Urban planning can be bewitching. A come-hither main street, a quicker commute, swaths of new green space: What citizen is immune to these charms?

But opinions diverge on how great communities are made. In urban renewal projects where old housing stock is razed and replaced, like Regent Park, the conversation is simpler.

But in Mimico, where the “20/20” revitalization plan is underway, city staff and consultants are working around a stable community. At recent workshops, planners and residents have politely butted heads.

The Star asked experts to weigh the pros and cons of various planning concepts at play in Mimico — because they apply to every neighbourhood dreaming of change, and because, done well, Mimico could be a waterfront destination for all of us.

FAMILY-SIZE CONDO UNITS

Some Mimico residents want all new condos to contain some family-size units (three-plus bedrooms), a rarity in this era of ever-shrinking floor plans.

“The logic behind it is that what you don’t want to do is create a monoculture of unit types,” says Robert Glover, a partner at planning firm Bousfields and former urban design director for the City of Toronto. A healthy community is a diverse one, he says, with housing options to accommodate single professionals, growing families and downsizing empty-nesters, to name a few.

So “in general terms, yeah, it’s probably a good idea” to include family-size units, says Glover. But he and others warn that affordability is a sticking point — big condos often cost the same as a small house.

“The problem with three-bedroom units in taller buildings is they’re very expensive to build and not as popular with small families, young families, as mid-rise and lower-rise are,” says Barry Lyon, a real estate consultant. Townhouses are popular, but don’t provide the same density.

CUL-DE-SACS VS. STREET GRID

In the section of Mimico being revitalized, a series of dead-end roads sprout off Lake Shore Blvd. and run toward the waterfront. Planners have suggested connecting these cul-de-sacs with a new street running close to the water. But some residents like roads as they are, with children playing ball hockey, and worry any new street will become a beach-ruining thoroughfare.

Planners are generally pro-grid and anti-cul-de-sac — especially near the waterfront. Roads provide “a declaration of publicness,” says architect Michael Kirkland. “Absent a road, there tends to be a phenomenon of privatization, the sense you’re in somebody’s yard.”

But planning consultant Ken Greenberg sympathizes with the worriers. “To be avoided is a continuous thoroughfare that would encourage a lot of traffic bypassing Lake Shore Blvd. and running along the water,” he says. Connecting some of the cul-de-sacs to each other and creating loops — as occurs in the Beach, which some Mimico-ites hope to emulate — is a workable compromise, he believes.

A NEW WESTERN PROMENADE

Residents and planners agree that the now-dingy stretch of Lake Shore Blvd. should become a bustling public promenade with nice shops and restaurants. The question is how. “It’s one of the most compelling problems of the late 20th, early 21st century: How do we take streets like that and actually make them interesting and successful?” asks Glover. “It’s a bit of alchemy.”

Attractive landscaping, such as widening sidewalks and planting trees, provides a nice boost. And transit is important to draw visitors. But most experts agree that population density is a crucial precondition for economic vitality. “You can build all you want, in terms of just putting down landscaping and saying you want to have high-quality retail. But it’s not going to show up if there’s not a demand,” says Kirkland.

Some Mimico residents opposed an 11-storey condo planned for the corner of Lake Shore Blvd and Superior Ave. But shorter buildings could work to the neighbourhood’s detriment, says Glover. “Would (a three- or four-storey building) generate the kind of pedestrian density that would make it a good walking street? I don’t know that it would.”

TRANSIT: CHICKEN OR EGG

It’s a common refrain at planning meetings all across the city that transit is already inadequate, and new residents will overload our already taxed infrastructure. Mimico is the same.

“It makes no sense to be building extremely high density where you don’t have transit, or a real plan to get transit,” says Ken Greenberg, a planning consultant. “Saying that you’re just going to put the density there and transit may or may not appear someday is not good enough.”

Kirkland agrees. The TTC “sort of say, ‘Build it and we will come.’ That’s bad city planning.”

But Glover sounds one note of caution. “If we look at the Sheppard (subway) line, which most people think has been a real disaster, the problem there is that the transit line was built first when there was no development there,” he says. “The intensification plans that were prepared have really underprovided, in terms of the population.”

TALL OR WIDE

Many Mimico residents are concerned about the height of new condos. Greenberg sympathizes with that sentiment. “We’re (building tall buildings) everywhere, indiscriminately, and in many cases next to very low-rise neighbourhoods. It’s not necessarily the best practice,” he says.

