For the first time, new urbanist principles may

For the first time, new urbanist principles may be applied to the redevelopment of housing in an active military base. The plan is to convert 1950s and 1960s style housing in Fort Lewis in Washington State to a compact, mixed-use neighborhood with the help of UDA of Pittsburgh and Site Workshop of Seattle. The plan calls for alleys, garages in back, interconnected streets, front porches, town squares, and a mixture of uses. Fort Lewis, located south of Tacoma, is part of a national military housing privatization program called Residen- tial Communities Initiative (RCI), which authorizes the Army to enter into long term agreements with developers to take over, manage, renovate, and/or redevelop housing for personnel. Fort Lewis signed an agreement with EQR/Lincoln Fort Lewis Communities, a joint venture. Focus groups and meetings with residents revealed that residents favored the traditional neighborhood concept. Fort Lewis has an excellent model for the New Urbanism in Broadmoor, a neighborhood on the base that was built in the 1930s with front porches, dormers, and parking in the back. Now, it is home to the base’s top brass and is highly desired. Also, a new urbanist project called Northwest Landing is nearby, and home to some of the officers.