The Annual Awards Banquet will be held on Saturday, May 18, 2013, at the San Diego Zoo.

More information on the 43rd Street Realignment project

Schmidt Design Group, Inc. provided construction drawing and construction administration services to the City of San Diego. The design integrates a stormwater detention facility with a pedestrian-friendly corridor connecting a commercial center to a community college campus. The site features a walkway, benches and native and adapted landscaping. Much of the landscape helps to treat and filter the stormwater runoff, capturing and cleaning the water before it reaches Chollas Creek, an urban creek that has been plagued by pollution, illegal dumping and the destruction of natural habitats. In the future, an interpretive sign will explain the important function of the site as a stormwater detention basin. The project will also serve as a test program that will determine the value and success of similar small site interventions in maintaining the health of San Diego’s watersheds.

Photo by John Durant

Next Thursday, May 23, Hunter Industries and FX Luminaire are hosting an American Society of Landscape Architects-San Diego Chapter event celebrating the sustainability efforts at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens.

Stone Brewing Co.’s headquarters recently achieved Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) certification.  SITES is the first national rating system for sustainable landscapes with or without a building and Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens is just one of two sites in California and one of 15 worldwide to attain the certification so far.

Schmidt Design Group, Inc. collaborated with owner Greg Koch and Architect Andy Kjellberg to design the hardscape, landscape and irrigation for outdoor seating and beer gardens at this popular restaurant and craft brewery in North San Diego County.  Schmidt Design Group, Inc. submitted the project for SITES certification as part of the pilot program and, in August of 2012, received notice that the project met the very detailed requirements.

“Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens is a fantastic test case for the Pilot Program,” wrote the review committee in the final SITES report. “It is a great example of SITES implementation for a commercial project that gives back to the community. The documentation is well done and it is clear that best efforts have been made to integrate SITES concepts into all stages of the project. The terrific efforts to become a central gathering place for the local community and to provide a place for a wide variety of events and activities is particularly commendable. Additionally, the linking of the site to the restaurant and beer-brewing operations through edible planting provides multiple ecosystem services and brings awareness of these issues to everyone who
comes to the site.”

Registration for the event is at capacity but ASLA members can join the pre-event walking tour of the brewery and are welcome to enjoy themselves in the restaurant after the tour on their own.

During the event, Mr. Koch, will give a short talk on Stone’s sustainability efforts at 5:30PM. Tim Smith, ASLA’s Stewardship Committee Chair, and Marney Jensen from Schmidt Design Group, Inc. will provide an overview of the Sustainable SITES Initiative and explain how Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens achieved certification under the nation’s most comprehensive rating system for sustainable design, construction and maintenance of built landscapes. A representative from Hunter will explain how they have helped Stone Brewing Co., and discuss their own sustainability efforts in the community.  At dusk, FX Luminaire will host an evening under the stars where they will demonstrate Stone’s conversion to FX LED landscape lighting.

Urban agriculture abounds at this exciting new site. Schmidt Design Group, Inc.’s landscape-design details include a 9,000-square-foot organic community garden meant to serve as an important resource for the new community’s residents. Fruit trees and edible cactus also add to the edible landscape of the site. An outdoor barbecue, picnic tables and a play area with “natural play” elements such as tree trunks and climbing boulders are located in a central courtyard. Low Impact Development elements such as bioswales and retention basins were also incorporated into the landscape design.

The project was spearheaded by nonprofit development organization, Community HousingWorks, which transformed four vacant and blighted single-family home sites into this active, new residential community featuring  36 affordable apartments, including eight that will be set aside to house homeless disabled veterans.  The Green Point Rated project exhibits new green-energy geothermal technology used to heat and cool the new community center.  The sleek, modern design of the building is by San Diego-based firm, PUBLIC Architecture + Planning.

Details below:

MEET THE FELLOWS
Join FASLA and ASLA members and other design professionals for an opportunity to hear from local landscape architects.
April 19, 2013
3 PM Networking / 4:30 PM Panel Discussion
RSVP to http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/354774
Free w/RSVP by 4/16
The NewSchool of Architecture & Design
1249 F Street, San Diego, CA 92101

•  Kelly Broughton, FASLA, Development Services Director, City of San Diego
•  Jim Burnett, FASLA, Principal @ Office of James Burnett
•  Laura Burnett, FASLA, Principal @ Burnett Land and Water
•  Pat Caughey, FASLA, Principal @ Wimmer Yamada Caughey Landscape Architects
•  Kathy Garcia, FASLA, Planning & Community Development Director, Del Mar
• Vicki Estrada, FASLA, Principal @ Estrada Land Planning
•  Dennis Otsuji, FASLA, Principal @ Wimmer Yamada Caughey Landscape Architects
• Martin Poirier, FASLA, Principal @ Spurlock Poirier Landscape Architects
•  Glen Schmidt, FASLA, Principal @ Schmidt Design Group
• Andy Spurlock, FASLA, Principal @ Spurlock Poirier Landscape Architects

Charles Grimm (right), Escondido Assistant City Manager, accepts the WALKSanDiego award for Maple Street Pedestrian Plaza.

