Browsing by Author "Jessup, Jennifer"
Now showing 1 - 17 of 17
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Cleveland Elementary School Site Redesign + Cleveland Ball Park Redesign + Riverwalk Conceptual DesignsGilboy, Elizabeth; Browning, Lara; Korkuti, Arian; Jessup, Jennifer; Walker, Harley; Wan, Mingchao (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2014-01)Cleveland is a community of approximately 130 people located in Russell County in southwest Virginia. The Town is situated on the Clinch River, one of most biodiverse rivers in North America. The Clinch has more species of endangered and rare freshwater mussels than anywhere else in the world. Cleveland recognizes the value of this unique river and hopes to utilize its natural assets to promote tourism and stimulate economic growth.
The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) was tasked with developing conceptual designs for upgrading the existing ball park and reusing the former Cleveland Elementary School site as an RV park and campground. In addition, the team explored the possibility of linking the project sites, downtown, and the Barrens waterfall with a river walk. CDAC worked closely with the community and stakeholder groups to develop these concepts which are discussed in further detail in the following report. - Clinch River access points design guidelinesGilboy, Elizabeth; Browning, Lara; Jessup, Jennifer; Walker, Harley (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2014-01-01)The CDAC was tasked with developing general design guidelines for access points along the Clinch River, creating a conceptual design for the access point at the Cleveland Ball Park as a pilot site, generating design concepts for various types of signage for access points.
- Devil John Wright Trail linkage & enhancement master planGilboy, Elizabeth; Browning, Lara; Dunne, Peter; Jessup, Jennifer; Walker, Harley (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2014-03-01)Jenkins, KY began as a railroad town; however, it has a history of moonshining and the legendary Devil John Wright. Devil John became known for gunslinging and ruthlessness. It was the desire of Jenkins to incorporate this history in the future master plan for the city.
- Elkhorn City trail town master planGilboy, Elizabeth; Browning, Lara; Jessup, Jennifer; Pieri, Gray; Walker, Harley (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2014-03)Elkhorn City is a community of approximately 1,000 people located in Pike County on the Kentucky-Virginia border. It is nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and has many geographic wonders that could make it a major tourist destination in Kentucky. First and foremost of these natural wonders is the Russell Fork River, a tributary of the Big Sandy River, which flows through the center of the city. It is well known for its whitewater rafting, featuring Class II-VI rapids. Elkhorn City is also geographically located in proximity to the Pine Mountain Trail and Breaks Interstate Park.1 Elkhorn City recognizes the value of its natural assets and hopes to utilize them to promote tourism and stimulate economic growth.
The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) was tasked with developing conceptual designs for greenspaces, streetscapes, and wayfinding that would strengthen Elkhorn City as a Trail Town. Areas that were designed included the existing caboose site, a community garden site, a park along the river, and the downtown streetscape. In addition, the team developed designs for wayfinding signage throughout downtown and at gateways to the city. The CDAC team also explored creating an overall master plan or potential tourist pamphlet for the community to market themselves as a Trail Town. CDAC worked closely with the community and stakeholder groups to develop these concepts which are discussed in further detail in the following report. - Entryway designs and trail recommendations for Waynesboro's Sunset ParkGilboy, Elizabeth; Browning, Lara; Jessup, Jennifer; Browning, Matthew Mutel (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2014-10)Waynesboro, located three miles from the junction of Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Appalachian Trail, is a hub for outdoor recreation. Recently, the city has made efforts to expand its connection to the proposed redesign of the Crozet Tunnel. A trail from the Crozet Tunnel to Waynesboro would contribute to the expansion of the regional bicycling and hiking network, including the Appalachian Trail and U.S. Bicycle Route 76 (Blue Ridge Parkway). Waynesboro would like to expand on and connect to this feature by transforming an old landfill into a community park.
The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) was tasked with developing a conceptual design for an overall master plan of the landfill which shows possible connections to the Crozet Tunnel and locates a pedestrian trail that would link with proposed mountain biking trails created by a local mountain biking club. In conjunction with the overall master plan, guidelines on appropriate trail development and forest management recommendations were researched. and The possibility of adding zip lines at the top of the landfill was explored. In addition, conceptual designs were developed for the park entry and the reuse of the existing refuse public works building. The team also generated ideas for park character, including materials for entryway signage, kiosks, and trail markers.
