Browsing by Author "Moskaluk, Lexi"

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    Greater Park Place: Community Gateway and Neighborhood Beautification
    Gilboy, Elizabeth; Browning, Lara; Serge, Will; Moskaluk, Lexi (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2015-07)
    Greater Park Place is a term used to represent four adjoining neighborhoods – Lamberts Point, Kensington Place, Park Place, and Villa Heights – located in the City of Norfolk. Developed as a streetcar community in the late 19th and early 20th century, this area makes up one of Norfolk’s oldest neighborhoods. The aesthetic character created by its historic architecture, as well as its proximity to downtown, the Zoological Gardens, Lafayette Park, and Old Dominion University, make it an attractive neighborhood.

    Over the years, the Greater Park Place has struggled with high poverty rates, low property values, and low home ownership, which has led to reduced property stewardship and neighborhood appeal. In recent years, however, the community and various partners have come together to try and revitalize the neighborhood. As part of this process, residents worked with czb LLC in 2010 to draft a Vision Engagement Plan (VEP) report for the Greater Park Place neighborhood. This document was authored “by the residents for themselves and their future partners” and serves as both a status report and a mission statement for future development. Within this document, residents were able to identify a Target Area where there is the greatest concentration of marketable strength; where stabilization and health can be achieved with the greatest efficiency. The Target Area is located inside Omohundro-Debree-38th to mid-block of 30th and 29th. After after the purchase of a tract of farm land by the city, the Park Place Neighborhood was incorporated into the historic City of Norfolk in 1902. Now the diverse community within the Park Place neighborhood boasts its own Civic League run by its residents, who pride themselves on their rich history as a neighborhood, the opportunities their location has to offer, and a close-knit community feeling. The neighborhood has recently built a new YMCA and houses Monroe Elementary School, a community garden, and many churches. The historical architecture featuring houses in Late Victorian, Tudor Revival, Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revival, and Craftsman styles is also a prominent feature of the neighborhood.

    The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) was tasked with developing a number of conceptual designs: a gateway park at the intersection of Broadway, Granby, and Omohundro Streets, a design of gem lots, a series of proposed parklets, and residential planting designs. In addition, the team explored community branding and street-scape design. CDAC worked closely with the community and stakeholder groups to develop these concepts, which are discussed in further detail in the following report.
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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.