Doyle Hollis Park in Emeryville, California was designed and constructed using Bay-Friendly landscaping practices to be environmentally sustainable and benefit the local community. The 1.5 acre park was built on a former industrial site for $1.2 million. It features rain gardens, drought-tolerant native plants, recycled materials, and structural soil to support large street trees. The park has been embraced by the local community and provides environmental benefits like stormwater management and wildlife habitat.

1. A Bay-Friendly Rated Landscape: A Case Study
DOYLE HOLLIS PARK
A New Park in Emeryville That’s Good for the Community and the Bay
E FAST FACTS
meryville
residents and
workers have TOTAL LANDSCAPE COST
$1.2 million
been flocking to the City’s
newest park since it opened LOCATION
1327 62nd Street (between
in September 2009. Built on Doyle and Hollis Streets)
a block-long site bordered Emeryville, California
by commercial buildings and PARCEL SIZE
live/work lofts, Doyle Hollis 1.5 acres
Park offers this densely PROJECT TYPE
developed neighborhood a Public park
beautiful outdoor setting for play, relaxation and exercise. COMPLETION DATE
September 2009
From the time the City of Emeryville bought the property and
OWNER/DEVELOPER
cleared it of an existing warehouse and concrete parking lot, the City of Emeryville, California
vision was to make the park as community-friendly and Bay-
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Friendly as possible. Community members played an active role Gates & Associates
in deciding how best to transform the former industrial property San Ramon, California
into a public green space, said Todd Young of Gates & Associates, the ARCHITECT/CIVIL ENGINEER
Endres Ware
landscape architecture firm that designed the park. Neighbors brought to
Berkeley, California
the table issues ranging from the new park’s impact on street parking to design ideas for
BAY-FRIENDLY
the play area and restroom building. LANDSCAPE RATER
Design, Community &
Since opening day, Doyle Hollis Park has been eagerly embraced by people living and
Environment
working in the area. “I think the community didn’t know Berkeley, California
there was such demand for a space like this until it was LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION
actually built,” Young said. “As soon as the park opened, CONTRACTOR
the play area had hordes of users. There are kids playing Suarez & Muñoz
Construction
soccer in the field after school and on evenings and adults Hayward, California
playing soccer on weekends. There are birthday parties there CONTACT FOR MORE INFO
almost every weekend.” In addition to the open lawn and Peter Schultze-Allen
children’s play area, the park features a half basketball court, City of Emeryville
TEL 510-596-3728
an amphitheater, a public art fountain designed by artist
Masayuki Nagase, and plenty of picnic areas and benches.
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2. B AY- F R I E N D LY L A N D S C A P I N G P R AC T I C E S
Less to the Landfill
B AY-FRIENDLY
AT A GLANCE
Bay-Friendly Rated
When a new park is built, it takes leadership by the project owner and
Landscape score:
due diligence by the landscape construction contractor to make sure that
construction and demolition debris gets reused or recycled instead of winding H 108 H
up in a landfill. Before construction of Doyle Hollis Park began, the City
needed to remove a large warehouse and a concrete slab that covered the LANDSCAPE LOCALLY
1.5-acre site. The concrete, which was “one-to-two-feet thick on the west • Site analysis completed to
end near Hollis Street,” maximize benefits of Bay-Friendly
Landscape practices
said Schultze-Allen, was all • Laboratory soil analysis provided
recycled, as was most of the recommendations for organic soil
amendments and fertilizers
old building.
