10/02/2007 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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~a, - Elevation of Wall with climbing plants and trees *- ~ . ~~ Sections of Corridor with Walls Corridor Sound Walls r~ ~ SauD M ~ a~7 S S~ The sound walls will be installed as part of the corridor construction. The issue at hand is how to mitigate the negative impacts of this wall. The wall will be placed approximately 14' from the curb of the new road. This distance will include both a sidewalk and a small tree lawn. Emphasis should be placed on both masking the appearance of wall and creating a more comfortable environment for pedestrians. To address both conditions, vegetation is the most pragmatic solution. The sound wall is constructed of precast pieces of concrete which are slid into armatures. There are a range of possibilities to "green" this wall in an effort to improve its appearance and allow it to absorb more sound. Planting climbing plants at the base of the wall that could climb the wall without structural support is the easiest option. Plant choices include Ivy, Trumpet Vine or Euonymous Fortunii. These plants use adhesive suckers or root hairs to attach to structures, and although they are known to cause damage to masonry structures with grouted joints, their perceived impact on the concrete panels would be minimal. A second option would involve the attachment of a support structure for the plants to climb up. The placement of these supports would depend upon plant species, but would greatly expand vegetation options to include plants such as Wisteria, Clematis and Vitus. In either option, low-maintenance, salt-tolerant plant materials should be selected. The tree lawns between the sidewalk and the street along the corridor could support a range of small trees which would improve the appearance of the corridor for pedestrians and motorist. Flowering species would have the greatest impact, but salt-tolerant, non-fruit bearing cultivars must be selected to reduce maintenance requirements. A sterile flowering crabapple tree, such as Malus `Spring Snow' or anon-fruit-beating tree such as a Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis) are among the possibilities. These trees require watering when first planted, but are low-maintenance once they are established. The wall stops at the northern boundary of the city. At this point there exists a possibility to create and east/west connection between Bradley Woods and the residential community to the east by extending North Park Drive. This connection would allow pedestrian and vehicular access into Bradley Woods, but could be configured to prevent motorists from using Bradley Woods as acut-through route. The connection to the residential community to the east of Steams would be a pedestrian- only connection. This connection should have a stoplight and crosswalk, which could serve as a traffic calming measure in the northern part of the corridor. City of North Olmsted: Crocker-Stearns Corridor