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Port Deposit Working Waterfront Master Plan, Cecil County, MD A historic port town on the Susquehanna River, Port Deposit’s waterfront has been home to many different maritime industrial uses over the ensuing decades up until the 1980s. Since then, the Town has been working to revitalize its waterfront and expand public waterfront access, while addressing one of its biggest challenges— tidal flooding from the Susquehanna River and opening of the Conowingo Dam flood gates coupled with stormwater runoff from adjoining hillsides. Through a collaborative public process that included a Town- appointed waterfront committee, a public brainstorming session and a community design workshop, four goals emerged that capture the range of ideas that moved forward throughout the planning process: Increase economic activity in the Town using community-based assets and cooperative regional marketing Improve safety and convenience of linkages between the Town and Waterfront Enhance shoreline access and circulation Enhance appearance of public areas ​ Increasing the resiliency of the waterfront areas also emerged as a common theme. Design concepts were developed for waterfront areas that were needed to adapt features to more frequent flooding while continuing to provide access to waterfront features. ​ The master plan was completed in September, 2018.

Route 50 Traffic Calming Aldie, Middleburg Upperville, VA L/KLA served as the landscape architect on a multi-disciplined team that prepared conceptual, preliminary and final engineering plans for traffic calming measures along twenty miles of U.S. Route 50 in Virginia. The award-winning conceptual plan resulted in a $13.8 million federal demonstration grant for rural traffic calming. Traffic calming measures have been designed to increase highway safety by reducing speeding and aggressive driving through roadway design that naturally encourages motorists to drive at slower and safer speeds, while at the same time maintaining the character defining features of each of the town’s historic context. ​ The project began in 1995 with a community-designed traffic calming conceptual plan prepared with the assistance of Ian Lockwood, an international expert in traffic calming. The award-winning plan resulted in a $13.8 million federal demonstration grant for rural traffic calming. ​ The design includes: • Entryway treatments for Upperville, Middleburg, and Aldie • Special warning strips approaching the entrances to villages and towns • In-town measures including raised intersections, valley gutters, and the use of different pavers to narrow the look and feel of the road • Rural intersection treatments to protect left turning traffic • Changes to in-town horizontal alignment deflect the path of vehicles ​ Construction in Upperville was completed in 2008 (above and right) and in Aldie in 2012. Roundabouts at Gilbert’s Corner (top left) were constructed in 2009 as part of a separate design build contract (by others). L/KLA continued its fifteen year effort as the landscape architect on a multi-disciplined team, led by HW Lochner that prepared conceptual, preliminary and final engineering plans for traffic calming measures along twenty miles of U.S. Route 50 in Virginia. The award-winning conceptual plan resulted in a $13.8 million federal demonstration grant for rural traffic calming. In Middleburg, L/KLA worked with the Town, its streetscape committee, and VDOT to incorporate the federally funded traffic calming measures into an ongoing streetscape renovation, completed in 2016. L/KLA was responsible for developing design concepts to ensure the project fit within MIddleburg’s historic context, including preliminary and final design plans for: • Curb extensions incorporated into eight intersections within the historic downtown • Working with the Town to select historically appropriate materials including vehicular clay pavers for crosswalks and matching existing brick pavers for the sidewalk areas • Installing new and expanding existing tree wells and incorporate soil cells, where appropriate to expand the root zone • Detailed design to carefully match existing conditions along the construction limits for the project • Worked with VDOT staff to develop special provisions for specialized project details not utilized on previous VDOT projects including soil cells and vehicular clay pavers Click here to read the Route 50 Traffic Calming Design Memorandum (February 2003)

Port Tobacco Courthouse Preliminary Design Charles County, Maryland L/KLA worked with Charles County, the Town of Port Tobacco (population 15) and key stakeholders to prepare a preliminary design that expands the capacity of the site to accommodate visitors while respecting the rights and privacy of individual property owners. The preliminary design addressed the following key program elements: Historical context of the village, once a bustling port along the Tobacco River and now a site rich in archaeological resources Expanding parking capacity utilizing permeable and/or turf pavers while avoiding archaeological sites Developing a village interpretive walk to tell the story of the once bustling town utilizing the original footprints of former building sites and historic photographs A landscape plan that captures the historic character of the town and hits heritage as a once bustling port Developing a signage plan for a family of five sign types (entry, orientation, wayside exhibits, historic markers, and regulatory signs Developing new sanitary facilities that do not rely on existing septic tank drainfields (architecturally appropriate portable facilities or composting toilet) A phasing plan that illustrates how the projects can be build out over time

