Neighborhood Number Six – Central Orchards

This neighborhood, extending from 10^th Street eastward to 16^th Street and from Park Avenue and Warner Avenue south to Richardson Avenue.

Figure 1: Map of Neighborhood Six - Central Orchards

a. Residential Land Use

Of the 2,192 residential units in the neighborhood in 1990, 68.7% are owner occupied and 31.3% are renter occupied. The population of this neighborhood in 1990 was 5,437.

This neighborhood contains a variety of housing types including single family and multi-family developments, manufactured home parks and subdivisions, and site built and manufactured homes. There remain pockets of larger lots which retain animal rights, a legacy from pre-annexation days.

The average density of the developed area is 4.5 units per acre although some multi-family projects will be developed at a much higher density up to approximately 17 units per acre. Manufactured home parks may be developed at a density of 15 units per acre. The 1991 comprehensive plan map and current zone indicated higher density development located to the rear of the commercial development on Thain Road, generally north of Cedar Avenue.

b. Commercial Land Use

Thain Road bisects this neighborhood on a diagonal and is a major strip commercial street in Lewiston; with some notable exceptions, the commercial operations tend to be those that serve many of the day-to-day needs of local residents. The exceptions are auto dealers and lumberyards which tend to have a regional clientele. Bryden Avenue from 10^th Street to Thain Road is another commercial street. Outside of these two areas, there is limited commercial development except for home occupations or grandfathered commercial uses.

c. Industrial Land Use

There are no industrial land uses within this neighborhood. Western Forest Systems at 15^th And Ripon Avenue is a large greenhouse operation providing tree stock to regional forest operators.

d. Public Land Use

The City of Lewiston owns twenty acres of undeveloped land in the 1300 block of Warner Avenue, intended for recreational use. The City also the City Service Center in the 1200 block of Warner Avenue, the Tsceminum Branch of the Library at Thain and Airway, Orchards Pool in the 1300 block of Airway Avenue and Fire Station Number 2 in the 1500 block of Grelle Avenue.

Nez Perce County owns the County Fairgrounds in the 1300 block of Burrell Avenue on land in excess of twenty acres.

The Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District (LOID) owns approximately fifteen acres at Hereth Park located at 16^th Street and Powers Avenue which is the location of their office and one large reservoir; the Central Orchards Sewer District (COSD) central office is also located in this Park.

The Independent School District No. 1 owns Orchards Elementary located at 3429 12^th Street, Sacajawea Junior High School at 3610 12^th Street, and the Central Offices located at 3317 12^th Street. The School District also owns forty acres of land between Linden Avenue and Airway Avenue in the 1300 block, intended as a site for a second high school.

Other than Hereth Park and the Fairgrounds, there are no public parks in this neighborhood.

e. Vacant Lands

In general, vacant land in this neighborhood is awaiting development or redevelopment; there is limited land used primarily for pasture except when the terrain limits other development alternatives.

The single largest undeveloped parcel is a fifteen acre tract located at 14^th Street and Powers Avenue, the extreme south end of the Thain Road corridor and currently zoned residential.

Other undeveloped land lies in the center of many of the large Orchards blocks. These large undeveloped tracts are the result of the original settlement pattern in which the edges of the original five acre lots were sold off first, retaining the larger interior areas for pasture or orchards. As time has passed, the edges have, in many cases, been developed to the point where access to these large interior parcels is unavailable or not suitable for access to a large residential development. This undeveloped land is a resource for future redevelopment of many areas.

f. Landforms

Landforms are generally level and acceptable for urban development, with very limited exceptions for drainageways. These areas are located south of Powers Avenue and east of 10^th Street, with additional minor drainages located across the southern boundary of the City.

There are no floodways or floodplains within this neighborhood.

g. Transportation

In this neighborhood, Ripon Avenue, Thain Road, Bryden Avenue and 10^th Street are shown as minor arterials. Warner Avenue, Burrell Avenue and Grelle Avenue are classified as collector streets; all other streets are classified as local streets.

