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CONSULTING ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR Golden Shores Utility Undergrounding and Roadway Improvements D–6IWOP41002.18w_Sunny Isles Beach Golden Shores Undergrounding.indd Early easement location identification allows us to plan for the design of aesthetic treatments to screen this infrastructure from the public view and gain any necessary approvals from the City Commission. Kimley-Horn has extensive experience working with these governing bodies for both Public and Private Client projects. Acknowledging the guidelines established by the City, anticipating the spatial constraints associated with varied adjacencies, and projecting budgetary mindfulness, the landscape strategy for integration of utility interventions (i.e. electrical equipment), utilizes a series of principles rather than a prescriptive formula to guide placemaking efforts within the public realm. A process oriented approach to implementation will be coupled with the guiding principles of Species Diversity, Site Specificity, Layering, and Blending in order to integrate these man-made interventions within a natural context. Species Diversity: A limited yet diverse planting palette suitable for varied micro-climates and exposures, will create a sustainable aesthetic baseline, complementary to the island’s character will be used to generate a predictable pricing framework. This diversity introduces textural variety and tonal contrast between species aimed at de-materializing the harsh rectilinear profiles of the utility interventions from predominant cross views from adjacent pedestrian and vehicular circulation corridors and residences. Site Specificity: Intentional asymmetry and irregularity in the horizontal placement of plant material, along with varied species frequency, surrounding the individual faces of the utility, will allow for site specific placement of materials while maintaining a broader landscape vision. This mix and match concept of intentionally planned adaptability will allow efficient screening by interdependently adjusting the plant material to spatial constraints over the varied context. Layering: Staggered heights, multi-trunk forms, and the omni-directional layering of plant material within the landscape beds will achieve a natural, timeless aesthetic from implementation through maturity. This strategy will help achieve a sense of permanence and longevity despite the size of plant material at installation while respecting the budget. Blending: The color of the utility cabinets and related concrete pad shall be painted matte black or dark, olive green in order to render these elements as neutrally benign as possible. This will reinforce the effectiveness of adjacent plant materials to blend the utility interventions into the landscape by reducing the contrast between artificial and natural elements, reducing reflected light, and allowing the utility interventions to blend with the textural and tonal variety of the plant palette. Easement Need Identification and Acquisition The easement acquisition process will occur parallel with the design efforts. Development of an early conceptual design plan facilitates the schematic placement of aboveground support infrastructure such as transformers, switch cabinets, capacitors, cable and telephone terminals, and the like. This allows easement locations to be identified at the beginning