Distinctive Landscape Envisioned for Riverstone Master-Planned Community

May 28, 2016

Madera, CA - Shaped by agrarian roots and creative flair, the anticipated landscape plan for Riverstone—just like the overall community itself—will be refreshingly different. The first elements of Riverstone’s landscape design are taking shape within the Lodge District, Riverstone’s inaugural residential neighborhood offering the community’s first collection of new homes. Model homes are currently under construction and are anticipated to open late 2016. Interested homebuyers are encouraged to add their name to the Interest List at www.RiverstoneCA.com.    

Riverstone's entry tower is a tribute to the farming heritage of both the community and the Valley. Remnant olives groves will accent streetscapes in phase one, preserving the community's agrarian legacy.  
Kid-sized fun and excitement await at Riverstone’s Adventure Park. Located just a short walk or bike ride away from the community’s first homes, the active play area is anticipated to feature climbing structures with a connecting bridge that leads to three different slides.

“In a word, legacy is the big idea at Riverstone,” says Terry Broussard of Broussard Associates, the award-winning landscape firm creating Riverstone’s distinctive outdoor world.

“Riverstone has a rich agricultural legacy that we want to protect and preserve. For more than six decades, these lands have been a thriving patchwork of olive, pistachio, almond and citrus trees. With the first phase of the project, for instance, the land has a fairly large olive orchard. So instead of just wiping the orchard off the map, we’re incorporating it in our design to landscape medians, corners and other areas. This idea of leaving remnant groves as reminders of the past is something we intend to do all throughout the community.”

One of Broussard’s favorite landscape features is an envisioned tower that will mark the main entrance of Riverstone. “The tower will be a tribute to the farming heritage of both the community and the Valley. It will be metal with an industrial look and feel, the type of farm apparatus you might see circulating the air above crops to protect them from being frozen. We’re placing it at the intersection of Business 41 and Avenue 12. You might say it’s our version of a big welcome mat.”

Naturally, given the water challenges facing the Central Valley, Riverstone’s landscape has been specifically designed to help conserve this precious natural resource.

“Our focus from the very beginning was a low-water, low-maintenance design that doesn’t look like a bleak landscape,” continued Broussard. “Our ground plane design focused on a mix of ornamental grasses, groundcovers and succulents such as agave and low shrubs. The idea was to create large groupings and layers of plant material that evoked a lush palette. Overall, it’s a thematic landscape providing varied color and textures. It feels lush but it’s very drought tolerant.”

Hiking and biking trails are planned to link all of Riverstone’s residential districts together. The first trail completed will intersect existing agricultural lands, leading to an overlook affording picturesque orchard vistas. A series of engaging outposts is an envisioned amenity along the trails, offering places for a workout, a picnic, or just a spot to relax while connecting to the natural soulfulness of the land.

As for parks, a total of five neighborhood parks are planned for various locations throughout the Lodge District, and all will only be a short walk or bike ride away from the front door of every residence. Adventure Park will be an active play area with spaces designed for two to five, and five to 12-year-olds, while Garden Park is anticipated to feature barbecue areas, shade structures, a cutting garden and a series of exercise stations providing a convenient way for residents to tone muscles and stay fit.

Riverstone’s dog park is envisioned to include every canine-loving amenity imaginable—from an abundance of trees and dog fountains to open-space areas ideal for running, frolicking and Frisbee catching. The dog park will feature separate areas for small dogs and big dogs, both with their own separate, gated entry. The separation will help ensure that both the dogs and their owners are able to enjoy a better, safer park-going experience.

Situated in the heart of the region’s path of growth, Riverstone—when complete—will total approximately 6,578 single-family, attached and multi-family homes, as well as commercial and mixed-use space including office, service and retail. Amenities at Riverstone are anticipated to include walkable neighborhoods with 200 acres of public and private parks and open space reserves, an extensive trail network, on-site schools, and a nearby stretch of the San Joaquin River and adjacent lake.

Founded in 1996, Broussard Associates Landscape Architects is an award-winning Clovis, California-based office providing landscape architectural services throughout the West. As landscape architects and urban designers, the firm truly understands the importance of design in today’s urban context—it begins with an emphasis on community and client needs, environmental sensitivity, human scale, open space, and a desire to connect people and place.

For more information about the new-home community of Riverstone and its first collections of homes, homebuyers are encouraged to visit the community’s website at www.RiverstoneCA.com and add their name to the Interest List.




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