|
Fairlane Green Master Plan for Sustainability |
Sustainability
Development that meets the need of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Brundtland World Commission on the Environmenta and Development, 1987
Benefits at Fairlane Green
- Creation of local jobs
- Employee amenities
- Reduced absenteeism
- Reduced run-off and improved water quality
- Erosion control
- Creation of habitat
- Reduced operating costs, including irrigation water and maintenance
Master Plan and Design
- The site plan preserves more land than it develops
- Fairlane Green is 60% less dense than typical retail developments
- Creates habitat, bio-swales, park, and walking trails
- Redevelopment of a brownfield helps the local tax base
Guiding Principles
- Is the solution sustainable?
- Is there a business case? Does it make economic sense?
- Are we impacting the ability of the shops to conduct business?
- Can we implement the direction?
- Is the landscape productive?
- Are we creating habitat?
- What are the maintenance considerations?
Design Guidelines
Stormwater Management
- Make stormwater Management Visible
- Cisterns are used for toilet flushing and sometimes for irrigation
Plants
- Choose naive and adapted plants, and native cultivars
- Use salt tolerant species in parking lots
- Provide supplemental drainage on clay soils and in planters
- Include mowed edges and edging around "wilder" plantings
- Continuously educate owners and public regarding what to expect and for long-term benefits
Environmental - Irrigation
- Sustainable does not mean no water, just smart use of resources
- Irrigation is still important especially in parking lots and planters
Habitat - Native and Adaptive Plants - Prairies
- Use prairies for non-pedestrian and lowest maintenance zones
- Consider the initial PR benefit of annuals
Habitat - Living Walls
- Feature sustainable practices
- Opportunity for branding
- Works well with big box architecture
Habitat - and Wildlife
- Improved stormwater management and creation of habitat are two key selling points of sustainable design
Environmental - Green Parking
- Overflow parking can be environmentally friendly
Lessons Learned / Accomplishments
- Largest Landfill Redevelopment in Michigan
- $30,000 Tax Increment Financing
- 2,000 permanent jobs
- LEED Gold Core and Shell Pilot Project
- 43 acre park, 3.5 miles of trails
- 100% of irrigation is non-potable water
- 144 acres of new, sustainable landscape
- Environmental stormwater ponds at multiple locaitons
|
