Slide Presentation from Public Update Meeting no.1 - A Story of the Park: People in Nature & Initial Design Concepts

PUBLIC UPDATE MEETING 1 A STORY OF THE PARK: PEOPLE IN NATURE & INITIAL DESIGN CONCEPTSThe Eldorado BallroomSeptember 17, 20146–8 pm

1

MAR APRMAY MAYJUN JUNJUL JULAUG AUGSEP SEPOCT OCTNOV NOVDEC DECJAN FEB

2013 2014

Public Input & Research

Master PlanningMPC + Uptown

Houston + HPARDInterview Process

Programming &

Public Input

Des

ign

Team

Sel

ectio

n

Gui

ding

Prin

cipl

esP

rese

ntat

ion

Mas

ter

Pla

n P

rese

ntat

ion

MAR APRJAN FEB MAY

2014 2015

We are here

2

PUBLIC INPUT

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

RESEARCH

Berg Oliver (Ecology)

John Jacob (Soils)

Hunt Design (Wayfinding)

Sherwood Design Engineers

(Civil Engineering)

Susan Turner Associates (History)

The Lighting Practice (Lighting)

ETM Associates (O & M)Ecotech Panel

Memorial Park Conservancy

Uptown TIRZ

Houston Parks and Recreation Department

CLIENT INPUT

3

1. Enhancement of Existing Character, Amenities and Usage (Magnify)

2. Long-term Sustainability (Tend)

3. Balance (Optimize)

4. Safety and Security (Optimize/Reconnect)

5. Communication (Reconnect/Magnify)

6. Access (Reconnect)

7. Individual and Community Enhancement (Reveal)

Lord Public Priorities:

4

DESIGN ANALYSIS:

DEVELOPMENT,HISTORY, AND

CULTURE

5

DIVIDED PARKMemorial Park’s history since its establishment has been one of increasing fragmentation. Provisions for access have divided the park into many disjointed pieces, resulting in 1500 acres effectively divided into many small separated pieces.

6

SCALE: 1”=2000’

source: 1915 USFS Topographic map, altered for concept demonstration

Pre-1900: Undivided Land

• West of Houston’s developed extents, yet to be touched by infrastructure or the thought of a park.

• 1834: Reinerman Tract claimed (image right)

Legend

1925 Park boundary (Hare & Hare)

1834 Reinerman Tract

7

SCALE: 1”=2000’

source: 1915 USFS Topographic map

1915: Land Bisected by Rail

• The land goes largely unused between Reinerman ownership and Camp Logan.

• 1914 Eureka Cutoff railroad bisects this land west of Houston’s urban extents

• Washington St. to the north created

• Post Oak Rd. to the west created

Legend

Adjacent roads

Elevated rail line


Buffalo Bayou

8

SCALE: 1”=2000’

Image: 1922 USFS Topographic map, Data: Moore Archeological Consulting & Susan Turner Associates,

1922: 2 Halves and Camp Logan

• 4 years after WWI and Camp Logan & 3 years from being conveyed to the city

• Bisected by the elevated rail line

• Left with the traces of Camp Logan’s small at-grade access roads.

• Post Oak Rd. to the west created

Legend

Site rails

New roads


Adjacent roads

Buffalo Bayou

9

Buffalo Bayou

SCALE: 1”=2000’

Image: 1930 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial photograph, Berg Oliver Associates

1930: Park Established, 4 Parts

• Memorial Park is officially established in 1925.

• The first east-west transect emerges. At grade, it functions more as an access through the park than a divider of it.

• Road & drainage remnants of Camp Logan remain, but there are no structures.

1 2

3 4

Legend

Site rail

New roads

Adjacent roads

10

SCALE: 1”=2000’

Image: 1944 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial photograph, Susan Turner Associates

1945: 14 Parts

• NW corner gained for polo and Weiss tract gained as park land in 1942.

• Golf course constructed.

