Golden Rock Shopping Mall

Site Context

The Golden Rock Shopping Mall is home to a supermarket, a gas station, a few small businesses, and multiple vacant storefronts. The gut is piped underneath the site and bends around the existing buildings, finally emerging above ground in a channel that leads it to Northside Road.

Baseline Recommendations

Assess water runoff that is not captured by the piped gut drainage.

Almost the entire site is currently in the flood zone, and the piped drainage may be limiting the flow of stormwater into the gut.

Retrofit Approach

Create an art installation that reveals “invisible infrastructure” of the piped gut.

This would be accompanied by “No Dumping” signage that would provide more information about the gut ecosystem and the harmful effects of dumping.

Improve permeability across the site.

The existing parking lot is largely impervious, so increasing permeability with new landscape features may help reduce surface flooding during future storm events.

Retrofit Approach

(cont.)

Expand the capacity of the existing channeled gut section.

A channel redesign could include gabions and other landscape features that channel water while also encouraging infiltration.

Approach

Create new residential complex and retail center around rerouted gut.

Redeveloping the site entirely would give the opportunity to daylight and reroute the gut to follow a more natural path of water conveyance. New buildings and public space amenities could be placed on either side of the gut, allowing it to become the new focal point of the site.