Opportunities for Sponsorship at Curbside Cuisine

Curbside Cuisine and Colorado Springs Urban Intervention are pleased to announce the Adopt-a-Trough Program for the Curbside Cuisine Food Truck Park in Downtown Colorado Springs.

Just because you do not operate a Food Truck does not mean that there is not an opportunity for you to be involved in Curbside Cuisine! We are offering businesses and individuals the opportunity to have a place to grow flowers, plants or produce in Downtown Colorado Springs.

Beginning on Saturday, May 11 (only 4 days prior to the Grand Opening of Curbside Cuisine), Colorado Springs Urban Intervention will provide the use of planter troughs strategically located in and around Curbside Cuisine. The troughs have an approximate dimension of 2-ft tall, 3-ft wide and 8-ft in length (as seen in the image below).

Curbside Cuisine will include up to 24 planted troughs.

Duration: May 11 – November 11

Maintenance: Curbside Cuisine will provide weekly maintenance of the troughs through a landscape maintenance contractor. If the sponsor would like to maintain the trough themselves, the sponsorship fee may be cut in half*.

*If the plants are not maintained and are no longer presentable, we reserve the right to offer the trough to someone else. A seven-day notice will be given in the instance that this occurs. The sponsorship sign will be removed and a refund will not be granted to the sponsor.

Cost: $800 One Time Cost (or $400 if the sponsor would like to provide their own maintenance*).

What is Provided:

1. Horse trough with soil ready for plant material (location will be determined on a first come/first serve basis beginning at 3 pm on Saturday, May 11). Email us at SpringsUrbanIntervention@gmail.com if you are interested in participating.
2. Water will be provided one time per week through a landscape maintenance contractor. When additional water is necessary for the plants, it will be the responsibility of the trough sponsor.
3. Sign stand that will be within the trough that can hold a laminated sign. See signs from Better Block Pikes Peak below for examples.

Signage holders from Better Block Pikes Peak will be reused at Curbside Cuisine within the troughs.

What will you need to Provide?:

1. Company logo and/or desired sponsorship text.
2. Plant Material and organic mulch for the troughs. If produce is desired to be planted, we recommend the use of a plastic liner. Advance notice shall be given to Colorado Springs Urban Intervention in this instance.
3. Any subsequent water and/or maintenance for the plant material.

Plant Material Recommendations and Restrictions:

1. We recommend the use of xeric plant material for the troughs that will require little maintenance. Flowering plants that require “dead-heading” will be the responsibility of the trough sponsor.

2. Noxious weeds and/or other illegal plant material will not be acceptable plants for the troughs.

Email us at SpringsUrbanIntervention@gmail.com if you are interested in participating.

Introducing Curbside Cuisine: Colorado Springs Premier Food Truck Park

Press Release Curbside Cuisine 4/22/2013

The Food Trucks are Coming! The Food Trucks are Coming

Great news! Curbside Cuisine, Colorado Spring’s own food truck mall is ready to fly! We have found a terrific downtown location next to the Downtown YMCA at the corner of Nevada and Platte across from Palmer High School and Acacia Park at 225 North Nevada Avenue. Where once there was a gas station and car repair service, you will soon find Curbside Cuisine. The property is owned by the YMCA who is one of our key partners in this venture. General Palmer and his horse oversee a very busy intersection that is perfect. Opening Day is projected for May 15! We are hoping you will be part of this exciting, new project which is a clear signal of change for downtown Colorado Springs.

Spend a few minutes in the space and you will be amazed at the number of pedestrians who are in the immediate area — students and staff from Palmer High School, YMCA members before and after a workout, downtown residents who cross through Acacia Park on their way to an appointment, office workers escaping from their offices at lunch time, bike riders with children in tow. Add to that easy parking for the high volume of vehicles on Nevada and Platte who will turn in and find super easy parking.

