Eastside Gateway Streetscape Project: Gainesville, Fla.

By Matt Dub????(C), Senior Project Manager, Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency

Sabal palms are centered within a series of ring-shaped concrete planters (colored stained ?EUR??,,????'??Tintura?EUR??,,????'???).

The Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) recently completed the Eastside Gateway project, a unique landscape and streetscape feature to celebrate the cultural and environmental heritage of East Gainesville. Editor?EUR??,,????'???s note: Gainesville (pop. 114, 375) is in north central Florida and home to the University of Florida, with a student body of about 51,000.

The project blends hard and soft materials in a way that creatively interprets important assets of the community relating to the area?EUR??,,????'???s abundant lakes and recreation areas, the optimism of area residents, and positive physical changes taking place in the neighborhood. The site is near the ?EUR??,,????'??Five Points?EUR??,,????'?? hub, an intersection of east Gainesville?EUR??,,????'???s major regional transportation corridors and once home to the ?EUR??,,????'??Tackle Box,?EUR??,,????'?? a decades-old bait and tackle shop that moved further east about five years ago near Newnan?EUR??,,????'???s Lake. The site also has brownfield issues from previous filling station activity. The intersection of two state highways and wedge-shaped property configuration constrained the commercial redevelopment of this highly visible property; however, its transformation into an iconic gateway into the city has proven to be a successful site reclamation strategy.

To create concrete curves, wood forms are typically used, but creating wood forms requires extreme attention to detail, materials handling and high labor cost. This was cost prohibitive. Reusable steel form liners were the cost-effective solution.

In addition to the Eastside Gateway project, the CRA coordinated other work in the Five Points area: placing overhead utilities underground, replacing concrete lighting fixtures with high-quality decorative street lighting and installing newly landscaped street medians. The CRA is also working to rehabilitate a commercial property two blocks east of the Gateway slated to become a small restaurant.

The colorful plantings are drought tolerant and noninvasive. Bulbine (Bulbine frutescens) runs between the sidewalk and the planters.

The CRA operated

under a tight budget and a design mandate from the community. Construction of the project proved extremely complicated. Subsurface petroleum contamination required construction to avoid the affected area so that any future remediation would not be constrained.

The focus of the community-developed design is a series of ring-shaped concrete planters that vary in height and diameter. The rings evoke ripples, a symbol of Newnan?EUR??,,????'???s Lake and the old Tackle Box business. For this type of concrete work, wood forms are typically used to create the desired curves. This proved cost-prohibitive, as creating round forms from wood requires extreme attention to detail, materials handling and high labor cost.

The ground cover in the foreground is sensitive plant (Mimosa strigillosa). The first terrace sports love grass and a wildflower mix: Elliot's love grass (Eraqostis elliottii); Coreopsis leavenworthii and cone flowers (Echinacea purpurea). The second terrace is saw palmetto (Serenoa repens). The third terrace offers Plumbago auriculata ?EUR??,,????'??Imperial Blue?EUR??,,????'???.

Working with construction specialists, the CRA examined new opportunities to realize the community?EUR??,,????'???s design vision within a feasible budget, eventually deciding to use reusable steel forms at great cost savings. Another creative touch was the use of form liners to create a wave-shaped textured outer surface to evoke the nearby abundant water resources. Colorful plantings are 100% drought tolerant and noninvasive.

Land acquisition, budgeting, and site design began in 2005, and the phased project construction of the gateway and adjacent infrastructure improvements spanned 2008-2009. (All elements are complete as of May 2009.) Construction cost was approximately $330,000.

Another creative touch was the use of form liners to create a wave-shaped textured for the planters, symbolic of nearby Newnan?EUR??,,????'???s Lake.

Concrete
Cement composed of 20% Class F fly ash, 30% slag

Adjustable Radius Steel Forms
EFCO Redi-Radius

Form Liners Fitzgerald Formliners, pattern 16959

Concrete Stain
L.M. Scofield Lithochrome Tintura

Drain Panels Hydrotect, Hydrodrain 400

Root Barrier Deeproot, WB-24

Lighting, Landscape Bronzelite, TLC6000

Lighting, Timer Intermatic. ET8015C

Lighting, Streetlights
Lumec Renaissance Series

Irrigation
Rainbird components

Planting
70% of species Florida natives
100% Florida Friendly (drought tolerant, non invasive)

Eastside Gateway Streetscape Project

Owner:
Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency

Designer:
Zamia Design, Larry Teague, ASLA, LEED

Contractor:
Anglin Construction, Gary Anglin