But other planners note that today’s tall, skinny “point towers” cast shadows that pass more quickly over existing residents’ backyards and open up views to the lake better than a shorter, squatter building.

Greenberg, however, points to waterfront midrise projects such as Toronto’s Canary District, in the east end, or Vancouver’s Olympic Village. “It’s a really great scheme.”

Fred Dark of Urban Strategies Inc. helps residents understand what’s being planned on the western waterfront in Mimico at a public consultation last month.

STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

Urban planning can be bewitching. A come-hither main street, a quicker commute, swaths of new green space: What citizen is immune to these charms?

But opinions diverge on how great communities are made. In urban renewal projects where old housing stock is razed and replaced, like Regent Park, the conversation is simpler.

But in Mimico, where the “20/20” revitalization plan is underway, city staff and consultants are working around a stable community. At recent workshops, planners and residents have politely butted heads.

The Star asked experts to weigh the pros and cons of various planning concepts at play in Mimico — because they apply to every neighbourhood dreaming of change, and because, done well, Mimico could be a waterfront destination for all of us.

FAMILY-SIZE CONDO UNITS

Some Mimico residents want all new condos to contain some family-size units (three-plus bedrooms), a rarity in this era of ever-shrinking floor plans.

“The logic behind it is that what you don’t want to do is create a monoculture of unit types,” says Robert Glover, a partner at planning firm Bousfields and former urban design director for the City of Toronto. A healthy community is a diverse one, he says, with housing options to accommodate single professionals, growing families and downsizing empty-nesters, to name a few.

So “in general terms, yeah, it’s probably a good idea” to include family-size units, says Glover. But he and others warn that affordability is a sticking point — big condos often cost the same as a small house.

“The problem with three-bedroom units in taller buildings is they’re very expensive to build and not as popular with small families, young families, as mid-rise and lower-rise are,” says Barry Lyon, a real estate consultant. Townhouses are popular, but don’t provide the same density.

CUL-DE-SACS VS. STREET GRID

In the section of Mimico being revitalized, a series of dead-end roads sprout off Lake Shore Blvd. and run toward the waterfront. Planners have suggested connecting these cul-de-sacs with a new street running close to the water. But some residents like roads as they are, with children playing ball hockey, and worry any new street will become a beach-ruining thoroughfare.

Planners are generally pro-grid and anti-cul-de-sac — especially near the waterfront. Roads provide “a declaration of publicness,” says architect Michael Kirkland. “Absent a road, there tends to be a phenomenon of privatization, the sense you’re in somebody’s yard.”

But planning consultant Ken Greenberg sympathizes with the worriers. “To be avoided is a continuous thoroughfare that would encourage a lot of traffic bypassing Lake Shore Blvd. and running along the water,” he says. Connecting some of the cul-de-sacs to each other and creating loops — as occurs in the Beach, which some Mimico-ites hope to emulate — is a workable compromise, he believes.

A NEW WESTERN PROMENADE

Residents and planners agree that the now-dingy stretch of Lake Shore Blvd. should become a bustling public promenade with nice shops and restaurants. The question is how. “It’s one of the most compelling problems of the late 20th, early 21st century: How do we take streets like that and actually make them interesting and successful?” asks Glover. “It’s a bit of alchemy.”

Attractive landscaping, such as widening sidewalks and planting trees, provides a nice boost. And transit is important to draw visitors. But most experts agree that population density is a crucial precondition for economic vitality. “You can build all you want, in terms of just putting down landscaping and saying you want to have high-quality retail. But it’s not going to show up if there’s not a demand,” says Kirkland.

Some Mimico residents opposed an 11-storey condo planned for the corner of Lake Shore Blvd and Superior Ave. But shorter buildings could work to the neighbourhood’s detriment, says Glover. “Would (a three- or four-storey building) generate the kind of pedestrian density that would make it a good walking street? I don’t know that it would.”

TRANSIT: CHICKEN OR EGG

It’s a common refrain at planning meetings all across the city that transit is already inadequate, and new residents will overload our already taxed infrastructure. Mimico is the same.

“It makes no sense to be building extremely high density where you don’t have transit, or a real plan to get transit,” says Ken Greenberg, a planning consultant. “Saying that you’re just going to put the density there and transit may or may not appear someday is not good enough.”

