Short Term & Long Term Outcomes

Short-Term Outcomes
  • Increase Community Participation and Decision-Making - a seven day charrette will precede the development of new zoning ordinances and incentives. This charrette will provide an opportunity for a wide variety of community stakeholders to play a vital participatory and formative role in the creation of a form-based code for Ranson. Representatives of minority and low-income community residents, such as the Jefferson County NAACP and the Interfaith Housing Alliance, have had integral roles in planning past initiatives in the Ranson-Charles Town area and their expertise will be utilized during this charrette as well.
  • Promote Economic Development - one of the primary goals of revising Ranson zoning ordinances is to promote the productive redevelopment of the brownfield properties along the Green Corridor. Having a zoning structure in place to promote the smart development the City of Ranson desires will enable the City to more effectively partner with prospective developers and return these brownfields to productive use.
  • Reduce Energy Usage and Manage Stormwater Runoff - the green overlay district created during this project will ensure that future development in Ranson‟ downtown meets high standards of energy efficiency. Since buildings are responsible for more than 40% of national greenhouse gas emissions, encouraging building efficiency will not only reduce electricity consumption at these sites but also significantly lower Ranson‟ carbon footprint. The plan for incentivizing green infrastructure to manage stormwater runoff throughout Ranson will also provide immediate environmental dividends by protecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed from contaminated runoff – a goal already sought - and soon to be mandated - by U.S. EPA and the WV Department of Environmental Protection, which have provided funding and strong encouragement to Ranson, Charles Town and Jefferson County to begin tackling Chesapeake Bay issues through a green infrastructure plan.
  • Preserve Recreational and Open Space - by enhancing the City of Ranson's ability to direct growth in its undeveloped areas, a revamped zoning code will ensure that valuable community recreational and open spaces are kept free of development. Primarily, this will mean the continued preservation of Evitts Run Park, which runs directly adjacent to the Green Corridor and provides the most convenient recreational space for Ranson's minority and low-income residents.
  • Enhance Supply of Affordable Housing - Ranson's existing zoning has provided incentives for the development of workforce and affordable housing throughout both its downtown and undeveloped areas. A new Smart Code will enable Ranson to enhance these incentives by more effectively promoting a mix of market-rate and affordable housing, and locating these low-income resident developments near public services, workplaces and transit.
Long-Term Outcomes
  • Enhance Local Utilization of Transit - Once constructed, the bus shelters along the Green Corridor and the establishment of the Charles Washington Commuter Center will encourage more commuters to utilize PanTran bus service and MARC train service. Enhanced utilization of transit will reduce vehicle-miles traveled by Jefferson County residents and result in an increase of riders on both PanTran and MARC.
  • Increased Accessibility to Job Centers - Improved local transit will enable easier access to affordable transportation in the Baltimore / D.C. metro area for low-income residents of Ranson and Charles Town.
  • Promote Livability, Walkability - the reconstructed Green Corridor will make it safer and easier for both pedestrians and cyclists to travel along this main thoroughfare. Combined with the development of mixed-use facilities that provide jobs along this corridor, these improvements will further reduce vehicle-miles traveled, simultaneously producing significant decreases in per capita greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Promote Economic Development - the roadway improvements made along the Green Corridor will amplify the development potential of Ranson's zoning code revisions. By producing an attractive road that facilitates multiple transportation modes, these improvements will encourage businesses to locate to the Ranson-Charles Town downtown area and drive its revitalization.
  • Improve State of Repair of Infrastructure - the reconstruction of the Green Corridor will not only directly service livability goals, but also significantly improve the state of repair of this central, yet severely dilapidated road.