Baseline Commercial and Mixed-Use Development

A new 1,100-acre McWhinney development in Broomfield, Colorado, will promote environmental stewardship and healthy living and foster innovation in community development.

Wenk Associates served as the landscape architect for the parks and open lands master plan for the Baseline development and is continuing to design the first phases of residential development along Sheridan Boulevard as well as the design of the linear park system along Preble Creek. The development’s landscape character will reflect the original high plains landscape, the site’s agricultural and rural past, and the community’s future as a thriving urban center.

Baseline’s parklands will be the development’s primary gathering place for recreation and leisure. The park’s urban promenade will extend to complement the multiple active outdoor uses planned by the future, relocated Butterfly Pavilion. A continuous natural corridor along Preble Creek will provide multiple interpretive opportunities that will extend upstream into the park. Natural areas along the creek, which will integrate a network of secondary and tertiary trails into regional stormwater detention, will provide diverse opportunities for passive recreation. A Great Lawn will be able to accommodate a broad range of passive recreation uses, as well as large community festivals and gatherings. In addition, trails, adventure sports, environmental education areas, picnicking and play areas, water feature, and access to natural pools along the creek are examples of a broad range of uses and attractions that can be accommodated in the Central Park.

As the Baseline development includes the new Butterfly Pavilion site, Wenk Associates frequently collaborated with Butterfly Pavilion staff on the parks master plan. By design, the Butterfly Pavilion will be located within the linear park and is an integral part of activating and experiencing the landscape at Baseline. Wenk Associates collaborated with project stakeholders, including Butterfly Pavilion staff, to create District Pollinator Guidelines for landscape design, installation, maintenance, and monitoring. These guidelines are the of first of their kind in the country for large scale developments. They require designing for and actively managing invertebrates for the health of the ecosystem, and to be internationally promoted as a model for sustainable development.

Project Implementation Status: Construction is underway on West Village, the first 40-acre neighborhood included in the new Baseline plans. It will feature two neighborhood parks, trail corridors, a trailhead, and pollinator friendly streetscapes.  Phase 1 completed fall 2021, Phase 2 under construction. Widening/reconstruction of 1.5 miles of Sheridan Parkway (this is phase 1) completed fall 2021 and includes pollinator and low-water use plantings in rights of way and new medians, while also using landscape as a signature monumentation element to announce arrival to Baseline by demonstrating the community’s unique landscape design philosophy. Construction drawings are complete for East Village, a 60-acre neighborhood which will also feature pollinator friendly streets and multiple pocket-parks. The first phase of the Linear Park, which will include stormwater facilities and Preble Creek, has been approved by the City and will be constructed with adjacent development. Linear Park Phase 2 is currently in design, with Phase 3 design starting early 2022.