Story

This master plan project creates a unique vision for approximately 300 acres of undeveloped land located within the city boundaries of Coopersville.  Nederveld used transect planning techniques, along with the SmartCode to guide the design process for this project.  The new block structure is similar to the existing historical blocks in Coopersville and the new street system is based on a regional hierarchy that represents boulevards, avenues, streets and alleys.

In conjunction with the City of Coopersville, Nederveld created this mixed-use plan through a collaborative design process involving land owners, the general public and municipal officials.  The plan contains a multitude of uses, including smaller scale industrial, commercial, office
and a variety of housing types. Most importantly, this neighborhood is connected directly to the historic fabric of the City of Coopersville and also has the ability to be connected to the region because of the addition of a train station within the neighborhood.  This could eventually lead to the East Gateway becoming a Transit Oriented Development, the first new TOD of its kind in the region.

The next step for this project is the creation of a new set of ordinances that will, in effect, help to bring this vision to reality. This new code will either replace, or offer an alternative via a parallel code, to the current master plan and zoning ordinance. This new form based
initiative will include a sector plan based on contextual zones from urban to rural, a street hierarchy guide, urban form based code and architectural guidelines.