Sandpoint Downtown
Waterfront Vision Plan
2023 | Sandpoint, IDwith GGLO
The Sandpoint Downtown Waterfront Vision Plan proposes a united vision that seamlessly connects the historic Downtown core with the waterfront of Sand Creek and Lake Pend Oreille while strengthening the community’s vibrant character and identity. Comprehensive updates to streetscapes, parks, and design guidelines within the Downtown work together with rewilding initiatives along the waterfront to create an urban landscape where both people and the environment can thrive. With an interdisciplinary team of designers, engineers, artists, and ecologists, our approach was to amplify and enhance the existing qualities that define Sandpoint rather than force an alternate vision of what it should be. This plan was conceptualized as “The Blue Necklace,” a uniting thread that ties together the many jewels of Sandpoint and polishes them so they shine even clearer. The Blue Necklace manifests itself as an art- and nature-filled path that links together the Downtown, winding from the Granary District in the west to the tip of City Beach on Lake Pend Oreille in the east. A flowing trail of sky-blue camas flowers and native meadow grasses punctuated by carefully considered artworks and interpretive displays guides users on their journey through Sandpoint.
This Vision Plan proposal was selected as the winner following three stages of design in an international design competition. GGLO served as design lead for the team and was supported by Bernardo Wills Landscape Architects, Welch Comer Engineers, artist Sarah Thompson Moore, ecologist Erin Plue, and sustainability expert Greg Moller.
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This project was selected as the winner of the Sandpoint Envisioning Place Downtown Waterfront Design Competition. The project team was led by GGLO (Mark Sindell, Samantha Jesser, Josiah Brown) with support from Bernardo Wills Landscape Architects (Dell Hatch, Julia Culp), Welch Comer Engineering (Phil Boyd, Matt Gillis), ecologist Erin Plue, artist Sarah Thompson Moore, and sustainability specialist Greg Moller. I served in the role of project manager and contributed as the primary author of the site plans, diagrams, collages, City Beach aerial rendering, and the design report and presentation boards and accompanying narrative and descriptive text. I also aided in the production of the Sand Creek and Bridge Street Underpass renderings.
A link to the official City competition website can be found here.