CDAC worked closely with stakeholder representatives to develop these concepts which are discussed in further detail in the following report. - Greater Park Place: Community Gateway and Neighborhood Beautification Stewardship PlanGilboy, Elizabeth; Browning, Lara; Rosenberger, Jack; Jessup, Jennifer (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2015-07)The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) recognizes the need to incorporate detailed stewardship plans with conceptual design work. A project cannot achieve long term success without a strategy for proper planting, care, and maintenance. The information in this document describes strategies for CDAC design concepts that have been implemented. Such stewardship includes general landscape maintenance, tree and planting care, controlling nonnative and invasive plant species, pests, disease control, habitats, streetscapes, and parks.
One of the greatest and most satisfying aspects of landscape design is its ever changing and transformative nature over time. CDAC is committed to providing communities with sustainable designs and the continued success of our work over time is ensured through the environmental stewardship practices described in this document. CDAC aims to provide resilient and sustainable design solutions that can grow and evolve for the benefit of future generations. After projects developed by CDAC are implemented and installed, it is our hope that this stewardship plan will help each community we assist be successful stewards of their respective conceptual designs. - Greendale Elementary School outdoor classroom & educational trailGilboy, Elizabeth; Browning, Lara; Jessup, Jennifer; Wu, Silvia; Browning, Matthew; Environmental Interpretation Class (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2014-06)Greendale Elementary School is located in Abingdon, Virginia within Washington County. It is comprised of grades preschool through fifth grade totaling approximately 380 students. Currently there are two outdoor classrooms and a nature trail on the property. The outdoor classrooms are divided between a preschool/ADA accessible garden and a kindergarten through fifth grade garden. Both gardens have been utilized in the past, but are currently underused and neglected.
The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) was tasked with developing conceptual designs to restore the two outdoor classrooms. The proposed outdoor classroom features would incorporate grade-appropriate Standards of Learning (SOL) objectives to help students make the connection between book knowledge and actual “hands on” application in the outdoor classroom, focusing primarily on the “micro” concepts of ecology, biology, aquatics, and soils. The classroom should also encourage different types of uses and include opportunities for lessons on all subject matter.
Greendale also wanted CDAC to explore extending the existing nature trail. This proposed trail would connect the existing nature trail to the existing fitness track on the lower portion of the school grounds. The proposed trail would incorporate a variety of learning stations that introduce the students to “macro” oriented concepts such as forests, land use, climate, and the solar system. In doing so, this would provide the opportunity for weaving in present day challenges of balancing land-use and economic needs with environmental protection and community sustainability. It would also provide the opportunity for real-life experiences of achievement through teamwork among classmates, teachers, parents, and partner organizations that share the same vision for improving the educational potential in local schools.
Greendale is trying to increase awareness for the need of physical activity and the value of a healthy life style. Both portions of the project address obesity and poverty issues by encouraging physical activity in the garden areas and on the loop trail. It also teaches students how to grow vegetables and how that relates to proper nutrition.
The Design Center also collaborated with students in the Spring 2014 Environmental Interpretation course at Virginia Tech’s Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation. These students developed the text for the interpretive materials (e.g. signs and kiosk) in the outdoor classroom areas and loop trail designs. - Grottoes, VA: Conceptual Open Space Master Plan and Entrance DesignGilboy, Elizabeth; Watson, Kim; Brown, Julia; Jessup, Jennifer (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2003-12)The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) worked with the town of Grottoes to create entryway designs for the primary entries to town as well as Sixth Street, which serves as the town’s “Main Street.” CDAC also prepared an open space master plan that addressed how to improve individual open spaces and their connections to each other.
- Jonesborough Municipal Garage Complex Conceptual Site Master PlanGilboy, Elizabeth; Browning, Lara; Hill, Matt; Jessup, Jennifer; Rosenberger, Jack (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2015-06)Tennessee’s oldest town, Jonesborough, is known for its historic preservation, small-town charm, and the International Storytelling Festival. It is a popular destination for both locals and tourists. The town offers its residents a number of recreational opportunities including Wetlands Water Park, Persimmon Ridge Park, the Mary B. Martin Program for the Arts, and the Jonesborough Repertory Theatre. Another popular destination is Jonesborough’s Senior Citizen Center. The center offers “a variety of events and trips, opportunities for outreach to the community, education, socializing, health and fitness, and spiritual and vocational classes.” Although the population of Jonesborough was only 5,975 in the 2010 census, the Senior Citizen Center serves the broader Washington County area and has approximately 2,000 members. In addition, it has over 350 volunteers who help manage and operate the center.
