Park Planning and Design

This neighborhood park is located in one of Lexington, Kentucky’s premier gated communities. The Common’s at Ashford Oaks offers homeowners an expansive lawn area for informal play, a walking trail for exercise and a park pavilion for community events. An entry way at the corner of the park incorporates signage as well as a small gathering space with wide steps that lead up to the walking trail. Over fifty trees were planted at the entry way around the pavilion and on the outer edges of the Common’s to enhance the park setting.

Coventry is an English themed mixed use neighborhood in Lexington, Kentucky. Plans for Coventry included a neighborhood park near the entrance of the community. Large street trees provide an attractive streetscape that draws you from the entrance into the park. This small neighborhood park has lush landscaping and an open lawn area for informal play while a picnic pavilion provides an informal gathering space for residents of the community.

This two and a half acre pond located within the Lakewood Park Community in Lexington, Kentucky is a vital part of the area’s stormwater drainage and pollution control system. The pond captures water before it enters Lexington’s Reservoir #2. It is also a host to numerous flora and fauna including the Great Blue Heron and the Bald Eagle. The pond restoration project included dredging, bank stabilization, aeration, invasive plant removal, native plantings, boulder retaining walls with planting pockets, and the restoration of the primary inlet stream with water cascades. The project’s success has been seen through increased aquatic habitat, improved water clarity and odor, and the reduction of algae.

The master plan for the 167 acre outdoor recreational facility for Boone Creek Outdoors included a welcome center, tree canopy tour, educational programming, cabins and open camp sites, hiking trails, mountain bike course, rock climbing, rappelling, children’s activity area, and a canoe livery on the Kentucky River.

The completed phase 1 includes the welcome center and canopy tour on approximately 38 acres. The canopy tour captures the natural beauty of this unique area in a thrilling, minimally invasive manner featuring 6 zip lines, 3 sky bridges, a rappel, a spiral and floating staircase. All elements of the canopy tour are carefully suspended from large native trees using adjustable bindings. Canopy tour guides share the local history and ecology of the unique ecosystem of Boone Creek and the Kentucky River palisades.

The Gainesway Community Center is in Gainesway Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Site planning and design services included an erosion control/best management practices plan, a grading plan, and a landscape plan for the 3,500 square foot Community Center. Plans for the center include a drop-off area, parking for 30 cars, a patio, storm water management, and an extension of the existing park pathway to the community center.

The 13-acre Hamburg Greenway is in a rapidly developing area on the east side of Lexington, Kentucky. Located between two large commercial centers the greenway links commercial services with the adjoining Tuscany neighborhood providing alternative transportation and recreational opportunities as well as environmental protection. Plans for the greenway included multi-use trails and picnic sites along a picturesque creek. One of the most challenging aspects of the plan was the successful relocation of the historic Hamburg Place Horse Cemetery to a site located within the Greenway.

The Raven Run Nature Preserve is south of Lexington, Kentucky near the Kentucky River. The Lexington Fayette Urban County Government property required a thorough site analysis prior to the design and restoration of these heavily used trails. Placement of a drainage culvert and a series of grade dips in the trails enabled the natural restoration of the trails without use of synthetic structures. The restoration of the Red Trail and a portion of the Blue Trail encompassed approximately 450 linear feet of trails, dropping over 50 feet, with an average slope over 12 percent. At the bottom of the trail hikers are rewarded with a scenic overlook of the Kentucky River palisades.

The Tuscany Greenway is in the Hamburg Area to the east of Lexington, Kentucky. Landscape Plans for the greenway provide a visual buffer between the residential neighborhood of Tuscany and the professional offices in the Sir Barton Business Center. The landscaping also provides environmental protection and help with storm water management. The plant material that was selected for the greenway was chosen to enhance the Northern Italian theme of the Tuscany neighborhood. Additionally, large swaths of native wildflowers were planted in the greenway creating vibrant colors for seasonal interest.