Graham Park

Master Plan & Design Guidelines for

© 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

Graham Park

LAQUATRA BONCI ASSOCIATES February 2005 C r a n b e r r y

T o w n s h i p

DRAFT §

D

E P A R T M E N T

O F

P

A R K S

&

R

E C R E A T I O N

Master Plan & Design Guidelines for

Graham Park

P r e p a r e d

f o r :

Cranberry Township Department of Parks & Recreation

C r a n b e r r y To w n s h i p , P e n n s y l v a n i a February 2005

P r e p a r e d

b y :

LAQUATRA BONCI ASSOCIATES landscape architects & urban designers Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

I n

A s s o c i a t i o n

w i t h :

Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc. civil engineers C r a n b e r r y To w n s h i p , P e n n s y l v a n i a

Š 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

Graham Park MASTER PLAN

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This Master Plan would not have been possible without the help and guidance of the following groups:

Cranberry Township Park Steering Committee Board of Supervisors Planning Commission Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Butler County Parks Planning Advisory Board United States Army Corps of Engineers Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Greenfield Estates HOA Hunters Creak HOA The Crossings HOA Sunrise Rotary Lion’s Club Cranberry Township Athletic Association Seneca Valley Soccer Association Seneca Valley Junior Football Association

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS © 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

Graham Park MASTER PLAN

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section

section

section

TA B L E

OF

CONTENTS

Š 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

A

SITE CONTEXT & ANALYSIS

A-1

Local Context

A-2

Landform

A-3

Hydrology

A-4

Flood Impacts

A-5

Vegetation

A-6

Composite Map

B

MASTER PLAN

B-1

Master Plan

B-2

Park Connections

B-3

Plan Components

B-4

Recreation Campus

B-5

Football & Lacrosse Campus

B-6

Soccer Campus

B-7

Ballfield Campus

C

PARK GUIDELINES

C-1

Park Guidelines

C-2

Park Guidelines

C-3

Park Plant Palette

Graham Park MASTER PLAN

iii

Introduction

Vision

Design Process

This publication summarizes the major physical components of the new Graham Park, situated on 115-acres formerly owned by the Graham family in Cranberr y Township, Pennsylvania. Its analyses and drawings are based on site visits, mapping data, reports, and interviews with people who have an intimate understanding of the site. This document summarizes the analysis phase which is detailed in the Existing Conditions Report of July 2004. This document also explains the Park Master Plan and its key components.

The Township's vision of creating a new community park emerged from the Brush Creek Smart Growth Initiative planning initiative prepared in 2001. Two years later, Cranberry bought the 115-acre site from the Graham family, descendants of Matthew Graham, one of Cranberry's original founders. Once developed, this site will provide residents with both active and passive recreation areas, all nestled in the Brush Creek valley. In addition, Brush Creek will play a major role in re-connecting the community to its natural environment.

To help guide the development of Cranberry's third major public park, a comprehensive park master plan was developed. The first step was to analyze the site. The information illustrated and described here is designed to help bring the site's opportunities and challenges into focus and to begin f lushing out the design principles.

This analysis uncovered sensitive areas to be preserved and noted areas appropriate for various park program elements.

INTRODUCTION Š 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

Graham Park MASTER PLAN

iv

s e c t i o n

A

© 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

SITE CONTEXT & ANALYSIS

Local Context Glen Eden Road Creekside Court

Unionville Road

Greenfields Estates Greenfields Court

The focus of this study is a portion of the former Graham farm, located in the west central portion of Cranberry Township in Butler County, Pennsylvania. The site is bordered to the east by the Pennsylvania Turnpike, to the south by the Kaufmann Property, and to the west by residential areas including Hunter's Creek and the future new traditional neighborhood of Park Place. Brush Creek, which f lows south to north, meanders through the entire length of the property. The Cranberry Township Municipal Center, which is just southeast of the site along Rochester Road between Route 19 and the Turnpike, is located nearby. The site is currently zoned SP-1, which supports park development.

Winchester Lakes Hunter Drive Hunters Creek

PA Turnpike

Mallard Drive Graham School Road

Park Place

Brush Creek

Powell Road

Sherwood Oaks

C ommu n i ty Park

Nor t h Bound ar y Park

The Crossings

Laurelwood

Rochester Road Fernway

SITE CONTEXT & ANALYSIS Š 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

Cranberry Township currently has two major parks. Community Park, on Ernie Mashuda Drive, accommodates a variety of recreational uses including tennis, volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball, and football. The park also contains playgrounds and a woodland nature trail. Additional elements of the park include an amphitheater, picnic shelters, restrooms, concessions, maintenance, and storage facilities. The second major park is North Boundary Park, on North Boundary Road. The park's recreational facilities include baseball and soccer fields, a community playground, and a walking trail.

