I've been working as part of our Solon project team for nearly seven months, and in that time our site plan has been continually evolving. For those who are not familiar with our Central Park project in Solon, we are designing a 90-acre pedestrian friendly downtown for Solon, with a mixture of retail, business, and residential uses. We will stop at nothing less than designing a world class project, and our team has been working feverishly for get the site plan just right - I estimate we have been through at least 47 iterations of a plan, and we'll probably be through another 47 before it is all said and done. Why so many drafts? For one thing, we (and the Solon community) demand excellence. In addition, we are balancing numerous interests and considerations. We need a plan that exemplifies sound urban planning principles, but also acknowledges the practical needs of modern retail and business tenants. We need a site plan that has enough density to create a true sense of place and downtown, but at the same time addresses the concerns of residents who live near our project about height, noise, light, and traffic. These considerations occasionally conflict, and as we continue to mold the site plan, we constantly re-evaluate it from every perspective.
One specific planning principle we have been working hard on is creating a site that has both an outward focus and an inward focus. What does this mean? Many town center / lifestyle center projects are surrounded by surface parking lots and turn their back on the surrounding community. This may create a sense of arrival and of place, but it creates a disconnect with what is next door or across the street. We strongly believe that Central Park should fit into the existing civic fabric of Solon and embrace the community around it, rather than turn its back on it. Our plan will have buildings and activity that face outward, while at the same time having public space and energy that looks inward. It will link City Hall and the Solon Arts Center into a civic and cultural park. When it is done, it should look like it has been there all along. Creating the right balance of inward and outward energy/focus is a challenge, but as we move on to site plan version 48, 49, 50, and beyond, we will continue to focus on it.
One specific planning principle we have been working hard on is creating a site that has both an outward focus and an inward focus. What does this mean? Many town center / lifestyle center projects are surrounded by surface parking lots and turn their back on the surrounding community. This may create a sense of arrival and of place, but it creates a disconnect with what is next door or across the street. We strongly believe that Central Park should fit into the existing civic fabric of Solon and embrace the community around it, rather than turn its back on it. Our plan will have buildings and activity that face outward, while at the same time having public space and energy that looks inward. It will link City Hall and the Solon Arts Center into a civic and cultural park. When it is done, it should look like it has been there all along. Creating the right balance of inward and outward energy/focus is a challenge, but as we move on to site plan version 48, 49, 50, and beyond, we will continue to focus on it.
