ASH+LIME

After many years of being a casual LinkedIn user, 2024 was my first year being fully immersed in this site. I've used it to actively seek out and connect with like-minded professionals around the state, the country, and even the globe. This has led to dozens of Zoom and phone conversations with new people this year. These discussions remind me, again, that my firm's work is part of a much larger movement. Around the world, people have come to realize that the most powerful tools for towns and cities don't lie in grand, overarching plans or massive budgets, but in tapping into the hidden superpowers of people in their own communities! One highlight in 2024: co-founding the growing Storefront Renaissance League with Storefront Mastery guru Jaime Izurieta. The league is rooted in the idea that every town has entrepreneurial magic waiting to be unlocked—they just need the right toolkit. https://lnkd.in/gPhTeRVC Another highlight: our collaboration with the University of Houston's Arts District. Our role wasn't to create a top-down plan. Rather, our recommendations centered around helping them amplify the creative ecosystem they'd built over decades. One early result: They launched "Sunday in the District" to showcase and celebrate existing cultural assets. Other projects completed this year included: * A storefront strategy for Corsicana, Texas – the original Texas oil boomtown. Its many blocks of Downtown storefronts, spread across multiple districts, made it an ideal first project for the League. * The Comprehensive Plan for Rockdale, Texas, as a subconsultant for Freese and Nichols. We were inspired by the local pride and fighting spirit of this community, a former ALCOA company town which is redefining itself and finding new life and energy. * An adaptive reuse plan for an historic, three-story, 42,000-square-foot train station in Downtown Texarkana. Spanning two states (Texas and Arkansas), this site offers a unique opportunity to unite two communities in an extraordinary hub for small businesses. * The Comprehensive Plan for New Fairview, Texas, a community balancing locals’ desire to maintain rural character with booming growth and infrastructure demands. This multi-year collaboration was done in partnership with Antero Group and two graduate cohorts at the University of North Texas. In 2025, we're expanding the Storefront Renaissance League, supporting incremental development, and diving deeper into Third Places. This year, we recognize that communities may well face difficult budget challenges. Based on the work we've done over the years, we know that we—and our partners—are well-positioned to help.

This past weekend, Antero Group and ASH+LIME visited the City of Jersey Village as part of the Journey to 2035 Comprehensive Plan project. We joined members from the city’s Comprehensive Plan Update Committee for a tour of underutilized areas with potential for revitalization. While we were in town, we also connected with residents during a stop at Senate Avenue Brewing Company and the annual Holiday in the Village event—even participating in the holiday parade with a golf cart decked out to promote the Comprehensive Plan! The community’s feedback was invaluable, offering insights into what residents truly value about Jersey Village. We’re excited to incorporate these perspectives as we shape a vision for the city’s future. #CommunityEngagement #ComprehensivePlan #JerseyVillageJourney #UrbanPlanning Austin Bleess

