Print Update - Teska Associates

Teska Associates, Inc.
October 2006
community planning development economics site design landscape architecture
Optima Old Orchard Woods Green Roof
Skokie, Illinois
Teska Associates is proud to have been the designer for the landscaping at
Optima Old Orchard Woods in Skokie, IL. The project included landscape
design for the grade level and for several roof top areas. The residential
condominium building has nearly seven hundred homes and is composed of
3 towers that are 20 stories each.
The clean lines of the Optima designed building and the adjacent Harms
Woods Forest Preserve inspired the dynamic landscape design throughout
the project. Trees were massed in architectural groves in front of the building
and around the formal entrance pool to complement the building and to
define the arrival areas. A double row of trees along the entrance road creates
a transition to the forest preserve and provides a strong pedestrian scale.
Image Courtesy of Optima Development
Plano City Center Plan
The green roofs that punctuate the three towers have several environmental
and aesthetic benefits. The green roofs on this project reduce stormwater
runoff by up to 90%, reduce the effects of the urban heat island, reduce
pollutants in the air, and increase the environmental efficiency of the building. Aesthetically, the green roofs soften the building’s lines and visually blend
the building with the surrounding landscape. Teska Associates has provided
Landscape Architectural services for Optima on two other similar condominium projects.
Plano, Illinois
Located in the fastest growing county in Illinois, Plano has both the character
and feel of a historic small town coupled with the excitement of emerging
residential neighborhoods and expansion beyond the traditional city boundary. As growth pressures became more evident, the City of Plano and the
Plano Economic Development Corporation began to focus on long-range
planning to ensure the preservation of Plano’s unique character and history.
Teska Associates, Inc. was pleased to guide the planning effort that resulted in
the Plano City Center Plan, a collaborative effort between the City, PEDCo,
Business Districts, Inc., and Lane Allen Architects. The goal of the plan is to
establish a framework for future commercial development by protecting
Plano’s distinctive character, enhancing business viability, identifying catalyst
projects, and creating a consensus action plan for short and long-term implementation.
The plan focuses on the established City Center – the commercial corridor
along Route 34 between Needham and Little Rock Roads – including downtown and surrounding property. Utilizing a market-based approach, the plan
preemptively addresses the challenges facing downtown by providing a
number of tools for revitalization of the business district.
Teska Honors its Second FAICP
Downtown Plano & conceptual mural on a historic grain silo (right)
Lee Brown, President of TAI, was recently elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners. He joins Robert
Teska as the second member of TAI to be inducted into the College, one of the Institute’s highest honors. We are all extremely proud of
him and his accomplishments.
New Hires and Teska Expansion
TAI's Plainfield office has been expanded to almost double its original square footage.
TAI would like to welcome aboard Erin Cigliano - the newest Associate to join the team in our Evanston office. Ms. Cigliano is a Chicago
native who recently graduated from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelors degree in Urban Planning and Regional
Planning.
Upper-Midwest Four State APA Conference
TAI will be exhibiting at the APA Upper-Midwest Four State Conference in St. Charles on October 4th through the 6th, so stop by to chat
and see what we have been up to. Also, Lee Brown will be participating in a session on "Trends in Retail Development" on October 4th at
1:30pm.
Teska Associates, Inc. Update
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
The following is a list of some of our recently completed and current projects:
Illinois
City of Barrington Hills
Comprehensive Plan Update
City of Chicago
Armitage/Pulaski TIF
Harlem Industrial Park Conservation Area TIF
Village of Coal City
WISCONSIN
Design Guidelines
Comprehensive Plan
Development Review
!Green Lake
City of Crystal Lake
Vulcan Lakes Recruitment
!Germantown
Village of Lincolnwood
Form-based Zoning Ordinance
City of Macomb
!Twin Lakes
WISCONSIN
Comprehensive Plan
ILLINOIS
Lake
!Crystal
!Barrington Hills
South Elgin
Lincolnwood
!
!!
Schiller Park !Chicago
Village of Mazon
Comprehensive Plan
Village of Olympia Fields
!Olympia Fields
Area Master Plans
Central-Main Street Area Redevelopment Plan
Coal City
ILLINOIS
Village of Schiller Park
Station Area Plan
West Gateway Area Plan
!Macomb
ILLINOIS
INDIANA
!!
Mazon
Village of South Elgin
Village Center Plan
North LaFox Corridor (Rt.31) TIF
Wisconsin
Village of Germantown
VJS – Blackstone Creek
City of Green Lake
Green Lake Conference Center
Village of Twin Lakes
Thelen Properties
October 2006
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