I am used to calling the “tree lawn” between the sidewalk and the street.  This had a nice effect, maintaining an open feel while maintaining shade on the sidewalk. Then, the houses on cul-de-sacs were placed together in an unusual way, so that houses on adjacent cul-de-sacs (or even on the opposite end of the block) were next to each other.  This felt cozy and communal, especially if the houses didn’t have a fence between them, in which case it felt like there was a natural path between cul-de-sacs.

What works: Connected cul-de-sacs have the benefits of seclusion without isolation
What doesn’t: Long, uninterrupted streets were tedious, and I’m glad I don’t have to drive it every day, let alone walk it.