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.

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

Van Dyck Park Master Plan City of Fairfax, Virginia Van Dyck Park is the crown jewel park in the City of Fairfax, Virginia. It is one of its most frequently visited community parks and is the premier park site in the city. The park’s combined three parcels total approximately 36 acres and include wooded natural areas and stream corridor, athletic fields, grassy open spaces with varied topography, trails, picnic areas and picnic shelters, a skatepark, parking, a community center, and police station. The master plan provides the city with a road map for incorporating and implementing necessary infrastructure improvements, while allowing the city to better accommodate the current and future use of the park by the general public. It will strengthen the role of the park as a community asset, a place that serves as the communal living room and backyard for the residents of the City of Fairfax. The plan was adopted in June 2018.

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 .

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.