RE: Palouse Mall: business as usual

[sean <o2design@wsu.edu>]

Shahab,
I appreciate the ideas you offer and am glad that you support our 
efforts to share the design solutions in several public venues.  As 
others have observed, it is difficult to grasp the intricacies of the 
design with the image sizes allowed for on computer monitors.  We are 
fortunate, however, that the Chamber of Commerce and the Mall entries 
provide for display of large hardcopies.  On Monday we will be able 
to not only look over the plans in a legible fashion, but also 
address ideas and questions as they arise, something that online 
forums are woefully inadequate at supporting.

Monday's Council meeting will include the latest version of the plan 
and elevations, as well as simulations of various views. 
Unfortunately, we are not able to display those drawings at this 
time.  Because of their file type we are forced to scan full size 
plots (again, approx. 8' long) at a company in Spokane.  Moreover, we 
are continuing to refine the design based upon final comments from 
UofI staff, and will do so Monday to assure that we have implemented 
the necessary suggestions.  Because so much of the information on the 
drawings is color coded it would be of little help to scan locally 
(e.g., Kinkos).  However, following the Council meeting we will take 
steps to display these drawings for those persons who can not join us 
Monday night.

As for being caught in the middle, I believe this project offers 
great possibilities for our community.  We have many businesses that 
would like to see a landscape model to work from, and the Mall and 
the design team have been in agreement from the outset that we want 
to bring such a model to fruition.  The solutions that have evolved 
address myriad quality of life issues for Moscow and its visitors.  I 
have appreciated the chance to help reveal the many fine 
opportunities that the current project holds, and to help display 
landscape solutions for other interested entities.  I hope you and 
others will help us make this "vision" for our community happen.

Thanks,
s

>
>Dear Sean,
>
>I am sure everyone would love to see the pictures you will be showing at the
>council meeting. I assert that these pictures be posted on the web as well.
>Many of us have DSL connections so you can post the pics compressed for the
>MODEMers and full size for us DSLers. Many of us may not be able to or want
>to go to the council meeting but we can certainly make our council members
>aware of our concerns via email. By including your presentations and
>pictures you will have better responses from the council members. They will
>have the complete materials to study and think about; you will not have to
>explain things you already have dealt with. Since this is a very public
>matter, a full public disclosure is needed. You need to make the material
>accessible to all and the web is a natural and simple resource to utilize.
>It is a matter of trust... the more forthcoming you are with information,
>the more you will build trust. This is very critical since many of the
>residents of this area have reason to doubt and suspect any action taken by
>the mall and you are caught in the middle!
>
>Thank you,
>
>Shahab...
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: sean [mailto:o2design@wsu.edu]
>Sent: Friday, August 17, 2001 8:59 AM
>To: vision2020@moscow.com
>Subject: Re: Palouse Mall: business as usual
>
>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