· Site should be infill lot(s) and either never used plots or “injured” plots.
· If site is not an infill lot(s), it could be plots of lands that are developed, but mostly vacant and in areas in need of revitalization.
· Site should be located in an area that would benefit from Urban Farm and which could make farm successful. Urban Farm should also be benefitting from site’s surroundings or nearby uses.
· Site’s surrounds should include uses such as business/ commercial and residential uses as well as institutional or/ and educational and civic uses nearby.
· If there is no residential uses nearby, lot(s) need to be of sufficient size to accommodate residential or mix use program.
· Site should have easy access (located near major roads or freeways/ highways)
· Site should be in an area of great visibility from different directions.
SITE A-Downtown Las Vegas. Location: I-15 & I-95
The site (55 acres) is located in the Downtown Las Vegas. It is adjacent to the area that was first developed when people started to settle in the valley. It is an infill lot and “injured” plot of land which once use to be an industrial park and then was demolished as revitalization of Downtown District started. The original railroad tracks that run through the site are still in use today. The city already has plants for the site and construction on some parts of it started. Currently, site is zoned as Planned Development with no plans to rezone it, since it was already rezoned for planned use from Industrial Park. This site would be great for Urban Farm, because it is in a center of all of the action. Surrounding areas are equally used by residents and visitors, even as revitalization which is the main focus of the city is still ongoing. Urban Farm would benefit the site as well as be benefited by its surrounds.
There are number of different uses around the site and even more uses are planned. There are lots of commercial lots and offices (currently, mostly there are law offices), there are several blocks of single family residential left as well as brand new mid to high rise residential towers. Most of the civic buildings, such as Clark County main downtown building and Clark County Development Center, Court House, local and regional Justice Centers, Southern Nevada Water Authority as well as Clark County Police Station and Jail/ Detention Center are also located adjacent or nearby the site. There is also big outdoors/ courtyard like shopping mall which attracts lots of locals and tourists. In a walking distance, there is also Downtown Las Vegas Hotel and casino District where Freemont Street is located which alone attracts thousands of people daily. Adjacent to the site, there are three World Trade Centers and Pavilions which hold world famous furniture conventions and therefore also attract millions of people worldwide. Some Industrial and Commercial Industrial still remain on or near the site with some of them to be rezoned and take part in downtown revitalization. Site also has easy access, located adjacent to two major freeways in the valley, I-15 and I-95, and is definitely in the area of high visibility which will help in educating people since there are so many that come to this area including architecture students. There is a downtown satellite campus of UNLV School of Architecture for upper division and graduate students. Downtown studio focuses on downtown revitalization and urban environments. There is also institutional facility adjacent to the site that is currently under construction, Brain Institute designed by Frank Gehry. The site meets all of the criteria for picking the design site. At this point, this area is need of program such as residential and restaurants which would have to be included into project.
SITE B-Downtown Henderson. Location: Water Street & Lake Mead Boulevard
The site (up to 150 acres) is located in the Henderson’s Downtown. The site has only several 2-3 acres of infill lots and the rest of the site is single family residences of high to medium to low density lots. The houses were built in 1940’s as temporary housing for families who built and worked at Magnesium Plant which manufactured magnesium and supplied it to army during wartime. The plant and houses were meant to be demolished as soon as the demand for magnesium was met. Therefore, the houses were built quickly and cheep and to be just of better quality than tents. The only reason houses were built is to house workers with families and not single people who lived in a tent city. As more and more workers moved to the areas for work, people stayed in the area and protested against demolition of houses and so the area developed into town and soon became incorporated. Currently, the same houses are still there, but only number of them are still occupied, because housed are falling apart. If site is chosen for project, most of houses would have to be demolished and therefore, program would include housing to replace demolished units.
As the city stared to grow, all of the civic facilities were built in the area on Water Street. Most of the houses on frontage Water Street have been already demolished and rebuilt or converted into retail, offices and cafes/ restaurants. There is also one of the oldest casinos in the valley left that is located on Water Street which attracts many locals. Water Street District, unlike most of the other areas in the valley is pedestrian street, even though it is all vehicular street. The Water Street attracts many locals, because it has a small town main street atmosphere with great restaurants that create great night life environment. Convention Center Event Plaza often has number of exhibitions as well as is home to Arts and Crafts Festivals. Some of the commercial areas within the site that are adjacent to Lake Mead Boulevard, however, are also as old as houses themselves, since buildings have been converted and while many have been demolished already, there are number of lots that still need to be cleared to achieve the plans of downtown improvement that city has been making. Adjacent to the site there is also a hospital which was rebuilt in the same location where old, first hospital was located. Also, across the Lake Mead Boulevard, new development for shopping mall has been completed recently. There are also number of schools in or nearby the site such as middle and high schools as well as Henderson campus of College of Southern Nevada and College of Las Vegas. This site also meets criteria for picking the design site. The Urban Farm would be great addition to a downtown community and benefit the area. Urban Farm would also benefit from surroundings areas. As already mentioned, there are lots of people that use the area everyday and it is in a great location with easy access and visibility from number of directions. The site is also located in the pathway to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam which is one of the most visited areas by tourists. Most tour busses or visitors in their own cars stop by Henderson Downtown and Water Street, therefore, even though area which is mostly used by locals is also used and visited by tourists.
