What do we think of Baxter Village in Fort Mill?

[adamparish]

Just got some very detailed pictures of the Baxter Town Center. The attention to detail is what sets Baxter apart from other New Urban projects.

See them all here, or see a couple I really like below.

[suburban george3]

While I agree, the "core" of BV may have some issues; I do like the style of homes built here and the details included. I have toured several of the residences and would love to live in a house like the ones built here. I am not sure on location and the "interconnectivity."

[queensguy06]

george, if you have any questions about this area just let me know. I live just down the road from Baxter Village and have for about 10 years now.

[PharmDMBA]

My wife and I are moving to the area this summer. She will be attending Winthrop and I will be working uptown. Anyone know the approximate commute times to each from the Baxter area? We are also considering the development just behind Baxter (Sutton Place) as it does have a little more yard for our golden retrievers, but is still close enough to walk to the ammenities in Baxter. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

[krazeeboi]

I would say give yourself 20 minutes to get to Winthrop from Baxter. From Baxter to Uptown, depending on traffic, it will be at least 15-20 minutes.

A great article on Baxter Village appeared in yesterday's edition of Rock Hill's daily, The Herald.

[queensguy06]

The area is really nice for what it is. They have a pretty eclectic 'main street' with a British pub and some restaurants. They have a nice YMCA right there and if you are considering children in the future, the elementary school is right there as well.

I would say the downside would be traffic in the next few years. Between Lowes and Wal-Mart going in, and God know's how many more subdivisions between the interstate and Tega Cay, traffic will be heavy all the time.

[Justadude]

Pardon my ignorance, but was this built from scratch on undeveloped land? If so, doesn't that kinda defeat the purpose of New Urbanism? It would seem that this is basically a denser version of the typical exurb, having been plopped in a rural area off an interstate exit. If you converted every suburb in the Charlotte area into this kind of development, we'd still have an incredibly sprawly and disjointed city.

Nevertheless, it is very nice looking and gives me hope that we're at least going in the right direction. I just wish it had been built inside a city, not outside one.

[queensguy06]

You are absolutely right - this is suburban sprawl, and it was built on undeveloped land. And there is no avoiding this type of construction in any major city. There will always be suburbia, however I am glad to see that it is of a little bit higher quality and it isn't just a strip mall next to a poorly designed neighborhood.

[adamparish]

You are absolutely right - this is suburban sprawl, and it was built on undeveloped land. And there is no avoiding this type of construction in any major city. There will always be suburbia, however I am glad to see that it is of a little bit higher quality and it isn't just a strip mall next to a poorly designed neighborhood.

[DigitalSky]

I remember when I went to Baxter I was amazed at how many of the people used the mass transit (CATS bus) that had a couple stops there

[adamparish]

I remember when I went to Baxter I was amazed at how many of the people used the mass transit (CATS bus) that had a couple stops there

[Justadude]

The criticism is not that it isn't dense enough, but that it's being built on a rural interstate exit. What good is dense development if it's still pushing the suburban boundary farther from the city? Mass transit becomes obsolete once you get that far out into the country, because there's no effective way to network it with the existing system without losing a lot of money in the process.

I like the design of this development (I struggle to call it a "village"). But I'm pretty sure that the idea of New Urbanism is not to keep spreading the city across the countryside.

[Nostyle]

As was said earlier, cities will not stop growing outward. Dilworth? Grew outward from Uptown. South Park? Grew outward from Dilworth. And so on. This isn't new. And it's not going to stop anytime soon. What should be encouraged is QUALITY growth, and that's what Baxter is. All you need to do is travel 5 minutes down 160 to see the poor quality sprawling developments that are going up elsewhere.

[Justadude]

If sprawl is inevitable, then we can just abandon New "Urbanism" altogether. What difference does it make to Charlotte whether development 30 miles outside the city is traditional or not? The bottom line will still be the same: a city organized around auto travel and interstate exits, with poor connectivity between and within communities, and an utterly unsustainable model of growth.

The "centers" model has already been tried, and failed, in the suburbs of Atlanta.

[Nostyle]

If sprawl is inevitable, then we can just abandon New "Urbanism" altogether. What difference does it make to Charlotte whether development 30 miles outside the city is traditional or not? The bottom line will still be the same: a city organized around auto travel and interstate exits, with poor connectivity between and within communities, and an utterly unsustainable model of growth.

