Landscape Architect's Role & Project's Program:

The master plan slid site development of KellerTown Center encompasses approximately 140 acres of the 360 acre Town Center planned development district. Working closely with the City Manager, City staff and the City s architectural consultant the landscape architect guided and developed a master planning effort that combines civic uses, including the new Town Hall and a major open space system featuring a series of lakes, with a vibrant retail center that includes a major grocery store, in line retail and restaurants. Medium density residential uses are also incorporated into the plan, linked to the other components by an extensive trail system. The landscape architect developed and wrote design guidelines that address the arrangement and configuration of public open spaces, land uses, the enhancement of natural site features, sending site and massing, mixed use parking reductions, architectural character and streetscape design.

Key components of the master plan include a pedestrian oriented 'Main Street' (Town Center Lane) with angled parking, Town Hall and Town Hall Plaza at the terminus of this street, and the series of lakes and their associated system of pedestrian trails The open space network also connects to the Bear Creek park corridor, in which future hike and bike trails and other recreation facilities are planned.

Based on the master plan and design guidelines, the landscape architect then proceeded to develop the site design for the following components of the plan.

Town Hall site design - five acres

The "Town Lakes" open space system, Including the re-establishment of wetlands-46 acres

Streetscape alignment and design for Keller Boulevard (FM 1709), Town Center Lane, Rote Snow Boulevard and Bear Creek Parkway -five miles total

Architectural design of the Town Center Lane and Bear Creek Parkway bridges and entry pavilion structures Water features, fountains, entry portals and monument identity signage

Special Issues, Context, & Environmental Concerns

Key to the higher density development is promoting a walkable, live, play and work environment.

Driving the design thinking was the need to plan a town center that created a significantly denser development, as well as a green development, which would distinguish itself from the surroundings and embrace the natural systems, streetscapes and edges as a key framework component of the town center design . Working with natural systems in town centers is often misunderstood, ignored, or at the very )east incorporated as an afterthought with planners and developers. Paced with strip retail development, extending for miles along a major thoroughfare which cut through three cities, and with little to no separation between land uses, almost everything up to toe Town Center was a Nut. Responding to existing environmental conditions defined by natural drainage ways, mature vegetation and appropriate means of ingress and egress, the design team was also faced with the issue of working with a developer who was "in violation of wetland and habitat destruction". Based on this issue, the City then put the landscape architect in charge of creating a 46 acre park system which addressed Corps of Engineers' concerns of creating and enhancing wetlands and habitats,while satisfying necessary drainage requirements. The park system also incorporated trail linkages and recreation needs related to the fact Center. By taking over' stalled' negotiations with the Corps at Engineers, the City, with its consultants, created a positive dialogue with the Corps, gained the trust of the Corps project manager and developed a 'mitigation banking' plan far ten acres of a three to one ratio, which was significantly above minimum corps requirements. The 46 acres now serves as enhanced wetlands and the Corps has been delighted with ore result Developers simply paid into the fund on a per acre cost and the City controlled the design quality.

Design Intent

The overall development dealt with a myriad of issues including, entry portals, civic gathering spaces. streetscape edges, building entrances and courtyards, 4e acres of naturalized and environmentally significant greenbelts and drainage ways as well as parkways and bridges. Working with a common vocabulary of materials, the design reflected a character relating to the "level of use'"-the urban expression verses the naturalized expression.

In the urban expression, the design was carefully articulated with thoughtful detailing. The entry portals suggest what was to come... a modern expression of a traditional design. The Town Hall oval reflects an extension of the building in its use of materials, a controlled rhythm and simplified manner, with patterns of landscape and landscape working concurrently. In Town Lake Park, elements are reflective of the naturalized expression, went the horoscope articulated, but defined by natural systems and less about geometry and patterns as the urban reflects. The same materials were used but the limestone has broken edges on face walls, large slabs chopped from the earth or more rounded borders picked from the earth. Wall heirloom and layout focused on water flow. The landscape in the naturalized area is a restoration plan to reduce and prevent erosion , restore the natural woodland character and promote a diverse wildlife habitat Site grading cannot Be overemphasized as related to the character of the naturalized landscape. Please make note of the philosophic difference in approach between the civil engineering channelized solution (shown in picture # 10) and the landscape architect's naturalized park solution.

Details and Vision

The details of the site design redefined the engineered channelized solution into a natural systems solution. This alone was an eye opening change that the community embraced immediately. Simply put, what was a drainage channel is now used as a park. The need to gain in excess of 100,000 yards of earthwork on site without hauling costs was solved by creating a one and a half acre cleansing pond and a five acre lake. This solution saved money on hauling casts for Town Hall and Bear Creek Parkway, allowing the plan to be executed.

The design execution of the project was a particularly refreshing process. The design was based on a long-term timeless quality. "Hood only get better with age" . Bridges were treated from a contextual perspective, not only for the movement of vehicles, but also for the 'fit' within place. Parkways are true tree- lined parkways for the automobile and the pedestrian. Materials are honest. Walls are limestone quarried not far from the site. The dissipater slab walls are four by eight stone slabs stacked on edge which perform sedimentation control and have an environmental /artistic quality Slab boulders lining the bottom of the channel prevent erosion of the channel. The boulders, identified by the design team on a trip to the site, were rescued from the "haul off" from nearby freeway construction. They were hauled to the site free of charge. The only cost was placing boulders with a track hoe.

Lastly and perhaps most importantly, the City s vision has always been to develop and embrace a master plan and create a project with the infrastructure executed properly from the beginning. Because there has been no real master developer, progress has been a slower than expected for retail and office development. The quality of the product from the development community has also been challenging and design guidelines only go so far. However, through the TIFF district funding the design team has developed the infrastructure and the City has set the course for the future... that course is quite good!