Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2008 - (Page 18) COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT The Crossings at Corona A New Benchmark for Sustianable Retail Center Development By Leslee A. Temple, FASLA G one are the days of wide expanses of turf areas and landscaping for aesthetic purposes only. Function and efficient use of water are more practical approaches to incorporating plants into today’s retail centers. “Green” is a growing trend in the nation’s retail industry as retail developers and owners look more closely at the environmental, economic and community benefits of sustainable development. Rising costs, government mandates, and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ( LEED) have inspired developers, designers and consumers to focus more seriously on conservation. Consequently, more retail developers throughout the nation are going green, especially as they realize the potential for substantial, long-term benefits such as significantly reducing operating costs. The Crossings at Corona, in Corona, Calif., is an instructive example of a successful green retail project. At 1.2 million square feet, this shopping center represents one of the most ambitious and largest green retail development programs in the nation, utilizing many innovative products and practices that are destined to serve as prototypes for other centers. A key element of the center’s sustainable program is the landscape architecture plan that has accomplished several goals: developing ecological associations, reducing water consumption, utilizing recycled hardscape materials, restoring sensitive habitat areas, and cre- ating serene pathway and garden environments that provide “shade and beauty.” Some of the landscaping innovations at The Crossings include extensive use of native plant materials, habitat restoration of the adjacent St. Joseph Wash, and the relocation of 15 mature oak trees on the site. Developed and owned by Castle & Cooke Corona, Inc., The Crossings is a state-of-the-industry retail and entertainment center in Corona, a rapidly growing community of 138,000 in Riverside County, California. It occupies a 113acre site and utilizes a spectrum of green products and practices that promote conservation of natural resources. For instance, about 80 percent of The Crossings’ landscaping is native or water-efficient plant material, which helps keep maintenance and irrigation costs down significantly. Today, there are only a few retail centers in the U.S. with this level of very intelligent landscaping architecture, from both sustainable and esthetic viewpoints. NUVIS, a landscape architecture and planning firm headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., was retained by Castle & Cooke to develop the comprehensive sustainable program for The Crossings. The firm was responsible for developing innovative solutions to the diverse environmental concerns that needed to be addressed as part of the sustainable landscape architecture for the huge, complex retail project. “At The Crossings, particular attention was paid to environmental impacts, with the primary goal to create a healthier environment, reduce operation and maintenance costs, and address issues such as habitat restoration and historic preservation,” explains Bill Sampson, senior vice president, commercial properties, Castle & Cooke. Addressing landscape sustainability was a two-fold process—plant selection and water demands. Native and indigenous plant species help to meet these integral aspirations and were incorporated as common elements. It is essential that plants be grouped by hydrozones— based on water requirements — and selected based on micro climates created by exposure facing north, east, west, or south. 18 March 2008 Sustainable Land Development Today
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