vision2020
RE: Palouse Mall: business as usual
For those folks who don't want to go to the council meeting, you can watch
the meeting from the privacy of your own home, and see the full presentation
on channel 13. The sound has greatly improved over the past few months, the
camera operators have been very good about showing the 'action'. Following
the meeting interested parties can still e-mail their comments and concerns
to their council representatives. Having already seen the representations
Sean is talking about, TV would be a much better medium than DSL internet.
Jerry
-----Original Message-----
From: Shahab Mesbah [mailto:meteor2@moscow.com]
Sent: Friday, August 17, 2001 9:41 AM
To: sean; vision2020@moscow.com
Subject: RE: Palouse Mall: business as usual
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
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Sean Michael
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