Groundworks Office has been working with a hardy group of neighbors and park stewards to turn this challenging remnant site into a new urban gathering node. With commanding views to the south, the half-acre park is chock-full of site constraints and limitations; its location atop a rail tunnel and its proximity to Interstate 280 provides challenges. The response has been focusing on a simple design with no load-bearing structures, mitigating noise, and expanding the ecological relevance of the site.
The focal point of the new park is a flexible paved area that will provide a much-needed space for play in the neighborhood. Site storm-water is directed into a wetland garden that will host a number of aquatic plants and, with any hope, a frog. A new site-planting regime will be installed that supports local native and drought-tolerant plants. A special focus has been placed on plants with a high ecological value that will foster and attract at-risk species of both insects and small birds..