FW: Palouse Mall Landscape Plan

Dear friends,

Apparently in my earlier post I had misunderstood that the tree cutting was blamed on road construction when the mention had been about the grassy swale. Madeline Edgren of Palouse Mall Associates, LLC, clarified this point... I appreciate the quick response.

The following is a letter from Dr. Sean Michael of WSU who has been involved with the design of the proposed improvements addressing some of my other concerns. Evidently the sizes of the new plants have not been determined yet. I would urge the council members to resist accepting this plan until all specifications are complete. As I mentioned earlier it is unacceptable to me if the mall intends to put in tiny little trees in this project. Years later the trees planted during the renovation of the East Side Marketplace are hopelessly small and inadequate for providing any aesthetic or cooling benefits.

I am encouraged by the quick reply to my letter and apparent forthcoming of the individuals involved in this project and continue to look forward to the resolution and elimination of tension between the mall and some residents of our beloved town.

“Your brother in arms”

Shahab…

-----Original Message-----
From: sean [mailto:o2design@wsu.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 5:08 PM
To: Shahab Mesbah
Cc: edgren@iea.com; jimb@jamesonmgt.com; pagidius@moscow.com
Subject: RE: Palouse Mall Landscape Plan

Shahab,

Thanks for taking a moment to share your impressions on the Mall landscape plan. I understand that Madeline Edgren responded to a number of your concerns, so I will try to address the other issues. For the sake of other Vision2020 subscribers please post this email to the list (my subscription is still not allowing me to post, although Mark Dinges of First Step is working on this).

The plants shown on the plan (and on the elevations we will share next Monday) are sized in 3 ways. First, existing plants are shown at existing size. Each plant was measured by my assistant, Wil Sinclair, and myself using a tape measure to determine diameter. Thus what you see on the plan does not represent the size that these plants will grow to reach.

Proposed shrubs are shown at or near their typical mature size. This was meant to 1) allow for proper spacing (e.g., to avoid undo competition between specimens), and 2) to help viewers visualize what the landscape will tend to plateau at in growth. My experience in teaching design students is that it takes them months or years to effectively envision growth's impact, and for nondesigners who get little practice with this it is even more difficult.

Finally, proposed trees were shown at approximately 2/3 to 3/4 of mature diameter. Given that environmental conditions can more readily inhibit tree growth, and the fact that trees will grow more slowly this, we felt, was a more logical representation. As for our size estimates, all figures are based upon Michael Dirr's typical growth estimates in the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, 4th ed.

Again, we understand that any representation of the proposed changes will only be a point frozen in time. Perhaps with changes in CAD and other simulation technologies we will more readily be able to show growth changes in landscape designs. Until that time we are left to make compromises such as the one we've chosen.

Regarding the size of material to be planted, this has not yet been determined. Our main concern, however, is to be able to implement what we see as the best design for the long term, rather than to remove plants to ameliorate increased costs of larger plants that gain only a more immediate visual impact.

I hope this helps explain your questions. Please do not hesitate to share other questions concerning the design, as I will do my best to explain our solution and its process and logic.

Thanks,

The pictures are small and I am not sure if the trees planted will be as large as pictured or if the pictures show the area after a 20-year maturation! I, for one, am not interested in a bunch of puny little trees that will take decades to mature before they offer any real aesthetics. I also have a problem with the wording that blames the destruction of the mature trees in this area on the highway construction. This kind of "PR" makes me skeptical of the mall bosses even more. It would have been enough to leave the destruction of the old trees out entirely in my opinion instead of lying about it. I would like to see better pictures (larger) that actually show detail. I want to see the picture that represents the view immediately after planting of the area (what it would look like right away from the road). I want to know what size trees and shrubs are going to be planted.

I do have to admit that this plan generally sounds attractive to me. It seems that the mall owners have finally realized that everyone knows where they are and their business would not increase by making themselves more visible but by making the mall grounds more inviting by proper park-like planning. I look forward to the time when I no longer get angry just approaching the mall. I look forward to the time when the mall owners act like a part of our community. If this plan is implemented properly, it has the potential to achieve all of these wishesŠ if the plan is not implemented well and is another scheme to deceive the residents of Moscow then I fear that it may alienate our relationship beyond repair. I urge the owners of the mall to not dig themselves any deeper and make this a positive turn to a negative beginning. It all has to do with your integrity and intentions. Improve the corridor and your reputation will improveŠ pull a fast one and you are likely to never be trusted again!

ShahabŠ

        * * * * * * * *
        Sean Michael, Ph.D.
        Assistant Professor
        Dept. of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
        Washington State University

        149 Johnson/ Pullman 99164-6414
        509.335.1470 / .8690 F

        http://hortla.wsu.edu

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