The transformation from a broken down corner in our downtown to a bustling, vibrant happening will be fast and wonderfully exciting. There is a lot to do and we are ready to start. Here is the plan:

• First we are going to transform what has become an eyesore… power wash the building, repair the canopies, hang banners from the existing sign posts, and add paint… lots of paint! Remember the transformation for Better Block? Using the Better Block model, we are lining up a ton of volunteers to help with a warp speed cleanup, add greenery in the big horse troughs, add chalkboard art, and painted tires to completely change the space.
• Imagine 6-8 food trucks or trailers setup facing Nevada Avenue with a line of folks waiting to place orders, the menu signs out front, diners sitting under the canopies or walking across the street to the park to eat at one of the unique street food choices, and you are part of a new downtown experience. Make plans to join us as we help transform downtown Colorado Springs.
• No more need to drive around to find your favorite food truck. Here they are all in one place ready to tempt you with breakfast crepes, barbeque smoked wings, wood-fired pizza, organic juices, Korean kimchi tacos, poor boys, gumbo, mini bundt cakes and desserts.

Curbside Cuisine’s primary goal is to provide a food truck pod in downtown Colorado Springs which will give unique street food options. Curbside Cuisine is a semi-permanent installation that will enhance the walkable environment and provide outdoor dining in an under-utilized space in the center of our downtown area. With the launch of Curbside Cuisine, Colorado Springs will join the highly successful models of Portland, Austin, San Francisco, and Denver who have helped launch culinary entrepreneurs while creating 15%+ gains in pedestrian traffic for nearby businesses.

The local concept is the brainchild of a group of downtown advocates who are excited to be doing something to enhance our community. As an Organizing Team, we have resisted the urge to overcomplicate the initial steps leading to startup, but rather have chosen to act. We found in the Colorado Springs Urban Intervention (CSUI) at the Pikes Peak Community Foundation a group of like-minded folks willing to serve as our not-for-profit organizational structure. The Organizing Team serves as an intermediary between the independent food truck vendors and CSUI.

Curbside Cuisine will contract with food truck owners for space on a month-to-month basis who are selected on their unique, freshly created, healthy food offerings sold in price range from $ 5.00-$8.00. The selection criteria will include the décor of the truck/trailer, the uniqueness of the menu, and the quality of the products. Hours of operation are 6:30am to 8:00pm, seven days a week. To maximize offerings during the high demand lunch hour and cover the breakfast and evening openings, vendors will be able to select either a morning/lunch or a lunch/evening schedule. Trucks/Trailers will remain on-site for the length of the contract with overnight security provided. The large amount of real estate at 225 North Nevada allows for future expansion to include up to 15 food trucks and 2-3 related businesses to occupy the existing structure. We are committed to operating Curbside Cuisine with a goal of zero waste and encouraging vendors to use local food suppliers where possible.

We are looking for volunteers and a few unique additions to our food truck options. Interested?

Contact: Sandra Vanderstoep 719-330-8979 sandy@curbsidecuisinecs.com

Website: CurbsideCuisineCS.com

Facebook: facebook.com/curbsidecuisinecs

 

The Art of Better Block Pikes Peak

The following post is part of a larger series of posts sharing the photographs provided by Bussanich~Kjeldsen Art during Better Block Pikes Peak. Better Block Pikes Peak was a 24-hour urban intervention testing the built environment in Downtown Colorado Springs from Friday, September 21 at noon until Saturday, September 22 at noon.

Art played a very large role in Better Block Pikes Peak. The demonstration in its entirety could be viewed as a temporary art piece in itself, however the components of the non-event were also carefully incorporated. The following photos illustrate some of the artistic contributions of Better Block Pikes Peak. Enjoy!

A chalkboard wall, graciously borrowed from Sk8-Strong, was used to gather comments and feedback from the public. Some chose to use the chalkboard, and sidewalk below, for creating their own art.

The median served as a place for people to gather and perform on the evening of Friday, September 21. Other street performances during Better Block included Hula-Hooping and guitar playing, as can be seen in the Time Lapse Video (prior post).

Tires served the purpose of planters for Better Block Pikes Peak and as barriers between the automobile traffic and pedestrian traffic. Recycled tires were provided by Rex Tires, painted white by the team, and colorfully painted again by children and adults who experienced the What If Festival in Colorado Springs the week before Better Block Pikes Peak.

The modifications to the median of Pikes Peak Avenue invited visitors to not only experience the median, but also to provide opportunities to experience art that previously existed, as in the photo above. New temporary art was incorporated by Colorado Springs artist, Bill Burgess.

This photograph illustrates the juxtaposition of the Heritage of Colorado Springs with Spencer Penrose (a permanent feature of Pikes Peak Avenue), with the kiosk for Better Block Pikes Peak at the entrance of Pikes Peak from Tejon. The Better Block Pikes Peak kiosk was designed and created by Scott Schuster of RTA Architects with recycled fiber barrels and refuse from the City signs.