All the new concrete used LANDSCAPE FOR LESS TO
THE LANDFILL
in the park and to build the
• To reduce labor costs and plant
restroom facility contains waste, plant species installed will
recycled flyash. Flyash is not require shearing and will
grow to mature size within space
residue left after burning allotted; overplanting was avoided
coal to generate electricity. • No invasive species were planted
In the concrete mix used for • Long-term maintenance contract
includes grasscycling
Doyle Hollis park, the flyash
• Site furniture and rubber
displaced 50 percent of the playground surface are made with
Portland cement typically recycled-content plastic
• Recycled flyash displaces 50% of
used in concrete. cement in all exterior concrete
• 100% of compost and mulch was
Other recycled-content produced from urban plant waste
materials in the park include attractive, easy to maintain benches and tables • Nearly 100% of construction and
made from a composite material that blends recycled plastic and wood. The demolition debris was diverted
from landfills, including asphalt,
floor surface in the play area contains some recycled rubber, and the mulch concrete and landscape debris
on top of the soil and the compost mixed into the soil were made from urban • Plant debris was taken to a facility
that produces compost and mulch
plant debris.
Protecting Water Quality NURTURE THE SOIL
Much of the rainwater that falls on urban areas never has an opportunity to • Area was designated for staging
materials during construction
percolate into the soil. Instead it flows straight off of buildings, sidewalks and
• Soil was not worked when wet
streets into storm drains, carrying road oil and other pollutants into the storm • A stormwater pollution
sewer system and eventually into local waterways. To address stormwater prevention plan was prepared and
implemented for the site
runoff, five areas of Doyle Hollis Park have shallow vegetated depressions • Valuable trees were protected
called rain gardens. These have been designed to capture and naturally filter with fencing during construction
more than 85 percent of stormwater runoff that might otherwise have flowed • Compacted soil was aerated prior
to planting in all landscaped areas
from the park into storm drains.
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3. In addition to harvesting runoff from the park, two
B AY-FRIENDLY AT A GLANCE curb cuts direct stormwater runoff from the street on
• Long-term maintenance • Site lighting does the park’s north side into the rain gardens. Designing
for turf includes not cast direct beam
topdressing with illumination onto landscapes to take drainage off streets is part of a
finely screened quality adjacent properties “green streets” movement gaining traction in the
compost after aeration
PROTECT WATER & AIR stormwater
• Compost was used
QUALITY management field.
to amend soil in all
landscaped areas • Integrated pest “We are going to
• Fertilizers prohibited management (IPM) was
used during construction be doing more of
by Organic Materials
Research Institute were and will be used during these green street
not used maintenance
retrofits around
• Low or zero VOC
CONSERVE WATER paints, adhesives and the City,” said
• All soil is protected with sealants were used in Schultze-Allen.
2-inch layer of recycled the restrooms
mulch • Maintenance practices
• 2 inches of compost was require that oil leaks will Conserving Water
tilled into all planting areas be repaired immediately Many experts predict California’s fresh water supplies
• 89% of total plants are and off site
to grow increasingly scarce as the State’s population
California native or • 85% of average annual
Mediterranean species runoff is treated on site grows and as global warming shrinks the mountain
that require little or no in rainwater gardens glaciers that store so much of the State’s water. To help
summer water
CREATE WILDLIFE conserve water supplies well into the future, the City of
• All turf installed serves a HABITAT
recreational function Emeryville made water-wise landscaping a priority at
• More than 40 distinct
• Dual-pipe irrigation
species were planted to
Doyle Hollis Park.
system is capable of
increase biodiversity on
delivering recycled and The park’s high efficiency irrigation system has a smart
site
potable water controller that adjusts irrigation volume and frequency
• Landscape design
• High efficiency irrigation
system includes a smart
includes water source based on the weather rather than on a fixed schedule.
and shelter for wildlife
irrigation controller In addition, the irrigation system is dual plumbed, with
• The park increases open
• Dedicated landscape separate pipes installed to supply potable water and
space compared to its
water meter installed;
previous use recycled municipal wastewater that has been treated
water use reported
according to regular BE INNOVATIVE and disinfected. Currently the park’s irrigation system
schedule
• A Bay-Friendly receives only potable water but it is slated to receive
• Irrigation plans were maintenance manual was
reviewed by an Irrigation recycled water in the future as the East Bay Municipal
developed as a basis for
Association trained training maintenance Utility District’s recycled water system expands.
irrigation specialist contractors
• Maintenance • Educational signage The park’s open lawn requires regular summer
specifications require describes the park’s irrigation but the amphitheater area has been planted
checking soil moisture Bay-Friendly Landscape
content with soil design, construction and
with California meadow sedge (Carex pansa), a native
probes before watering, maintenance practices plant that requires much less mowing or summer water
adjusting the watering
• 20% of street trees than conventional turf grass. The rest of the park,
schedule based on
planted adjacent to Silva
weather conditions and
Cells; 23% of street including the rain gardens, is planted with an unusually
immediately replacing
broken irrigation
trees planted adjacent to wide diversity of plants that don’t require a lot of
structural soil
equipment irrigation, most of which are California native species.
