Project Service: Community/Urban Planning

Shops at Pembroke Gardens

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CGA prepared the master site plan and detail design engineering plans for The Shops at Pembroke Gardens – a 400,000 sq. ft. lifestyle center designed to promote a vibrant, dynamic, and successful pedestrian retail environment. Located on approximately forty (40) acres within the City of Pembroke Pines, The Shops at Pembroke Gardens provides a unique pedestrian shopping experience consisting of a variety of national, regional, and local retailers. CGA created an urban design plan that consisted of an ample, tree-lined main street, a central green, and small pocket park areas. A trolley stop was also designed to serve the neighboring Century Village Residents. CGA also processed the plat, master site plan, and rezoning for the site. The site was rezoned from A-1 to Planned Commercial Development (PCD), and CGA worked with the developer and the City to create design guidelines tailored specifically to the project. The guidelines were written to provide sufficient flexibility to each retailer to bring forth its unique image and identity, resulting in a true downtown shopping experience. Additionally, CGA processed site plan amendment applications for the Lifestyle Center’s perimeter buildings, each of which required separate architectural review and approval.

174th Street Bridge Park Conceptual Design

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CGA designed an award-winning concept for an innovative pedestrian bridge over “the most dangerous roadway within the City-limits.” This was in support of a Miami-Dade County Transportation Planning Organization grant. The CGA design team approached the design by breaking free from traditional pedestrian bridges (usually surrounded by a cage structure) that transcend the illusion of a cage and instead create an elevated park system, increasing pedestrian and vehicular safety.

The design approached the project as creating a destination and experience by branding it as a ‘park’ and not just a ‘bridge.’ Instead of simply creating a connection across the street, the project should instead be thought of as a solution that creates an extension of open space that envelops the bold ethos of its context with an iconic and emblematic solution that increases connectivity and capitalizes on the vistas of Sunny Isles Beach.

CGA was able to obtain approval of its security and safety strategy from FDOT District 6 and paved the way for the project to move forward into its design and construction process.

Mills Pond Park

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CGA was selected by the City of Fort Lauderdale to provide planning, design, and construction services for the addition of three new soccer and lacrosse fields at Mills Pond Park. The existing park had three lighted soccer fields, one un-lighted soccer field, and five lighted softball fields. The improvements to the park included three new fields and all associated sports lighting, drainage, and irrigation, as well as a future restroom/concession building, new parking, walkways, and landscaping. Working with the City and stakeholders, CGA prepared six (6) configuration options for bidding purposes per the City’s desire to see what layout would fit within their construction budget. The City ended up choosing the option with three (3) artificial turf fields and a future restroom. In addition, the City of Fort Lauderdale wanted to continue their emphasis on sustainability by incorporating green design principles such as LED sports lighting, innovative drainage solutions, permeable pavers, and Florida-friendly landscaping.

Wilton Manors Urban Form & Density Study

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As an effort to plan for the future of the city’s urban form, CGA investigated the form and density of the city’s past development to perceive what uncapitalized availability and intensity allowances still existed. The Urban Form & Density Study developed strategies for density increasement while controlling building form with requirements that not only served to protect the perception of the village-character that Wilton Manors is recognized for but also to protect the scale of the abutting single-family use, while increasing the quality-of-life conditions that lack throughout the City.

CGA developed and performed a public engagement strategy to gauge the public’s interests through a series of outreach meetings that communicated to the residents the team’s findings. CGA secured valuable input on how and where the City may be looking to increase intensity. Lastly, CGA was able to demonstrate how opportunities of economic, urban development can be implemented throughout the City. All these critical points were overwhelmingly approved by the City and a majority of the residents. The success of the approval process relied on the extensiveness of the public outreach process and its extensive use of detailed illustrations of development scenarios and design guidelines that clearly communicated the intent of the plan.