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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSOUTHEAST FORT COLLINS COMMUNITY PARK - PDP - PDP140014 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PLANNING OBJECTIVESland planning  landscape architecture  urban design  entitlement August 18, 2014 Southeast Community Park PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PLAN Planning Objectives The land for the Southeast Community Park was purchased by Park Planning in 2002 using the fees from new home construction. It is located at the northeast corner of Kechter Road and Zeigler Road, in the southeast side of town. In 2011 a temporary BMX track was constructed on the site in order to relocate it from Edora Park. A partnership between Poudre School District and Park Planning provided construction and use of an irrigation pond and pump house. In 2013, an official Request for Proposals was issued for the design of the community park. A two day design charette was held with the entire city team where several concepts were created. From those, a series of public meetings were held. Through the neighborhood meetings it was determined that the park program should include passive and natural areas, playground, water play, sports fields, dog park, community garden and edible forest, park shelters and restrooms. A master plan was developed and presented at the final public meeting, and is the framework of the Project Development Plan. McClellend’s Creek bisects the park flowing west to east. Fossil Creek High School is adjacent to the north. The two entities share tennis courts and an existing ball field located on the park site. There is also a parking agreement in place that allows park users to park in the west parking lot of the school (outside of school hours) and all of the spots along Saber Cat Drive. Currently the cross-country team uses the property for its races and there are several social paths that have been worn through heavy use. Several large cottonwood and willow trees line both sides of the creek. Some are unstable and will be removed prior to construction for the safety of the park users. The BMX track will be relocated to the western portion of the park and lowered slightly to remove it from the elevated ground that it now sits on. The park design celebrates the creek and reinforces its meandering nature by providing a contrast of straight tree allees which traverse the site from southwest to northeast. The strong allees mimic the old windrows that are often found on agricultural lands in this area. They create outdoor rooms which hold the program elements. These elements include two lit multi-use fields, two lit ball fields, restrooms, shelters, dog park, playground, spray park, community garden and fruit orchard. Also included is the relocated BMX track. The park shelters mimic the orchard structure, with a strong central support structure and a horizontal roof line. A single module is combined in a few different configurations, to create a variety of shelter sizes. The play area design is integrated with the spray park as well as the creek itself. Great care was taken to also provide unprogramed space which will be revegetated in native plants and provide quite areas for contemplation. These areas often occur closer to the creek within the buffer but occasionally stray into landforms and up to higher viewing areas. Southeast Community Park - Planning Objectives July 1, 2014 Page 2 of 2 In addition to providing outdoor rooms the allees also serve as the predominant pedestrian circulation connecting parking areas to program elements. A secondary path system connects the surrounding neighborhoods to central park features through safe street crossings at major intersections. In addition, the circulation through the park allows for Fossil Ridge High School cross country use, by continuing a 3 mile loop from the campus itself. For users that drive to the park, there is ample parking on site in three parking lots. There are two points of access; one off of Kechter Road and one off of Zeigler Road. Some of the parking lot paving will be gravel in order to comply with the City permeability standards. In addition to permeable paving for areas of the parking lots several other stormwater best management practices will be incorporated. All of the runoff from the parking areas will first flow into a gravel French drain system to remove particles from the water. A perforated pipe at the bottom will lead to a discharge area for the clean water to eventually percolate back into the creek. Not only will this system be used around parking areas but also around the sports fields to trap any fertilizers. Native vegetation was maximized in all passive areas of the park and the within the creek corridor.