Aloha 2020!
At the end of a busy year, Team Teska likes to take a moment to pause (…) amidst the hustle and bustle of the holiday season to reflect on the year’s accomplishments. Below is a celebration of the hundreds of hours of teamwork, brainwaves, and collective creativity that went into each and every project. Big thanks to our partners, wonderful clients, and, of course, the people and places that make our job so interesting and fulfilling! We are proud of the work we do and hope it inspires in you the same sense of pride we feel every day. Cheers, Team Teska
Our People
Our Work
Bike Stripes, Festoon Lights, and Foliage — Oh, My!
Schuyler Avenue Streetscape Plan | Kankakee, IL
Kankakee is rethinking how people connect with each other and their destinations by improving walkability, livability, and embracing the term “car optional”! The Schuyler Avenue Streetscape Plan includes on-street bike lanes, reconstructed sidewalks, custom seating, decorative lighting, and gateway piers inspired by historic photos of Schuyler Ave. Extensive and steady engagement with Downtown businesses, residents and community partners was a pivotal part of the process. Teska is grateful for the opportunity to partner with the City to help make Downtown Kankakee more vibrant, inviting, and business-friendly — spurring development through a renewed sense of place.
Teska Team Bobs for Apples, Picks Up High Praise
Lincoln Square Master Plan | Chicago, IL
Lincoln Square is a neighborhood of folks who care deeply about their community and the happenings therein. The Lincoln Square Master Plan takes into account the personality and function of each commercial corridor and the neighborhoods that hug such. A clear list of projects, actions, and design guidelines are included, which were distilled from the thousands of ideas received at community events (like Apple Fest, pictured above!), project polls, an interactive website, social media, focus groups, workshops, and more. Shout-out to our superb planning committee of caring locals, the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce, SSA #21, and our teammates, Sam Schwartz Engineering and Goodman Williams Group, who led the transportation planning and market analysis.
Kid-Sized Conga Line Dances Through New Library Lawn
Wilmette Public Library Landscape Master Plan | Wilmette, IL
The Wilmette Library celebrated the opening of their newest public place this past summer with free Homer’s ice cream (a Wilmette staple!) and family-friendly rock-n-roll from grammy-nominated Ralph Covert and band. Queue the conga line… do-do-do-do-do-DO! Much more than a reading room, Wilmette’s library is a campus for all things community. Through a series of collaborative workshops and events, Teska’s urban design studio developed a plan that reflects the Library’s character and commitment to community. Design features include an open lawn to support events, picnic dinners, and performances, a garden walk with native plantings and interpretive signage, parking lot and alleyway improvements, and an enhanced sense of arrival and front entry. To continue the Library’s dedication to sustainability, the plan incorporates an all native plant list, an experimental “no-mow” lawn area, LED lighting, and a snowmelt system.
Frankfort Fun Concludes With Unanimous Approval
Frankfort Comp Plan Update + Residential Design Guidelines | Frankfort, IL
That’s a wrap! As of December 2019, Frankfort’s Comprehensive Plan, ‘Your Future, Your Frankfort’ received unanimous approval and was adopted by the Village Board. The Plan involved extensive community engagement to solidify key goals and priorities regarding social vibrancy, sustainability, infrastructure, “car-optional” mobility, economic prosperity, and overall quality-of-life. In addition to taking a broad, Village-wide approach to future land use planning, the Plan also addresses five key subareas. As part of the downtown subarea, Teska created a set of Residential Design Guidelines which the Village can now use to help guide thoughtful and appropriate rehabilitation, alteration, and, where applicable, new development in its historic and beautiful Downtown.
2019 Award-Winning Projects
Un Plan Integral para Todos | A Comprehensive Plan For All
Rolling Meadows Comp Plan Update | Rolling Meadows, IL
The City of Rolling Meadows is a diverse community where multiple cultures are celebrated and languages spoken! As part of the 2019 Comprehensive Plan Update, Teska prepared both an English and Spanish version, working closely with staff to ensure both plans authentically celebrate the spirit of community input and vision for key enhancements. Teska is continuing their consulting elf-work by assisting the City with an update to their Zoning Ordinance as a Plan implementation action.
Swing With A View: Nature-Based Play By The Lakefront
Garden Park Renovations | Evanston, IL
Just in time for Thanksgiving with a few balmy days left in 2019, Evanston opened its newest playground! Located along Lake Michigan in southeast Evanston, Garden Park is the product of robust public outreach and charrette style workshops. From these community-meets, the direction was clear: the park should respect views to the lake, maximize lawn space, support group and individual picnicking, and integrate unique nature-based play areas. The newly transformed Garden Park celebrates just those things! A raised concrete walkway provides a lakeside overlook, ample picnic areas are sprinkled throughout, an embankment slide and swings showcase the space and views, and play mounds, log steppers, beams, and a fallen tree provided by Evanston’s Forestry Department create a nature-based play haven. Now that’s what we call au natural!
There’s No Place Like Home… When There’s Rooftop Bocce!
Oak Trace Senior Living Community | Downers Grove, IL
The Oak Trace Senior Living Community in Downers Grove is a master-planned 40-acre campus, which houses independent living cottages, assisted-living apartments, memory-care suites, skilled nursing suites, and rehabilitation center. The project team, led by SAS Architects, was tasked with creating a unified, connected campus surrounded by open space. Phase I of this project, completed in 2019, involved the creation of a new Healthcare Center, Assisted Living, and Memory Care for the Community. The planting and hardscape designs feature scenic views of the exterior environment, landscaped courtyards, signage, accessible gardens, memory care garden, and grand entrance. Oak Trace Senior Living Community was the recipient of a 2019 Architecture and Design Award from Senior Housing News. Phase 2 construction will look to start in 2020.