In 2014, the Town of Jonesborough began constructing a new facility for the Senior Citizen Center in order to better meet the needs of its members. The new location is closer to the downtown area and will be more easily accessible. Construction is expected to be completed in the spring of 2015. The new center neighbors the town’s municipal garage and is located in the Longview Drive/North Lincoln Street neighborhood.
Although the town has actively tried to screen the municipal garage area and its activities from the surrounding neighborhood, they feel that the construction of the new Senior Citizen Center offers an opportunity to remove the municipal garage to a more appropriate location and then utilize the vacated land as an asset - a park that serves the seniors and the surrounding neighborhood.
The Town of Jonesborough requested that the Community Design Assistance Center help in the site planning for the new municipal garage and the redesign of the current municipal garage property. The new municipal garage site is located in the floodplain of Little Limestone Creek, so special attention was paid to the floodway and the appropriate type of development for the site. In addition, the town wanted to minimize any impacts of the new facility on neighboring residents.
It was envisioned that the current municipal garage property would be redeveloped into a senior citizen/neighborhood park. This park would serve the needs of the Longview Drive/North Lincoln Street neighborhood as well as the Senior Citizen Center.
The site planning for the new municipal garage is described in this report. The conceptual design for the park is described in a separate report. - Jonesborough, TN: North Lincoln Avenue Community Park Conceptual DesignGilboy, Elizabeth; Browning, Lara; Hill, Matt; Jessup, Jennifer; Rosenberger, Jack (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2015-06)Tennessee’s oldest town, Jonesborough, is known for its historic preservation, small-town charm, and the International Storytelling Festival. It is a popular destination for both locals and tourists. The town offers its residents a number of recreational opportunities including Wetlands Water Park, Persimmon Ridge Park, the Mary B. Martin Program for the Arts, and the Jonesborough Repertory Theatre. Another popular destination is Jonesborough’s Senior Citizen Center. The center offers “a variety of events and trips, opportunities for outreach to the community, education, socializing, health and fitness, and spiritual and vocational classes.” Although the population of Jonesborough was only 5,975 in the 2010 census, the Senior Citizen Center serves the broader Washington County area and has approximately 2,000 members. In addition, it has over 350 volunteers who help manage and operate the center.
In 2014, the Town of Jonesborough began constructing a new facility for the Senior Citizen Center in order to better meet the needs of its members. The new location is closer to the downtown area and will be more easily accessible to residents. Construction is expected to be completed in the spring of 2015. The new center neighbors the town’s municipal garage and is located in the Longview Drive/North Lincoln Street neighborhood.
Although the town has actively tried to screen the garage and its activities from the surrounding neighborhood, they feel that the construction of the new Senior Citizen Center offers an opportunity to move the municipal garage to a more appropriate location and then utilize the vacated land as an asset - a park that serves the seniors and the surrounding neighborhood.
The Town of Jonesborough requested that the Community Design Assistance Center aide in the redesign of the current municipal garage property into a neighborhood park. This park would serve the needs of the Longview Drive/North Lincoln Street neighborhood as well as the Senior Citizen Center community. - Learning center at Fishburn Forest concept design : Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VAGilboy, Elizabeth; Korkuti, Arian; Steika, Kim; Rogers, Robin; Smith, Liam; Wan, Milo; Burg, Gardner; Dunne, Peter; Jessup, Jennifer; Pieri, Gray; Poteet, Tish (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2014-03)The Fishburn property is a site of about 1,400 acres located about 6 miles west of the Virginia Tech Blacksburg campus. It was donated to Virginia Tech by Junius B. Fishburn, former president of the Southwest Virginia Trust Co. and former owner of the Roanoke Times. Approximately 1,350 acres is owned by Virginia Tech and the remaining 53 acres by the Virginia Tech Foundation. The Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation (Dept of FREC) manages the property and uses it as a living lab for a variety of classes that require field work.
The Department of FREC would like to build a learning center that could serve a variety of uses including supporting the educational activities of the Department; renting the facility to other groups for meetings, conferences, weddings, and community functions; and opening the site more formally to the public. Two possible locations for the facility were selected by FREC representatives for consideration.
Preliminary programing elements for the building include a meeting hall for approximately 50 people, a kitchen, restrooms, offices, and a caretaker’s facility.
The Fishburn project began with an initial site visit to the property, guided by Dr. Mike Aust, Forestry Professor. During that visit, Dr. Aust shared some of the site’s past and more contemporary history with the CDAC design team. Two potential locations were identified for the learning center’s concept design. Qualities of each site were discussed with Dr. Aust as well as current uses by the College of Natural Resources and the university at large. The CDAC team photographed each site and conducted an inventory and analysis. Additional visits to the site were made to gather and confirm site analysis information.
After completing inventory and analysis for each site, the CDAC team prepared four preliminary design ideas for the learning center - two for each site. These design ideas were presented to faculty, staff, and administration in the College of Natural Resources and the Environment (CNRE). Additionally, a short survey was prepared. This survey along with 11x17 drawings of the design ideas were distributed to faculty for review and comment.
Based on comments received from faculty and staff as well as guidance from Dr. Janaki Alavapati, the CDAC team narrowed the design focus to what was termed “Site 2” and developed two conceptual design options for that site. Conceptual designs were presented to Joshua Galloway (Community Housing Partners) and Mark McConel (Summit Studio), architects on the CDAC Design Review Panel. Refinements were made based on their feedback. The designs were presented in November 2013 to the client group. Slight revisions were made based on comments from this presentation and one final conceptual design for the structure and caretaker’s residence and one final site master plan were prepared for the learning center.
This short supporting report was prepared to document the design process and describe the design concepts prepared by the Community Design Assistance Center. - Mill View Estates Park conceptual design : prepared for the Town of Bridgewater, VAGilboy, Elizabeth; Browning, Lara; Jessup, Jennifer; Paul, Lauren; Pieri, Gray (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2014-03)The Town of Bridgewater is located near the southern border of Rockingham County and along the northern edge of the North River. The town currently encompasses 2.48 square miles with a population of approximately 5,774 in 2012.
The Community Design Assistance Center was tasked with developing a conceptual design for a 4.73 acre park at the Mill View Estates Subdivision. The site is located along the northwestern section of Bridgewater’s corporate limits. The new park will serve residents of that part of town which currently do not have a park close by.
Throughout the design process, the Mill View Estates Park team, which consisted of the CDAC team and representatives from the Town of Bridgewater, worked collaboratively to develop a conceptual plan for the Town of Bridgewater. This report documents the design process and describes the final concept that was developed. - Richland's Clinch River pedestrian walkway extension conceptual design : prepared for the Town of Richlands, VA, October, 2013Gilboy, Elizabeth; Browning, Lara; Dunn, Matthew; Jessup, Jennifer; Malobicky, Alyssa (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2013-10)Originally established as a planned community whose economy would be supported by mining of rich coal deposits, Richlands was intended to be the Pittsburgh (PA) of the South by the Clinch Valley Coal and Iron Company of Philadelphia. The coming of the Norfolk & Western Railroad supported the capital investment to create a town that would manufacture products such as steel, brick, and glass. It also showcased the deluxe Hotel Richlands and other businesses as well as residential areas. Because the Town was uniquely situated along the Clinch River, the plan encompassed development and growth along both sides of the river. One particular stretch of railway, which paralleled the Clinch River, was used for transporting raw materials for brick manufacturing. It was this piece of original railroad track bed that paved a way to the future. In 2000, the Town of Richlands received a Transportation Enhancement grant from the Virginia Department of Transportation to create a walking trail along the old railroad track in order to connect the Williams Field/Critterville Playground to downtown Richlands. 2 The trail’s official name is the Clinch River Pedestrian Walkway. A portion of the trail was built, but plans to connect the trail to downtown Richlands were not completed.
The Community Design Assistance Center was tasked with developing a conceptual design for a greenway that extends the existing walking trail approximately 1.67 miles to complete the connection to downtown and a historic swinging bridge. The goal would be to provide increased benefits and equal access to the river for the larger community.3 - Scenic River Evaluation Projects: Clinch and Dan RiversBrowning, Lara; Gilboy, Elizabeth; Jessup, Jennifer; Shealy, Kaitlin (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2015-01-30)The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) provides field work and evaluative documentation for qualifying Virginia jurisdictions who seek to designate local rivers in the state’s Scenic River Designation program. The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) was asked to assist DCR in the evaluation of two rivers. The two river segments under consideration for Scenic River Designation: • Clinch River (Tazewell County) – a 30.3 mile segment • Dan River (Halifax County) – a 38.6 mile segment Each river, or river segment, is evaluated and rated on fourteen different factors from which a cumulative score is derived. This score must meet a minimum rating score to be designated. Each factor was selected because of its ability to enhance the scenic experience and its contribution to the overall quality of the resource. CDAC staff worked with DCR personnel to collect background data, conduct field studies along the rivers, utilize the gathered data to determine eligibility for designation under the Virginia Scenic River Program, and prepare a report of the field data findings.
- South Boston, VA: First Baptist Church Stewardship PlanGilboy, Elizabeth; Browning, Lara; Rosenberger, Jack; Jessup, Jennifer (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2015-12)The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) recognizes the need to incorporate detailed stewardship plans with conceptual design work. A project cannot achieve long term success without a strategy for proper planting, care, and maintenance. The information in this document describes strategies for CDAC design concepts that have been implemented. Such stewardship includes general landscape maintenance, tree and planting care, controlling nonnative and invasive plant species, pests, disease control, habitats, streetscapes, and parks.
One of the greatest and most satisfying aspects of landscape design is its ever changing and transformative nature over time. CDAC is committed to providing communities with sustainable designs and the continued success of our work over time is ensured through the environmental stewardship practices described in this document. CDAC aims to provide resilient and sustainable design solutions that can grow and evolve for the benefit of future generations. After projects developed by CDAC are implemented and installed, it is our hope that this stewardship plan will help each community we assist be successful stewards of their respective conceptual designs. - Wayland senior center site master planGilboy, Elizabeth; Browning, Lara; Jessup, Jennifer; Wells, Ashlee (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2014-03)The Town of Wayland, located in Floyd County, Kentucky, has an approximate population of 500 people. Once a prosperous mining town, Wayland has a deep cultural legacy that survives through the hard work of many residents and the local historical society. Wayland's long-term goal is to attract a larger population by re-engaging the community through recreational activity, promoting their cultural heritage, and improving upon the town aesthetic. In December 2012, CDAC worked with Wayland on the design of a community park/recreational baseball field for this purpose and created a conceptual master plan for town development.
Additional grant money has allowed CDAC to return to Wayland for series of smaller projects such as improving the Senior Center/ City Hall property, developing a town community center/welcome sign, and evaluating a waterfall lookout opportunity. The CDAC team developed an overall master plan for the Senior Center site and provided conceptual designs for the other two areas. Working through a series of iterations, the team believes the final concept will allow Wayland to continue progressing towards their desired plan for growth. - West Jefferson Streetscape Revitalization Stewardship PlanGilboy, Elizabeth; Browning, Lara; Rosenberger, Jack; Jessup, Jennifer (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2015-06)The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) recognizes the need to incorporate detailed stewardship plans with conceptual design work. A project cannot achieve long term success without a strategy for proper planting, care, and maintenance. The information in this document describes strategies for CDAC design concepts that have been implemented. Such stewardship includes general landscape maintenance, tree and planting care, controlling nonnative and invasive plant species, pests, disease control, habitats, streetscapes, and parks.
One of the greatest and most satisfying aspects of landscape design is its ever changing and transformative nature over time. CDAC is committed to providing communities with sustainable designs and the continued success of our work over time is ensured through the environmental stewardship practices described in this document. CDAC aims to provide resilient and sustainable design solutions that can grow and evolve for the benefit of future generations. After projects developed by CDAC are implemented and installed, it is our hope that this stewardship plan will help each community we assist be successful stewards of their respective conceptual designs.