Quote:
Originally Posted by LMich
Is the land at the northeast corner of Drake and Parkview across the street developable or is it a part of the Asylum Lake Preserve?
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My understanding is that there will be no development on the NE side of Drake & Parkview. That area is part of the Preserve and is currently a passive recreation space with some trails in grassy meadows.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LMich
Also, on that site plan, are the proposed buildings the white areas?
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That's a good question and I'm not sure of the answer. I thought it was just showing what was old orchard area (the green hatch) versus less wooded land. I imagine they have to consider maximum impervious coverage in doing the site planning, but I don't think they know exactly the size / quantity of buildings yet - they must just be working with maximum / worst-case scenario for design of the storm system, etc.
Docta Love is right that the area to the north will be a buffer zone - and at least some of that land is wetlands. After several public comment sessions last year, the design team, led by
Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber / FTC&H and
O'Boyle, Cowell, Blalock, & Associates / OCBA (say that ten times fast) identified that environmental sustainability will be a top priority. Both have done work with the University in the past (including BTR Park Phase 1) and both know the ins and outs of local land development procedures. From a separate
MLive article (which I paraphrase below), some of the priorities discussed include:
- Create pedestrian- and bike-friendly connections
- Preserve existing trees
- Require new buildings to achieve LEED standards
- Keep existing bee hives on-site
- Protect the visual impact of the Preserve
- Preserve any historical artifacts found at the site
- Manage storm water runoff from the site with adversely impacting the Preserve
Many of these would be required by local zoning ordinances anyway, but by holding these public sessions, it did get more of the public on board with the plan. Between this project, the recently-rebuilt Stadium Dr / US-131 interchange, and all of the crap at The Corner @ Drake project, this whole sector of the City has changed dramatically in a few short years (not always for the better, imo). The BTR Park expansion is positive though; it is projected to bring several hundred new high-tech jobs to the area and tens of millions in new technology investment.
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