WESTERN LAKES MASTER PLAN

CUDA Studio led a team of consultants (including landscape architects: Human Nature, civil and transportation engineers: AECOM, and retail strategy consultants: Urban Fast Forward) to create a long-term vision for nearly 600 acres of the City of West Carrollton, Ohio.

For many years the properties have been mined, or are currently being mined, for gravel and sand. This process leave sites that are almost entirely covered with water. Despite the past industrial uses of the land, as well as other nearby industrial uses, city leaders wanted a vision for a different, more beneficial future for these properties.

Situated just west of West Carrollton, some of the properties border the Great Miami River and the Great Miami Trail. The properties are accessed by roads with fast-moving truck traffic. An active rail line slices through the land as well. Adding to the complexities of the master planning effort, not all of the land is within the City’s boundaries.

The planning team held stakeholder engagement sessions to gather input on preferred futures, and repeatedly met with city staff and property owners.

The resulting master plan navigates several complexities and offers a vision which can achieve economic and quality of life goals for the entire community. The master plan includes an event center, a boardwalk with shops and restaurants, cabins (both land and water-based), various camping types, soft trails with lake overlooks, multi-use path connections to the Great Miami Trail, water activities, and cultivation of sustainable vegetation throughout.

The master plan is a long-term vision which will take years to achieve. The master plan includes phasing options, financing strategies, and approaches for development and management. When complete, Western Lakes will be a collection of weekend and week-long destinations for recreation, relaxation, retreat, and events in a natural setting.