The HLA Group, Landscape Architects & Planners, Inc.

Design excellence and responsive client service have guided The HLA Group since the firm?EUR??,,????'???s founding in 1980. A creative studio atmosphere pervades the office, with the professional staff organized into five design teams. Expertise within the firm covers urban design and redevelopment; streetscapes; scenic corridors; master planned communities; mixed-use commercial centers; park and recreation planning; open space; interpretive trails; intermodal transportation; office and corporate campuses; schools, colleges and universities; housing; military base conversion; and riverfront development. The principals are Steven Canada, ASLA; John Nicolaus, FASLA; Jeffrey Craft, ASLA.

Florin Light Rail Station, Sacramento

The HLA Group created the conceptual design, master plan and construction documents for the largest of seven new sites for the southern extension of Sacramento's light rail system. The master plan for the 11-acre site redirects existing bus routes into the transit center. Palm trees line a pedestrian spine that connects the commuter parking area to a multilevel platform and plaza space, served by a separate drop-off area. Evergreen and deciduous canopy shade trees, along with hardy and durable shrubs and vines, create a welcoming image for the station. The light rail station and parking area are designed to maximize security. Storm water is retained on site and cleaned by bioswales. Art installations, commissioned through the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission's Art in Public Places program, in collaboration with Luther Burbank High School, occur throughout the transit station.

Creekside Master Planned Community Utility Corridor, Sacramento

The HLA Group designed the linear park/utility corridor and wrote the landscape design guidelines for the master planned community; provided landscape design for the parks, open space, streetscapes, and the town center; created the community?EUR??,,????'???s marketing logo; and is the primary designer for the majority of the merchant builders now developing the multi-family parcels. This 4.3-acre utility corridor/linear park forms an edge of a 230-acre mixed-used development comprised of nearly 1,000 single-family homes and 450 apartments; 340,000 sq. ft. of neighborhood retail; a seven-acre neighborhood park; and a 20-acre K-8 combined campus. A 200-acre regional park is proposed to the east of the community.