Several pieces of sculpture were brought in to create the sculpture garden of Pikes Peak Avenue. All new sculpture pieces are the work of Bill Burgess, also the sculptor of “Continuum”, or otherwise known as the “Julie Penrose Fountain” in America the Beautiful Park.

Better Block Pikes Peak Vehicular Traffic Data

As we have told many people before, during and after Better Block Pikes Peak (BBPP), the fundamental purpose of BBPP was to experiment with the public realm. One of the experiments conducted was to see how vehicular traffic experienced the urban intervention. We discussed and debated what and how much that we would modify for the experiment. Some of our variables were mandated by the City of Colorado Springs, such as the width of the lanes that were maintained. For Pikes Peak Avenue, we maintained the width of one the two outside lanes on the street – or twelve feet (12′).

This photo taken in the late afternoon of Friday, September 21, captures the temporary improvements of Better Block Pikes Peak. Image Credit: BUSSANICH~KJELDSEN Art

We also wanted to make sure that the intervention gave some preference to the pedestrian and bicyclist, so our largest debate was whether or not we changed the speed limit of the street to 5 mph. We started to make signs and prepare for this until…

Before I get to that… Let me start by saying that there were a LOT of great ideas from the community in putting BBPP in place. But perhaps one of the greatest ideas/suggestions came from Mr. Gerrit Slater, of Matrix Design Group. He suggested the use of the City’s new measurement equipment that measured the volume and velocity of vehicular traffic. When this started to fall in place, we decided to scrap the signs because we wanted a true measurement of how traffic would actually interact, rather than a sign suggesting that vehicles only travel 5 mph.

This proved to be the right choice. Although, we did not experience 5 mph vehicular traffic, the traffic speeds were slowed down enough to safely walk across one lane of traffic.

Because this was an experiment, we were prepared and equipped with our hypothesis, control data, the variable of the intervention to the street, data and our conclusions.

• Experiment: To Transform auto-dominated street, Pikes Peak Avenue, between Nevada and Tejon, into an urban street that becomes pedestrian-oriented. The 4-lane street with 60-degree angle parking on both sides of the street and in the center median is to be transformed into a 2-lane street, maintaining the 60-degree angle parking on the outer sides of the street only. The median is to become ‘a place for people’, and allow the people to experience amazing vista of ‘America’s Mountain’, Pikes Peak in a downtown setting.
• Hypothesis: The team expected to see a decrease in vehicular velocities, and potentially slow traffic to two red light cycles. We also expected to see a decrease in the volume of vehicles on the street.
• Control: Travel lanes were to remain as they are today, or 12-foot lanes. On-street parking was to remain for the outer lanes of traffic. Measurements for Pikes Peak Avenue commenced on Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 8:00 am and measured volume and velocity until Sunday, September 23, 2012 at 12:00 am.
• Variable: Decrease of two lanes of vehicular traffic for 24-hours, plus set up and take down time. The times where traffic was reduced to two lanes were from 6:00 am on Friday, September 21, 2012 until approximately 4:00 pm on Saturday, September 22, 2012. Set up occurred on Friday until 12:00 pm (noon); Take down occurred Saturday from noon until 4:00 pm.
• Data: The following charts, provided by Matrix Design Group and the City of Colorado Springs, show the changes in volume and velocity of Pikes Peak Avenue.

Pikes Peak Avenue, Westbound Velocity (Bar Graph) and Westbound Volume (Line Graph). See Legend above for the different days. Modifications occurred between 6 am on 9/21 through 4 pm on 9/22.

Pikes Peak Avenue, Eastbound Velocity (Bar Graph) and Eastbound Volume (Line Graph). See Legend above for the different days. Modifications occurred between 6 am on 9/21 through 4 pm on 9/22.

• Conclusion: By transforming Pikes Peak Avenue to a street where all modes of transportation can still occur, with an increased emphasis toward the pedestrian, vehicular traffic volumes increased and vehicular traffic velocities decreased.

This experiment of Better Block Pikes Peak was seen to be a great success, especially when it is combined with the time lapse video showing an increase of pedestrian traffic from normal conditions. The time lapse video also shows that vehicular traffic was not impeded by anymore than it is in its present condition. Traffic still made it through the block in one street light cycle.

