Gemert center plan 2022-2032

Gemert Principality

Traffic plan and urban planning are intended to improve the quality of stay, experienceability and traffic safety. The 'Nota van uitgangspunten en randvoorwaarden' is the starting point. This will be supplemented by the marketing plan Gemert Vorstendom. Initiators who want to build in the center of were interviewed in September 2020. In the appendix an overview of the spatial consequences per initiative. Of a few initiatives a request in principle has been approved but the licensing has yet to take place. The distribution of functions such as traffic, housing, hospitality and retail will later form the basis for the legal framework: the environmental plan. In the coming months the plans will be worked out with the help of the Croonen5 agency, the Gemert Vorstendom steering committee and residents.

Target groups for housing

About 760 more housing units are needed until 2040. According to current initiatives, 470 homes could be added in the center, including a good number of apartments. The need is housing for (young) starters. They like to live in the center because of the liveliness and proximity to stores and restaurants. In addition, families need medium-priced ground-level homes and older people need ground-level owner-occupied homes or owner-occupied apartments, close to daily amenities.

Parking

There are 800 parking spaces included in the plans on-site and in the existing public space. An additional 170 spaces are needed to provide sufficient parking for all initiatives. Many initiators do not yet have a solution for on-site parking. That space is available elsewhere on a Komweg and Vondellaan to be redesigned with approximately 300 parking spaces or with garages under the new buildings. An expansion of the blue zone on the west side of the main street could create the necessary space for short-term parking for shoppers. Long-term parkers can be offered a place on the Vondellaan and Komweg to be redesigned. That zone is also suitable as central parking for visitors from outside the village. Different types of stores each have a different type of public with different parking needs. Eg: a supermarket needs short-term parking, the catering industry needs long-term parking.

Green

Vondellaan between Haasstraat and Haageijk and Komweg provide space for a green space, combined with parking, for the restoration of historic routes, water storage and slow traffic. This connects well with the Castle Garden and De Hoef. This can be a fallback option for initiators who cannot realize the green space on their own property. The municipal green space standard is usually not met in current plans.

Retail

The municipal vision is to centralize and concentrate retail as much as possible. As a result, stores complement each other nicely in that area and that counteracts fragmentation. It reduces the chance of retail vacancy. A number of initiators want to add stores or supermarkets. This is not in line with the established retail vision and is not honored in the plan.

Culture House

No location has yet been chosen for the new culture house. The reuse of the old church is being investigated. The starting point is the required square meters of Kunstlokaal and Eendracht together with the same functions as now. This creates a substantial demand for space.

Outline design center

1. Through traffic that does not need to be downtown is discouraged from using the Komweg. Therefore, use of the North Om is encouraged with signage and slowing traffic on the Komweg with narrowing, greening and an additional bypass around the Van den Acker site.
2. In order to make the old center that is cut off by the Komweg perceptible and functional, a connection between Castle, Church, Van den Acker grounds and surroundings of the 'Motte castle' (including former police station) will be strengthened in urban planning by reducing the separation by the Komweg and making historical connections perceptible again.
3. For central parking, there is space along the redesigned Komweg, near the castle and at the event site on the Schabbert, mainly intended for long term parking and visitors from outside. Taken together, this provides space for more short-term parking (blue zone) on the east side of the center.
4. The backs of Church and New Street (Elisabeth Place and Gelind) are cluttered. These areas will be designed as residential areas with space for parking and loading and unloading. Parking spaces that are sacrificed will be compensated along Komweg.
5. The green space standard of 75 sq. ft. per home is often not met, even though these are the places where greening is most needed. A Bowl Park makes the greening standard achievable.
6. Supermarkets are big draws for local visitors. This is conceivable on the HaageijkKomweg in the shopping zone provided no retail area is added. A supermarket on the Van den Acker site does not make sense because it has no relation to the shopping area.
7. The new cultural house in the vicinity of the Bowl Road makes sense because of its proximity to central parking. The space demand is substantial and cannot be solved in the church alone. Other locations include the former police station and mortuary and the v.d. Acker site.

This memo is about the approach to arrive at a traffic plan for the center of Gemert.

Principles

The current traffic flows and parking pressures are currently being studied. The memo of starting points and preconditions center plan Gemert (CB5, July 2020) will be the starting point when adopted by the City Council on October 1, 2020. With regard to the traffic plan, these are the following starting points:

• Restore historic roads and motte castle area (area former police station and Latin school) also to inhibit through traffic and increase travel time through the village.
• Upgrade Bowl Road/West Om and part of Vondell Avenue also to inhibit through traffic and increase travel time through the village.
• Sufficient central parking to quickly direct visitors from outside to a parking space at the edge of the center resulting in the least amount of search traffic on center streets.
• Increased use of public transportation to minimize traffic movements and increase accessibility to downtown.
• Priority for slow traffic over motorized traffic in an easily accessible center with sufficient bicycle parking spaces, also to minimize automobile traffic.

Review Criteria

The traffic plan is reviewed against the following issues:

1. Urban integration
2. Planning feasibility
3. Accessibility, safety and parking
4. Appearance/attraction value
5. Impact on current users
6. Impact on businesses
7. Impact on local residents
8. Financial implications
9. Planning/phasing
10. Coherence with surrounding developments

Basic documents (attached)

The following documents are used as the basis for the traffic plan.

