Landscape & Hardscape Design-Build

Landscape & Hardscape Design-Build - Jan 2012

The residents dont need to irrigate native plants Antos says adding that they use water captured in rain barrels for plants that need to be irrigated Plus all the groundwater is being captured cleaned and diverted back into the regions water basin Insert 122 on page 21 Aluminum Fence Gate and Railing Experts AAMA 2604 25551 Joy Blvd Harrison Twp MI 48045 1 800 783 1331 www elitefence com Insert 109 on page 21 Insert 118 on page 21 The residents use of city water is net zero Antos says Project challenges Stivers says the major challenge of the Elmer Avenue project was balancing the interests of all the parties involved including contributing agencies and city organizations plus the homeowners There were 40 to 50 interested parties or stakeholders with a wide variety of agendas he says But all wanted to make the project happen For homeowners who wanted changes to their property the projects ranged from traditional lawn landscapes to a Palm Springs landscape of succulents stone pavers and gravel walkways with no vestiges of a lawn Some just wanted a compost bin or rain barrel others had 25000 to 30000 worth of work done All because they asked he says The money that was earmarked for some homeowners who chose not to participate went to homeowners who embraced the project Some homeowners are now kicking themselves Stivers says with a chuckle His goal was to create a functional front yard for homeowners who requested a retrofit Most front yards were small about 1000 square feet Parking was very challenging he says I created courtyards that could double as overflow parking He used Acker Stone concrete interlocking pavers for driveways and for walkways homeowners had a choice of natural stone permeable concrete or decomposed granite The area has great sandy loam soils so we didnt have to bring in an engineer for these installations he says For plantings he utilized California Friendly garden plants a plant palette of 500 native and Mediterranean landscape plants chosen with water conservation in mind Plants in the streetscape were primarily native those in the private yards were both native and Mediterranean species I wanted a landscape that homeowners were more familiar with in terms of maintenance and would understand the plants he notes Maintainability was a significant concern since homeowners are responsible for the upkeep The project has a five year contract with the homeowners in which they agree not to significantly change the landscape within that time period This is a research project and we are data mining all the time he says By far the biggest maintenance issue has been weeds The watershed council does not want the homeowners to use herbicides which means a lot of weeding and people dont like to do that he says Green Street Project Revitalizes Neighborhood Continued from page 17 18 Landscape Hardscape Design Build I JANUARY 2012