In order to create the plan, our planning team needed to build trust among the stakeholders invested in the success of GMA South. Our first step was to meet with landowners to understand their vision for the area and get their support in the master planning process. Consulting with local development professionals, we were able to generate the qualitative data necessary to inform the market analysis phase.
The planning team examined development conditions, trends, and vacancies in the northwest market of the metropolitan area, focusing on a variety of non-residential, non-retail building typologies suitable for GMA South and the Maple Grove’s goal of establishing a strong employment center.
Data gathering during the initial stages of the planning process included analysis of the physical characteristics of the project area. WSB’s natural resource professionals examined surface and ground water conditions. This work measured the quality of existing stormwater treatment and identified needed enhancements to support the level of development possible in GMA South.
The team then began developing the urban design of GMA South. This work explored various layouts for blocks, roads, and recreational trails that would connect the site to the rest of the City.
Consensus among all stakeholders identified a preferred concept, which our planning team refined and used to model building masses. This massing model communicates both the development possibilities and the elevated urban design of the area.
WSB’s community planners and transportation professionals collaborated to develop a road network that complimented the preferred assemblage of land uses and block design of the master plan.
Stormwater treatment ponds were sized and integrated into the preferred concept. The planning team located them to work with the recreational trail network so that those traveling by foot or bike would have a pleasant experience within project area.