• Memorial Loop & Woodway/Memorial Dr. loosely adopted from Hare & Hare Plan. The park is divided, but roads are narrow scenic routes designed for the slower speeds of pleasure driving and viewing,

Legend

Site rail

New roads

Adjacent roads

Buffalo Bayou

Park land gained (To be confirmed in historical records)

1 2

3 4

1 2

3 4

6

7 8

910

75

13

1112

14

11

SCALE: 1”=2000’

Image: 1953 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial photograph, 1953 USGS topo map, Berg Oliver Associates

1953: 16 Parts

• Post Oak Drive is created along the western boundary, splitting two more pieces from the park

• Reliant Energy (now CenterPoint) easements added along northern half of railroad ROW

• Bayou Club Polo fields occupy the NW corner of the park.

Legend

Site rails & roads

New roads

Adjacent roads

Buffalo Bayou

1 2

3 4

1 2

3 4

6

7 8

910

75

13

1112

14

15

16

1 Bridle Trails

2 Golf Course

3 Arboretum & Nature Ctr.

4 Ravine & Woods

5 Median

6 Artillery/Infantry Woods

7 Green

8 Baseball

9 Playgrounds

10 Median

11 Median

12 Median

13 Picnic Loop

14 Rugby, green, trails

15 Weiss Park

12

SCALE: 1”=2000’

Image: 1967 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial photograph, Susan Turner Associates, Berg Oliver Associates

1967: 23 Parts and Highways

• Loop 610 Freeway and Katy Freeway remove park land and isolate the park from adjacent neighborhoods.

• Memorial Dr. widens to 6 lanes and is straightened. The Woodway Dr. split is established and its former curve to the S becomes a secondary access for ball fields. The picnic loop is extended, closing the loop.

• Reliant Energy (now CenterPoint) easements added

• 1958: Houston Parks takes on Hogg Bird Sanctuary

Site rails & roads

New roads

Adjacent roads

Buffalo Bayou

3

Legend

1 Bridle Trails

2 Golf Course


4 Ravine & Woods

5 Median


7 Green

8 Baseball

9 Playgrounds

10 Median

11 Median

12 Median

13 Picnic Loop


15 Weiss Park

16 Green

17 Median

18 Median

19 Median

20 Median

21 Median

22 Green / Median

17

19

18

20

21

22

15

16

1 2

4

6

7 8

910

75

13

1112

14

23

13

SCALE: 1”=2000’

Image: 1978 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial photograph, Berg Oliver Associates, Susan Turner Associates

1978: 24 Parts

• Loop 610 Freeway is completed.

• Park maintenance center & access road are added.

• Houston Arboretum and Nature center access road is added

Site rails & roads

New roads

Adjacent roads

Buffalo Bayou

3

Legend

1 Bridle Trails

2 Golf Course


4 Ravine & Woods

5 Median


7 Green

8 Baseball

9 Playgrounds

10 Median

11 Median

12 Median

13 Picnic Loop


15 Weiss Park

16 Green

17 Median

18 Median

19 Median

20 Median

21 Median

22 Green / Median

23 Reynolds Woods

17

19

18

20

21

22

15

16

1 2

4

6

7 8

910

75

13

1112

14

23

14

SCALE: 1”=2000’

Image: 2010 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial photograph, Berg Oliver Associates, Susan Turner Associates

2010: 25 Parts

• The Living Bridge is constructed.

• Picnic loop is connected to Memorial Drive at a second point further east, creating another fragment.

Site rails & roads

New roads

Adjacent roads

Buffalo Bayou

3

Legend

1 Bridle Trails

2 Golf Course


4 Ravine & Woods

5 Median


7 Green

8 Baseball

9 Playgrounds

10 Median

11 Median

12 Median

13 Picnic Loop


15 Weiss Park

16 Green

17 Median

18 Median

19 Median

20 Median

21 Median

22 Green / Median

23 Reynolds Woods

17

19

18

20

21

22

15

16

1 2

4

6

7 8

910

75

13

1112

14

23

25

15

SCALE: 1”=2000’

source: 2013 (RAM) RODS Aerial Mapping aerial photograph

2014: Divided Park

Site rails & roads

Adjacent roads

Buffalo Bayou

Legend

16

SCALE: 1”=2000’

Source: 2014 Lee Lupher aerial photograph

VISION: RECONNECTED PARK

• Stitch fragments together with contiguous spaces that feel like a cohesive park

• Limit visual and pedestrian boundaries within the park

• Maintain existing programmatic elements of the park

Site rails & roads

Adjacent roads

Buffalo Bayou

Legend

17

HISTORIC SITE IMPACT

Memorial Park has been manipulated by humans for as long as historic records of the site exist. These diagrams chart the course of human impacts on the site over recorded time.