Bayshore Heritage Byway Corridor Management Plan New Jersey L/KLA served as the scenic byway consultant working with a committee representing various state and local governments and civic groups to develop a corridor management plan for the Millstone Valley Scenic Byway. Members of the Advisory Committee represented many different viewpoints, all who shared an interest in the route. The Committee included people who lived or worked along the route, those responsible for its management and those with an extensive knowledge of the history of the area. The byway was designated as a National Scenic Byway through FHWA’s National Scenic Byway program. ​ The byway, located in the narrow Millstone River Valley of north central New Jersey, offers a glimpse into the past where skirmishes between the local militia and British troops played a key role in the Revolutionary War. Attractions along the route include the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park, the relocated Rockingham site in Franklin Township and the 1860 House near Rocky Hill Township. Click here to read the Bayshore Heritage Byway Corridor Management Plan (includes Appendix) (November 2012) The Bayshore Heritage Byway Corridor Management Plan was the recipient of a New Jersey ASLA merit award in the Landscape Planning and Analysis category in 2019

City of Fairfax Old Town Streetscape Plan and Standards & Main Street Streetscape Design City of Fairfax, VA The City of Fairfax, Virginia boasts a historic core that includes a National Register Historic District as well as additional buildings and structures or local historic significance. The primary thoroughfare, Main Street, runs through the heart of the historic district and provides access to local businesses while also providing a direct route for daily commuter traffic. The purpose of this project was twofold: 1) to create Streetscape Standards for the public realm of the Old Town Historic District which would serve as a companion document to the private Design Guidelines, and 2) to test the applicability of the proposed standards through the development of 30% complete construction documents for three key blocks on Main Street, between East Street and West Street. Key to the project was the consideration for maintaining the current vehicular traffic flow while improving pedestrian and bicycle safety, comfort, and appeal.Through Working Group engagement, public meetings, and coordination with City staff, the resulting City of Fairfax Historic Overlay District Streetscape Standards outlines new standards and consolidates current policies and practices into a comprehensive document for guiding the preservation, aesthetic enhancement, and improvement of the City of Fairfax’s historic district. The document address elements such as furnishings, lighting, pavement, plants, and identifiers, and makes specific recommendations for their placement within the streetscape. “This document reflects an enormous amount of community input, problem solving, and thinking outside of the box, and it is certainly something we will get a lot of use from immediately and into the future.” ​ Jason Sutphin Division Chief, Community Development Community Development and Planning City of Fairfax ​

Watkins Regional Park Master Park Development Plan The Maryland-National Capital Park Planning Commission selected L/KLA and team consultants to prepare a master plan for Watkins Regional Park located in Upper Marlboro, Prince George’s County, MD. Park inventories and analyses, facility and maintenance surveys, staff interviews, public meetings, and on-line surveys provided direction and perspective in solidifying a framework and vision for the park. Areas of focus included park circulation and neighborhood connections; parking; revenue and use analysis; park amenities and siting; events and programming; inventory and protection of natural resources; and infrastructure needs. ​ Watkins Regional Park was initially developed in the late 1960’s. Improvements have been made over the years, but many facilities remain as installed over forty years ago. This 835-acre property receives over one million visitors per year. More than half of the park is protected by various environmental and policy constraints from active development. Infrastructure (athletic fields, farm, picnic facilities, restrooms, etc.) is in need of upgrading, and pressures for additional uses continue to challenge the park’s operations. Areas of focus include park circulation, parking, revenue and use analysis, park amenities and siting, events and programming, inventory and protection of natural resources, and infrastructure needs. The plan recognizes the strengths of the existing park and builds off its successes through enhancements to playground and family oriented gathering spaces, nature center, farm/agriculture, and sports facilities. Recommended improvements to picnic and play features include the introduction of social hubs with seating and food options, a sprayground, and parking renovations. An outdoor pavilion is recommended for accommodating special events and revenue-generating programs. Enhancements to the “northern athletic complex” will be supported with new fields, parking, trails, and picnic shelters at the “southern athletic complex.” ​ The Watkins Regional Park Master Park Development Plan was developed with an open and collaborative public engagement process. An array of outreach methods were used, including: public meetings and focus groups; working with an appointed stakeholder group; interviews with key staff and agency representatives; an on-line survey; a participatory dot poster survey with displays at the Watkins Nature Center (WNC) and the Largo/Kettering/Perrywood Community Center; and attendance at park events. ​ A copy of the Watkins Regional Park Master Park Development Plan is available online here .