Small Biz, Big Win! Local Evanston SSA Outreach
Central Street SSA | Evanston, IL
The Central Street corridor in Evanston has long been recognized for its unique charm—filled with local, independent businesses nestled between residential areas and Northwestern facilities. The Central Street Business Association (CSBA) has, for many years, been very active in promoting the area by organizing events and activities — all through volunteer efforts and a modest grant from the City. The CSBA approached the City in 2018 about the possibility of designating a Special Service Area (SSA) along Central Street, recognizing the roaring success of the other two Evanston SSAs (Downtown Evanston and Main-Dempster Mile). As of December 2019, following a year-long process and Teska-led community engagement, the City designated two SSAs along Central Street. The SSAs will work in tandem to provide support for Central Street businesses to help maintain and enhance their charm and the one-of-a-kind local character that is Central Street.
It’s Alive! Michigan City Comes to Life In Renderings
Harborview Station | Michigan City, IN
Harborview Station is a 6-acre waterfront site abutting Trail Creek; a tributary to Lake Michigan. The site is located adjacent to the Blue Chip Casino, and accessible by Amtrak and South Shore Rail Lines. This brownfield site provided the perfect location for a vibrant mixed-use development. Teska led land planning efforts for the project. Plans include a waterfront commercial/retail boardwalk, a high rise condominium, a hotel and extended-stay building, a distillery, brewpub and restaurant, a new park area, mural exhibits, light shows and projections, boat slips, and pedestrian access to the Blue Chip Casino under Highway 12. Image Credit: Rendering by Superhero Sketchster Bruce Bondy, Bondy Studio
Awarded for Bold Ideas + Commitment to Reinvestment
Austin Quality of Life Plan | Chicago, IL
With nearly 100,000 residents, Chicago’s Austin neighborhood has a rich history, incredible architecture, and is home to tremendous opportunities. Teska led the urban design and building reuse elements of the plan, facilitating two community charrettes. Austin Coming Together, with support from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), galvanized support for specific goals and strategies that would bring jobs, secure housing, and further youth and education advancement for the Austin community. The plan won the Metropolitan Planning Council’s Burnham Award for its bold ideas and commitment to reinvestment in this African American neighborhood of Chicago.
Sweet Caroline-a Corridor
New Garden Road Corridor Strategic Plan | Greensboro, NC
The latest collaboration between Teska and The City of Greensboro, NC resulted in the New Garden Road Strategic Corridor Plan, adopted this past summer. The corridor planning effort was spurred by a series of re-zoning requests and recognition of the need to define a community vision for future development. Teska worked with the City, residents, and business owners along the nearly 4-mile roadway to prepare a set of strategies for neighborhood and corridor enhancement. These actionable recommendations offer a context-sensitive response to increasing development pressure that can help local leaders guide positive change.
Great Engagement: The Stuff (Planning) Dreams Are Made Of
Park Ridge Comp Plan Outreach + Infographics | Park Ridge, IL
The Park Ridge comprehensive planning process, branded “Park Ridge Wonderful,” kicked-off in Spring 2019. Teska’s role centered on engagement and included project identity, marketing, infographic design, press releases, news coverage, pop-up events at the Park Ridge Farmers Market, interactive student focus groups with 100+ middle and high schoolers, community workshops, Planning + Zoning Commission check-ins, city-wide polls, and plentiful posts via Instagram and Facebook. The City is currently drafting plan chapters to celebrate outreach findings and recommendations as voted on by the community.
A Cinderella Story: From Infill Site to Shiny New Neighborhood
Parkside of Glenview | Glenview, IL
Parkside of Glenview is an 8.5-acre infill site in Glenview, Illinois. Teska led land and site planning efforts, along with landscape and community amenity plans, for the 29 single-family luxury homes. Additional design services provided by Teska included a community park area, monument signage, and individual landscapes for each available home floor plan. Teska took the initial site plan concept (lot layout, roads, and sidewalks) through landscape design and entitlement presentation, all the way to Village approval.
Woodstock Leverages TIF to Restore Historic Gems
Downtown and Route 47 TIF District | Woodstock, Illinois
Prior to the 2008 recession, Woodstock had 13 development projects ready to break ground, all of which stalled due to the economic downturn. For nearly a decade, no new building permits were issued — sound familiar? In 2019, Teska helped the City establish the Downtown and Route 47 TIF District to help spur development. TIF funds have already been put to good use to preserve the historic brick streets, Old Courthouse, and facade improvements throughout downtown. Other recent projects include the restoration of a 1930’s gas station, an 1840’s residence (one of the oldest structures in Woodstock!), development of a new four-story, multi-family residential building, and the redevelopment of the largest vacant building in town into a brand new Harley-Davidson dealership. The new residents and businesses attracted through the TIF District will provide much-needed income and sales tax dollars to the City into the foreseeable future!
Manufacturing to Townhomes: Village Welcomes Residential
Sterling Place | Northbrook, IL
Sterling Place is an 11-acre former manufacturing property in Northbrook. Teska led land and site planning efforts, along with landscape and park design, for the 84-unit Townhome Residential Masterplan. Additional services included naturalized stormwater coordination for the site and pedestrian trail and courtyard network design. Teska provided a full spectrum of services from start to finish, beginning with the initial site plan, continued through landscape design and a zoning entitlement presentation to obtaining Village approval. Northbrook’s Village Board found Sterling Place to be a great opportunity to provide attractive and attainable housing.