18

PRE-1917: RANCH LAND

• Land used for timber harvesting & cattle grazing during the Reinerman ownership (track shown in image to right)

• The site was not a pristine woodland before Camp Logan

Legend

Current Park


1834 Reinerman Tract

SCALE: 1:96,000Image: 1915 USFS Topographic map, altered for concept demonstration

SCALE: 1:24,000

19

CAMP LOGAN

370TH INFANTRY

20

1914-1918: RAIL & CAMP LOGAN

• Camp Logan covers most of the eastern half of today’s Memorial Park.

• A subway is purported to exist under the rail line north of the 370th Regiment quarters

• A road and the rail cross the Bayou

SCALE: 1:24,000

LegendLegend

Buildings, Railroad & Roads

Infantry quarters

370th Regiment Infantry quarters

Stables

Hospital & Public space

“Train” centers

Officer & divisionHeadquarters

Remount area

Water towers

Camp Logan

Bridges

Possible subway

Image: 1915 USFS Topographic map; Locations are estimated based on Moore Archeological Consulting findings, accounts of the site, and a

map by Corporal Paul B. Hendrickson, 1918

Buffalo Bayou

21

1919-1922: POST CAMP LOGAN

• The site is largely unimproved since Camp Logan. Nearly all remnants of roads remain while most structures are not evident.

• Four wetland areas are evident in a USGS survey.

• Two development areas.

SCALE: 1:24,000

Legend

New Impact areas

Water features

Base Image: 1922 USGS Topographic map, Data: Moore Archeological Consulting & Susan Turner Associates,

Buffalo Bayou

PreviouslyImpacted areas

22

1923-1930: VARNER REALTY & PARK CONVEYANCE

• Park established in 1924

• Memorial Dr. construction

• Cattle grazing is likely in the NW corner of the park

• 55% of the site is moderately to heavily forested, likely predominated by pine trees.

SCALE: 1:24,000

LegendLegend

Image: 1930 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial photograph, Berg Oliver Associates

New Impact areas

Water features

Buffalo Bayou


Cattle grazing area

23

1931-1944: GOLF COURSE & SPORTS FIELDS

• Memorial Park Golf Course is graded and constructed

• Significant areas around Memorial Park Loop at Washington St. are disturbed for new road construction and possibly initial Hare & Hare entry

• Memorial Dr. is rerouted and new roadways including the Picnic Loop are created

• Sports fields are constructed including the polo fields, rugby pitch, and NE baseball diamonds

• A large clearing is made in the SE corner of the park with either unimproved trails or small roads

SCALE: 1:24,000

Image: 1944 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial photograph, Susan Turner Associates

New Impact areas

Constructed water bodies

Buffalo Bayou


Legend

24

1945-1953: BAYOU, PICNIC & HIGHWAYS

• Addicks and Barker Reservoirs are created to regulate and control water flows of Buffalo Bayou

• The picnic loop is cleared and the swimming pool area is graded and constructed

• The northern and southwestern boundaries of the site are cleared and graded, likely for the construction of Katy and 610 Highways

• Construction of drainage ditches is extensive along Memorial Drive and to the east of the railroad

• 70% of the site is heavily forested

Swimming pool

SCALE: 1:368,000SCALE: 1:24,000

ADDICKS AND BARKER RESERVOIRS ON BUFFALO BAYOU,

1945 - PRESENT

Image: 1953 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial, 1953 USGS topo map, Berg Oliver Associates;Harris County Flood Control District

Buffalo Bayou,Uncontrolled

Buffalo BayouControlled


New Impact areas

Previously Impacted areas

Legend

25

1954-1967: MEMORIAL DR. & PARK AMENITIES

• Significant changes to Memorial Dr break up the park into many fragments and impose a large footprint of disturbance on adjacent land

• 1958: Houston Parks assumes management/ownership of Hogg Bird Sanctuary

• The picnic loop is extended; and maintenance facilities, outer loop trail, and Arboretum access road are constructed;

• Significant clearing has taken place north of the golf course and for a new rugby pitch

• 85% of the site is heavily forested

SCALE: 1:24,000

Legend

Image: 1967 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial, Susan Turner Associates, Berg Oliver

New Impact areas




Swimming poolBuffalo Bayou,Uncontrolled

26

1967-1995: RECREATION & ARBORETUM

• Houston Arboretum and Nature center creates a clearing for a pond and buildings, trail construction becomes apparent in Arboretum

• Loop 610 + I-10 Freeways are completed.

