Cypress Creek Nature Preserve Masterplan
Wimberley Valley Watershed Association, 2019
As perhaps the spiritual heart of Wimberley, The Cypress Creek Nature Preserve Masterplaning process drew out passionate views from residents regarding the appropriate level of development and public use of the preserve. To ensure all voices were accounted for, a lengthy public engagement process was conducted, including two public charrettes, stakeholder meetings, City Council presentations and an online survey. This engagement directly influenced the final plan's recommendations for trail alignment, access points, amenities and signage, among other significant issues.
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The plan was adopted by the City of Wimberley in the Fall of 2019 and is currently being implemented by the City of Wimberley, WVWA and the numerous community partners who contributed to the planning process.
The Cypress Creek Nature Preserve Masterplan is a community-driven recreation and natural resources management plan created in partnership with the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association (WVWA) and the Watershed Alliance, on behalf of the City of Wimberley, Texas. The plan was created to maintain public access to the beloved Cypress Creek Nature Preserve, located at the heart of the idyllic Texas Hill Country City.
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The preserve is in a unique position of being owned by the City of Wimberley, but its Conservation Easement is maintained by WVWA. Due to increasing pressure from tourists, regional development, and upstream water consumption, the City asked WVWA to develop a masterplan that would honor the conservation easement while addressing community concerns of ecological degradation that threatened public access to the preserve.
The plan achieved this goal by formalizing the trail system, removing invasive species, reducing erosion, and outlining a maintenance structure. In the process, the plan identified future amenities and infrastructure that will support the Preserve's mission to provide recreational and educational public space in the heart of Wimberley.
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Livable Oak Hill Community Transportation Plan
Save Oak Hill, 2018-19
The Livable Oak Hill Community Transportation Plan was in developed in 2019 for the Save Oak Hill community organization and its partners. The plan was presented to CAMPO, Austin City Council, and other transportation authorities as a livable alternative to TxDOT's proposal for an elevated, 12 lane highway which would divide the Oak Hill community for generations, cause serious ecological damage to an aquifer recharge zone and further entrench car dependency in the region through induced demand. The plan was developed collaboratively with the community and partner organizations ​to reflect Oak Hill's desire for multimodal connectivity, the protection of natural resources, and the development of a walkable town center.
The plan proposed the creation of a local-access boulevard, improvements to highway crossings, protected bicycle lanes throughout and a high-capacity multi-use path to ease congestion on the existing highway and improve local connectivity for local residents. These improvements created the conditions for development of walkable commercial and residential areas, as well as the creation of the Williamson Creek greenbelt. It achieved TxDOT's goal of improving overall transportation capacity while averting the need for a massive increase in highway capacity and while protecting Austin's invaluable natural resources.
Brewshed Alliance Partners Map
Wimberley Valley Watershed Association, 2019
The Texas Brewshed Alliance was created by the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association to connect the thriving Craft Brewery scene in Texas with organizations which seek to protect beer's main ingredient - clean water.
In 2019, AlvaradoWorks created a map and marketing material for the public launch of the Brewshed Alliance initiative. The map demonstrates all of the Craft Breweries in the alliance in the context of their respective watersheds throughout Central Texas.
The map and marketing material was used to educate the public about the importance of clean water for the continued ​success of craft breweries, and the region at-large. As one of the country's fastest growing areas, many new residents are unaware of the productive yet fragile groundwater resources that have supported human activity in Central Texas for thousands of years. By visually connecting a favorite libation with the ecological health of the region, the Brewshed Alliance hopes to spread political support for clean water as the region continues to grow.
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Pilot Point Trails Plan, 2018,GrantWorks, Inc
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As Associate Planner at GrantWorks, Inc, Daniel ​worked with his colleague Nathalie Booth to create a multi-modal trails plan for the City of Pilot Point, Texas. The City is located roughly 45 minutes north of Dallas, adjacent to Lake Ray Roberts and Ray Roberts Lake State Park. The city's scenic location, rapid housing development and the region's equestrian culture inspired leaders to commission an ambitious trails plan that would link existing recreational trails to a comprehensive, multi-modal system that would enable locals and visitors alike to ride horses, bikes or travel by foot throughout the city and into the surrounding countryside.
The plan leveraged existing unused right-of-way, greenfield development plans and green infrastructure corridors to lay out a four-phase plan, complete with trail design guidelines, funding sources and an implementation plan. Daniel was the primary creator of the plan map, including alignment and phasing, as well as the trail design guidelines.
In partnership with the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association, our studio produced alternative development schemes for residential community set to be constructed on a environmentally sensitive tract of land near Jacob’s Well, a prominent spring in the Texas Hill Country. To prevent further stress on the Trinity Aquifer, the client requested that the roughly 500 unit development be water-neutral and as environmentally integrated as possible.
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Arroyo Crossing
Wimberley, Texas. UT School of Architecture, 2017
Daniel's team presented Arroyo Crossing, a water-centric ecovillage anchored by the Hill Country Living Center, a proposed environmental education and resource hub. Additionally, low-cost "Art Barns" line the main highway to create affordable studio and gallery space for Wimberley’s vibrant and growing art community.
Daniel created the hand renderings, maps and cross-section illustration among other components of the project.
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