Kirkland agrees. The TTC “sort of say, ‘Build it and we will come.’ That’s bad city planning.”

But Glover sounds one note of caution. “If we look at the Sheppard (subway) line, which most people think has been a real disaster, the problem there is that the transit line was built first when there was no development there,” he says. “The intensification plans that were prepared have really underprovided, in terms of the population.”

TALL OR WIDE

Many Mimico residents are concerned about the height of new condos. Greenberg sympathizes with that sentiment. “We’re (building tall buildings) everywhere, indiscriminately, and in many cases next to very low-rise neighbourhoods. It’s not necessarily the best practice,” he says.

But other planners note that today’s tall, skinny “point towers” cast shadows that pass more quickly over existing residents’ backyards and open up views to the lake better than a shorter, squatter building.

Greenberg, however, points to waterfront midrise projects such as Toronto’s Canary District, in the east end, or Vancouver’s Olympic Village. “It’s a really great scheme.”

by:
Alayne Blickle
June 24 2012,
Article # 20087

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Horse owners across the country share their tips, suggestions, and ideas for items that can be reused and recycled around a horse property to help save money. Remember, even though saving a few dollars is a nice treat, it’s crucial to ensure your horse’s health, welfare, and safety needs are adequately met and not hindered by penny pinching.

The frugal horseman’s mats
I’d love to have more conveyor belting. Used conveyor belting is either free or cheap and makes great mats for barn isle ways, wash racks, outside stall doors. You can get them from rock quarry companies, landscaping materials supply companies–anyplace with a conveyor belt.–Karina Heiting-Sogge, Maple Valley, Wash.

Arena drag
If you go to the gravel yard looking for used belting, see if they also have old, worn-out screens used for filtering gravel sizes. Sometimes these make nice arena drags or harrows. Ask the pit operator if they give away or sell those and be prepared to dig around in piles of scrap metal it find them; bring heavy gloves and wear sturdy shoes. Good luck and happy hunting!–Elizabeth Clark, Enumclaw, Wash.

Scrap wood for projects
My husband just remodeled an office building and we’ve found lots of uses for old wood pieces. For one thing, we built the sides of our compost bins. Even though it isn’t pressure treated, if it rots in a few years who cares? They’re free and replacing them will be easy. We also built a stall door for our pony from the scrap wood. We had some old hinges and all we had to purchase was a door latch. Now the little shorty can see out of his stall at night, and for only about $4.–Angie Nebeker, Snohomish County, Wash.

Wooden fruit boxes feeders
We use the 4’x4′ wood fruit boxes (from commercial fruit growers) as hay feeders in the paddocks. They reduce hay wastage and keep hay clean and off the dirt.–Peggy Dare, Bothell, Wash.

Horse shoes–more than good luck!
Old horseshoes secured to the edge of a wall make a great hook for hanging halters, ropes, fly masks, etc. We also used horseshoes to make a removable stall guard, barrier, or fence–two horseshoes on either side of a door with a 2×4 board resting between them. Horseshoes also make great barn decorations–put beads, etc. on them and make a wall hanging. Or decorate them and make picture frames. Of course you can weld them and make all sorts of nifty things.–Chris Woodworth, Redmond, Wash.

Water, water
My biggest recycling around our stable is water. My stock tanks and paddock buckets get the run off from shed roofs so I save hundreds of gallons of water/year. Recycling–what would we do without it!–Emily Wigley, Vashon, Wash.

Black gold
We’ve offered our composted manure as an auction item at charity auctions–either “u haul” or we’ll deliver, if the bid amount is enough!–Dave Schneidler, Fall City, Wash.

Handy buckets
Here is one little “re-use” trick I have… My neighbor is the local franchise operator for Orange Julius. He periodically puts his 3½ gallon plastic buckets (which contained the fruit products for the drinks) out for recycling pick-up. I collect them to use as utility buckets both on the farm and on our boat. Since they don’t have handles on them, I drill holes on either side, then braid a handle out of leftover bailing twine. I use these buckets for water at horse shows (no worries about them getting lost or stolen) and they make great wash buckets, or to hold odds and ends like gate hardware, latches, and the various stuff that invariably ends up in the barn.–Therese Jardine, Redmond, Wash.

Bag it
I use the plastic bags from the wood pellet bedding as garbage bags in the barn and (now that I think of it) will keep one in my saddle bags to pick up garbage along the trails.–Kitty Pearson, Issaquah, Wash.

