Hartwell Avenue is a 1.5 mile long street that consists of mid-century office and lab buildings. The corridor faces issues that many other suburban properties are facing: Their location is set back from the street edge, they are surrounded by surface parking, the corridor lacks a mix of attractive amenities and flexible floor plates needed in order to compete.
In order for Hartwell Corridor to survive, it has to become an attractive location for companies that are moving to downtown locations or near public transit. The strategy recommended zoning changes that allow for greater density, higher buildings, and lower parking ratios. Combined with extensive streetscape improvements, Hartwell Avenue can be transformed into a mixed-use district that is connected to its adjacent open space potentials by an enhanced trail network.
The corridor plan enabled the passage of a rezoning initiative to enable a greater mix of uses, increased lot and area coverage and increased building height.
- Pam McKinney
- Design Destill
Town of Lexington
Development Layers
Investment in public infrastructure of the primary street, coupled with rezoning that enables a greater mix of uses, higher densitities and building interfaces closer to the right-of-way reposition the corridor into a more vibrant destination.