The event was a wonderful celebration of the progress being made all around San Diego County, from Safe Routes to Schools in La Mesa to Complete Streets Plans for San Marcos and safer pedestrian crossing projects in the City of San Diego.

We also recently received word that the City of Escondido’s Maple Street Pedestrian Plaza was awarded an Outstanding Award from American Public Works Association (APWA) San Diego and Imperial Counties Chapter and a Complete Street Award from the San Diego Section of the American Planning Association (APA).

The excellent WALKSanDiego event and the recent awards are a reminder to me of the great work that Landscape Architects continue to do all around us! The month of April is Landscape Architecture Month so I wanted to take a moment to mention that many of the exciting design projects celebrated by WALKSanDiego , the APA, the APWA, and others, are made possible or enhanced by the involvement of Landscape Architects.

Landscape Architects are important players in any design team, and often take the lead when it comes to some of the aesthetic decisions that, in the end, create the most memorable projects.

So, this month, as you visit your favorite parks, trails, plazas, and other public spaces,

Maple Street Pedestrian Plaza in Escondido

take a moment to thank Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of Landscape Architecture, who helped create our profession over 100 years ago! Happy Landscape Architecture Month!

- Marney Jensen, ASLA, RLA, LEED AP

Pedestrians utilizing the Santa Fe undercrossing on the project’s opening day.

Getting across the railroad tracks to reach Swami’s Beach in Encinitas is now much safer and easier with the completion of a pedestrian rail undercrossing off Coast Highway 101 near Santa Fe Drive. The Encinitas Pedestrian Crossing at Santa Fe  opened on Wednesday, February 27^th. This project is the first of 4 new crossings with the other locations being studied near the following intersections:  Montgomery, Santa Fe, El Portal and Hillcrest.

Schmidt Design Group, Inc. (SDG) was a sub consultant to T.Y. Lin International to assist in the design of four pedestrian undercrossings to allow pedestrians to safely travel from the east side of the tracks to Highway 101.  They incorporated design icons or “cairns” to uniquely mark each entry into the neighborhood.  Themes depicted in the designs reference the ocean, land and cultural history of Encinitas.

“This new rail bridge and pedestrian undercrossing provide a convenient and safe way for pedestrians and cyclists to get from one side of the railroad to the other to access coastal recreational areas, cultural resources, historic Downtown Encinitas and our beautiful Coast Highway 101 corridor,” Mayor Barth said.

A budget of $5.9 million was allocated for the engineering and construction of the Santa Fe crossing.  Additional project information can be found at:www.KeepSanDiegoMoving.com/EncinitasPedCrossings.

Partnered with prime consultant Walker Macy, Schmidt Design Group, Inc. is proud to be part of this momentous project.

Read more about the planned park in Roger Showley’s article published today in U-T San Diego. Here’s an excerpt from the story:

The plan by Civic San Diego, the city’s revitalization arm, calls for mall owner Westfield to demolish the department store building, formerly occupied by Robinson’s and then Planet Hollywood restaurant and Sam Goody’s record and video store.

A new hardscape plaza will be extended south from the historic park to the Balboa Theater at E Street and result in a 57,000-square-foot park.

Highlights include an amphitheater, three open-air pavilions and restrooms, an interactive fountain embedded in the new plaza and tall, slim light fixtures called luminarios.

Continue reading the full article here. 

The site will feature one-acre landscaped gardens and outdoor space. Schmidt Design Group, Inc., which helped design the gardens at Stone Brewing Co.’s Escondido location, will be collaborating with CEO and co-founder Greg Koch to come up with a creative and dynamic design for the gardens and outdoor space.

The new location will also include a Stone Company Store, private event space, a 10-barrel brewing system and 40-tap draft system.

This is the second Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens for the company and the anticipated job creation for this location is 130 new positions.  Anticipated opening during first quarter 2013.

Rendering by Hargreaves Associates

Local San Diego residents and visitors can look forward to maximizing their recreational enjoyment of the city’s  waterfront with the future construction of the San Diego County Administration Center (CAC) Waterfront Park Development project, located along Pacific Coast Highway between Ash and Grape streets in downtown San Diego.