Developers often see naming streets as their way of making a mark, naming streets after daughters, alma maters, or the family dog. But they often find themselves tangled up in regulations and the limits of their own creativity.
"For every new neighborhood built these days, there's a developer struggling to name its streets. Counties often prohibit duplication, where you cannot have, for example, a Pine Street and a Pine Lane. Each proposed name is vetted by officials with planning, public works and the local 911 call center. Developers say they'll submit 100 names for 25 streets, because most get rejected.
'It's very difficult to come up with new names,' said Jim Anderson, director of Raleigh operations for Crosland, a builder of homes, apartments and retail centers. 'There's a very low success rate.'
"So developers create theme neighborhoods. Out in Knightdale, past meadows, horses, stables and barns, you'll come upon the Churchill community. It is modeled after Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, and streets are named for race winners such as Secretariat, Smarty Jones and Sunday Silence.
'We don't have a Seattle Slew,' Anderson said, referencing the 1977 Triple Crown-winning thoroughbred. 'It got killed because there was a Seattle Street [already].'"
FULL STORY: Developers strive for Clever Way to Name Street
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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