Re: Palouse Mall: business as usual

[sean <o2design@wsu.edu>]

I received, but did not have an opportunity to reply to, Mr. London's 
emails yesterday (a separate one was sent to the Mall's email link), 
but hope that I can shed some light on the questions here (and I hope 
my email will finally make it through!).

The plan (or bird's eye) view drawing on the Web site focuses on 
showing viewers what plants are to be added and where.  A perspective 
or elevation view does not do this, and so we opted for the view type 
that provides the most information.  We did not want an elevation to 
be taken as an attempt to hide the placement of plants, as we are 
making every possible effort to alert the community to the plan, to 
encourage input, and to answer questions.

At the Council meeting Monday, which we would encourage all 
interested parties to attend, we will be using both a full sized 
(approx. 8' long) copy of the plan drawing, plus a set of 
before/after elevations (side views), including a view that only 
shows the visual impact of the right-of-way plantings (and not the 
trees in the parking lot).  Each of these also specifies the % of 
building facade visible from the highway.  The accompanying 
before/after plan views also call out those plants to be relocated or 
removed.

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.  Obviously they will grow, and will 
increase the facade they screen, however we preferred to not count 
this growth when calculating facade screening.

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 visual 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 
reduce the number of new plants to offset the increased costs of 
putting in larger plants.  Using larger specimens at the time of 
installation only gains a more immediate visual impact, and does not 
affect the ultimate size of the plant or the facade it will screen. 
All plants will be sized to ensure survivability, and will be in 
accordance with standard landscape design practices.

Regarding the characterization of some of the existing plants as 
nearing the end of their natural life cycle, this analysis, along 
with the finding that a limited number of plants within the 
right-of-way are diseased, are encroaching on others, or are 
positioned in unsafe locations, was supported by the members of the 
UofI Arboretum Board and their Facilities Maintenance and Operations 
staff.  Clearly most of the specimens in the strip are not at this 
point.  That is why only selected plants are identified for 
remediation.  Others, with Flowering Quince being the most notable, 
have several problems and can be replaced with species that will 
contribute far more to the landscape.  Others, such as two mature 
Blue Spruce, are at risk due to damage and/or insect infestation. 
Despite these health risks, we are hopeful that they can be saved, 
and are planned measures to help them recover.

The vast majority of the plants to be removed are Flowering Quince 
"suckers" emerging randomly throughout the planting beds.  Others 
include diseased and damaged specimens.  As mentioned earlier, these 
plants are identified on the drawings we will show Monday evening. 
Careful on-site analysis of individual specimens along with review by 
other professionals have assured that no plants are being wantonly 
removed.  Moreover, the number of plants is being increased 8x what 
was removed.  I would submit that our city's retail landscapes have 
seen no comparable investment in aesthetic quality and urban forest 
expansion.  This, I believe, is in keeping with the Mall's pattern of 
voluntarily enhancing the site's landscape.  The previous phase of 
these changes included the addition of over 60 maples to the parking 
lot and entry drives.

I hope this helps answer 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,
s


>Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2001 20:22:03 -0700
>From: Bill London <london@moscow.com>
>To: Vision2020 <vision2020@moscow.com>, landscape@palousemall.com
>Subject: Palouse Mall: business as usual
>
>     I certainly agree with the recommendation that everyone check out
>the Palouse Mall's website (http://www.palousemall.com) and their
>description of the landscaping they want along the Moscow-Pullman
>Highway there.
>     The website is interesting both for what it does not show and what
>it does reveal.
>     The diagrams and landscapes do not show what the plantings will look
>like from the highway.  The real effect of this planting scheme is not
>clear.
>     However, the mall's spin-doctors who created the explanation
>accompanying the diagrams were very clear in their bias.  The mature
>trees and nice-sized shrubs that survived the mall's Sunday morning raid
>last year, and are growing now in the roadside strip, are described as
>"the aging landscape" and "a worn out landscape."
>     They do not call those plantings "mature" or certainly not
>"attractive"--somehow those nice trees and the bushes there are just
>"worn out."
>     It's still the Mall's same old plan to replace nice decent-sized
>plants with little spindly ones--and I sure hope that Moscow's city
>council has the backbone to say no to this latest example of Palouse
>Mall deception.
>BL

-- 
Thanks,
s


         * * * * * * * *
         Sean Michael