Technical Reports, Community Design Assistance Center

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    Narrows, VA: Mill Creek Nature Park Trailhead Conceptual Site Master Plan
    Harrington, Hayley (2024-03-29)
    Narrows, Virginia is a small community of about 2,000 people located in Giles County off of Route 460 and near the narrowing of the New River. Within the mountains of Narrows is Mill Creek Nature Park, a park of about 145-acres. The park, which adjoins Jefferson National Forest, includes several trails of varying lengths for hiking and mountain biking as well as two waterfalls. The park also offers the opportunity to fish for native trout. The trailhead for the park is about 1-acre and includes two parking areas, one of which is bordered by boulders on one side to keep vehicles away from overhead power lines, a picnic shelter with 4 picnic tables, a kiosk, a porta potty, and a gate for maintenance vehicle access. The town would like improve the trailhead to make it more visually appealing, plan for additional parking in the future, and make the trailhead more functional. Initial ideas for improvements included park entry signage, wayfinding signage and branding for trails, installing a new single stall restroom in a different location than the porta potty, creating a formal path from the parking areas to the trails and the new restroom, landscaping with native plant materials, expanded parking for in the future, and the ability for one or two buses to be able to park and turn around.
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    Castlewood, VA: Conceptual Redevelopment Plan for the Mudhole Store
    Harrington, Hayley (2024-02-29)
    Castlewood is an unincorporated community located in northwest Russell County with approximately 1,700 residents (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020). The community was originally named Castle’s Woods after Jacob Castle, who first arrived in the area around 1750. Castlewood was the first settlement in Russell County, and its first permanent residents arrived in 1769. Daniel Boone and his family also lived in Castle’s Woods between 1773 and 1775. The Mudhole Store site is located at 776 Red Oak Ridge Road at the intersection of Red Oak Ridge Road and Reeds Valley Road. The site consists of several properties owned by Charles Bickley “Bick” and Judith “Judy” Gibson amounting to approximately 13 acres. The former filling station located onsite was built in the 1950s and is located on a parcel of about .31 acres. There were two pumps and the tanks are likely still located underground. The station also served as a convenience store. The historic egg house, located about 120 feet east of the current gas station building, was built between 1930 and 1950 and historically used to store and trade eggs.
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    Castlewood, VA: Conceptual Redevelopment Plan for the Mudhole Store Executive Summary
    Harrington, Hayley (2024-02-29)
    Castlewood is an unincorporated community located in northwest Russell County with approximately 1,700 residents (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020). The community was originally named Castle’s Woods after Jacob Castle, who first arrived in the area around 1750. Castlewood was the first settlement in Russell County, and its first permanent residents arrived in 1769. Daniel Boone and his family also lived in Castle’s Woods between 1773 and 1775. The Mudhole Store site is located at 776 Red Oak Ridge Road at the intersection of Red Oak Ridge Road and Reeds Valley Road. The site consists of several properties owned by Charles Bickley “Bick” and Judith “Judy” Gibson amounting to approximately 13 acres. The former filling station located onsite was built in the 1950s and is located on a parcel of about .31 acres. There were two pumps and the tanks are likely still located underground. The station also served as a convenience store. The historic egg house, located about 120 feet east of the current gas station building, was built between 1930 and 1950 and historically used to store and trade eggs.
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    Castlewood, VA: Castlewood Schools Campus Conceptual Site Master Plan and Planting Designs
    Harrington, Hayley (2023-12-13)
    Construction of the Castlewood Schools campus began with Castlewood High School in 1948, after a fire destroyed nearby Temple Hill High School. The beautiful colonial revival building opened its doors in 1949, and Castlewood Elementary School was constructed next to the high school in 1958. The Castlewood Schools campus has not undergone any major renovations in approximately thirty years, so Russell County Public Schools (RCPS) was interested in making improvements to the site. a stakeholders committee from RCPS and CDAC collaborated to determine whether there was a better way to lay out the sports fields on the campus as well as add a tennis court, tree plantings and a mini arboretum, and pollinator plantings that may be able to support agriculture classes.
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    Clinchco, VA: Clinchco Recreational Park Revitalization Conceptual Site Master Plan & Connectivity Plan to the Palmer Street Nature Park
    Harrington, Hayley (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2023-02)
    Clinchco, Virginia is a small community of about 350 people located in the northern portion of Dickenson County in the valley of the McClure River and near the West Virginia line. It is accessed by Routes 63 and 83, which pass through the town. Clinchco started as a coal mining town in the late 1800s. The town was built by the Clinchfield Coal Corporation to support their mining efforts and later founded in 1917. As a step toward providing recreational spaces for residents and visitors, the town would like to improve and augment the existing Clinchco Recreational Park, a small recreational area in the Carson Street/Mill Creek area as well as provide a trail connection from this park to a future recreation area at the end of Palmer Street, which could serve both locals and visitors. CDAC worked with a stakeholders committee to create the conceptual site master plan for Clinchco Recreational Park and the connectivity plan to the Future Recreation Area at Palmer Street.