Stall mats, second time around
Worn out stall mats are now in front of my exterior stall doors to keep gravel out of my barn. I also use them at gates to keep the path clear from weeds.–Sonja Kairis, Renton, Wash.

Energy savings
To recycle our equines’ body heat in winter–as a way to keep the barn warm since each stall is open to the paddock–we buy plastic rug runners, the kind old ladies use to keep their hallway carpets clean. We cut them to the correct door length and hang them so they suspend down over the run-in doorways. It is surprising how much wind and cold these runners keep out. The horses have no trouble negotiating in or out through the plastic. Two, seven-foot runners will cover each door. The cost for doing three stall doorways this year was under $50. Compare that to the high cost of buying the same type of product from the equine companies that sell plastic door covers.
To save on electricity we have strung LED Christmas lights inside the barn. On an average night when feeding the LED lights give enough light for vision. This saves using the overhead floods that light up the barn like Coney Island. Plus, the Christmas lights are cheery on a cold winter night!–Catherine Luce, Wrentham, Mass.

It ain’t too heavy: recycled concrete
We used recycled (i.e., crushed) concrete to build our farm driveway. It works really well for applications when you’d normally buy quarry rock in larger sizes (4-8 inch) such as building the base of a road. The top layer is crushed rock (5/-8-minus) because it looks nicer, but the base is all old concrete which is cheaper than buying new rock. For solidifying a wet, mushy base it works really well. In my old house I used broken concrete slabs to build a small retaining wall around my garden. It was free–my friend was redoing his driveway. Heavy, but free.–Neal Friedman, Woodinville, Wash.

Bailing twine: the duct tape of farms
I have collected and saved baling twine. It’s easy to crochet them into little rugs to knock the dirt off the boots on the way into the tack or feed room or barn. They don’t rot if left outside for a long time and wear like iron.–Sandy Siegrist, Pilot Mountain, N.C.

Paddock entertainment
Large carpet scraps can be wrapped around and secured on to vertical posts to give something for the horses to rub against. Obviously the posts must be strong and secure.–Gale Nelson, Sequim, Wash.

(For more cost-saving tips, watch for the the August 2012 issue of The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care Cost-Saving Special Issue.)

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How would you transform a public space in your city to make it more comfortable? The BMW Guggenheim Lab, freshly installed in Berlin (the second stop on the project’s six-year global tour), wants to know. The joint initiative of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the BMW Group has partnered with the “reasonable people who give a damn” at GOOD to launch a worldwide, online call for forward-thinking, imaginative, and downright wacky (OK, “unconventional”) ideas to improve urban comfort. So put on your most aerodynamic, stylish, and sustainable thinking cap, grab a fresh Moleskine, and get to proposing—in three to five sentences—changes to public spaces in your corner of the world. Factors to consider: the community, environment, architecture, landscaping, and any other aspects that would affect the experience of the space. GOOD and BMW Guggenheim Lab curator Maria Nicanor will select their favorite ideas to be featured on the GOOD and BMW Guggenheim Lab websites (although we plan to hold out for a deal on a 3 Series Convertible). Submissions, which can include an image of a sketch or model that corresponds to the idea and shows how your idea would be implemented, will be accepted through Tuesday, July 17.

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  Tour of Gardens

Are you looking for a great way to spend a beautiful, sunny summer day? Are you interested in seeing creativity and a big imagination combined with a passion for gardening and the desire for uniqueness? The perfect opportunity awaits you!

On Sunday, July 8, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Douglas County Master Gardeners present their annual Tour of Gardens.

The Tour of Gardens is a great opportunity to see a diverse variety of horticultural masterpieces right here in Douglas County. Six local gardens are included in this year’s tour, each with its own individual style and theme.

1. Come see the different and unusual plants located at the Fette’s. This yard feature calla lilies that have been in the family for four generations. You will also see a variety of cherry trees, dahlias, pink Annabelle, tiger eye sumac and, the real eye-catcher, the flapjack succulent.

2. For an opportunity to take home some helpful tips and tricks, come visit the Schmidt garden. The 24 tea hybrid roses are his real passion, but he also has 10-foot tall cannas, an assortment of tomato plants, three different types of raspberries and a collection of other interesting flowers. Don’t forget to check out his unique underground watering system and greenhouse.