Maple Avenue Commercial Code Update Vienna, VA L/KLA was the prime contractor for assisting the Town of Vienna in articulating their vision for their commercial corridor and then updating the zoning code to reflect that vision. Team members Clarion and Seth Harry & Associates supported the work effort through code authoring and illustrative and development analysis. Vienna’s commercial corridor runs more than a mile through the heart of the community in a typical strip retail/commercial pattern. With the new Metro stations coming to nearby Tysons, the Town Council embarked on a long delayed update to their commercial code with the intent of encouraging taller buildings in a more urban, pedestrian supportive environment. Premised on the understanding that change will occur as Tysons to the town’s east and Reston to the town’s west grow, the effort asked the community how they wished to address and shape that change to benefit the Town of Vienna. Several existing sites were selected for a capacity analysis (see illustrations), demonstrating what changes could occur and what infrastructure such as structured parking would be required to support the change. From this exercise, Steering Committee members were better able to understand the potential change and to offer ideas of how best to shape it. Desires ranged from better building modulation to support for pedestrian gathering spaces to bicycle parking and interest in bioinfiltration and other green building techniques. ​ Team members worked for over two years with a Mayor-appointed Steering Committee. Many public forums and hearings were held that shaped the final proposal, adopted by the Town Council with a 6-1 vote in September 2014.

Vienna Town Green Vienna, VA Completed in 2007, the Vienna Town Green is Vienna’s new central park and gathering space directly abutting Maple Avenue/Route 123 and the Washington & Old Dominion Trail. A sloping lawn serves as seating for the new amphitheater and is home to summer library programs, a concert series, and unstructured play space. A separate, formal green is protected by a low stone seat wall. Adjacent to the four-lane road, an extensive plaza serves as the front door to the community and host for many activities. ​ As Project Manager for the Town Green, Ms. Lardner won the project based on her initial drawing of what she envisioned for our urban park at the Town’s core. The initial drawing became the design of the Town Green, capturing everything we had hoped for. The park is a masterpiece of common sense with whimsy and charm built in. In an atmosphere of doubt regarding the development of the Town Green, her calm and graciousness created trust among the Town residents, businesses and elected officials. Because of her ability to bring people together to work towards a common goal, the Town Green is now the focal point of our community.’ We feel privileged to know and to have worked with Ms. Lardner. Her designs are meant to last many lifetimes and to be identifying parts of our community. She is a wonderful asset to all landscape architects and an advocate for community design and involvement.’ Catherine Salgado, Director and Project Manager, Vienna Parks and Recreation, VA. ​ A story in The Washington Post stated "The project will turn on its head the traditional notion of how a community develops: Colonial-era towns rose around their greens, and many Northern Virginia communities have built a town center first and counted on development to follow. Vienna’s green will be reclaimed from the growth that established the 116-year-old town." It is very powerful to create public space right in the heart of the town. Unlike plazas where shoppers rest at malls, the Vienna green is a true public space, reclaimed from the strip and owned by the public. On the site of a former commercial building and surface parking lot, the southern end of the block was reunited with its northern end, home to two historic buildings. Integrating the two seamlessly and creating open space in the heart of the strip - Vienna’s downtown, demonstrate how our suburban-built communities can be reclaimed. Constructed with a limited budget, a passionate client and highly sophisticated community, the project represents responsible stewardship of all resources—living and budgetary.

