Features We Love: Parks at Our Front Doors
But imagine that you didn’t have to drive anywhere – you could walk out the front door and immediately be in the park.
We’re celebrating the completion of a new Overlake area park where residents enjoy just such an extended amenity space. The centerpiece of the mixed-use community of the same name, Esterra Park, is the first major privately owned public space (POPS) in Redmond and one of the largest in our region. The park showcases the visionary leadership of the Capstone Partners development team, working with the City of Redmond, to deliver such a versatile neighborhood amenity.
Everyone – not just residents – and their four-legged family members are welcome to visit this 3-acre gem with its grassy meadow and tree groves, reclaimed wood seating in the amphitheater, and a large gathering space on the plaza. And if you’re in the mood to get your blood pumping, the hill climb rises 40 feet amid lush landscaping and stands of metal dot matrix tree sculptures. An innovative bike runnel integrated into the stairways gives riders an easier way to traverse the slope. Both lead to the nearby light rail station.
Remote workers take note: Free Wi-Fi supports a unique out-of-office experience when the weather beckons. If you’re hungry, food and beverage service is available from an airy and welcoming café in the nearby Verde building or from the mass timber pavilion within the park. Even bees and birds are attracted to food sources here where some of the hillside space is planted with a native wildflower pollinator mix. Markets, concerts, outdoor movies, and other community events are being planned, adding more activity in the park.
The master plan for this outdoor space was formalized a decade ago, when the City of Redmond expressed their wish to add a park that offered open space and amenities on par with the downtown city park. Before that vision could be realized, however, an interior roadway and several multi-unit residential structures would be constructed, and much of the future park would be critical for construction staging.
As buildings began to emerge within the master planned area, a gateway parkette was created along the lowest corner of the park area. Native plantings surround decorative pavers, multiple seating levels, and the park’s first sculptures. Three pairs of steel panels feature an elegant cattail pattern, cut into each side, which are illuminated after dark.
Not only a beautiful amenity space during construction, the park also provided important drainage benefits: safely gathering drainage from the existing parking lot above during the first phase, then capturing the runoff from the entire park when it was complete. As construction wrapped on the last apartment building, full park construction began, incorporating this initial phase into the fully realized park that is now the centerpiece of the neighborhood.
Earthwork was minimized by blending existing slopes into the park design. Despite the elevation change, the team successfully incorporated a meandering stair into the corner and maximized available space at the main level. A public elevator opens onto an accessible pathway, guiding users through the formal hill climb to the Overlake Village light rail station and new destinations, north and south.
An overarching goal of the Esterra Park Development is to inspire green lifestyles. The open green space of this magnificent park encourages residents, office workers, and hotel guests, and the greater community to embrace more outside time. We’re honored to have worked with Brumbaugh and Associates, Capstone Partners, and Exxel Pacific to breathe life into this long-awaited park.
Two other standout projects in parks that we love are The Lodge at Saint Edward Park and The Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park.
At The Lodge at Saint Edward State Park, we enjoyed transforming a 1930s seminary into a spectacular getaway destination. Our structural team dove deep into history, striking a balance between old and new to restore the historic building. While the below grade infrastructure is new, our civil team’s design carefully mimics natural drainage systems in this forested location. Learn more about The Lodge in our behind the scenes Q&A.
Revitalization of the Seattle Asian Art Museum, a landmarked Art Deco building, was another impressive project in the beloved park designed by the Olmsted Brothers. Significant utility reconfigurations, green stormwater measures, and improved vehicular and pedestrian connections supported the renewal project. Learn more about how the team balanced community, site legacy, and the museum’s needs in our special edition article for the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.