Way back in 2022, I was invited by the University of North Texas (UNT) to teach two semesters in their @unturbanplanner program. My mission: Coordinate a Comprehensive Plan for the City of New Fairview, a rural community positioned on the verge of substantial growth. This effort was to be supported by UNT, my firm (ASH+LIME), and Antero Group. Coordinating two classes, two firms, City staff, and University staff to complete a comprehensive plan was, to say the least, daunting. Challenges included integrating data, maps, and writing from 16 contributors into a cohesive document, while leading group presentations and community outreach. New Fairview faces significant challenges and opportunities. There is a great desire to preserve the community's rural character, in the face of booming regional growth. At the same time, critical infrastructure, including water, requires major investments which will rely on the City's tax base. Citizens and leaders must make tough decisions on tradeoffs. The Plan makes various recommendations related to housing, transportation, public facilities, water and wastewater, economic development, and emergency management. One notable aspect of this plan is its focus on giving City leaders and citizens tools to assess tradeoffs. Put another way, it was understood that *we* could not make every decision for them, but that we could help them to make the most informed choices possible. As with all our work, our approach was not copied, pasted, and standardized, but thoughtfully tailored to the specific context of the community. Despite the challenging conditions, we are pleased that our plan was well-received. It took many hands to pull this off. These include: City of New Fairview John Cabrales, City Administrator Ben Nibarger, former City Administrator UNT Staff Lauren Ames Fischer, Ph.D. (Project Manager) Simon A. Andrew, PhD (Chair - Public Administration) UNT Students Emma C. Chelsea Davis, MPA Dalton Dickson Joe Ducay Miguel Esparza Natalija Gajic, MPA Jacob Guajardo Joshua H. Adam Johnson Zachary King Lillian Painter, MPA Zahra Ricketts Jerry Young III, MPA Katelyn Goertz, Project Intern Antero Group Michael Schmitz ASH+LIME Linda Chan, Project Manager Milauni Patel, Intern Thanks also go to the City Council and the P&Z board for offering feedback and guidance throughout the process. I am very proud of the hard work of the students, most of whom had never worked on a real-world project. I was greatly impressed with their initiative and thoughtfulness. While it took some time, we're pleased to bring this project to the finish line. We hope it will prove to be a useful tool that helps the City's citizens and leaders assess tradeoffs and make wise decisions!

The City of Garland has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a creative Master Developer to transform a central area in the heart of our Downtown District. This is a fantastic opportunity for a multifamily developer to create a high-quality, mixed-use development that enhances walkability, complements our historic charm, and supports the vibrant revitalization of the area. With 11 city-owned parcels totaling 2.1 acres, this project offers significant potential to make a lasting impact on the future of Garland. Interested in partnering with the City of Garland? Visit our bidding platform, Ion Wave, for more details: https://lnkd.in/g6hKQ3pa Or visit the City of Garland Economic Development site: https://lnkd.in/gpjK8AMJ #GarlandTX #RealEstate #Development #RFP #DowntownRevitalization #MultifamilyDevelopment #MixedUseDevelopment #GarlandEconomicDevelopment

I'd like to share a great update from the University of Houston (UH) campus! First, a little background: My firm, ASH+LIME, recently collaborated with the University of Houston, Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts to create a strategy for their on-campus arts district. UH is greatly blessed in this regard. While many universities are working to build their own arts districts, UH already has one, which was developed incrementally over decades. This includes schools of art and design, theater and dance, music, and architecture, along with a museum, art galleries, theaters, programmable outdoor spaces, and various public art installations, all within a well-branded and cohesive area. UH has ambitious plans for buildings and outdoor space upgrades which will further improve the district. In the meantime, ASH+LIME was brought in to help identify *immediate* opportunities to enhance the experience for students and visitors alike. The idea is to complement the University’s larger planning efforts with strategies that can be implemented in weeks and months. One core recommendation was to use well-publicized creative programming to bring the district's assets out into the public. The part that excites me the most: The College of the Arts recently launched an event called "Sunday in the District," which showcases the cultural assets of the entire Arts District. Events include open studios, art sales, music and dance performances, a museum tour, and family activities such as paper lanterns. This event is an opportunity to better promote the Arts District and connect to the larger community, both on- and off-campus. It is hoped that this will be one important step for UH to better leverage the District they already have, as a hub of the creative arts - while working toward longer-term goals. Keep an eye out for updates as this concept evolves! More info on Sunday in the District here: https://lnkd.in/gPAugKVx

We had a fantastic time kicking off a Comprehensive Plan project earlier this week for the City of Jersey Village with our friends at TJKM Transportation Consultants and ASH+LIME. It was a pleasure connecting with City Manager Austin Bleess and the engaged members of the Comprehensive Plan Update Committee. While there, we enjoyed a great lunch at Adriatic Cafe Italian Grill and dropped in at Senate Avenue Brewing Company for some tasty beverages. We were impressed by Jersey Village's quaint neighborhoods and the beautiful live oak trees that line the streets when observed during an exploration of the community to see firsthand what makes it such a special place to raise a family. Community engagement is essential to the success of this project, so we're excited to connect with residents and stakeholders and create a comprehensive plan that reflects their unique needs and priorities. #ComprehensivePlan #CityofJerseyVillage #CommunityEngagement #TexasGLO #ResilientCommunities #UrbanPlanning