However, the main attraction for North Boundary Park is the Township's WaterPark. Several picnic shelters, restrooms, and a combined locker-room/concession/storage structure support these uses.

Graham Park MASTER PLAN

A

1

Landform

Gently rolling terrain in the southwest corner of the site

Typical condition depicting nearly f lat terrain near B r u s h Cre e k

The site is surrounded by wooded hillsides

The Graham Property lies on the valley f loor of the Brush Creek watershed. The elevation of the creek is 984 feet above sea level at the southern boundary and 969 feet in the north - a fall of 15 feet.

In the central and northern portions of the site, the terrain gently rolls from high points along the Turnpike down to the creek at slopes ranging from almost f lat to about five percent. Grade differences generally range from 20 to 36 feet. There is a high point in the southwest corner of the site at an elevation of 1,015 feet. The grade gently fans out to the north and east towards the creek. The terrain rises significantly beyond the eastern and western borders of the site toward wooded hilltops.

Legend 970

1000

1030

1060

980

1010

1040

1070

990

1020

1050

SITE CONTEXT & ANALYSIS Š 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

Graham Park MASTER PLAN

A

2

Hydrology

Brush Creek meander s through the site and is protected by a fore sted riparian zone

Viewed from a dist ance, the riparian zone of Brush Cre e k is a d e n s e wo o d e d can o py

Brush Cre e k is fe d by se ve ral sm all er st reams a nd d r a i n a g e d i t ch e s t h a t f l ow u n d e r t h e Tu r np i ke

The final wetland delineation report identified six wetlands, totaling approximately 3.43 acres, found entirely on the Graham Park site.

Portions of two other wetlands, 1.33 acres in size, are located on the property's southern and western boundaries. The wetland to the west is extensive, totaling 40.11 acres. The vegetative covering of these wetlands varies from densely forested to low shrub vegetation. Brush Creek, which f lows toward the north through the site, has an extensive watershed and is periodically subjected to f looding. Six stream channels pass under the Turnpike f lowing west toward Brush Creek, and two established drainage ditches f low west to Brush Creek through the site.

Legend Wetlands

Brush Creek

SITE CONTEXT & ANALYSIS Š 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

Graham Park MASTER PLAN

A

3

Flood Impacts

S e cti ons of th e stre a mba nk a re e ro d in g d u e to p e r iodi c f loodi ng of B ru s h Cre e k

Sm al l e r st re am s an d d r ain ag e d it ch e s f l owing into B r u s h Cre e k p e r io d ical l y ove r f l ow t h e ir b ank s

Floodplains are defined as low, f lat, lands adjacent to streams, creeks, rivers, lakes and oceans, which are subject to periodic f looding and to the resulting geomorphic (land-shaping) and hydrologic (water f low) processes. A creek's f loodway, on the other hand, is a dry zone, typically between levees, which is designed to convey f loodwaters.

Floodways make wonderful areas for bike trails and nature paths because they only f lood from time to time. A 100-year f loodplain has a one percent probability per year of being covered with water. Since most of the Graham Park site is located within the 100- and 500-year f loodplains, the site is well-suited for park development, including sports fields and other park amenities.

Legend Floodway (estimated)

100-Year Flood Zone

500-Year Flood Zone

SITE CONTEXT & ANALYSIS Š 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

Graham Park MASTER PLAN

A

4

Vegetation Most of the vegetation on the Graham Park site consists of actively used agricultural fields on gently sloping terrain. The fields are generally separated by stream channels and drainage ditches, f lanked by varying degrees of shrub-scrub vegetation and tree stands on their banks. A forested riparian zone buffers Brush Creek throughout the entire property. A large, forested area between the site and Rochester Road is densely wooded except for a swath cleared in the 100-foot easement for overhead power lines. Beyond its western property limits, the site is enclosed by mature wooded slopes.

Pa nora mi c v i e w of th e s i te s h owin g a n a g r icu l t u r al f ie l d f l an ke d by a t re e h e d g e row wit h a wo o d e d h il l sid e s in t he d ist ance

Legend Developed

Vegetation

Agriculture

Woodlands

SITE CONTEXT & ANALYSIS Š 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

Graham Park MASTER PLAN

A

5

Composite Map This aerial photograph clearly shows the location of roads, structures, vegetation, woodlands and farming areas, as well as Brush Creek. Invisible boundaries, such as park property lines, road rights-of-way, and utility easements, have been added for reference.

SITE CONTEXT & ANALYSIS Š 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

This drawing is a composite of the site analysis information which will serve as the basis for all design work. It takes much of the information laid out in the preceding pages and puts it together into one composite drawing.

Graham Park MASTER PLAN

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Š 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

s e c t i o n

B

MASTER PLAN

Master Plan Graham Park is located in the Brush Creek Valley and surrounded by several natural features. These features, together with the site's abundant farmland, made this a great location for Cranberry Township's third community park.

