Snow Park & Lakeside Green Streets

In partnership with the City of Oakland, PlaceWorks led a team of consultants to revitalize 14 acres of beloved public green space along Oakland’s iconic Lake Merritt at the intersection of Lakeside Drive and Harrison Street.

Client

City of Oakland

Location

Oakland, California

Services

Community Participation
Urban Design
Corridor Planning
Landscape Architecture
Streetscape Design
Park Planning
CEQA/NEPA Compliance
Construction Administration

Awards

2020 Northern California Project of the Year, American Public Works Association, Northern California Chapter
2020 Transportation Project of the Year: $5-$25 Million: American Public Works Association, Northern California Chapter

When PlaceWorks developed a comprehensive urban greening retrofit along Oakland’s iconic Lake Merritt, the intersection of Lakeside Drive and Harrison Street was completely reconfigured. This task served as an opportunity for narrowing and removing paved areas and applying complete streets principles; building roadway rain gardens; and improving the urban character, walkability, and user experience at the lake. The project created a new pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly multimodal corridor connection along Lakeside Drive and Harrison Street. Adjacent Snow Park was also redesigned, and new features were added to meet the needs of the local community.

PlaceWorks provided outreach and coordination with the community and multiple advisory committees to create conceptual plans for the park, streetscape, and lakeside improvements. The plans were developed into construction documents that included specific enhancements for roadways, electrical systems, street lighting, and stormwater infrastructure, including ample rain gardens. The project was also designed to meet Bay-Friendly Landscape standards. PlaceWorks’ role on this project included environmental review under CEQA and NEPA.