The "centers" model has already been tried, and failed, in the suburbs of Atlanta.

[queensguy06]

I have to disagree that the homes are not cookie cutter homes. While there is a custom home section, I would say over 75% of the homes come from three designs. If that isn't cookie cutter than I don't know what is. Some of the streets have one style of house all the way down. I will try and snap a couple of photos when I go to work tomorrow.

[adamparish]

[quote name='Justadude' date='Jan 28 2007, 04:35 PM' post='685500'

The "centers" model has already been tried, and failed, in the suburbs of Atlanta.

[Nostyle]

Queensguy, 4-5 builders were involved in the first two phases of Baxter, each with roughly 10 different home styles. Some streets were slated to carry a specific design (there are a few streets devoted solely to Louisiana row-style homes, for example, and Garden Village is all David Weekley, for a second example), which is what you're describing, but these homes vary more than you think. The one characteristic that can be found on 99% of Baxter's homes is front porches, which is supposed to encourage community interaction. So I guess they all have that in common.

I always found the debate over "cookie cutter" to be amusing, though, since urbanists hate cookie cutter suburban housing, but the original URBAN housing was cookie cutter rowhomes. I think what's important in a home (specifically the structure) is quality and functionality. If everyone in a community feels the same type of home offers the quality and functionality they're looking for, then why can't everyone have the same type of home?

[PharmDMBA]

It's amazing the amount of out and out whining that goes on.

I appreciate those who took the time to answer the question of how long the commute is into Uptown. We live in Charleston and am moving to Charlotte because I like the area. My wife and I like to live a little away from major met areas as we enjoy seeing stars, hearing birds, sending our future children to neighborly schools, and still being close enough to enjoy the ammenities of a large city.

This reply was not to rant but to offer some opposition to the comment about Baxter being cookie cutter. While it is an interesting view that one street is all the same all the way down, I wouldn't not call DT Charleston cookie cutter. The street you are speaking of is designed after a street in Charleston as are most of the homes in Baxter. Those homes are Charleston singles. The homes were built this way in the past as old laws in Charleston taxed on street frontage. Therefore, the land owners built their homes skinny and deep with south facing porches for breezes. With this design, there is not a whole lot you can do to differentiate your home.

I also agree with many of you who have commented that sprawl is going to happen. As this is a fact, why not take advantage of a neighborhood designed around sitting on your porch, knowing your neighbor, and returning to a simpler time. You don't have to live 30 stories up to have a well planned neighborhood.

[Justadude]

BTW, I encourage you to visit Baxter. Get out of your car and walk. What you'll find is a wide variety of housing with many details that aren't noticed from the car window. Give the street Eli's Way a visit. This is the oldest street in the village and it is aging quite nicely. The tree canopy will be across the street in just a couple more seasons.

[PharmDMBA]

I spent the weekend in Baxter this past weekend, and I know the "simpler time" thing seems corny. However, I grew up in a small town and I felt like I was back there. It was hard to beleive this little piece of americana was 15 minutes from a major metro area. I walked to the town center and must have seen 10 people on roller blades, a few riding bikes, and countless out in their "yards" talking to the neighbors. Everyone threw a hand up as my wife and I walked by. It was cold this weekend so I was suprised to see so much outdoor activity including the outdoor concert they had in front of the Inn at Baxter. Had it been warmer I would have expected the smell of apple pie cooling on a front porch. The photos and discussions of the village do not do it justice. I encourage anyone to go down and walk the village streets, not necessarily the shop district, walk down a sidewalk through the neighborhood. You may be suprised at the home town feel you get.

[krazeeboi]

I spent the weekend in Baxter this past weekend, and I know the "simpler time" thing seems corny. However, I grew up in a small town and I felt like I was back there. It was hard to beleive this little piece of americana was 15 minutes from a major metro area.

[Justadude]

I think the true test will be when the rest of that area really begins growing up around Baxter (as much as that is possible, since the development borders I-77).

[Spartan]

New urbanism is sort of like starting a new town. The theory is that when you do that, the town can be expanded in to the surrounding area which would look similar to the stuff thats already there. Baxter is a pretty decent place from what I recall. They have a lot more commercial than I'On, which is little more than a dense, glorified subdivision. I think Baxter has the potential to be something great... but that really remains to be seen.

[adamparish]

PharmDMBA and all,

Baxter has a very active public discussion forum as well.