3. The Johnson’s three-acre property is full of color and creativity. This garden is home to 240 shrubs, 150 trees, 310 daylilies and 90 hostas.

A small sample of what you will see includes a blooming magnolia tree, Japanese maple, pin oak, tulip tree, phallopia japonica and three varieties of peonies. The three-tiered walled garden, water fountain and pond are also highlights of this stop.

4. Do you have a passion for gardening but an overwhelming schedule? Check out the Drexler’s garden for some ideas on quick and easy ways to plant a colorful and eye-catching garden that is also easily maintained.

5. Drop in at the Wenner’s “WOW” garden, which was featured on Prairie Yard and Garden. This garden is home to many fascinating kinds of shrubs, trees and plants. It also features remarkable garden art made up of wooden stumps, boulders, rocks and mulch.

6. No garden tour would be complete without a stop at the Woodland Elementary School garden. This exclusive garden was supported with a State Health Improvement Program grant. It is the result of a strong partnership between District 206 Food and Nutrition services, Summer Compass, 4-H, United Way and Master Gardeners.

This garden provides exceptional learning opportunities for the children of the community by giving them hands-on experience in planting, growing and harvesting. All crops raised are served in the school cafeteria and donated to local organizations. An exceptional result of a joint effort throughout the community!

The cost to participate in this event is $5 payable at your first garden stop. Visit in any order, and spend as long as you wish at each stop.

For more information and for tour brochures, call the Douglas county Extension office at (320) 762-3890 or stop by and see us in the Douglas County Service Center Building at 720 Fillmore Street in Alexandria. Hope to see you there!

Tags:
local news, master gardeners, news, garden

The Open Space Committee, Parks Commission and Conservation Commission are seeking ideas from residents for potential improvements to Idylbrook Park.

The three town boards will host a public briefing on Monday at 7 p.m. at Medway Public Library, 26 High St., to inform residents about what they hope to achieve with the land and solicit ideas.

The Idylbrook recreation area is 39 acres near Winthrop Street acquired by the town in the 1990s, Planning and Economic Development Coordinator Susy Affleck-Childs wrote in a memo to the Board of Selectmen.

The land is broken into three parcels, two of which are conservation-restricted areas. The middle parcel, which is 10 acres, currently has several playing fields.

Selectmen unanimously voted Monday night to give Town Administrator Suzanne Kennedy permission to apply for a grant from the Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities Grant Program, offered by the state’s Division of Conservation Services.

The grant, which is a matching reimbursement program, would help pay for improvements to the park.

The grant would cover 62 percent of whatever projects the town ultimately decides to try to accomplish, up to $400,000.

The proposed work includes an irrigation system for the fields for $140,000 and playground equipment for $80,000.

“We have a playground at Oakland Park and Choate Park, and it makes it more multi-purpose so if a family comes up to watch a game, there’s a play structure to entertain the younger kids,” Affleck-Childs said.

Other ideas include planting and landscaping, site amenities such as benches, picnic tables, trash containers and signs and educational programming.

Residents at annual Town Meeting approved a transfer of $70,000 from free cash for park improvements, such as the irrigation, which Open Space Committee Chairwoman Tina Wright said is very important.

“The fields are used literally from beginning of April until end of November. With no irrigation, if it’s a hot summer, it impacts the integrity of the soil, and it becomes hard and it can cause injuries,” Wright said. “It’s about maintaining the fields so that it doesn’t cost us every year to reseed and regrade the field.”

If the town receives the grant, the $70,000 already appropriated could be used to pay for Medway’s portion of the improvements, and also potentially to expand the existing trails in the conservation land, which is another goal of the town.

Jessica Trufant can be reached at jtrufant@wickedlocal.com or 508-634-7556.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WOODSTOCK – 

 If you’re looking for home décor or landscaping ideas, look no further say the organizers of this year’s Big Brothers Big Sisters home tour.

 

The five-home self-guided tour takes place this Saturday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and showcases different era homes.

“We have everything from an old home built in the early 1900s to a new model home in a new subdivision in the new northern part of the city,” co-organizer Mary Bell said. “This tour attracts ladies mostly who are looking for different things to do around their house but also some men.”

Tickets can be bought Saturday by stopping at one of the homes. Each home will have a sign outside indicating it is part of the tour.