• A secondary roadway from the picnic loop is added north to Memorial Dr. and other areas are cleared for recreation

• Golf course and driving range altered; pond between fairways 16 & 17 extended to the south

• 90% of the site is heavily wooded with mostly pines and significant areas that are either wetlands or hardwood trees

SCALE: 1:24,000

Legend

Image: 1978 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial, Berg Oliver, Susan Turner Associates

New Impact areas




Swimming pool

27

1995-2010: FOREST COVER TYPE & PATHS

• The Living Bridge is constructed in 2009 and areas around it are cleared; the outer loop is constructed

• Two clearings, one in the Arboretum and one east of the railroad in the Bayou tract have been made

• The pond between fairway 6 & 7 was extended southward in around 1995 and some of the course’s fairways were reconfigured

• Heavily-wooded with mostly pines and significant areas of wetlands or hardwoods; 2008: likely suffered impact by Hurricane Ike

SCALE: 1:24,000

Legend

Living Bridge

Image: 2010 Aerial Photograph; Data: aerial, Berg Oliver, Susan Turner Associates

New Impact areas




Swimming pool

28

2014: FOREST COVER

• The 2012 drought leads to the death of many of park’s pine trees

SCALE: 1:24,000

Legend

Living Bridge

Image: 2014 Google Aerial Photograph; Data: Berg Oliver

New Impact areas




Swimming pool

29

2014: CONCENTRATED CULTURAL LANDSCAPE

• 100 years of intensive grading, varied uses, and alteration: a rich cultural landscape

• Most intensive site work has taken place in the NE quadrant of the site. Within this quadrant, some areas are of cultural and historical sensitivity that are location-specific and other areas of importance that are not location-specific.

• The NW, SW, and Southern sections of the park are areas with very limited site work

Legend

Image: 2014 Google Aerial Photograph; Data: Berg Oliver

Previous grazing area

SCALE: 1:24,000

Land impacted by foot traffic only

Living Bridge




Swimming pool

30

2014: SENSITIVE HISTORICAL RESOURCES

• Archaeological sites from Camp Logan present an opportunity for selected interpretation

• Majority of features found are foundations from latrines and camps, drainage, pipes and traces of roads and trenches

• Roger Moore’s study indicates that while some sites contain few or no surface historic features penetrating radar analysis should take place before any site development in groups 1, 2, and 3.

SCALE: 1:24,000

Legend

Image: 2014 Google Aerial Photograph; Data: HRA Gray & Pape “In-tensive Archaeological Survey of a 1.3-mile segment of Buffalo Bayou in Harris County, Texas” with Roger Moore Archaeological Consulting;

Susan Turner Associates; and Berg Oliver

Camp Logan RemnantsIdentified features of Camp Logan

General location of 370th Infantry cantonment



31

2014: SENSITIVE CULTURAL RESOURCES

• There are many cultural resources throughout the park

• The golf course and Arboretum have been identified as the two largest and culturally valuable to the park

• Because of their size and existing infrastructure, their locations should remain fixed

SCALE: 1:24,000

Legend

Image: 2014 Google Aerial Photograph; Data: Houston Parks and Recreation Department and aerial photo analysis

Memorial Park Golf CourseHouston Arboretumand Nature Center

Historical Resources



32

VISION: LIMIT AREAS OF FUTURE IMPACT

• Areas in red indicate places that have been heavily impacted by previous developmentexcluding areas that are culturally or historically sensitive

• Goal: limit future development to areas that have already been altered by past development

