Landscape Design Awards honor beautification efforts

by Ann Bucy

SBJ Contributing Writer

The Landscape Design Awards have returned to Springfield.

In 1988, the city of Springfield began bestowing awards on various businesses and residences in the area in recognition of their contributions to city beautification through landscaping.

The awards were given intermittently since that time, and now, after a six- or seven-year hiatus, the city is once again recognizing outstanding landscaping projects.

Thirty nominations, submitted to the city's Planning and Development Department, have been reviewed by a selection committee and the field narrowed to four finalists in each of five categories. The selection committee will meet again in mid-July to review the finalists. No date has yet been set for the announcement of the winners.

According to information provided by the city of Springfield, the awards will honor developments which demonstrate the value of quality landscaping. Past award recipients are those who have demonstrated the benefit of landscaping to their particular projects, as well as the contribution of their landscaping to the quality of life in the community.

"The purpose of the awards is to recognize quality landscaping," said Paul Fyle, a planning technician with the Planning and Development Department. "We hope people will acknowledge other people's work and take from these examples. We also want people to keep Springfield beautiful."

Nominations were not limited to sites landscaped in the last year, but were open to sites where matured landscaping further illustrates the value of plantings. The nominated sites had to be located in the city of Springfield and fit into one of five categories, which are:

Improvement or Rehabilitation of an Existing Site. This category addresses conversion or redevelopment of an existing site. Past winners in this category include the Walnut Street Bed and Breakfast and the Courtney and Peebles Law Office.

Retail Establishment or General. This category includes overall development of a retail or other business site. Cox Medical Center South is a past winner in this category.

Manufacturing or Office Establishment. This category addresses landscaping in overall development of a manufacturing or office site.

Residential Subdivision, Neighborhood or Mixed-Use Development. This category looks at the landscaping interspersed throughout a subdivision that is of common ownership or owned by a general developer. Also included are planned developments that may feature a variety of mixed uses. Creekside Crossings at Elfindale is a past winner.

Other. This category is a catch-all for sites and concepts not addressed by the other categories. Right-of-way landscaping and parking lot landscaping are examples of projects in this division.

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