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    Clinchco, VA: Clinchco Recreational Park Revitalization Conceptual Site Master Plan & Connectivity Plan to the Palmer Street Nature Park: Executive Summary
    Harrington, Hayley (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2023-02)
    Clinchco, Virginia is a small community of about 350 people located in the northern portion of Dickenson County in the valley of the McClure River and near the West Virginia line. It is accessed by Routes 63 and 83, which pass through the town. Clinchco started as a coal mining town in the late 1800s. The town was built by the Clinchfield Coal Corporation to support their mining efforts and later founded in 1917. As a step toward providing recreational spaces for residents and visitors, the town would like to improve and augment the existing Clinchco Recreational Park, a small recreational area in the Carson Street/Mill Creek area as well as provide a trail connection from this park to a future recreation area at the end of Palmer Street, which could serve both locals and visitors. CDAC worked with a stakeholders committee to create the conceptual site master plan for Clinchco Recreational Park and the connectivity plan to the Future Recreation Area at Palmer Street.
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    Newport News, VA: Mayer and Dorene Sarfan Food Forest Conceptual Site Master Plan
    Harrington, Hayley (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2023-01)
    The Newport News Green Foundation (NNGF) acquired a ~5-acre parcel of land in the Southeast Community. The property is located at 1901 Chestnut Ave and is located across the street from Discovery STEM Academy, a public charter school serving students from kindergarten to fifth grade in the Newport News City Public Schools Division. The Property and Resource Committees of the Newport News Green Foundation have committed to developing this property into the peninsula’s very first food forest. Donated by the Sarfan Family, the space will be called the Mayer and Dorene Sarfan Food Forest and is intended to address food scarcity in the area as well as promote the environmental benefits of productive green space. The Community Design Assistance Center worked with a Stakeholders Committee from the Newport News Green Foundation, teachers from Discovery STEM Academy, and community members to develop a conceptual site master plan for the Mayer and Dorene Sarfan Food Forest. The conceptual site master plan will serve as a first step in creating a vision for the property.
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    Newport News, VA: Mayer and Dorene Sarfan Food Forest Conceptual Site Master Plan: Executive Summary
    Harrington, Hayley (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2023-01)
    The Newport News Green Foundation (NNGF) acquired a ~5-acre parcel of land in the Southeast Community. The property is located at 1901 Chestnut Ave and is located across the street from Discovery STEM Academy, a public charter school serving students from kindergarten to fifth grade in the Newport News City Public Schools Division. The Property and Resource Committees of the Newport News Green Foundation have committed to developing this property into the peninsula’s very first food forest. Donated by the Sarfan Family, the space will be called the Mayer and Dorene Sarfan Food Forest and is intended to address food scarcity in the area as well as promote the environmental benefits of productive green space. The Community Design Assistance Center worked with a Stakeholders Committee from the Newport News Green Foundation, teachers from Discovery STEM Academy, and community members to develop a conceptual site master plan for the Mayer and Dorene Sarfan Food Forest. The conceptual site master plan will serve as a first step in creating a vision for the property.
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    Whitmell P. Tunstall Park: Conceptual Park Design & Landscape Master Plan for a Brownfield Restoration
    Gilboy, Elizabeth; Dawson, Michele; Deshpande, Amol (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2003-10)
    The purpose of this project was to develop a conceptual master plan and landscape design that incorporates a trail linkage at the edge of the property and develops the brownfield site into a wildlife habitat for passive use bringing the Klaff Junkyard back to as natural an appearance as possible.
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    A Conceptual Master Plan for the Bedford YMCA, Bedford, Virginia
    Watson, Kim; Bohannon, C. L.; Deshpande, Amol; Lee, Ok-Hyun (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2003-11)
    The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) worked with the Bedford Area YMCA to develop a conceptual site master plan for their current and future facilities. The Bedford Area YMCA is currently located on nearly 30 acres of land with the possibility of an additional 50 acres, pending the YMCA’s ability to purchase neighboring property. The CDAC prepared a conceptual master plan that included the development of a low ropes, high ropes and team building course; a separate 6,000-9,000 square foot child care center; an outdoor skate park; outdoor sports courts; and a large playground.
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    Conceptual Site Master Plan and Focus Design for a Turn of the Century Community at the Historic Crab Orchard Museum, Tazewell, VA
    Gilboy, Elizabeth; Fisher, Terri; Bohannon, C. L.; Barrett, Sherry; Dawson, Michele; Despande, Amol (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2003-10)
    Named for the National Register of Historic Places site on which it is located, the Crab Orchard Museum and Pioneer Park opened in 1982 as a non-profit historical museum devoted initially to Tazewell County. The museum is now devoted entirely to the cultural heritage of the middle Appalachian region. The museum’s Pioneer Park is the only reconstruction of historical buildings in western Virginia that are indigenous to their immediate vicinity. The 15 structures are all original and date back to 1802. The Historic Crab Orchard Museum and Pioneer Park has an additional undeveloped 16 acre site located just across US 19/460 from the existing site. The Community Design Assistance Center team worked with Crab Orchard Museum to develop a conceptual master plan for the 16 acre site to guide development of a turn of the century “community”. This community weaves together cultural and historical elements of the county including railroads, agriculture, and Native Americans.