Thain Road, 10^th Street north of the intersection with Warner Avenue and Bryden Avenue west of Thain Road are local truck routes.

Warner Avenue is shown as a bicycle route.

h. Desired Futures of Neighborhood Six – Central Orchards

1. Infill development will continue as the predominant source of new housing development within this neighborhood. There are some areas of potential development remaining within this neighborhood, however. This development should be of a density consistent with this Plan.

a. Larger interior parcels of land should be identified for future infill residential development in a density consistent with this Plan.

b. Modifications must be made in the City’s development standards to allow public streets narrower than normal to be built to serve such interior parcels – when the public street will serve only a few lots and not intended for extension into adjacent properties.

c. Where existing streets have already been constructed to the edges of these large interior parcels, provisions must be made in the platting and development of the parcels to allow the extension of these existing streets. When these additional streets are determined to be necessary to allow the full development potential of the land, they will be provided by the land developer.

d. The City should undertake preliminary conceptual design of key parcels as a guide to future development.

e. Lot width and depth standards contained in the zoning ordinance must be evaluated for their effect on the development pattern of these interior lots an amended if found to promote inefficient land use.

f. There exists a large development parcel, approaching fifteen acres, centered on the 1200 block of Linden Avenue and stretching from Warner to Bryden. This area should be developed as housing in a density consistent with other development in the area; both Linden Drive and 13^th Street must be constructed.

2. Land south of Richardson Avenue is currently located in the area of city impact (Neighborhood 8C). This area immediately adjacent to the City is ripe for development and annexation. Development in these areas should commence at its connection with the City and proceed southward to the breaks into Tammany Creek Drainage as depicted on the proposed land use annexation map.

2. Areas around current and proposed parks show the greatest potential for higher quality development or redevelopment. People value them as an amenity and are generally willing to invest more in a home to be near a high quality park. The City and its residents must ensure that development around and leading to our parks is of a high quality to reflect our community’s pride in them. Sites shown on the Parks and Open Space Master Plan should be acquired or otherwise secured to ensure their future use as a park for the benefit of the neighborhood and community as a whole. Individual property owners should be encouraged to donate these community amenities in memory of family members, significant community events or other meaningful times and people.

a. The City and the School District should work to promote the school/park concept to maximize the public investment in these expensive public spaces. Coordination between the school district and the city should take place on the hours of use of any joint facilities.

3. The use of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR’s) should be investigated as a tool to preserve desired open space in this neighborhood, including such features as drainageways, ravines, hillsides and views. This tool allows the property owner to retain value from the land while at the same time preserving its essential features for the community.

4. In general, streets and drainage systems in this neighborhood do not meet current standards for local, collector or arterial streets.

a. Site access must be improved with streets upgraded to current city standards, appropriate to the classification of the street;

b. Area drainage throughout the area must be upgraded consistent with the Stormwater Management Master Plan with curb, gutter and sidewalk installed and surface or underground stormwater collection systems installed as appropriate;

c. Curb, gutter and sidewalk must be provided at and approaching schools and parks to provide safe places children and parents to walk. Curb, gutter and sidewalk must also be provided along all streets with a classification of collector or arterial.

7. Community Gateway Area at 14^th Street and Powers Avenue - This fifteen acre tract fronts 14^th Avenue and presents an opportunity to create a southern gateway into the commercial area of the city. Residential uses along 14^th Street are not desirable.

a. Future development should be accomplished by use of a planned unit development which will allow mixed use of the property, preserving the commercial value of the eastern portion of the property while respecting the residential neighbors surrounding the western area.

b. Access to the commercial area must be limited to a few select driveways and developed in a cluster commercial format.

c. Signage must be carefully controlled to eliminate distraction to the driver and the residential areas as well as to present a gateway effect to the entry to the commercial area.

d. Landscaping of this commercial area is crucial, with interior landscaping and street trees important components of any proposed project.

e. The remaining land has potential use as higher density residential if designed in a manner to respect the surrounding land uses and understanding the limitations of the surrounding street systems. The remaining land also has value as a small neighborhood park.

f. Commercial development shall not expand eastward or southward from the intersection of 14^th Street and Ripon Avenue. The intent of this gateway commercial area is to provide a significant entry to the commercial areas of the city and be a buffer between the residential uses and commercial uses.

