Neal Payton, of Torti Gallas worked in Gautier. When he met with the city council they told him right off the bat a few things. One, there town was not destroyed by the Hurricane, they didn't need a recovery plan, they needed a plan for the future development of their city, based on the fact that they were 10 feet higher than everyone else. Second, they didn't want anything that had to do with walkability. Third, they knew they had a great view of the Pascagoula river, and they were looking to exploit it, their idea was to put up large high-rise condo towers on the river and start marketing eco-tourism.

As they toured the city debating the high-rise condo plans, Neal told them "if you build condos on the river, you will destroy all possibility for this town in the future". That statement, made in the prescence of a reporter sealed the fate of the condo plan. He told them, no one would come to visit a city of sprawl, that was the reason no one flocked to Gautier, instead spending their time and money in Ocean Springs.

One idea that came out of the following charrette was the plan for Fish Camp Village, an area of low-rise condos on stilts along the marshy banks of the Pascagoula. The charrette focused on this kind of plan, for the developing the unused land that existed between the sprawled out subdivisions that currently existed. They worked on how to connect existing developments with each other, and with the natural amenities that surround Gautier, the river, the nature reserve, and the coast.

The city has not gotten back to them, but has been pursuing SmartCode with the encouragement of local SmartCode proponent Jeff Wilkinson. After Sandy Sorlien, Chad Emerson, and Ken Groves led a SmartCode seminar in Gautier, it was unclear whether the SmartCode was going to be applied to one development, or to the entiretty of the city.

Gautier Final Report (PDF)

Post any information on charrettes, projects, or other progress.

Last edited by jp.   Page last modified on July 27, 2006