As the city stared to grow, all of the civic facilities were built in the area on Water Street. Most of the houses on frontage Water Street have been already demolished and rebuilt or converted into retail, offices and cafes/ restaurants. There is also one of the oldest casinos in the valley left that is located on Water Street which attracts many locals. Water Street District, unlike most of the other areas in the valley is pedestrian street, even though it is all vehicular street. The Water Street attracts many locals, because it has a small town main street atmosphere with great restaurants that create great night life environment. Convention Center Event Plaza often has number of exhibitions as well as is home to Arts and Crafts Festivals. Some of the commercial areas within the site that are adjacent to Lake Mead Boulevard, however, are also as old as houses themselves, since buildings have been converted and while many have been demolished already, there are number of lots that still need to be cleared to achieve the plans of downtown improvement that city has been making. Adjacent to the site there is also a hospital which was rebuilt in the same location where old, first hospital was located. Also, across the Lake Mead Boulevard, new development for shopping mall has been completed recently. There are also number of schools in or nearby the site such as middle and high schools as well as Henderson campus of College of Southern Nevada and College of Las Vegas. This site also meets criteria for picking the design site. The Urban Farm would be great addition to a downtown community and benefit the area. Urban Farm would also benefit from surroundings areas. As already mentioned, there are lots of people that use the area everyday and it is in a great location with easy access and visibility from number of directions. The site is also located in the pathway to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam which is one of the most visited areas by tourists. Most tour busses or visitors in their own cars stop by Henderson Downtown and Water Street, therefore, even though area which is mostly used by locals is also used and visited by tourists.
SITE C-Henderson. Location: Beltway 215 & St. Rose Parkway
The site (53 acres and could increase up to 60 acres) is located in a new Henderson area which was developed mostly during 2000-2005. There is still some development that is ongoing in the infill areas. The site would be interested to work with, because it has major street St. Rose Parkway that intersects site and smaller, residential collector street that intersects with St. Rose and divides the site further. Therefore, site is in three separate unequal plots of land subdivided by vehicular paths. The site is zoned for Community Commercial and Public/ Semipublic districts and it is a planned use. Parts of site started to be developed but seem that construction was put on hold about a year ago. The sites surroundings are mostly residential single family and medium density. There are also number of parks around, open spaces and business parks which include neighborhood commercial uses such as offices and retail. There is also elementary school nearby and station (for locals) hotel and casino, which is one of the most visited stations in Henderson, because it is connected to The District, a village of mixed use residential, retail and number of cafes, restaurants, night clubs and bars. The site is conveniently located next to 215 Beltway (Beltway connects all of the highways and freeways and major streets and wraps around the whole valley), therefore, there is an easy access to site and due to uses that surrounds it, it has visibility from most of the directions. This site meets all of the criteria for picking the design site. Program for this site would mostly focus to accommodate needs of residents, but since site is located close to hotel and casino and The District which is becoming one of the tourists’ attractions, site would also need to accommodate program for visitors.
SITE D-Las Vegas. Location: I-15, Beltway 215 & Las Vegas Boulevard
The site (up to 155 acres) is located nearly in the center of the valley. It is surrounded by most used freeways and streets, I-15, 215 Beltway, Blue diamond and Las Vegas Boulevard. It is located south of the Strip and nearby McCarran International Airport. The area was mostly developed during 1970’s and 1980’s, but lots of land have been undeveloped or buildings were demolished and never rebuilt. Currently, site is zoning for several types of uses, such as manufacturing and limited resort and apartments and rural residential. Future plan use has not been specified and therefore is not available. It is very likely, however, that planned zoning will be for resorts, due to sites’ frontage on Las Vegas Boulevard. The area is surrounded by variety of uses such as rural and medium density residential, resorts and apartments, shopping malls, general and neighborhood commercial, recreational vehicle park, public facilities, office buildings and manufacturing which are used equally by locals and visitors, because area is distant enough from the Strip for locals and yet close enough to the Strip where tourists’ attractions are. The site would be good for Urban Farm even though it doesn’t meet all of the criteria for design site, there are no institutional or educational uses nearby, but it is in a great location with visibility and easy access. 
It really awesome thesis...gr8
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