Thursday, September 20 -- Following days of input and participation, including an early morning Real Estate Development meeting, the midpoint of the week’s SmartCode charrette arrived Wednesday night as citizens gathered to hear PlaceMakers consultants present what amounted to a mid-term exam. It was a “pin-up,” where the team’s work in progress was literally pinned up on walls for citizens to critique.

The big hit of the night was a presentation by the PlaceMakers’ Steve Price, who used a combination of local photography and computer modeling techniques to transform a “before” section of Paseo Del Pueblo Sur into an “after” demonstration of what the street might look like if it changed over time in concert with SmartCode principles.

Price narrowed the car lanes, provided a wide bike lane, created a median strip with tall trees, and inserted Taos-style buildings along sidewalks where surface parking lots now stand. When he finished demonstrating the transition, the whole group applauded.

Rick Chellman, the civil engineer on the PlaceMakers team who specializes in transportation issues, also provided welcome news. His quick study of traffic light timing along the most congested sections of Paseo Del Pueblo Sur suggested an adjustment in the timing could create traffic flow “vastly different from what you experience today. While you don’t want high speed traffic throughout your downtown,” said Chellman, “the existing long queues are not friendly for anyone.”

After quick overview presentations by the team, presenters stood by their work and invited citizens to ask questions one-on-one. A crowd immediately gathered around what PlaceMakers planner Geoff Dyer called “our first crack at a land use map” using the Transect zones that underlie the SmartCode. Most folks were anxious to see where their property and neighborhoods fell in the proposed Transect zones. Over the next two days, the zones will be refined to reflect community input, and the team will present a more complete map Friday night during the final charrette session.

And what were the reactions to the “pin-up”?

Suzanne Wollter, a university professor who lives on a small farm in the area, said she is still concerned about the effects of development and potential zoning changes. “But I am amazed at what’s been going on this week at the charrette,” she said. “I guess I wasn’t expecting too much, maybe because I’ve gotten too cynical. But I’ve enjoyed attending the meetings and hearing all the discussions.”

Bernie and Alix Linnartz, who recently moved to Taos from Placitas, used the charrette to learn more about their new neighborhood and new neighbors. “We’re exited that this is going on,” said Bernie Linnartz. “Both of us were looking for ways to get involved in the community. And this has been interesting.”

The process is made-to-order, said Alix, “for learning about the town.”