Landscape Architect Articles

A New Brand of Identity08-17-20 | Feature

A New Brand of Identity

Peoria Eighty Three
by J2 Engineering & Environmental Design

The new P83 entertainment district in the city of Peoria, Arizona, was completed in the fall of 2017 with landscape architecture firm, J2 Engineering & Environmental Design as the prime consultant. The area was in need of a new identity to accommodate traffic as well as pedestrians and cyclists. The district's new pedestrian nodes show the P83 entry monument with rock and blue glass gabions. By filling the gabion baskets with landscape glass instead of standard river rock or riprap, it allowed an element that created two different looks. The blue glass gives a unique day time accent and due to its translucency, with LED strip lighting, it provides a blue glow at night.

The P83 Plaza, which replaced an old water feature, includes new plantings, a misting tower, enhanced lighting and a GOBO lighting component (an exterior projection system that creates a unique lighting element, short for go between optics). The GOBO light not only can project a custom P83 logo filter image with the thematic branding colors, blue and yellow, as a static image on the ground but can also rotate, shake and change color. Other filters as well as an RGB color changing wheel allow for a number of different patterns and colors.

The P83 monuments support the new identity throughout the district with the blue and yellow theme logos. Enhanced pedestrian nodes are heavily used during spring training from the nearby Peoria Sports Complex where the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners play.

The new, innovative high intensity activated crosswalk, or HAWK crossing, allows pedestrians to safely cross 83rd Avenue with a signalized, pedestrian-activated crosswalk beacon. The crossing includes arched steel shade canopies, blue lithocrete hardscape and the continuation of the blue glass gabions to further implement the project's unification.

12 P83 District pylons were installed along the east side of 83rd Avenue. The pylons have clear acrylic letters through the aluminum structure face with internal illumination.

Several wayfinding components are found throughout P83 to help direct traffic, both pedestrian and auto, as well as clearly identify the city's new brand.

Pedestrian kiosks host a directory of nearby restaurants, shopping, and attractions listing. The kiosks also provide approximate walking times from each sign's given location.

One of two entry gateways that span across the entire width of 83rd Avenue and signal your arrival into the P83 District. The median's aluminum vertical structures have internal lighting and a stainless-steel aircraft cable system secures the string lights while allowing for the use of banners.

The blue landscape glass, provided by American Specialty Glass, creates a unique element incorporated throughout the district. The one-sided blue glass gabion wall consists of an iron frame with a welded wire fabric set horizontally to create a shelf for the glass. A steel bracket holds LED light fixtures between the gabion iron frame and the exposed aggregate concrete.

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In the city of Peoria, Arizona, is a vibrant and sustainable entertainment district along 83rd Avenue between Bell Road and Skunk Creek Wash, known as Peoria Eighty Three or P83 for short. The area, which was originally developed independently over time, resulted in a lack of unification and created the need for improvements. The city's desire was to unify the area and create an identity through wayfinding signage, landscape and lighting to transform it into an environment that accommodates automobiles but also caters to pedestrians and cyclists. As prime consultant on the project, J2 provided landscape architecture design services including hardscape, landscape and irrigation design, as well as minor civil engineering and construction administration services.

Finding an Identity
The main challenge for the area was creating a new identity and energy founded upon past successes. In developing the branding for "The District" the city of Peoria wanted to create a hip, short identity, thus creating "P83" or "Peoria Eighty Three" as the identifying tags now used for the area. The P83 branding and implementation was seen as a bold step away from the Arrowhead Development umbrella and charted a new course for this area by creating a unique brand that was solely developed and located within the city of Peoria. Previously the area was referred to as Arrowhead Entertainment Center and Arrowhead Fountain Center but was not geographically located anywhere near the Arrowhead Mall nor the Arrowhead Residential Community, both of which are in Glendale. The rebranding effort was all encompassing and succinct enough to increase this area's exposure and establish the P83 brand as the premier entertainment district in the city and surrounding area.

Aesthetics and Safety

With street improvements and its associated landscape and hardscape enhancements, 83rd Avenue, from Bell Road to Skunk Creek, has established a new standard for safely accommodating both the motoring public and pedestrians within an active entertainment area. The integral incorporation of these enhancements at the key intersections include new P83 signage, lit blue glass gabions, planters, and comfortably sized pedestrian refuge rest nodes, reinforcing the overall corridor experience. The innovative incorporation of a signalized, high intensity activated crosswalk beacon, or "HAWK" crossing, was also added to the project to provide a safe way to cross from the nearby Peoria Sports Complex to the P83 Plaza. The traffic control device, which is only activated on a needed basis when a pedestrian pushes the button, is used to stop vehicular traffic and allow pedestrians to cross safely and is heavily used during Spring Training.

A City on the Map
By enhancing and reinvesting in an existing West Valley Commercial Corridor and providing an unmistakable identity and branding, the city created the catalysts for this area to be recognized on Google Maps. The strong commercial corridor asset to the city of Peoria has been enhanced and branded with easily identifiable district signage and thematic elements incorporated throughout. Additionally, several businesses have gravitated to the name P83 and started to include it in their own branding and marketing efforts such as the "Sky at P83" apartment complex, "Osaka P83" restaurant and other businesses incorporating the brand through their social media posts. The city has also seen an increase in redevelopment inquiries based on the name recognition, and through the rebranding effort the area has attracted two new hotels, a high-end apartment complex and a university. Bold, colorful, and innovative icons were introduced into the district through the use of gateways, monuments, pylons, banners, and directional signage. The pedestrian experience was enhanced through the incorporation of shade, seating, and connectivity of the existing district assets which include theaters, the Peoria Sports Complex, dining, shopping, and hotels. The overall goal of reestablishing this area as an identifiable and interconnected entertainment district was exceeded on every level.

Team List:
Client: City of Peoria
Prime Consultant: Landscape Architecture, and Irrigation Design - J2 Engineering & Environmental Design, Phoenix, Az.
Environmental Graphics - Lisa Ranzenberger Designs - Phoenix, Az.
Electrical Engineering - Wright Engineering, Chandler, Az.
Survey and Civil Engineering - TRACE Consulting, Phoenix, Az.
General Contractor - Valley Rain Construction, Tempe, Az.
Steel Sub-Contractor - Caliente, Cave Creek, Az.
Electrical Sub-Contractor - Kimbrell Electrical, Glendale, Az.
Signage Sub-Contractors - Bleier Industries, Tolleson, Az. & Yesco, Chandler, Az.

As seen in LASN magazine, August 2020.