community planning development economics site design landscape architectureTeska Associates, Inc.

Optima Old Orchard Woods Green RoofSkokie, IllinoisTeska Associates is proud to have been the designer for the landscaping at Optima Old Orchard Woods in Skokie, IL. The project included landscape design for the grade level and for several roof top areas. The residential condominium building has nearly seven hundred homes and is composed of 3 towers that are 20 stories each.

The clean lines of the Optima designed building and the adjacent Harms Woods Forest Preserve inspired the dynamic landscape design throughout the project. Trees were massed in architectural groves in front of the building and around the formal entrance pool to complement the building and to define the arrival areas. A double row of trees along the entrance road creates a transition to the forest preserve and provides a strong pedestrian scale.

The green roofs that punctuate the three towers have several environmental and aesthetic benefits. The green roofs on this project reduce stormwater runoff by up to 90%, reduce the effects of the urban heat island, reduce pollutants in the air, and increase the environmental efficiency of the build-ing. Aesthetically, the green roofs soften the building’s lines and visually blend the building with the surrounding landscape. Teska Associates has provided Landscape Architectural services for Optima on two other similar condo-minium projects.Plano City Center Plan

Plano, IllinoisLocated in the fastest growing county in Illinois, Plano has both the character and feel of a historic small town coupled with the excitement of emerging residential neighborhoods and expansion beyond the traditional city bound-ary. As growth pressures became more evident, the City of Plano and the Plano Economic Development Corporation began to focus on long-range planning to ensure the preservation of Plano’s unique character and history. Teska Associates, Inc. was pleased to guide the planning effort that resulted in the Plano City Center Plan, a collaborative effort between the City, PEDCo, Business Districts, Inc., and Lane Allen Architects. The goal of the plan is to establish a framework for future commercial development by protecting Plano’s distinctive character, enhancing business viability, identifying catalyst projects, and creating a consensus action plan for short and long-term imple-mentation.

The plan focuses on the established City Center – the commercial corridor along Route 34 between Needham and Little Rock Roads – including down-town and surrounding property. Utilizing a market-based approach, the plan preemptively addresses the challenges facing downtown by providing a number of tools for revitalization of the business district.

Teska Honors its Second FAICPLee Brown, President of TAI, was recently elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners. He joins Robert Teska as the second member of TAI to be inducted into the College, one of the Institute’s highest honors. We are all extremely proud of him and his accomplishments.

New Hires and Teska ExpansionTAI's Plainfield office has been expanded to almost double its original square footage.

TAI would like to welcome aboard Erin Cigliano - the newest Associate to join the team in our Evanston office. Ms. Cigliano is a Chicago native who recently graduated from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelors degree in Urban Planning and Regional Planning.

Upper-Midwest Four State APA ConferenceTAI will be exhibiting at the APA Upper-Midwest Four State Conference in St. Charles on October 4th through the 6th, so stop by to chat and see what we have been up to. Also, Lee Brown will be participating in a session on "Trends in Retail Development" on October 4th at 1:30pm.

October 2006

Image Courtesy of Optima Development

Downtown Plano & conceptual mural on a historic grain silo (right)

City of Barrington Hills

City of Chicago

Village of Coal City

City of Crystal Lake

Village of Lincolnwood

City of Macomb

Village of Mazon

Village of Olympia Fields

Village of Schiller Park

Village of South Elgin

Village of Germantown

City of Green Lake

Village of Twin Lakes

Illinois

Wisconsin

Comprehensive Plan Update

Armitage/Pulaski TIF Harlem Industrial Park Conservation Area TIF

Design Guidelines Comprehensive Plan Development Review

Vulcan Lakes Recruitment

Form-based Zoning Ordinance

Comprehensive Plan

Comprehensive Plan

Area Master Plans Central-Main Street Area Redevelopment Plan

Station Area Plan West Gateway Area Plan

Village Center Plan North LaFox Corridor (Rt.31) TIF

VJS – Blackstone Creek

Green Lake Conference Center

Thelen Properties

Teska Associates, Inc. Update

October 2006 www.TeskaAssociates.com2

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Germantown

Green Lake

Twin Lakes

Crystal LakeBarrington Hills

South Elgin Lincolnwood

Chicago

Olympia Fields

Schiller Park

Coal CityMazon

Macomb

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTSThe following is a list of some of our recently completed and current projects: