Browsing by Author "Jones, Alexander"

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    Albany, KY: Conceptual Trail Linkage Plan
    Jones, Alexander; Jones, Kevin; Henry, Nik; Proctor, Nicholaus; Gilboy, Elizabeth (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2017-10)
    The Albany/Clinton County community has focused much attention on enhancing the built environment for healthy and active families over the last few years. They have benefited from enhancements and resources provided through a cooperative agreement that the University of Kentucky received with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (CDC). The agreement focuses on improving health outcomes in counties with obesity rates higher than 40 percent of the population. The initiative has provided health enhancements such as a fit trail, disc golf, new water cooling stations for their schools, etc. Additionally, Mark Fenton, a national expert in active communities, has visited the community to lead walk audits and assist in the development of a bike/pedestrian plan. It is through these public conversations that citizens have identified the need for extended walking and biking trails. The City Council, Fiscal Court, Health Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Clinton County Community Foundation, and Clinton County Health Coalition members along with other community partners worked collaboratively to provide input and feedback throughout the project. The Community Design Assistance Center at Virginia Tech worked with this Stakeholders Committee and the community to develop a conceptual trail linkage plan that links as many key sites near Mountain View Park through Albany’s downtown to Albany Manor. A conceptual design for a farmer’s market structure for the downtown site was also developed.
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    Blowing Rock, NC: American Legion Site Conceptual Design
    Henry, Nik; Jones, Alexander; Proctor, Nicholaus; Gilboy, Elizabeth (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2017-08)
    The most used pedestrian thoroughfares in Blowing Rock are the paths that connect Broyhill Park and adjacent parks with the downtown area. There are two sets of stairs that have worn down over the years, becoming dangerous for visitors. There is not an ADA-accessible route from Broyhill Park to the American Legion building. Further, pedestrian routes are poorly marked throughout the site and along Park Avenue, resulting in pedestrians walking in the middle of the road. The existing stairs behind the American Legion building have also been negatively affected by an erosion problem. Heavy silt deposits generated by multiple sources are adversely affecting Mayview Lake, which is fed by a North Carolina Trout Headwater. The erosion issue has led to the need of dredging Mayview Lake on a more frequent basis than normal and has begun to wash out portions of the stairs. The deteriorated state of the stairs has led, in part, to the creation of informal trails in less stable areas that add additional concern about safety and excessive erosion on the site. There was a great need to explore ways that the American Legion site can serve and function as a connector between popular destinations, but in a way that is safe for citizens and visitors. Further, there was a desire that future improvements reduce the negative impacts that poorly managed runoff has imposed on wildlife inhabiting Mayview Lake. The American Legion building site also needed a tree replacement plan for aesthetic improvements, pedestrian safety, run-off reduction, and to encourage greater species diversity among Blowing Rock’s tree population.
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    Burnsville, NC: Streetscape and Trail Conceptual Master Plan for the Western Loop
    Gilboy, Elizabeth; Philen, Melissa; Browning, Lara; Niland, Joe; Jones, Alexander; VanNoy, Jess (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2015-10)
    Burnsville, North Carolina, a lone incorporated town in Yancey County, is nestled at the foothills of the Black Mountain Range in Yancey County. It has 17 named peaks over 6,000 feet in elevation, including the highest mountain in the Eastern United States, Mount Mitchell, at 6,684 feet in elevation. Because of its proximity to the Black Mountain Range and Appalachian Trail, Burnsville has the potential to connect to these outdoor resources and host visitors as a trail town. Providing a trailhead, gateways into the town, and a walkable main street were forefront in this design process.

    In conjunction with the North Carolina High Peaks Trail Association, the Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) developed the Western Loop Trail which traverses Burnsville’s Main Street and connects historic downtown Burnsville at the town square to the Mountain Heritage High School’s Nature Trail.