8. On Thain Road between Warner Avenue and Grelle Avenue there are significant numbers of development parcels in proximity to Thain Road. However, there are also a number of significant issues related to development of these parcels. Many of them are located on the intersections of substandard streets (i.e. twenty foot street widths) which limits accessibility to the parcel. Furthermore, because of the diagonal alignment of Thain Road, at least a portion of most parcels abut residential uses, creating conflict between incompatible land uses. And the oddly shaped lots create development difficulties for all but the most sophisticated of developers.

a. A Thain Road Corridor Development Plan must be completed to identify the specific issues constraining appropriate development along this street, while at the same time protecting the nearby residential uses. This plan must also address the access issues along Thain Road, signage, drainage and similar constraints.

9. Lands located near commercial zones and uses as well as those near school sites can and should be rezoned to higher density residential uses consistent with the location standards of this Plan. This will provide housing opportunities for starter families to locate appropriately priced housing near schools and employment opportunities, as well as provide housing for older residents who may not be able to drive to shopping elsewhere in the city.

i.. Land Use Plan Map

The land use plan map is a graphic representation of the desired land use future for this neighborhood and is intended to be used as a guide for land use changes over the next twenty years. It is to be used in conjunction with the desired futures described in this neighborhood plan.

j. Residential Density and Location Criteria – Neighborhood Number Six – Central Orchards

The Lewiston 2020 Land Use Plan Map depicts areas of housing at a variety of densities. The allowable density for these land use categories shall not exceed the following unless higher densities are approved as part of a planned unit development (PUD):

RESIDENTIAL LAND USE	DENSITY (Units per acre)	OPTIMUM ADJACENT LAND USE	OPTIMUM TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
Rural	1 (Used only where public sewer is not available)	Agricultural, suburban residential	Local Street, collector street, walkway, bike path
Suburban	5 or fewer (Used only where animal rights are allowed)	Agricultural, rural, low density housing	Local Street, collector street, walkway, bike path
Low Density	5 to 8	Other residential, sub-neighborhood commercial, open space	Local Street, collector street, walkway, bike path
Medium Density	8 to 17	Other residential uses, open space, local commercial, community commercial	Local street (minimum right of way width 50 feet), collector street, minor arterial, walkway, bike path
Higher Density	18 or more	Other residential uses, open space, business and employment centers, major shopping destinations	Collector streets, minor arterials, major arterials, walkways, bike paths

k. Commercial Land Use Location Criteria

Commercial Land Use	Optimum Transportation System	Optimum Adjacent Land Use	Design Location Criteria	Zoning
Regional	Major or Minor Arterial	High Density Multi-family Housing, Related regional commercial uses	Regional cluster or a cluster integrated in a regional center	Planned Unit Development (PUD)
Community	Minor Arterials, Collector Streets	Medium or high density multi-family housing	Regional center or commercial cluster	Commercial zone or PUD
Neighborhood	Minor Arterial, Collector Streets, Walkways, Bike Paths	Neighborhood scale uses	Neighborhood Center as shown on Plan	PUD
Sub-neighborhood	Minor Arterial, Collector Streets, Walkways, Bike Paths	Residential, office or industrial complexes	Within neighbor- hood as shown on Plan	PUD

l. Industrial Land Use Location Criteria

Industrial land uses are not permitted in this neighborhood.

m. Future Annexation

Parcel Number (Refer to Land Use Plan Map)	Location Description	Projected Use	Estimated Time Frame for Annexation
6-1	1000 Block Richardson	Low Density Residential	5 to 10 years
6-2	1200 Block Richardson	Low Density Residential	5 to 10 years
6-3	1400 Block Richardson	Low Density Residential	5 to 10 years
6-4	North of Warner and East of 10^th Street	Commercial, High Density Residential, Low Density Residential	5 to 10 years

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