84th Streetscape
- Award Year: 2021
- Award Category: Analysis and Planning
- Award Designation: Merit Award
- Client: City of La Vista
- Location: La Vista, NE
The project area extends precisely one mile from Harrison to Giles and represents the front door to La Vista’s central city core.
The project area extends one mile from Harrison to Giles and represents the front door to La Vista’s central city core.
The 84th Street Project is in the City of La Vista, a Southwest suburb of Omaha set along Thompson Creek, a tributary to the Missouri River.
84th Street (Highway 85) was built for utility. It provides favorable conditions for the conveyance of automobiles, but little in the way of visual interest and pedestrian comfort.
As a state highway, the right-of-way is oversized, even for future anticipated traffic volumes. The back-of-curb area alone totals about 16 acres which could be better utilized for community benefit.
At the outset, barriers stood in the way of repurposing the right-of-way for a more resilient future; including development patterns that orient away from the street, community expectations of how 84th Street could function, and the state highway designation.
The La Vista Youth Council stepped up to the challenge, helping to prototype, prioritize and foster broad community support for the project.
The design team facilitated a discussion between the Youth Council and the La Vista mayor to prioritize improvements through a game custom built for the engagement based on the actual anticipated funding for the project
Phasing was always a crucial component for the design as this will be a multi-year implementation. A step-by-step logic to the design helps ensure it can be actualized in a coherent, achievable way.
By using a combination of strategies, the undefined right-of-way is transformed into a greenway connection that heightens the pedestrian experience.
The planting approach favors high performing varieties in roadway environments, provides year-round interest, and celebrates the ecology of Eastern Nebraska.
84th Street becomes a platform of expression and a source of community identity.
Several data points can be measured to show how the design stacks up against the baseline (existing) condition.
The plan for 84th Street is ambitious and key elements were not supported by the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT)
As a result of the community-led process, stakeholder support, and city adoption, the city was empowered to relinquish control of the roadway and free to implement the bold vision as planned.