• Stormwater runoff from
CONSERVE ENERGY adjacent street is treated The plants are grouped according to water needs—a
• 33% of paved area will in park’s rain garden strategy called hydrozoning—to help ensure they aren’t
be shaded by trees over- or underwatered.
within 15 years
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4. Innovation
In urban areas, large street trees do much more than look beautiful and provide wildlife habitat. They also shade
buildings and streets, making people more comfortable and reducing the use of air conditioning energy. They absorb
carbon dioxide and air pollutants, helping rein in global warming and improving air quality. And the canopy and root
systems of mature trees retain significant amounts of rainfall, helping control stormwater runoff.
Unfortunately, many street trees die long before they are big enough to
provide much benefit. For trees to grow large and remain healthy, their Rain Garden Plant List
roots must be able to access sizeable These plants were chosen for the
volumes of uncompacted soil. But most rain gardens for their aesthetic
street trees are planted in small pits filled appeal as well as their ability to
survive occasional inundations in
with minimal soil, and their root growth
the winter, while receiving only
is impeded by foundations of adjacent modest irrigation during the dry
buildings and by compacted soil under season.
sidewalks and streets.
Shrubs
Recognizing that a large population of Spice bush (Calycanthus occidentalis)
mature, healthy trees is an important Rush (Chondropetalum tectorum)
characteristic of a green city, the City Red osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera)
of Emeryville instituted an urban
Perennials
forestry ordinance that has led to “pretty
Sedge (Carex buchananii Red Rooster)
extensive requirements for street tree Berkeley sedge (Carex tumulicola)
Large tree wells improve health of plantings,” said Schultze-Allen, including
street trees. California gray rush (Juncus patens)
requirements that developers provide a Polemonium (Polemonium Brise d’Anjou)
much larger volume of soil than a typical tree pit holds.
Groundcovers
These requirements, which are being phased in over time, set minimum Fiber optics plant (Scirpus cernuus)
volumes of rootable soil for street tree plantings. The volume depends on
The Bay-Friendly Process
While enjoying the park, visitors will likely notice credits the City of Emeryville, the community
a number of signs pointing out its Bay-Friendly and the design team with making the vision for a
features, from recycled mulch that helps retain soil sustainable green space a reality. “Instead of paving
moisture to California native plants that provide paradise and putting in a parking lot, they took out
wildlife habitat. The signs encourage an old warehouse and parking lot
people to think about the park’s and put in a park,” she said.
relationship to the San Francisco Bay
To ensure that Bay-Friendly
watershed and the benefits of Bay-
practices are integrated into the
Friendly landscaping and gardening.
park’s maintenance routine, the City provided the
StopWaste.Org provided a $25,000 grant to landscape maintenance contractor with a Bay-
fund some of Doyle Hollis Park’s Bay-Friendly Friendly maintenance manual, said Peter Schultze-
features. Teresa Eade, senior program manager with Allen, an environmental analyst with Emeryville’s
StopWaste.Org’s Bay-Friendly Landscape program, Public Works Department.
