Selected Projects

GLEN RIDDLE - Berlin, Maryland

Project Description: Glen Riddle is a 1,000-acre planned unit development consisting of 650 single-family, multifamily and townhouse units with amenities that include: 36-hole golf course & clubhouse; 96-slip marina; 14,000 sf recreation and pool facility; F&B space occupied by Ruth's Chris Steakhouse; forest preserve; nature trails; and tennis courts. The entire site was situated in an environmentally sensitive area, thus requiring the creation of significant wetlands mitigation areas, forest conservation areas and the use of a variety of stormwater management facilities. The stormwater management design consisted of 21 watersheds with single and multi-staged storm ponds with multiple forebays and tidal-influenced outfalls. Nutrient reducing grass-lined swales and infiltration basins were utilized in lieu of typical sub-surface drainage structures. The project included approximately 8 miles of sanitary sewer and water distribution line, 4 pump stations with 15 ft. deep drywells and 16,000 linear feet of force main.

Services Provided: Complete project civil engineering, permitting, preparation of construction documents, construction observation, engineering and permitting of roads, sidewalks, sewer, water, stormwater management, erosion & sediment control, grading and drainage.

CROSS COUNTY CONNECTOR TRAIL - Grasonville, Maryland

Project Description: The Queen Anne's County, Maryland Department of Parks & Recreation engaged Vista Design, Inc. to design and engineer this 6,263 linear foot pedestrian/bicycle trail. Funding is to be provided by the Federal Highway Administration's Transportation Enhancement Program (TEP). More than half of the trail is to consist of elevated boardwalks to minimize impact to environmentally sensitive wetlands. Observation decks have been incorporated into the design, as well as timber bridges spanning tidal creeks, which are capable of supporting light vehicular traffic. Much of the trail lies within the R-O-W of heavily traveled U.S. 50, thus requiring creative solutions to traffic/pedestrian conflicts. The stormwater management system consists of grass-lined swales, in addition to a storm drain and drop inlet tying into a pre-existing closed pipe drainage system. The design includes almost 31,000 square feet of landscaped areas, which are to be planted with low maintenance native species.

Services Provided: Profiles, grading & drainage plans, erosion & sediment control plans, landscaping plans, federal and state wetlands delineations, construction cost estimates, specifications and details. Surveying tasks included boundary survey of ± 2 miles of the Maryland State Highway Administration right-of-way, wetlands locations, field run topography, and preparation of base sheets utilized by the design /engineering staff.

BWI WESTIN HOTEL / BWI SHERATON HOTEL – Linthicum, Maryland

Description: These luxury hotels, located near the Baltimore-Washington International Airport, are sited adjacent to one another on parcels totaling 15.5-acres. The site's steep grades in addition to the presence of an existing State Highway Administration stormwater management pond posed many design challenges, which were resolved, in part, with a multi-phased sediment & erosion control plan and innovative stormwater management facilities. The existing SHA pond required redesign and upgrades to conform to current nutrient reduction requirements. Final stormwater design included sub-surface facilities, stormwater pretreatment for nutrient reduction and infiltration basins. Despite the steep gradients, Vista Design was able to optimize the 236,000 sf surface parking lot to yield a quantity of stalls exceeding the required minimum while maintaining compliance with ADA specifications and promoting safe and efficient vehicular and pedestrian flow.

Services Provided: Land planning; civil engineering including sanitary sewer, water distribution, stormwater management, critical area calculations, erosion & sediment control plans and grading plans; construction drawing preparation; permitting; landscape architecture; boundary survey; topographic surveys.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) – NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE (NRCS) – Maryland Statewide

Project Description & Services Provided: Vista Design, Inc. is presently under contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to provide survey services on an indefinite quantity/indefinite delivery basis. The scope of work encompasses boundary surveys of properties to establish rights-of-way and easement boundaries for Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) Easements throughout the State of Maryland. Each survey identifies the control points and lists the project coordinates in Maryland State Plane coordinates (NAD83 feet) or UTM 17 or 18 (NAD83 meters). Additionally, each survey includes the route of ingress and egress to a publicly dedicated right-of-way, metes & bounds descriptions of the WRP Easement Area and access route, establishment of a vertical control point within the easement based on the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD), placement of permanent control markers and witness posts at easement corners, and topographic surveys of the entire easement area with 2-foot contour intervals. All drawings are submitted with adequate detail for contractors to develop bids from quantities and for construction layout.

COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT OCEAN CITY – Ocean City, Maryland

Description: The Courtyard by Marriott Ocean City is a recently completed full-service hotel located in Ocean City, Maryland. The project occupies a 0.9-acre site fronting Ocean City's famous boardwalk and is improved with a single, 4-story, 111,342 sf building containing 50 guest rooms and nine condominiums. The improvements include on-grade covered parking, remote surface parking, heated outdoor pool, full-service restaurant and a large sundeck. Vista Design, Inc. became engineer-of-record during the construction phase and re-engineered the stormwater management system to yield a more efficient and economic model and to obtain the necessary approvals. The stormwater management system consists of bio-retention rain gardens and underground infiltration systems, all of which are compliant with the 2000 Maryland Stormwater Design Manual, Volumes I & II, as well as the Maryland Chesapeake and Atlantic Critical Areas Rules.

Services Provided: Civil engineering including stormwater management; critical area calculations; construction drawing preparation; permitting; boundary survey; topographic survey; existing conditions survey; as-built survey.

TROTTER FARM – Sussex County, Delaware

Description: Trotter Farm is a residential planned community occupying a 140-acre site, with a product-mix consisting of 473 single-family residences, townhomes and condominiums. Trotter Farm has been designed with a centralized network of stormwater management lakes, floodable green space and walking/biking trails, which are anchored on each end by community parks. The active recreation uses were carefully located adjacent to a stream/wetlands preservation corridor. Together, this organization provides centralized pedestrian activities and community linkage with a recognizable neighborhood center and sense of place.

Services Provided: The site plan has been completed and approved by the Delaware Preliminary Land Use Service (PLUS), with other regulatory agency approvals pending. Boundary surveys have been completed as well. Upon receipt of final site plan approvals, Vista Design will commence site engineering, to include stormwater management, erosion & sediment control, sanitary sewer, road design, water distribution and fire protection, as well as all associated permitting and surveying tasks.

MARINE SCIENCE CONSORTIUM PHASES 1 thru 4 – Wallops Island, Virginia

Project Description: The Marine Science Consortium is an educational facility whose main campus is located on Wallops Island, Virginia, adjacent to the NASA/Wallops Flight Facility and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS). The fifteen colleges and universities comprising the Consortium provide educational programs supporting classroom, laboratory and field activities directed toward pre-college, university and Elderhostel students. The project is being undertaken in seven phases, four of which are either presently under construction or have recently been completed. The Phases 1-4 improvements consist of 6 dormitory and classroom/laboratory buildings. Vista Design has been selected to provide surveying services by the two separate general contractors undertaking construction of Phases 1 thru 4.

Surveying Services Provided: Established horizontal & vertical control, building stakeout, curb & gutter stakeout, parking lot stakeout, establishment of benchmarks, and utilities stakeout.

NPDES PROGRAM: STORMWATER MANAGEMENT RETROFIT DESIGN – Charles County, Maryland

Owner: Charles County, Maryland Department of Planning & Growth Management

Description: Vista is presently designing stormwater water quality retrofits to existing untreated impervious surfaces for 9 sites draining a total of 265-acres, with the objective of restoring the watershed by treating the greatest amount of area by the most cost effective methods. All design elements are compliant with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), and will include installation of water quality dry swales, dry wells, wet pond retrofits, open space bio-retention systems—including the proprietary Filtera® system, installation of subsurface water quality and extended detention systems, outfall protection and landscaping. The design process carefully considers the aesthetics and environmental features of the surrounding area, while ensuring that the new measures are easy and cost effective to maintain.

Services Provided: Engineering/design of drainage, stormwater management and sediment & erosion control; permitting; preparation of construction contract documents; wetland permitting; forest conservation; clearing; landscape design; and construction bidding phase support to the county; existing conditions & topographic surveys; ground control for aerial photography/photogrammetry; preparation of easement plats; R-O-W mosaics; metes & bounds R-O-W plats and deed descriptions; and R-O-W stakeouts.