Included is a glorious new home located at 317 Graham St. that was built to look like an older home. Only the foundation of the home was left after a fire caused by faulty wiring in the fall of 2009. The owners decided to rebuild with the old north Woodstock look in mind.

Another gem included in the tour is 640 Devonshire Ave., the former home of Dr. Bill and Jean Sedgewick. The Sedgewicks designed every detail of the home, which was built in 1955. Jean Sedgewick’s love of gardening is obvious by the large amount of gardens on the 0.7-hectare (1.75-acre) property. Current owners Danny and Christine Finoro bought the property in 2009 after viewing for just one hour.

The oldest home on the tour is located at 615260 Pittock Park Road. The homestead has been home to the same family for four generations and was once a dairy farm operation. Over the past 10 months, the current owners have gutted the interior, carefully salvaging original flooring, doors, baseboards, doors and window casings and light fixtures. The home was then rebuilt from the floors up, using a mix of the original with reproduced, or new, where necessary.

Also for something different, tour goers can check out a Cape Cod-style home at 456 Wellington St. N.

People will also get a chance to peak inside a new home located on the former site of the Oxford Regional Centre in the northwest corner of Woodstock. The house was built in 2005 at 600 Lakeview Dr. in a new subdivision called Alder Grange. Some of this home’s unique features include glass transoms over the doorways and the subtle curve in the main staircase.

“There’s something for everyone on this tour definitely,” Bell said. “Hopefully the weather holds out.”

 

Addresses

317 Graham Street

640 Devonshire Avenue

615260 Pittock Park Road

457 Wellington North

600 Lakeview Drive

tara.bowie@sunmedia.ca

 

Former Yorkville alderman Jason Leslie has a vision for the old post office building along the Fox River.

Leslie anticipates gutting the building at 201 Hydraulic St. and building a craft beer manufacturing space, retail space, and terraced landscaping in the back leading to a riverside pathway. Leslie thinks the space would be an extension of the Three Angels Brewing he started with area attorney Boyd Ingemunson, as well as a complement to other downtown developments.

He expects the downtown location would be open three days a week, offer three or so craft beers for patrons to drink on site and perhaps brew a few other beers for a downtown pub.

But first, he needs Yorkville aldermen to agree to sell the building. Aldermen didn’t support selling the building when it was discussed during a committee meeting last week. Aldermen did not know of Leslie’s plans, but some wanted to determine whether the city is going to buy the REC Center before selling potential programming space.

“I’m not opposed to looking at this again in 6 months, once we decide what we’re doing with the REC Center,” said Ward 2 Alderman Larry Kot.

Leslie said he plans to attend next week’s City Council meeting to try to convince aldermen to change their minds.

The city bought the building in February 2006 when the post office moved to its current location on Countryside Parkway, City Administrator Bart Olson wrote in a memo to aldermen. The city paid $275,000 for the building and put $100,000 into renovating it, Olson said.

The building once housed the offices for the city’s parks and recreation department, but now it provides space for five or six recreation programs a week. Olson said those classes easily could be moved, and selling the building would provide more property tax revenue, including revenue for the downtown tax increment financing district.

If aldermen want to pursue selling the building, Olson suggested publishing a request for proposals. There would be a deadline for prospective purchases to submit bids and aldermen could accept any bid (not necessarily the highest offer) with a ¾-majority vote.

Should the vacant Millard Fillmore Gates Circle hospital serve as a new veterinary school or as a site completely reimagined as mixed-use development?

About 150 people were invited to consider those possibilities tonight during a community forum at the Burchfield Penney Art Center on the Buffalo State College campus.

It was part of what Kaleida Health, current owner of the Gates Circle property, have billed as a $1 million contest for a viable reuse of the former hospital site.

“Something great can happen … something that’s true to the [Frederick Law] Olmsted legacy, something that fits with the community, but even more than that, something that helps us take a great leap forward in the regeneration of the city,” said Robert G. Shibley, dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at the University at Buffalo.

Shibley moderated the forum.

The two finalists introduced at the event were Chason Affinity, which presented a proposal for a new School of Veterinary Medicine that would incorporate adaptive reuses of existing structures on the Gates Circle site, and Uniland Development, which is proposing a project called “Chapin Place.”

Chapin Place would include condominiums, apartments and townhouses, as well plans for office and retail space, a boutique hotel and a wellness center.