• Memo access and parking Gemert Castle, Feb. 8, 2019
• Parking in the center of Gemert, drawing no. 114118
• 20160801 Categorization plan road network final, Aug 2016
• 20171114 Vision accessibility Gemert Castle
• 20200130 Motion Kasteel Gemert_autoluw kasteellaan DP CDA (adopted)
• Outline memorandum of principles Center Plan Gemert insofar as adopted by the council on October 1, 2020.

Draft traffic plan

Within the set preconditions and starting points, the spatial possibilities are examined. The concept in which the options for parking and a mood definition with the proportion of greenery and paving is indicated is discussed with the parties involved. Choices are then made as to which qualities and developments should be realized for the long term. This should lead to the preferred variant; the basis for elaboration in the center plan.

Key decision points in the traffic plan

In 2011, the municipality of Gemert-Bakel created the Center Vision 2011-2021 with the point of view: a recognizable and lively center that in the future connects heritage such as the Nazareth monastery, the Ridderplein, the castle, the church and the Latin school. The future interpretation of the castle is an important pivot in the center development. In this regard, the Ridderplein is the central meeting place; the heart of the entire municipality. In recent years, much has been done to flesh out that vision, based in part on the image quality plan drawn up in 2012. One of the most visible steps is the redesign of Ridderplein, but a solid foundation has also been laid for cooperation in the center.

Power of collaboration

The new center plan is a multi-year plan 2022-2032 and is the successor to the current center vision. The plan will be drawn up in consultation with the Gemert center steering committee. The municipality, together with CroonenBuro5, is facilitating the process. Denkkamer Architectuur en Onderzoek and the Heemkundekring Gemert have also given their advice. Entrepreneurs, residents and stakeholders in the center contributed in working groups. Alderman Inge van Dijk: "We are very proud of this form of citizen participation and once again we see that with the input of many, a beautiful plan has been drawn up. What I especially appreciate is the way people worked together. Constructively and with decisiveness, many have done their part."

Historic and future values intertwined

The center plan is a spatial plan that defines the wishes for the function of the center and its facilities. It builds on the ambition in the vision to keep cultural heritage experienceable and usable for the future. Current contemporary values such as climate adaptation and heat stress are woven into this.

Important are:

• Good accessibility and accessibility by car and associated parking convenience.
• Besides retail and hospitality, a pleasant residential environment is important due to the experiential value of cultural-historical elements such as buildings and greenery, among others.
• Restoring historic connections will also connect the cultural-historical elements on the west side of the Bowl Road to the center.

Steps to now:

1. Starting points and preconditions center plan Together with the council we discussed which starting points and preconditions are important in drawing up the center plan. In doing so, we also looked at what to take from the current center vision 2011-2021.
2. Urban program of requirements and traffic plan design Together with the council, the spatial frameworks of the plan were discussed and what traffic adjustments would be conceivable.
3. Traffic counts To know the impact of the traffic engineering proposals, a traffic model was created (percentage increase/decrease in traffic). The next step is to convert this into numbers of traffic movements.
4. Vision 2022-2032.

Follow-up steps

1. On March 18, the City Council will decide on the vision.
2. Conversations with developers, stakeholders and private initiatives.
3. Further elaboration 7 sub-areas/public space.
4. Elaboration of environmental plan.
5. Additional traffic counts for traffic loads in the downtown area and surrounding roads.
6. Follow up on the design exploration from Ridderplein to Haageijk previously prepared by Thinking Room Architecture and Research.

Kick off Gemert Forestry

In addition to the spatial plan, there is also a social, economic plan. If you want to be and remain future-proof as a center, you have to show what makes you unique and special. After extensive consultation with all kinds of interested parties, Gemert Vorstendom was chosen. It refers to the unique piece of history from which we derive our streetscape, our identity and our mentality. Worthwhile to propagate to everyone! The goal of Gemert Vorstendom is to make the center of Gemert more beautiful, more livable, more convivial and better known for its inhabitants, visitors and businesses.

On Thursday, April 1, at 8 p.m., the (digital) kick-off of Gemert Forestry took place.

Resident involvement

Many walk-in events have already taken place where residents could express their opinions. Several residents are also members of a working group. We appreciate all interest and interest. Your reaction is always welcome, by e-mail or verbally. You can send a message to gemeente@gemert-bakel.nl. If desired, these reactions will be forwarded anonymously to the steering committee and city council. Would you like to have a conversation about the center plan? Then send an e-mail to gemeente@gemert-bakel.nl. We will then contact you to set up an appointment.

Together we stand strong and maintain our resilience

During the lockdown, the Ondernemersvereniging Gemert (OVG) informs its members weekly. More information for entrepreneurs around the coronavirus can also be read on the page Current information for entrepreneurs / zzp-ers. In addition, Mayor Michiel van Veen and Alderman Inge van Dijk explicitly invite entrepreneurs to engage in conversation. For example when you get stuck in the current regulations. Or when you just want to tell your story. Making an appointment is easy. To do so, call the board secretariat at telephone number 0492-378 500. "We sympathize with our entrepreneurs and are ready when needed. We understand that these are exciting and uncertain times with an uncertain outlook. Let's see together how we can remain resilient."