In addition to providing several new athletic fields, passive recreational areas, and much more, this park also preserves the rural character and natural amenities of the site.

One of the primary objectives for this Park Master Plan was to promote pedestrian circulation. By placing the vehicular circulation at the perimeter of the park, it minimizes potential conf licts between people and automobiles, thereby providing a safer park setting. The plan also achieves this separation by consolidating the parking into larger, well landscaped lots and confining the majority of vehicular activity to a specific area.

Graham Park offers a variety of recreational opportunities for residents and visitors to Cranberry Township. As a result of its diversified layout, the park has a lot to offer to users of all ages. It also has the opportunity to grow and change to meet the demands of the community.

Design Principles 1.

2.

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22.

MASTER PLAN Š 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

Park access will be off Rochester Road and East Graham Drive (Park Place).

Provide access to the park via streets and walking and biking trails Provide separate walking and biking trails and provide adequate rest stops with benches Design park for four-season use (i.e. sled-riding & cross country skiing in winter) Provide more athletic fields (baseball, softball, soccer, football & lacrosse) based on the community’s need Provide f lexible field sizes to accommodate adult and youth users Provide court games for senior users (i.e. bocce & shuff leboard) Provide a park building with a separate senior facility (tie architecture to site history) Provide non-programmed open space areas for passive recreation Provide intimate garden areas for visual variety and personal ref lection Provide picnic areas in woodlands (will need to plant more trees) Provide bleachers for spectators Provide concession & restroom facilities Provide handicapped access throughout park Potentially use Turnpike drainage culverts for pedestrian access to areas east of the park Provide adequate safety precautions along Turnpike boundary Provide screening along Turnpike boundary to limit noise and visual impacts Keep park drive closer to Turnpike boundary Provide parking along park drive Provide adequate parking for practices and game day activities Provide parking for bicycles Address Brush Creek channel remediation (i.e. a pond to help mitigate creek overf lows) Graham Park MASTER PLAN

B

1

Master Plan Components The Graham Park Master Plan consists of four components, or campuses.

Each campus supports a particular recreational activity and provides separate amenities. These amenities include restroom facilities, playgrounds, and parking lots, to name a few. This allows each campus to function independently as well as a part of the whole system. Flexibility was also designed into these campuses. As the community grows and changes, so can several of the fields and recreational areas. For example, the four adult soccer fields provided within the Soccer Campus can be converted into eight youth size soccer fields. And the north-east Little League baseball field can be converted to a full-size Palomino field if needed. The campuses are connected to each other by walking and biking trails.

Open Space

Football & Lacrosse Campus

Soccer Campus

Ballfield Campus

Open Space Land Area: Rec Campus

MASTER PLAN Š 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

Rec Campus Ballfield Campus Soccer Campus Football Campus Open Space

16.0 AC 26.1 AC 30.4 AC 18.4 AC 23.6 AC

Graham Park MASTER PLAN

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2

Glen Eden Road

Park Connections

Creekside Court

Since Graham Park will become Cranberry Township's third major community park, it is important to provide multiple points of access for both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Although vehicular access is limited to two points of entry - off of Powell Road and Rochester Road - there are several opportunities for pedestrian access to the park. The map to the left shows the pedestrian access points to adjacent neighborhoods in green. Note that, the trails shown traversing the Turnpike will actually go through existing tunnels or culverts to the other side. These crossovers were once used by the Graham family, the original owners of this property, to transport their farm equipment from one side of their property to the other.

Unionville Road Greenfields Estates Greenfields Court

Winchester Lakes Hunter Drive Hunters Creek

PA Turnpike

Future Road Option 1

Mallard Drive Future Road Option 2

Graham School Road

Park Place

Powell Road

Brush Creek

Sherwood Oaks

There are two possible connections to Rochester Road from Graham Park. Option One connects at the intersection of Rochester Road and Dover Drive. Option Two connects at the intersection of Rochester Road and Haines School Road. Option Two is the preferred option because it meets Rochester Road at a traffic light controlled intersection.

East Graham Drive The Crossings

Laurelwood

Park Drive (includes bridge over Brush Creek) Future Park Drive

MASTER PLAN Š 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

Rochester Road

Park Trails

Fernway

Neighborhood Trail Connections Graham Park MASTER PLAN

B

3

Rec Campus The emphasis of the Rec Campus is a balance between passive and active recreational areas. It contains features that will appeal to park users of all ages. Court games, such as basketball, tennis, bocce ball, and shuff leboard, are just a few of the options available in the Rec Campus. A multi-purpose building has also been envisioned for this campus. The architecture for this proposed facility should ref lect the history of the site and be sensitive to its natural surroundings. In addition to recreational activities, the Rec Campus offers a number of educational opportunities. For instance, a cranberry bog was once located along the shoreline of Brush Creek at the bend in the creek.

