The Village at Mendota Heights

The “Village at Mendota Heights” is a mixed-use development with over 100,000 sf. of mixed-use retail and office space, and includes approximately 135 new housing units. The Village design draws on the successful mixed use, pedestrian friendly environment of the classic 1914 “Market Square” plan of Lake Forest, Illinois, designed by Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw. Like Lake Forest, this project reflects the desire of civic leaders who wished to creatively integrate lifestyle living, shopping and working into a cohesive village, connecting people with one another again.
As the landscape architect, we led the site design through our efforts in defining urban design goals, enhancing the community’s vision, developing the village character, and collaborating with the developer, city, and design team to insure consistency in the project’s pedestrian friendly design and aesthetics. Locally harvested limestone blocks are used throughout the village water features and landscape, helping to define all outdoor patios. Landscaping is used to direct pedestrian flow, trees and street lights march down the sidewalk developing a consistent rhythm for the development.