AIA150 North University Mercado Charrette

THE BACKSTORY

The story of the AIA150 North University Avenue Mercado Charrette begins in November 2006, when representatives of the AIA Lubbock Chapter approached the City of Lubbock with the concept of designing an urban redevelopment or revitalization project for an area or site in the Lubbock area. This effort would include a series of community design charrettes that would allow the public within the affected community the chance to get involved and provide their input. After meeting with city representatives, four candidate projects were considered, including: a streetscape redevelopment project for 34^th Street, developing a design guidelines manual for the South Overton District of Lubbock, an economic redevelopment corridor concept for a section of Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. in Northeast Lubbock, and finally designing an indoor / outdoor Mercado for the North Lubbock area.

On November 21^st, 2006, AIA Lubbock presented these four candidate projects in open meeting to the Lubbock City Council, along with the recommendation that the most viable project to undertake would be the Mercado project. One week later, the City Council, by unanimous consensus, agreed with AIA Lubbock, and the North University Avenue Mercado was born.

Shortly after, in early December, a Steering Committee consisting of eleven individuals from the local community, including civic and community representatives, local business representatives, and both architectural and allied professionals was formed. The committee includes (in alphabetical order): Chad Davis, ASLA, Landscape Architect with Parkhill, Smith & Cooper, Inc.; Linda DeLeon, Lubbock City Councilwoman; Tina Fuentes, Interim Director, Texas Tech University School of Art; Bernie Gradel, P.E., Civil Engineer with Hugo Reed & Associates; Brian Griggs, Assoc. AIA, Parkhill, Smith & Cooper, Inc.; Ysidro Gutierrez, Lubbock County Commissioner; Christy Martinez-Garcia, Publisher of Latino Lubbock Magazine; Penny Morin, City of Lubbock; Victor Salazar, American State Bank; Ben K. Shacklette, AIA, Associate Professor at the Texas Tech University College of Architecture; and Mitch Wright, owner of Mitch Wright Auto Sales. This committee has performed a sterling job as servants and stewards to the neighborhoods of North Lubbock, which are home to a strong component of the Metro Lubbock Hispanic community.

As well, in early January 2007, a student design team was formed from the Community Design Studio at the Texas Tech University College of Architecture. These students would serve as the primary design arm of the Mercado design process, while being led by guidance from the steering committee and local AIA professionals. The members of the student team includes: Martin Aguirre, Jennifer Harrington, Christopher Plyler, and Adam Ruelas.

In January and early February, the Steering Committee and Student Team met on numerous occasions, selecting the tentative project site, reviewing case studies of other Mercado projects in existence, and finalizing logistics for the upcoming community design charrettes.

It was important, both from the standpoint of securing public support and to develop a design that truly reflects the ideas, heritage, and vibrance of the North Lubbock and Lubbock Hispanic communities to have a number of community design charrettes, held on February 19th and March 19th, 2007 at Cavazos Middle School in North Lubbock. The input and community involvement was truly incredible, and thanks to these events, momentum and interest is building throughout the city for a project that could forever change the face of North Lubbock through quality architectural design.

With the charrette phase now complete, the Student Design Team and Steering committee have been working to complete a design for the Mercado based on feedback from the two charrettes. Critical components to the design include the incorporation of Hispanic architectural styling, motifs and artwork that reflects this rich culture, and the incorporation of the AIA’s Ten Principles of Livable Communities; the cornerstone of successful architectural design in the urban setting.

WHY HERE? WHY NOW? WHY A MERCADO?

For the nearly quarter of a million people who live in the Metro Lubbock area today, never has there been more dynamic projects and events underway as there are either in planning or construction now in Lubbock. The Marsha Sharp Freeway, North Overton; the largest privately-funded urban redevelopment project in the United States, the Lubbock downtown redevelopment initiative, continued growth on the Texas Tech campus, and a steady growth in population throughout the Lubbock area all point to a great future for the “Hub City.” Yet, certain areas of the city are in need of revitalization and redevelopment, including the areas and neighborhoods of North Lubbock. In 2006, the City of Lubbock adopted a document known as The North & East Lubbock Master Redevelopment Plan, a document that provides a strategy for economic and community growth in the two sectors of the city in need of such revitalization. At the western end of the “redevelopment zone,” a forty square-mile area arcing across the northern and eastern stretches of Lubbock sits the three neighborhoods that make up North Lubbock; Arnett-Benson, Jackson, and Guadalupe. Along the southern border of these three neighborhoods is the new Marsha Sharp Freeway (US Highway 82) which stretches from Wolfforth and the Southwest neighborhoods of Lubbock into the Lubbock Downtown Area. As what was learned in the early 1990s with completion of Interstate Highway 27, the freeway which divides East and Central Lubbock, large below-grade high-speed thoroughfares could have the inadvertent effect of separating areas of the city from one another. That risk exists today with the Marsha Sharp Freeway, which could separate vibrant areas of the city in the Texas Tech campus and North Overton from the adjacent neighborhoods of North Lubbock. Therefore, creating a vibrant center of community activity, retail and mixed-use activity is critical in securing future growth and revitalization to North Lubbock. What facility can answer this need? A Mercado.

The tentative site that our Steering Committee and Student Design Team have focused on is a triangular site at the northwest corner of University Avenue and the incoming Marsha Sharp Freeway. This site is strategically located as a “gateway” point into the neighborhoods of North Lubbock, while still near the booming areas of North Overton to the southeast and the Texas Tech University Campus to the south. This site affords the opportunity to continue the economic growth enjoyed south of the Marsha Sharp Freeway northward into an area of the city that needs revitalization.

This project will be completed by mid-April 2007, and will be submitted to the City of Lubbock and the Lubbock City Council as a gift from the Lubbock Chapter of the American Institute of Architects to the people of Lubbock. It is our hope at AIA Lubbock that the design and concepts generated from this event can be taken and utilized as an opportunity to build a Mercado through a partnership of public- and private enterprise.

OUR SUCCESSES

As mentioned previously, the North University Avenue Mercado is rapidly gaining both support and momentum from throughout the Lubbock community. Support in the project came early, as the City of Lubbock earmarked $750,000 to be used in streetscape, right-of-way improvement, and public space improvements in connection with a future Mercado. Yet, perhaps our greatest success was the incredible support and involvement from the community of North Lubbock, and wonderful support of AIA and ASLA professionals who volunteered time outside of their professional duties and daily lives to be a part of this special undertaking. Over thirty AIA Lubbock members, and five ASLA West Texas members participated in the charrettes either in event coordination, preparation or as breakout table leaders during the events.

Their efforts and sacrifice made this event truly possible.