Incorporated into its design would be the creation of an Olmsted style park on the axis of Chapin Parkway and an extension of Lancaster Avenue east toward Linwood Avenue.

Both proposals take elements from Olmsted’s design of Buffalo’s parkway system and incorporate them into the landscape architecture of their respective designs.

A project advisory committee led by Ted Walsh Jr., a former Kaleida Health board chairman, has been working for nearly two years to find a suitable developer for the site. Now part of Kaleida’s project advisory committee, Walsh and his team brought in a national organization called the Urban Land Institute. From that group, eight individuals came Buffalo about 18 months ago and talked to more than 300 people in the community, issuing a report with recommendations for reusing the Gates Circle site.

Mark Chason and Harry Warren of Chason Affinity explained that they were influenced by a huge shortage of veterinary schools in the U.S.

“One of the main reasons is that it’s extremely expensive to build a veterinary school because you need a hospital,” Chason said. “Therefore, there are only 27 or 28 in the entire United States.”

Warren described the current campus as “a landmark in our minds, but not a visual landmark. It’s large brown brick wall that we see from Gates Circle,” he said.

In their design, Warren said the idea was take Olmsted’s landscape system and extend it to Gates Circle. Plans also would include excavating most of the 1911 structure that housed the original hospital. It also calls for keeping the site “pedestrian oriented,” with most of the parking out of view. The first two floors of the six-story main building would be glass.

“The idea is to enhance the existing,” Warren said.

Carl Montante Jr., of Uniland Development Co., presented his plan with team member Martin Davidson, of Diamond Schmitt Architects of Toronto.

“The project is about building community,” said Montante, whose design plan also seeks to enhance Olmsted’s landscaping influence.

It would include a six-story apartment building, two-story townhouses and underground parking, as well as green roofs, solar shading and possibly geothermal snow-melting capabilities for some road surfaces, among other “green” initiatives.

Participants at the evening forum were not invited to ask questions during the presentation, but were invited to talk one-on-one with the developers at a sort of meet-and-greet function following the the presentation. That gathering was held one flight up from when the presentations were made. Guests were also treated to cheese and crackers.

A jury led by Shibley will select the winner of the contest, which will have been influenced by recommendations from a neighborhood advisory group and consultant developers. Ultimately, the winner will be chosen by the Kaleida Health board of directors.

“We’re not picking buildings,” Shibley said. “We’re picking the key that’s going to make something. The deliberations and decision of this jury won’t be [public], but I think will only be for that recommendation to the Kaleida board.”

After the board gets a recommendation, they’ll have more work to do, including going through the process of transferring ownership, Shibley said.

hmcneil@buffnews.com null

Complete Landscaping Systems was a finalist this year in the Wichita Business Journal’s Best in Business awards.

John Stearns
Reporter- Wichita Business Journal

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A Wichita-based landscaping company is suing Bank of America 
 

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, alleging the bank shared confidential pricing and other information about the company’s landscaping and snow-removal services for the bank with competitors and harmed its business.

Complete Landscaping Systems Inc. 
 

Complete Landscaping Systems Inc.
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seeks actual and punitive damages and requests a jury trial, according to the complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Kansas.

Complete Landscaping and Bank of America had two agreements, one for snow removal, the other for landscape management at several bank branches, according to the complaint. The bank then requested a plan for weather-based irrigation control techniques for all of the bank’s branches, and copies of the plan were clearly marked confidential and proprietary, the complaint says.

Despite that, “based upon information and belief,” the bank provided copies of the plan and/or information in it to Complete Landscaping’s competitors, which got the business, the complaint says.

Complete also alleges that the bank provided Complete’s confidential pricing structure and other information in its landscaping management and snow-removal agreements to competitors, hurting the company.

The complaint also alleges the bank solicited and obtained confidential information from subcontractors that Complete uses for much of its work.

The bank, with which Complete has accounts, also disclosed confidential banking information to third parties and other sections of the bank, also damaging Complete, the complaint says.

“(Complete) competes in a highly competitive service industry, one in which the disclosure of pricing information and new ideas can destroy the prospect of future customers,” the complaint says. “The bank, by disclosing (Complete’s) confidential information, placed (Complete) at a distinct disadvantage when bidding to provide services to additional customers, such that (Complete’s) competitors were able to use (Complete’s) confidential information to ensure that (Complete’s) bids were not accepted.”

Covers real estate, development and banking.

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