This would be an ideal place to learn about the plant life and wildlife of the original Brush Creek Watershed.

1

5 6 12

1 7

2 Program: B

3

8

9

10

1

11 4

MASTER PLAN Š 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

A

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Parking:

Passive Open Space Walking Trails Biking Trails Playground Multi-Purpose Building Games Pavilion Trail Head Pavilion Basketball Tennis Garden Bocce Shuffleboard Horseshoes Volleyball Courts

A B

110 spaces 110 spaces (out of the 230 space lot)

Graham Park MASTER PLAN

B

4

B a l l f ie l d C a m p u s The Ballfield Campus is organized along a pedestrian axis leading from the Multi-purpose Building. The fields are laid out so that spectator activity occurs in the center of the complex. This approach allows all the fields to have easy access to other site amenities without disrupting the activities on adjacent fields. There is also some f lexibility built into the design. The north-east Little League field has the potential to expand into a full size Palomino field. There is also room for additional overf low parking in lot C, as noted on the drawing.

C

5’

275’

300’

31

35

0’

1

D 8

4

275’

300’

7 1 Palomino Field

1 Pony Field

225 ’

200’

7

0’ 20

5’

3

27

5

200’

225’

2

2 Little League Fields

1 Bronco Field

Program: 1

6 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Parking:

Passive Open Space Walking Trails Biking Trails Playground Concession Building Palomino Field Pony Field Bronco Field Little League Field Possible Expansion

B C D

120 spaces (out of the 230 space lot) 130 spaces 120 spaces (overflow parking)

B

MASTER PLAN © 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

Graham Park MASTER PLAN

B

5

Soccer Campus The soccer campus is designed to allow f lexibility of field sizes. The four adult fields shown on the plan to the left can be converted into eight youth soccer fields. This campus also provides important site amenities for users such as restroom facilities, playgrounds, and parking lots. Walkways and an existing hedgerow set the grid pattern that organizes the fields. The walkways separate each field and provide pedestrians with a direct route to the creek.

F

4/6

360’

195’

1

5 2 4/6

4 Adult Fields

3

195’

240’

150’

150’

1 E 2 U-11 Fields

(8) Youth Fields

4/6

Program:

5

1

4/6 7

MASTER PLAN © 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

2 3 4 5 6 7

Parking:

Passive Open Space Walking Trails Biking Trails Playground Concession Building Adult Field U-11 Field Youth Field Maintenance Facility

E F

100 spaces 200 spaces

Graham Park MASTER PLAN

B

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Football & Lacrosse Campus The fields inside this campus are the most versatile in the entire park. Both football and lacrosse players can use these fields since their sports require very similar field dimensions. Just like the other three campuses, this campus has a restroom facility, playground, and parking lot. The end of the park is terminated by a large passive open space area.

160’

360’

1

3 Football Fields

160’

330’

F

4 1

(1) Lacrosse Field

2 3 4

4

MASTER PLAN © 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

1

Program: 1

2 3 4

Parking:

Passive Open Space Walking Trails Biking Trails Playground Concession Building Field (3)

F

200 spaces

Graham Park MASTER PLAN

B

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© 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

s e c t i o n

C

PARK GUIDELINES

Park Guidelines Drawings on this page illustrate the various configurations of vehicular and pedestrian circulation within the park. An emphasis will be placed on separating pedestrian and vehicular circulation with well-landscaped buffers.

3-Rail Fence

Trail

Tree Lawn

Park Drive

Parallel Parking

Tree Lawn

Walk

Outfield Fence

Home Run Ball Zone

Ballfield

Multi-purpose trail landscaped with native plants

Park Drive at Ballfield Campus

3-Rail Fence

Outfield Fence Ballfield

A double fence protects pedestrians from the occasional home run

Outfield Fence

3-Rail Fence 3-Rail Fence

Field

Home Run Ball Zone

Walk

Tree Lawn

Diagonal Parking

Park Drive at Soccer and Football Campus

PARK GUIDELINES Š 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

Park Drive

Swale

Screen Planting along Turnpike

A double fence & planting at a public sidewalk near a ballfield

Graham Park MASTER PLAN

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1

Park Guidelines Drawings on this page illustrate typical examples of park design elements that are important to defining the character of the park.

Pavilion architecture examples

Typical stone wall elevation Restroom building example

Multi-purpose green anchored by pavilion

Wood split-rail fence example

PARK GUIDELINES Š 2005 LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

Wooden bench example

Metal bench example

Park light fixture example

Litter receptacle example

Illustrative wall, pier, and fence design combinations

Graham Park MASTER PLAN

C

2