At more than one-million square feet, the former Portland Meadows horseracing track, now called Prologis Meadows since San Francisco-based Prologis acquired the property for $48.8m in 2019, will soon transform into one of the area’s largest business parks and green zones.
In line with Prologis’ sustainability benchmarks, the DeSantis landscape construction team, partnering with general contractors, Perlo and Sierra, met cumulative LEED goals, including minimizing environmental impacts, reducing energy demand and the urban heat island effect, and contributing to environmentally beneficial improvements in water efficiency, rainwater conservation and groundwater quality.
“The project is not only one of the largest in our current portfolio, but one of the largest in Oregon, so execution is key,” said DeSantis project manager, Kyle Glynn. “We know our client is looking for both scale and speed so the depth of our green build expertise, our relevant experience in sustainability, and the discipline we bring to the job really serves us well.”
The DeSantis piece included reclamation efforts to protect, restore and enhance the functions of the flood prone watershed and reforest the site to encourage greater biodiversity.
Overall, DeSantis installed more than 126,000 plants, including a targeted network of more than 1,700 trees – dominated by the dramatic seasonal foliage of European hornbeams, black tupelos, northern red oaks, American elms, Japanese Zelkovas, incense cedars and Pacific red cedars; 30,000 linear feet of irrigation, and six acres of swale filtration systems and raingardens to improve stormwater management.
“Greater Portland’s rivers and streams and its floodplain exist in a state of constant ecological change,” said Kyle. “In terms of soil, drainage and habitat, these areas are strategic environmental buffers. Our job is essentially to make sure that the constructed landscape grows into its role as the anchor of a healthy ecosystem.”
“As we all become more aware of the global implications of landscape practices on the environment, we’re looking forward to our next step: taking care of the landscape and implementing smarter ways to reduce storm water pollution, create pollinator habitats, and improve opportunities for our community to interact with nature,” said Kyle.
To learn more about DeSantis’ green site infrastructure, sustainable landscape and urban reforestation projects and its work on one-of-a-kind developments, go to www.desantislandscapes.com or contact Kyle Glynn, at (503) 782-7356.