On air! 🚨 The 20th episode of The #CitiesFirst Advisors + Podcast is live with our latest guest, Rik Adamski! 🎙️🎙️🎙️🚀🚀🚀 Where some see forgotten places, Rik Adamski sees extraordinary opportunities and is dedicated to supporting extraordinary places where people thrive. As the President of ASH+LIME, Rik has consulted on over 50 projects across 35 towns and cities, focusing on downtown and neighborhood planning, local economic development, support for small developers, and deep stakeholder engagement. His approach is bottom-up and incremental, providing communities with tools and resources to achieve immediate, productive steps towards tangible results using their current resources. Rik earned his Masters Degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago - Graduate College of Planning & Public Affairs and a BA in Sociology from the University of Cincinnati. Rik has consulted for several of the most prominent planning organizations in the US before moving to Texas and embracing a more nimble, actionable and participatory approach to developing communities. Here's a sneak peek into the episode, which is all about Third Places, tactical urbanism and incremental placemaking: 👇👇👇 ✅Tell us about how you approach public engagement and equity ✅How can tactical urbanism re-activate neighborhoods & communities ✅What are the building blocks for thriving public spaces & Third Places ✅How have urbanism & mobility evolved since the pandemic ✅Tell us about your professional journey to leading ASH + LIME Listen now on the following platforms:👇👇👇 🎙️Apple: https://lnkd.in/dYbBxqzD 🎙️Spotify: https://lnkd.in/d9mKw_sx 🎙️RSS.com : https://lnkd.in/dRyJgTyU The #CitiesFirst Podcast: https://lnkd.in/d6HAa3kx #podcast #tactical #urbanism #thirdplaces #publicspaces

***update: we’ve just launched our website at www.StorefrontLeague.com. Feel free to stop by and fill out the form! Hello, everyone! I'm seeking advice from professionals who deal with challenges related to vacant and underutilized storefronts. This may include City staff, economic development professionals, Main Street organizations, property owners, and small business owners. We're finalizing a new collaborative service focused on revitalizing these spaces, and we need your feedback! Right now, our core team includes: *Jaime Izurieta Varea, founder of Storefront Mastery, a New Jersey-based creative and design studio *Myself (Rik Adamski), founder of ASH+LIME, a Dallas-based downtown/neighborhood planning firm We're also seeking to expand our team with additional members! Our approach, tailored to the unique needs of each place, will typically cover topics such as: *Engagement with property owners, business owners, and citizens *Strategies for pop-ups and other temporary uses *"Third Place" and local business support *Storefront-specific designs *Code enforcement policies *Place-based marketing Our team will be well-positioned to help communities of all sizes, ranging from small towns to larger cities. Some questions: *Of these topics, what is most pressing to your community? *What types of organizations would be most likely to use these services? *Are we missing anything? Your insights will help us create a service that truly meets community needs. We look forward to helping transform empty storefronts into vibrant neighborhood assets!

🎙 Rik Adamski, professional urban planner, joins episode 79 of the Small Nation Podcast. President of ASH+LIME, Rik Adamski, shares how their bottom up approach to urban planning helps their clients take incremental action on the planning work that has been done in an effort to prevent planning paralysis. He also touches on the value of third places and how they can be a powerful tool in community development and an opportunity for entrepreneurs. Click here to listen: https://lnkd.in/eib8FndP You can also find the Small Nation Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. 👀 Watch at: https://lnkd.in/eAv4Q3jj The Small Nation Podcast is brought to you by CoverLink Insurance.