City of Alexandria Open Space Master Plan 2017 Updated Implementation Strategy Lardner/Klein was selected as project director for the City of Alexandria’s Open Space Master Plan 2017 Updated Implementation Strategy. The plan addresses the ongoing pressure to provide protected open space in a growing community and recognizes the City’s successes to date and the challenges inherent in continuing such successes. Working from the 2002 Open Space Master Plan recommendations, this implementation strategy makes recommendations for the next ten years with actions in support of the City’s desire to maintain appropriate acres of protected open space for its residents. These actions include a focus on data collection and analysis, policy, and opportunities to form and support innovative partnerships between public and private sectors. The recommended strategies and actions in this Update support the fifteen goals established in the 2002 City of Alexandria Open Space Master Plan. Work to update the strategy plan in 2016 included verifying easement recordations, updating GIS mapping and acreage counts, defining active and passive open space uses, defining and mapping impervious surfaces found in the City’s protected open space, performing a Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) analysis, and combining these efforts into a set of recommendations for implementation over the next decade. The plan was adopted in February 2017. A copy of the plan can be viewed from the City of Alexandria's website by clicking here .

Rock Hall Waterfront Master Plan, Talbot County, MD Rock Hall’s waterfront is a treasured place in the hearts and minds of many residents and visitors to the area. Many have spent most of their lives there, working the water to make a living. Others know it for the famous Fourth of July fireworks, its Pirates and Wenches Weekend and New Year’s Eve celebrations. ​ The purpose of the Town of Rock Hall Waterfront Master Plan is to help guide future changes to enhance ​ waterfront areas while maintaining the strong sense of place that makes Rock Hall’s waterfront unique and special. The plan focuses on the currently zoned Maritime Water Dependent (MWD) and Maritime Commercial (MC) districts located roughly between Walnut Street and Chesapeake Avenue. The plan also addresses the linkages to and from Rock Hall’s Main Street and other nearby attractions and services. ​ The overall goals of this grant-funded project were: To develop strategies (Action Plan) for the retention and expansion of water-dependent businesses; To identify options for expanding waterfront access to working watermen, visitors and Town residents alike; and To evaluate the compatibility and suitability of existing and proposed land uses, infrastructure, facilities and services. Click here to read the Rock Hall Waterfront Master Plan (February 2017)

Bull Run Occoquan Trail Fairfax County, VA L/KLA is serving as the prime contractor leading a multi-disciplined team for the development of a trail inventory, assessment, and final design recommendations to address ongoing maintenance and sustainability issues funded through the federal Recreational Trails Program (NOVA Parks). The project consists of the realignment of approximately nine thousand five hundred linear feet of new natural surface single track trail with an optimal width of 4’ with a 3’ minimum where tree preservation or side slope constraints need to be addressed. The trail is designated for multiple uses where permitted. Mountain bicycle use is prohibited north of Old Yates Ford Road. Equestrian use is permitted. The expected finished condition is “Trail Class 3 (Developed)” in the US ForestService Trail Class matrix and “More Difficult (Blue Square)” in the IMBA Trail Difficulty Rating System. The analysis included: A summary of existing conditions gathered from existing and readily available GIS data An assessment of trail design considerations and potential treatments and structures for each head slope, v-shaped channel and perennial stream crossing for use in confirming the preliminary design alignment as flagged in the field and a preliminary opinion of probable cost (order of magnitude) • The development of final design and construction drawings for the proposed trail alignment​

Simpson Park Playground + Passive Lawn Renovation L/KLA redesigned the existing playground and passive lawn at Simpson Stadium Park in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria. The project entailed: reshaping of existing pedestrian circulation paths and street connections; opening up and re-grading the passive lawn for more usable space; incorporating natural play and updating play equipment; developing a planting plan including additional shade trees and a children's garden; and generating a design scheme that will allow for multiple-generation and inclusive passive and active recreation. Public art was integrated in the design with the inclusion of the artist team May+Watkins Design. This collaboration of design consultant and artist was an unprecedented approach by the City of Alexandria. Community meetings and and an online survey were part of the public engagement strategy. A ribbon cutting event was held in March 2019 to celebrate the re-opening of Simpson Park Playground.