Thank you again to the City of Colorado Springs and the Gerrit Slater for their efforts in the traffic experiment/intervention!

~ John W. Olson, RLA | LEED-AP | CNU-a

Time Lapse Video from Better Block Pikes Peak

Colorado Springs Urban Intervention presented a variety of images and the time lapse video from Better Block Pikes Peak at the Fort Carson Garrison Sustainability Breakfast on November 14, 2012. The video is shown below, which shows the quantity of people who gathered and meandered through the temporary median created during Better Block Pikes Peak on Pikes Peak Avenue between Nevada and Tejon.

Better Block Pikes Peak occurred as the group’s first urban intervention experimenting with the public right-of-way in Downtown Colorado Springs. Our findings were showed a 5-6 mph reduction of velocities during BBPP along with increased volumes. Also noticeable in the video is the great turnover of parking spaces. Actual parking counts were observed and documented by the City of Colorado Springs. Data will be made available soon here for parking, velocities, and volumes for the day following, day of, and the day prior to Better Block Pikes Peak.

Colorado Springs Urban Intervention Accepts an Award

Sustainable Fort Carson awarded us the Achievement in Sustainable Development Award at the 2012 Colorado Sustainability Conference.

Colorado Springs Urban Intervention accepted an award at the Colorado Sustainability Conference on October 26. We were honored to receive this award on behalf of all of our volunteers, sponsors and those who actively engaged in the experience of Better Block Pikes Peak.

We will be giving a series of presentations in the coming months regarding the results of Better Block Pikes Peak. Stay tuned to this blog, our Facebook Page, or the hashtag #BBPP on twitter for more information.

Welcome to the Our New Website!

Colorado Springs Urban Intervention, a Proud Program of the Pikes Peak Community Foundation, is the name of the group who brought Better Block Pikes Peak to Colorado Springs. The following was the Press Release from BBPP:

Better Block projects have been popping up nation-wide, and on Sept 21-22 Colorado Springs will join the movement. By identifying underutilized urban neighborhoods and streets, Better Block projects have a history of transforming places into active destinations brimming with life.

Better Block Pikes Peak project is led by a group of volunteers, businesses, and partnered with the City of Colorado Springs. The project is to transform a section of Pikes Peak Avenue in downtown Colorado Springs currently populated with Downtown’s only 4-Star Hotel, restaurants, a theatre among other great businesses. Today, this one block stretch of Pikes Peak is a “good block” – but it has great potential to be a “great block.”

Pikes Peak Avenue is approximately five-blocks in the heart of downtown with an incredible view corridor of Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain. John Olson, who is leading the effort states”The view of Pikes Peak is an incredible amenity. At our city’s founding, this street was purposefully laid out to be very wide to capture this incredible view. But now the street – with the most incredible vista in our downtown –serves as vehicle storages with parked cars in its center island. A group of us leading this “Better Block” have long asked ourselves why this historic street with the greatest vista in heart of downtown has a foreground image of parked cars in its median? Is this the highest and best use of this prominent street?”

The Better Block group is planning a living experiment to find out the answer to this question. This temporary transformation involves an intervention of the street for a 24-hour period to demonstrate everyday life on Pikes Peak Avenue with the street designed for the pedestrian, not their car.

Nick Kittle, Colorado Springs Manager of Administrative Services and Innovation said “This project is a potential game-changer in urban planning because the group is doing an actual live implementation instead of relying on typical urban planning tools, like drawing up plans, to communicate the idea. In this way, city employees, planners and citizens can actually EXPERIENCE the concept. This gives us opportunity to gather information of what works and what doesn’t before capital investment, and puts us leaps and bounds ahead of the typical planning cycle. Decision makers in our city will potentially learn from this project”

Better Block Pikes Peak looks forward to seeing how people engage with the transformed street and hear from citizens whether they like it, how it can be improved.

Date: *September 21, 2012 (Beginning at Noon) to September 22 at Noon.

Location: Pikes Peak Avenue (Between Nevada and Tejon)

The demonstration/intervention was a huge success! We are still gathering data from the ‘non-event’ and will publish it to this blog as we have it assembled. We will also be presenting some of the images and preliminary data out to miscellaneous organizations in the meantime. If you would like to provide data to the group or your own feedback, please do so on this page, or at our Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/betterblockpikespeak. We look forward to hearing your input!

Photos and data are coming soon!