SCALE: 1:24,000

Legend



Historical & Cultural Resources

Areas for future impact


33

GEOECOLOGY

34

35

<5%

12-25%

25-33%

>33%

Legend

5-8.3%

8.3-12%

Slope

36

37

Barrancos

38

Loamy Claypan Soils

Sandy Claypan Soils

Buffalo Breaks/Barrancos

Not Studied

Legend

source: Jacob and Associates 2014

Soil Units

SCALE: 1”=2000’

39

40

41

42

Carolyn Fannonhttp://www.asergeev.com/pictures/archives/2008/659/jpeg/09.jpghttp://www.asergeev.com/pictures/archives/2008/659/jpeg/09.jpg

43

AreaNot

Available

SCALE: 1”=10,000’

source: Google Earth

Aerial Photograph 1944

44

Houston

45

AreaNot

Available

SCALE: 1”=10,000’

source: Google Earth

Aerial Photograph 1944

46

47

http://longleafs.info/pages/ecosystem.htmlhttp://longleafs.info/pages/ecosystem.html

http://longleafs.info/pages/ecosystem.html

http://longleafs.info/pages/ecosystem.html

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

VEGETATION AND ECOLOGY

56

Memorial Park: 2010

Memorial Park: 1930 Memorial Park: 1944

Memorial Park: 2014

57

source: Berg Oliver 2014

Vegetation: Preliminary Assessment

SCALE: 1”=2000’

58

Forest

Savanah/Forest

Savanah

Savanah/Prairie

Prairie

Legend


Vegetation: Existing Complexes

SCALE: 1”=2000’

59

Pine Hardwood Mix Complex Typical along ravine

60

Savannah Complex, South of South Ballfields Savannah complex North of Living Bridge

61

Savannah/Prairie Area near Maintenance Yard

62

Pine, Hardwoods Forest

Wet Prairie, Savanah

Upland Prairie, Savanah

Native Prairie

Savanah/Forest

Savanah

Savanah/Prairie

Unaffected Areas

Legend


Vegetation: Restoration

Forest

Savanah/Forest

Savanah

Savanah/Prairie

Prairie

Legend


63

Memorial Park in 1938-typical woodland Proposed forest type with open understory

Image Courtesy Matt Buckingham https://www.flickr.com/photos/mabuckingham/

64

Pine, Hardwoods Forest

Wet Prairie, Savanah

Upland Prairie, Savanah

Native Prairie

Savanah/Forest

Savanah

Savanah/Prairie

Unaffected Areas

Legend


Vegetation: Restoration

Forest

Savanah/Forest

Savanah

Savanah/Prairie

Prairie

Legend


65

Prairie

66

Savannah




67

Memorial Park Circa 1938

68

GUIDING PRINCIPLESGuiding Principles for the project were formulated by the NBW team to incorporate and summarize input from the public engagement process and from the design team’s technical experts. These principles will guide the design team as they move forward with design.

69

1. Build a resilient park framework for future generations with adaptive systems that will withstand time, increased use, variable weather patterns, and will allow Houstonians to maintain its character into the future.

2. Adopt and sustain management practices that complement the ecological position and features of iconic indigenous species.

3. Design a park that has a positive impact on the neighborhoods and the city by collecting, storing, and re-using storm water, improving water quality, and using alternative energy.

4. Maintain a record of biotic and abiotic ecological factors to track available quantifiable data to support and influence management practices.

TENDMemorial Park needs our care. Let’s be good stewards.

70

1. Strengthen and build upon the cultural, historical, and ecological assets of Memorial Park that differentiate it from Houston’s other parks.

2. Maintain and enhance existing programmatic uses in the park. Memorial Park has four major use types:

• Arboretum and Nature Center• Urban active: Ball fields, tennis, soccer, cycling, running, swimming, golf• Urban wilds: Trails and bayou-based recreation in an urban wilds context (bird

watching, picnicking, hiking, mountain biking, paddling, horseback riding).

3. Construct and improve existing amenities that fit the character, use, and scale of the site. Follow the regional vision of Houston Parks and Recreation.

MAGNIFYMemorial Park has a lot going for it. Let’s make those things more visible.

71

1. Group similar program uses in the park together to enhance the experience of different aspects of the park and to reduce user conflict.

2. Orchestrate circulation in the park to improve safety for all types of users. Make the park inviting by creating gateways and marking paths and amenities to facilitate self-guiding and understanding of the place.

