Design Charrette
The City and Park District began the design process by hosting a design charrette on Sept. 27, 2008. Since a site of this size is classified as a neighborhood park by the Park District, the charrette was planned accordingly. Over 150 landowners and residents within approximately 1/2 mile of the park were invited to participate. Representatives from 14 stakeholder groups were also invited to represent community-wide cultural, recreational, and environmental interests in the site. With a planned capacity for approximately 25 participants, a total of 29 citizens participated.
The purpose of the charrette was to develop a range of design concepts for the park through a focused 4-hour process. After introductions and background information was presented, participants were asked to individually write comments regarding existing conditions and desired outcomes on note cards. These comments were summarized and reported back to the participants.
Following final charrette instructions, participants were broken out into five small groups of 5-7 people. Each group was provided with a base map and drawing materials and asked to produce a design concept drawing and written narrative for the park. Participants were not asked to design shoreline restoration in detail, as that requires extensive expertise, but to focus more on desired recreational elements and land use concepts which staff would integrate with restoration design(s) for later public feedback. Staff and consultants were available to answer questions during this small group process.
Each group was asked to identify design elements that were broadly supported within their groups as well as areas where ideas conflicted. After a 1-hour effort, each group presented their design concepts and the charrette wrapped up with facilitators and participants identifying the design elements common amongst the majority of groups that would be incorporated into composite drawings and presented for broader public comment.
Charrette materials
While the groups had many design elements in common, they also significantly varied in their emphasis on restoration and recreaton on the site. Therefore, the group design concepts were combined into two composite design concept drawings. One of the composite concepts emphasizes restoration, while the other emphasizes recreation.
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Complete Design Concepts
(11" x 17" page size; PDF file format; 0.5 mb or less file size)
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Public comment was received on the above composite design concepts from Oct. 8 to 22, 2008, as well as during a drop-in style open house held on Oct. 16 at the Strawberry Hill Center.
The design concepts were also presented to permitting agencies and funders to identify if there were any major issues. Public comments are provided here.
Preferred Restoration Design Concept
The preferred shoreline restoration design concept was developed based on the following principles:
- Integrate the common comments and design concepts generated during the charrette;
- Integrate public comments and feedback from the permitting agencies and project funders regarding the composite design concepts as appropriate;
- Integrate significant shoreline restoration while limiting impact on the recreational use of the rest of the site (i.e. focus restoration in areas where other uses would be limited to critical areas and shoreline buffers);
- Neighborhood-scale park opportunities (i.e. open play meadow, trails, shoreline access, picnicking) - see preferred design concept below showing example park improvements;
- Sensitive to existing site integrity (i.e. tree canopy, marsh, stream, shoreline);
- Connects to and complements nearby recreational opportunities - see vicinity map above;
- Provides significant opportunities to interpret natural and cultural history of site;
- Includes all elements necessary for a single shoreline permitting process for all phases; and
- Ensures that all elements are allowed under permitting regulations.
The preferred restoration design concept balances the strong public desires for restoration as well as recreation and public access which emerged from the charrette process and public comments, particularly access to the eastern portion of the site, maintaining views and solar access. This is achieved primarily by concentrating restoration within existing critical areas and shoreline buffer areas where limited recreational improvements would be allowed by regulation.
The preferred design concept is intended to:
- Define the extent and general elements of shoreline restoration;
- Define the shoreline recreational elements (overwater viewing structure, pedestrian bridge, hand-powered boat launch, and trails);
- Define the boundary between where restoration and recreation improvements will be made; and
- Define areas preserved for upland recreation and park improvements.
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Preferred Shoreline Restoration Design Concepts (11" x 17" page size; PDF file format; 4 mb or less file size)
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The City Council and Park Board approved the Preferred Shoreline Restoration Design Concept during a joint meeting on Feb. 24, 2009, with the following modifications:
- Restoration is limited to the area waterward of the 50-foot native vegetation zone; and
- The upland area landward of the 50-foot native vegetation zone will be subject to further public design process led by the Park District.
Preliminary design is the engineering drawings developed at the 30% level and prepared based on the approved design concept. The preliminiary design is used for permitting and will be further refined into a final (100%) design that will be used for construction. On March 25, 2009, the City Council waived their requirement to approve 30% design. The Park Board was updated on the 30% design on April 9, 2009, and conducted a site visit on April 14, 2009. On April 23, 2009, the Park Board approved the removal of all asphalt in the upland area south of the driveway, and the placement of clean fill for the creation of a meadow (additional upland improvements will be subjec to additional public design process led by the Park District).
A public meeting was held on the project on November 7, 2009 and the results of that meeting were provided to the City Council. On December 2, 2009, the Council approveda motion (5 in favor and 1 abstention) to move forward with the 90% design, bidding and construction i nthe fall of 2010 or spring of 2011, and make good faith effort consistent iwth the shoreline restoration goals to 1) seek design features that allow for reasonable access to the shoreline and 2) potentially lengthen the ramp for launching non-motorized boats. The intention of the motion was to consider these community concerns during the 90% design, without jeopardizing project funding or further delyaing the construction project.
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30% Design Drawings (11"x17" page size; PDF file format; ~3.5mb or less file size)
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As a result of Council direction, City and Park District staff worked with the consultant, Anchor QEA, to consider if and how the approved 30% design might be adjusted to further address these two community concerns - shoreline access and lengthening the non-motorized boat ramp. Although the extension of the boat ramp was not viable, during the 90% deisgn process the following changes were made:
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Additional shore access was considered and added west of the overwater structure and additional direct water access to the shore was provided for hand-powered boat launch;
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A small area along the western mouth of the creek was removed from the restoration project to accommodate the adjoining propery owners' desire to leave their property in its existing condition (east of the non-motorized boat launch).
The 90% design was presented to the City Council and Park Board on June 9 and June 10 respectively. Upon approval, the final design and bid package will be prepared and the project will be put out to bid. The council will approve and award the bid and construction can then begin.
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90% Design Drawings (11"x17" page size; PDF file format; 5MB or less file size)
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