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5. Recycling’s Role in Reducing Emissions
Clearing the Doyle Hollis Park site to prepare it
for construction generated 22 tons of plant debris
– that is enough to fill more than 20 large pick up
trucks. By recycling that material instead of taking
it to the landfill, the equivalent of 4.4 metric tons
of greenhouse gas emissions were avoided. When
plants and other organic material decompose in
landfills, they produce methane, a greenhouse gas
that is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Silva cells being intalled under sidewalk to benefit street trees. Recycling that plant waste instead of landfilling
the tree’s size at maturity. A large tree such as London it plays an important role in reducing a project’s
plane (sycamore) must have at least twice as much soil as carbon footprint.
small trees such as crape myrtle. The requirements can be The project’s demolition phase also produced 317
met using regular planting soil, structural soil (a specially tons of concrete debris, all of which was recycled
engineered mix of soil and aggregate that still allows instead of landfilled, saving the equivalent of 2.2
roots to grow through it even if it becomes compacted), metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling
or a new category of products called structural cells. concrete decreases emissions by reducing the
At Doyle Hollis Park, the Public Works Department amount of energy used to extract new resources
decided to “walk the talk” by testing the use of structural and produce new products.
cells for the street tree plantings around the park. Together the greenhouse gas emissions avoided by
Structural cells, which are best known by the brand name recycling the plant material and concrete at Doyle
of Silva Cells, are designed to increase the volume of Hollis Park add up to the annual emissions from
uncompacted soil around a tree’s roots and grow larger, one passenger car.
healthier trees. “This is the first installation in the City of
Silva Cells,” said Schultze-Allen. “It’s a relatively new idea.” normal compacted soil under a sidewalk,” said Schultze-
Allen, “but is still mostly rock that provides void space
Silva Cells are modular box-like components made of
for the roots to grow in.” Silva Cells are “theoretically
steel-reinforced plastic frames and decks. These boxes
even better because it’s all soil—uncompacted regular
or “cells” have large openings for water drainage and
planting soil.” At Doyle Hollis Park, the Silva Cells and
root penetration. When a new street tree is planted,
structural soil serve as bridges for the roots of street trees,
the ground adjacent to the planting area is excavated
preventing compaction and improving drainage under
and a framework of these cells, stacked one to three
the sidewalks so that the tree roots can reach the soil in
deep, is installed and filled with soil. The framework is
the adjacent landscaped areas of the park.
then capped with a structural deck, and covered with
a geotextile, aggregate and paving. Structural cells are Carex pansa, a
California native
strong enough to prevent soil compaction and support
meadow sedge
traffic loads, and can be used in parking lots, sidewalks is planted in the
and plazas. amphitheatre
and is low water
Ten trees at Doyle Hollis Park are planted adjacent to using and does
Silva Cells, accounting for about 20 percent of the park’s not require
new street trees. Twelve other street trees are planted mowing.
adjacent to structural soil. Structural soil “is better than
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6. 1537 Webster Street, Oakland, CA 94612
Ask about our FREE resources: This case study was written by StopWaste.Org
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Available online at www.Bay-Friendly.Org:
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• Bay-Friendly Civic & Commercial Landscape Scorecard
sustainable landscaping, visit www.BayFriendly.org
• Bay-Friendly Landscape Guidelines: Sustainable Practices
for the Landscape Professional About the Agency
• A Bay-Friendly Landscaping Guide to Mulch: Save
The Alameda County Waste Management Authority &
Money, Control Weeds, and Create Healthy Landscapes
the Alameda County Source Reduction and Recycling
(Available in English and Spanish) Board is an integrated public agency whose mission
• A Bay-Friendly Landscaping Guide to Grasscycling: Save is to provide the most environmentally sound waste
Time, Save Money and Create Beautiful Lawns (Available management program for the people of Alameda County.
in English and Spanish) The authority and the Recycling Board produced this
• A Bay-Friendly Landscaping Guide to Recycled-Content case study to aid developers in creating and building
and Salvaged Materials: Add Value, Reduce Greenhouse sustainable landscapes
Gas Emissions and Create Attractive Landscapes
• Fact Sheet on Recycled Content Park & Recreation Products
in Alameda County
• Bay-Friendly Model Landscape Maintenance Specifications
Also check our website for information on the Bay-
Friendly Landscape Professional Qualification and
Training for both landscape design and maintenance
professionals at www.bayfriendly.org/bf-qualified.
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