    This design work includes a gateway design for the entrance to the Mountain Heritage High School, a mini-park for Cherry Lane, a streetscape design for West Main Street, and a trailhead concept at the Burnsville town square.
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    Dungannon, VA: Town Playground Conceptual Master Plan
    Proctor, Nicholaus; Gilboy, Elizabeth; Jones, Alexander (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2017-08)
    The Town began efforts in 2014 to revitalize its downtown and restore economic stability to its community that leverages its abundant cultural and natural assets. Several of those assets include the Clinch River, the High Knob recreation area, the Scott County Horse Park, and the Flanary archeaology site. Dungannon has since been awarded an approximately $800,000 grant through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) . This grant focuses on the downtown core, bringing various physical improvements to sidewalks, building facades, and creates a community greenspace with a farmer’s market. Virginia’s DHCD also awarded Dungannon a $100,000 Revolving Loan Fund grant that provides new entrepreneurs in the community access to local funds that kick starts their efforts or expands their services. These two grants established a strong coalition of community members that continuously look to improve their community. Despite the current momentum, there were still several physical improvement projects that lie outside the capabilities of existing funding, specifically in areas that targeted community youth. A central theme of Dungannon’s vision is to become a safer and healthier place for youth to grow up and return to live over the course of their life. There currently is limited access to youth-oriented facilities, such as playgrounds and outdoor learning. The Town of Dungannon partnered with the Dungannon Development Commission, Dungannon Intermediate School, Dungannon Youth Program Committee, and theAppalachian CAD Agency to create a new playground and environmental learning trail in Dungannon to serve the surrounding area. CDAC’s collaborative engagement process brought the community’s diverse ideas together into a conceptual design for a town playground that fosters physical exercise, provides environmental education opportunities, can be feasibly built, and maintained by the community.
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    Greenbrier County, WV: Sports Complex & Park Conceptual Master Plan
    Gilboy, Elizabeth; Jones, Alexander; Stroud, Patricia; Williams, Daphne; Zhong, Cen (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2016-10)
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    London, KY : Turning London Green : Conceptual Designs for the Expansion of London's Streetscape and Greenspaces
    Gilboy, Elizabeth; Philen, Melissa; Browning, Lara; Gray, Shane; Gresham, Carter; Souza de Souza, Aline Soares; Jones, Alexander (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2016-02)
    Located in Laurel County, Kentucky, the City of London is beginning to look to the future of the town and opportunities that exist for downtown improvements. The downtown area already contains several local restaurants and boutique shops, however the area is lacking in any major green space and is in need of streetscape improvements. Main Street exists as a lovely example of streetscape beautification. Urban trees, perennial shrub plantings, benches, and other pedestrian amenities line the corridor. London hopes to expand upon this aesthetic design by including the Broad Street corridor. London’s goal is to create a system of connected greenspace to promote outdoor physical activity such as walking and bicycling. Due to London’s recent designation as the Cycling Capitol of Kentucky, the city also looks to renovate and reassess its current cycling infrastructure. Directional and informational signage are also needed to unite the city under one clear aesthetic.

    The city hopes to incorporate greenspace, provide safe and comfortable walking routes, celebrate their rich culture, and infuse the streets with local public art. By doing this, London hopes to have a more vibrant, welcoming, and economically viable destination for residents and visitors alike.
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    North Wilkesboro, N.C: West Park Medical Complex Conceptual Master Plan
    Gilboy, Elizabeth; Philen, Melissa; Williams, Daphne; Delbridge, Lauren; Jones, Alexander (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2016-05)
    Established in 1991, The Health Foundation is leading a community-wide, cross-sector initiative helping to ensure that all of the nearly 70,000 Wilkes County residents grow up healthy and active. In 1996, The Health Foundation, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to improving the health and well-being of residents in Wilkes County, purchased a declining strip shopping center in North Wilkesboro that rests on 28.29 acres and converted it into a medical park; West Park Medical Complex. The shopping center had become a community eyesore, that The Health Foundation sought to improve. Conveniently located just one-quarter mile from the regional hospital, it is now home to a synergistic array of services promoting health and wellness.

    The West Park Medical Complex is located west of North Wilkesboro in a bottom-land on the north bank of the Yadkin River. Programs currently housed at the complex include an Express YMCA, pre-school age public playground, outpatient rehab services, oncology services, primary care medical services, urgent care services, an imaging center, pediatrics, an adult day healthcare center complete with a therapeutic garden, and a public health dental clinic serving both adults and children. Adjacent medical offices include mental health services and obstetrics, making the park and its environs the destination of choice for medical services spanning the human life cycle and condition.

    The health complex also serves as a destination for active and passive recreation. The trailhead for the Yadkin River Greenway, a pedestrian/ cycling connector between the towns of Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro is located within the West Park Medical Complex. This greenway creates connections for the community to a variety of natural and cultural interests in the region. There are also possible future connections to the town of Wilkesboro and more regionally, W. Kerr Scott Lake, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Stone Mountain State Park, and Brushy Mountains.