3. See the park’s current state as an opportunity. The drought and hurricane of recent years have cleared the site of vulnerable vegetation. Design landscape types for the site’s climate, soils, and the maintenance capabilities of the park administration by using intrinsic ecologies to ensure future resilience.

4. Maximize social opportunities that allow Houstonians to engage with each other in meaningful ways.

OPTIMIZEMemorial Park’s parts are out of balance with each other. Let’s arrange them so the park can function optimally.

72

1. Enable external access to the park. New connections will allow for increased park use, and improve safety in getting to the park on foot, wheelchair, bike, bus, or car.

2. Bridge the park’s internal divisions to expand usable park space and enhance its existing character.

3. Provide opportunities for consolidation of habitat areas.

4. Link water systems, allowing them to function holistically as a complete system.

RECONNECTMemorial Park is divided in many ways. Let’s make it whole and plug it into life in Houston.

73

1. Preserve and interpret elements of the cultural and natural history. In so doing, empower future generations in the continued management of urban landscapes.

2. Make space for users to discover, learn about, appreciate and enjoy the flora, fauna and water systems of Memorial Park and the region.

3. Interpret and engage multiple cultural narratives that are relevant to Houston area’s diverse population.

REVEALMemorial Park holds stories relevant to all Houstonians. Let’s tell them to the world.

74

SCALE: 1”=2000’

Source: 2014 Lee Lupher aerial photograph

VISION: RECONNECTED PARK

• Stitch fragments together with contiguous spaces that feel like a cohesive park

• Limit visual and pedestrian boundaries within the park

• Maintain existing programmatic elements of the park

Site rails & roads

Adjacent roads

Buffalo Bayou

Legend

75

VISION: LIMIT AREAS OF FUTURE IMPACT

• Areas in red indicate places that have been heavily impacted by previous developmentexcluding areas that are culturally or historically sensitive

• Goal: limit future development to areas that have already been altered by past development

SCALE: 1:24,000

Legend




Areas for future impact


76

2014: EXISTING SITE ORGANIZATION

• The park is currently experienced as a series of smaller and discontiguous uses and typologies

Legend

Active recreation


Urban Wilderness(trail use)

Picnic Area


Arboretum and Nature Center

77

GOAL: CONNECT ACTIVE RECREATION AREAS

• Relocate active recreation such as baseball, rugby, and soccer that require more infrastructure and amenities such as parking and bathrooms

• Combine areas of similar program, use and ecological, cultural, and historical experience

• Share recreation amenities for minimal impact on park and ease of maintenance

SCALE: 1:24,000

Legend


Active recreation


Picnic Areas

Cultural & Historical Resources

Relocated active recreation

Arboretum and Nature Center

78

GOAL: LOCATE PICNIC AREAS THROUGHOUT PARK

• Picnic areas become moments to experience different parts of the park

• Accessible by car, bike, foot, or wheelchair

SCALE: 1:24,000

Legend



Dispersed picnic areas

Active recreation



Arboretum and Nature CenterPicnic area

79


GOAL: CONNECT LAND MASSES

• Create trail areas that connect large swaths of the site, allowing for longer and more rich park experiences and greater ecological connectivity

• Bridge currently divided parts of the park with green spaces trails that are appropriate to ecologically and historically sensitive sites

SCALE: 1:24,000

Legend


Active recreation




Connected wilderness areas

Arboretum & Nature Center

80

VISION: COHESIVE PARK PROGRAMS & EXPERIENCES

Envisioning a park that:

• Preserves and interprets Camp Logan’s richest and most productive archaeological areas

• Embraces the signature existing cultural and ecological resources

• Creates expansive, connected, and complimentary program areas that provide a cohesive experience of this 1500 acre park

SCALE: 1:24,000

Legend

Image: 2014 Google Aerial Photograph;

Active recreation

Relocated active recreationUrban Wilderness (trail use)

Camp Logan interpretive areas & Historical entrance experience

Golf course

Arboretum & Nature Center


81

82

May 19, 2014

Memorial ParkHouston, TX

Land Bridge - Perspective from Memorial Drive

Environment

Slide Presentation from Public Update Meeting no.1 - A Story of the Park: People in Nature & Initial Design Concepts