VIA PRINCESSA PARK
Santa Clarita, California

Project Background:
Via Princessa Park is a Measure-W Clean Water Act project that focuses on providing recreation in addition to promoting water education throughout the site through methods of stormwater management. This site was selected for its infiltration capabilities and it’s proximity to Santa Clara River. This project showcases PCLD’s master planning and project visualization capabilities in combination with interdisciplinary and inter-agency coordination capacity.

Design:
The park will house four lit multi-purpose fields surrounded by a system of accessible pathways and stormwater swales that will convey runoff to an underground BMP on site. The existing Honby Channel, located to the west of the site, will undergo a habitat restoration and be incorporated into the stormwater improvements. Instances of engaging educational art around the park reference the 8’ diameter corrugated infiltration gallery pipes in the subgrade BMP. Many other public art and wayfinding elements will tie into the requirements for Measure-W’s education on site, engaging users in local hydrologic cycles through a story-telling manner. A ground plane water cycle interpretive design will be located within the North Plaza area. Passive edges of the park include stormwater swales that provide opportunities for natural play, rock seating, expanses of native and adaptive planting, gathering nodes, vegetated turf buffers and sturdy concrete amenities. Additionally, a river-themed formal playground will be centrally located adjacent to the entry plaza, and a second natural playground will be located on the peninsula between Honby Channel and the Santa Clara River. A large bank liner around the fields provides fire access and gives park-goers room to move around the site naturally and freely, evoking a water-like flow.