September 2-September 15, 2015 —
COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL
— Page 25
Landscape Architecture
L
eyden Rock, an out-
standing residential
community in Arvada,
distinguishes itself through a
strong integration of its natural
environment. Mesa tops offer
dramatic vistas of the Flatirons
and the Front Range foothills.
The confluence of Leyden Creek
and Barbara Gulch creates a nat-
ural gateway to the community.
With attention to sustainabili-
ty and ecological conservation
throughout, Consilium Design’s
master plan for Leyden Rock
offers residents the convenience
of modern life in balance with a
profound experience of nature.
Careful site analysis is key to
successful community design.
The following critical elements
were identified in the analysis of
Leyden Rock:
• Slope: Ridgelines and steep
slopes were mapped for pres-
ervation along Leyden Road,
Barbara Gulch and other open
spaces within the community.
• Drainage: Drainage patterns
and opportunities for water
quality and stormwater man-
agement improvements were
identified.
• Floodplain and wetlands:
Floodplain and wetlands along
Barbara Gulch were identi-
fied and opportunities for low-
impact crossings of roads and
utilities were assessed.
• Wildlife corridors: Barba-
ra Gulch was identified as an
opportunity to preserve wildlife
habitat and connectivity across
the site.
View sheds were identified
to downtown Denver, Leyden
Creek, Barbara Gulch, the foot-
hills, history and culture, the
town of Leyden and mining his-
tory, Smith and Rodgers ranches
and cycling on Leyden Road.
The Leyden Rock master plan
used low-impact neighbor-
hood design to reduce the over-
all development footprint and
increase open space preserva-
tion. The result is a community
that achieves more than twice the
density of traditional low-density
residential development while
preserving three times as much
open space. Objectives in low-
impact design included:
• Locate open space to benefit
both residents of the proposed
development and adjoining
development and public spaces
and accessible to the greater pub-
lic.
• Consolidate open space into
larger areas to preserve native
plant associations and wildlife
habitat while simplifying main-
tenance.
•Maintain the rural appeal and
viewcorridor along LeydenRoad
by preserving the native land-
scape and existing landforms to
the maximum extent feasible.
• Utilize drought- and cold-
tolerant native and naturalizing
plant materials in open spaces
and parks to reflect the natural
character of the land.
• Existing vegetation has
been preserved at undisturbed
slopes and common open spaces
throughout most of the 600 acres
of community open space.
• Areas disturbed for the com-
munity entries, roadways and
water quality/stormwater man-
agement improvements have
been restored and enhanced with
native plant materials that will
further enhance wildlife habitat
and overall ecological diversity.
•
Ridge
lines along the
top of slopes
have
been
preserved by
carefully locat-
ing and grad-
ing homesites
along these
edges to avoid
excess fill and
impacts on
existing vege-
tation. Home-
sites are gen-
erally set back 450 to 600 feet or
more and are 100 feet to 125 feet
higher in elevation than Leyden
Road.
•Usable rear yard areas (gener-
ally 20 feet deep or greater) are
planned for all lots, particularly
those that abut open spaces.
• Minimizing fills at lots abut-
ting opens space and providing
gentle grades whenever feasible
(12 percent or less) for rear yards.
• View corridors from within
neighborhoods provide visual
and physical access to surround-
ing open spaces.
• Open rail fencing is used
on land adjacent to open space
to maximize the rural appear-
ance of the land and soften the
line between public and private
space.
• Stockpile topsoil and use for
revegetation of disturbed spaces.
• Implement temporary irri-
gation in high-visibility areas to
improve germination and rees-
tablishment of native grasses.
• Facilitate and encourage the
continuation of awildlife corridor
through the Barbara Gulch Open
Space.
To create a memorable com-
munity image at Leyden Rock,
the design process began with
the end in mind. The theme for
Leyden Rock derives from the
history of the site and the ranch-
ing heritage of Colorado and the
Rocky Mountain West. The con-
cept and palette of metal, stone,
timber beams and open-rail fence
styles are a constant theme car-
ried out throughout the com-
munity and reflect the history
and heritage of Leyden Rock and
Colorado Ranches.
• Community identity monu-
ments, inspired by the Monjeau
Lookout in New Mexico, are
designed to be signature land-
marks in scale with the panoram-
ic open space setting.
• The jack fence, a historic
Colorado fencing style, evokes
a ranching image at community
entries.
• Neighborhood entries and
local streets are aligned for views
to parks.
• Open space is the focus of
park design.
• Highly improved neighbor-
hood parks are the visual focal
point and center of activity,
embedded within the neighbor-
hoods and designed to contrib-
ute to community character and
unique identity for each neigh-
borhood:
Lookout Park
• A monumental tower serves
as a community landmark that
can be seen from surrounding
neighborhoods.
• The community clubhouse
and pool are a center of activity.
• The park is the centerpiece
of a more formal neighborhood
setting.
Daybreak Park
• Relaxed, casual form to park
and surrounding streets
• Views east down drainage
way open space and west to
Lookout Park neighborhood
West Ridge Park
• Natural open space design
character within a larger open
space setting
• Picnic shelter set as a focal
point for arrival from Leyden
Road and panoramic views.
•Minimize irrigated turf area
By integrating nature into every
aspect of the master plan pro-
cess, Consilium Design created a
vibrant, dynamic community at
Leyden Rock that will endure for
generations.
s
Craig L. Karn
Principal, founder,
Consilium Design,
Centennial
Jay S. Simon
The main entry to the Leyden Rock community in Arvada.
Jay S. Simon
The jack fence, a historic Colorado fencing style, was included in the design to evoke a ranching image at com-
munity entries.