    The Health Foundation was seeking innovative ways to make the property flourish as a place of healing. They envision the West Park Medical Complex as a model landscape that expresses healthy eating and healthy living. Open space, trails, and signage would transform the parking lot and surrounding landscape into a site that encourages healthy choices and active living programs. These amenities would be available to patients, visitors, employees, and the community’s residents. The Health Foundation further envisions a place that fosters community building and exemplifies how urban landscapes can be optimally designed to be environmentally conscious, minimize pollutant run-off, and be bird friendly.

    The property, which is bounded by Route 421 to the north, West Park Drive to the east, the Yadkin River to the south, and an office park to the west, also exists within a flood plain (see maps on following pages). Currently, the majority of the site’s businesses are at the perimeter of the property. A large asphalt parking lot services the buildings and provides an excess of 250 parking spaces. The Health Foundation is open to seeing how to reclaim approximately 25% of the existing parking by removing asphalt and replacing it with open space, paths, planting for the visitors’ comfort, and vegetation.
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    Pearisburg, VA: Pearisburg Town Park Conceptual Master Plan Update and Tannery Road Site Conceptual Design
    Delbridge, Lauren; Zhong, Cen; Jones, Alexander; Williams, Daphne; Proctor, Nicholaus; Gilboy, Elizabeth (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2017-05-08)
    The purpose of this project was to develop a conceptual master plan update for the Pearisburg Town Park that benefits families, seniors, and youth and improved the quality of life by building community pride and contributing to the tourism economy of Pearisburg. Additionally, the town sought to create the opportunity for an adult league baseball/ softball facility on a nearby undeveloped town property on Tannery Road by the New River. The town envisioned creating a recreational complex of facilities with updated features for every stage of life with a focus on updating their youth sports fields and supporting facilities. It was envisioned that the Pearisburg Town Park become a location where youth baseball and softball clubs could play, train, and host regional tournaments. The park’s open space, mature shade trees, walking trail, and bird watching would continue to offer the town and Giles County a clean, well-maintained nature park. Additionally, the town was interested in exploring the possibility of including the following elements: two youth baseball/softball fields, one adult baseball field, t-ball field, batting cages, spectator and farmer’s market shade structures, relocating concessions and restrooms, beach volleyball court, dog park, kids splash park, picnic pavilion, expanding on nature identification programs, outdoor stage, and improved parking.
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    South Boston, VA: First Baptist Church Learning Area and Garden Conceptual Design
    Gilboy, Elizabeth; Philen, Melissa; Browning, Lara; Moskaluk, Lexi; Gresham, Carter; Jones, Alexander; Li, Dan (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2015-12)
    Located in the Town of South Boston, Virginia, the First Baptist Church (FBC) owns a large fill lot on Main Street and is hoping to create an outdoor space which can be used by all members of the church. First Baptist Church and the First Baptist Weekday School, which is run by FBC, would like to create an outdoor learning area/garden that “weaves their community, children and adults, with new and existing educational and religious programs” says Mary Tucker Irby, director of the First Baptist Weekday School. This outdoor learning area would also expand upon the outreach services already provided by the church community and allow them to potentially grow food for the hungry, cultivate flowers for hospice patients, and provide a space for “education, play, recreation, friendly gatherings, performances, prayer, church meetings, Godly play, and gardening”. In addition to these elements, an outdoor gathering space or stage would allow outdoor services, children’s plays, weddings, and gatherings. This space would be a wonderful addition to First Baptist Church. The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) was contacted to work with the FBC to develop conceptual designs for the vision of the First Baptist Churchyard.

    The design process began with an initial site visit to South Boston in June 2015. The CDAC team met with project stakeholders at First Baptist Church and discussed initial design visions and ideas for the churchyard. The team then walked the First Baptist Churchyard with these stakeholders, talking further about the visions and conditions of the site. The team documented existing conditions and took soil samples, which helped the team to understand the opportunities and constraints of the site. This inventory and analysis influenced the design concepts for First Baptist Churchyard. The team worked closely with a stakeholders group to better understand their vision for the site. Research was conducted regarding programs and elements that the stakeholders expressed interest in: natural and creative play, Godly Play, terraces, and gardens. After careful consideration of all the factors, a set of preliminary conceptual design alternatives was developed.

    In July 2015, the CDAC team visited First Baptist Church to present the inventory and analysis of the site, research and case studies, and initial design ideas and concepts for the churchyard to the stakeholders and FBC community. During this meeting community members gave their feedback on the initial design concepts and how they wanted them changed and consolidated into a final concept. After this discussion, the design alternatives were then revised and combined into a final conceptual master plan for the First Baptist Churchyard.

    The final master plans were presented at a second and final community meeting at the First Baptist Church in September 2015.