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    The Design of Victoria Community Park, Victoria, VA
    Gilboy, Elizabeth; Schooley, Chris; Thacker, Matt (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 1998-04)
    The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) was hired by the Town of Victoria, to develop a conceptual master plan, planting plan, and cost estimates for the design of a community park. This project was funded through a grant from the Virginia Department of Forestry Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Grants.
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    Main Street Buchanan: Vision and Design Guidelines
    Gleason, Harry (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 1995-04-07)
    Managing design changes is an integral part of preserving Buchanan's identity. By understanding the value of a Town's historic and cultural resources rehabilitation and new projects can reinforce important qualities of the community. This report is a documentation of physical patterns of land use and development occurring along Main Street within the Town of Buchanan and guidelines for retaining and reinforcing that character.
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    Smithfield, VA: Windsor Castle Park Longleaf Pine Demonstration Area Expansion Conceptual Site Master Plan
    Harrington, Hayley (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2022-12)
    In 2014, the Town of Smithfield, the non-profit Windsor Castle Park Foundation, and representatives of the Virginia Department of Forestry decided to explore the possibility of creating a forest of native species on approximately 3.5 acres of Windsor Castle Park’s farmland adjoining the Route 10 bypass. The project would serve to reintroduce species such as the Virginia Longleaf Pine. In 2020, the Community Design Assistance Center worked with a Stakeholders Committee comprised of different agencies such as the Windsor Castle Park (WCP) Foundation, Windsor Castle Park, the Town of Smithfield, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), the Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF), and the Nature Conservancy (TNC) to develop the conceptual site master plan for the 3.5 acre demonstration area. In 2022, it was decided that they needed a conceptual site master plan that depicts the expanded planting of longleaf pines and additional walking trails in Windsor Castle Park in the ~8.7 acre field north of the existing 3.5 acre planted area. The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) worked with a stakeholders committee to create the conceptual master plan for this area.
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    New Castle, VA: New Castle Town Park Conceptual Site Master Plan
    Harrington, Hayley (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2022-12)
    The New Castle Town Park has a 30 year old park located near the corner of Route 311 (Salem Ave) and Caldwell Street that is in need of updating. The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) worked with Town Council to create a conceptual master plan for updating the park.
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    A Conceptual Master Plan for Dickenson Memorial Park
    Gilboy, Elizabeth; Watson, Kim; Dawson, Michele; Lee, Ok-Hyun; Tofte, Shawn (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2004-01)
    Located about 20 miles south of Fredericksburg, Bowling Green has been the County seat of Caroline County since 1803. The community of about 1,000 is rich in history which is evident from its many historic structures. The developer of a neighborhood donated two of the lots (roughly 2 acres) to the town’s Historic/Economic Leadership Panel (H.E.L.P.). This area includes a cemetery of five graves that was used from about the 1740’s to about 1880. H.E.L.P. wanted to develop the site into a small community park. The park would serve as an historic site and gathering place for neighborhood residents and community members. The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) worked with the community to create a design for the park.
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    Tekoa Boys' Home Campus Master Plan and Courtyard Design
    Gilboy, Elizabeth; Watson, Kim; Millard, Ryan; Solis, Linda (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2004-10)
    Tekoa Boys’ Home is a recently constructed facility in Christiansburg, Virginia that provides licensed residential treatment, counseling, and special education to at-risk boys aged 12-17, in need of out-of-the-home placement. The twenty-bed home, situated on fifteen acres, provides a nurturing living environment integrating the boys into all aspects of daily programming. The aim for the Tekoa Boys’ Residential Campus is to be a calm, peaceful place for its residents to overcome their emotional, psychological and social challenges. The Community Design Assistance Center provided the Tekoa Boys’ Home with landscape designs for key areas on the site.
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    Conceptual Design for the Expansion of the Salem Museum
    Fisher, Terri; Gilboy, Elizabeth; Feuerstein, Marcia F.; Lee, Ok-hyun H. (Virginia Tech. Community Design Assistance Center, 2004-10)
    The Salem Museum, located in the historic Williams-Brown House/Store in Salem, Virginia, was in need of an expansion to improve the public and operational spaces as well as to bring the museum into compliance with ADA requirements. The Community Design Assistance Center worked with the Salem Museum to explore alternative building designs, additional programmatic requirements, and overall site design while preserving and working with the existing building. The site design includes the building complex, associated exterior spaces and their connections between adjoining sites, pedestrian access (including access from rear areas and parking) and significant surrounding sites (two cemeteries).