New Longview

Longview Farm, built in 1914 by lumber baron R.A. Long, once drew thousands to its show horse arena and racetrack. But by 2001, the farm’s historic buildings had fallen into disrepair. Gale Communities then commissioned an urban design team led by 180° Design Studio to plan the site.

To engage the public, the team created the plan in a seven-day public design charrette held on site. Patrick Siegman served as a member of the design team. In collaboration with the team, he developed the plan’s thoroughfare network, prepared conceptual street designs, and led public meetings.

The plan and its form-based code reimagine Longview Farm as a traditional neighborhood development. A long-planned high-speed arterial bisecting the site is reimagined as a multi-way boulevard. Along it, four modern roundabouts prevent speeding and act as gateways to the neighborhood. Slow-moving side drives provide a dignified address for homes and shops. On neighborhood streets, short blocks, slender cartways, built-in traffic calming, and midblock pedestrian passages create walkability. Parking is hidden away on rear lanes. Natural drainages are preserved as greenways.

The plan was approved in 2002, and the new neighborhood has won multiple awards for its design and development. Housing types ranging from lakefront cottages to more than 300 town center apartments have been completed. Neighborhood center offices, shops, restaurants, cafés, a chapel, a seven-screen movie theater, and a pharmacy let residents meet many of their daily needs without driving. Longview’s historic buildings have been treated with care. The grand show horse arena has become Longview Farm elementary school, while the restored mansion is now a popular wedding venue.