Boulevard – the contemporary, connected community in Dublin, California – has announced an innovative system of 15 pocket parks programmed for diverse uses, including an outdoor co-working space named The Office equipped with technological amenities. Other themed parks include The Kitchen, The Lounge, The Library, The Gym and The Retreat. The result is a network of active urban areas that redefine the forms and functions of parks in an urban masterplanned community.
“As with everything at Boulevard, park space is not an afterthought but a smart network of amenities for wellness and community engagement,” said Brookfield Residential President Josh Roden. “From the co-working-style outdoor office to a hidden fitness zone perfect for yoga, Boulevard’s pocket parks reflect the diverse energy of its residents, all programmed and rendered in contemporary design.”
Exterior conference table designed by Gates and Associates (not at Boulevard). Rendering by Gates and Associates
Boulevard recently opened The Playground, a fun and safe tot-lot. Other pocket parks will open throughout 2019 and 2020, including the linear Greenbelt which links neighborhoods to the parks and to the Iron Horse Trail adjacent to the community. The Boulevard masterplan is by Brookfield Residential and Lennar. It serves the demand for new homes in Northern California’s Bay Area with a planned 1,750 single- and multi-family homes.
“Good planning of outdoor space in compact communities is not about wedging oddly shaped parcels between buildings,” said Melonie O’Sullivan, Associate Principal of Gates and Associates, designer of Boulevard’s pocket parks. “This is a network of themed and furnished outdoor rooms serving a menu of uses proportionate to the privacy of residences.”
No front door at Boulevard is more than a five minute-walk from one park or another. Multi-use trails of decomposed granite and colored paving weave through these spaces, creating a consistent look and feel. Design highlights are below.
The Office
The Office is an approximately 5,000-square-foot, outdoor work area. It includes built-in electricity, individual work desks, an office meeting table, a tech station with high-top bar table, and of course WiFi. (All Boulevard pocket parks have free WiFi.) The Office even includes a tall wall suitable for projecting presentations. It can accommodate up to 30 people at a time.
“The Office is an al-fresco, laptop-ready extension of the home or home-office,” said O’Sullivan. “It brings the co-working concept outdoors in ways familiar to the many creative professionals who live at Boulevard. Among new masterplans it is emerging as a top amenity, especially in tech-savvy regions such as the Bay Area.”
The outdoor furniture of The Office is ergonomic and the park is directly across from The Rec Center, Boulevard’s social hub which includes indoor co-working space (The Loft), a conference room, indoor and outdoor lounges and other spaces complementing the park system.
Network of 15 pocket parks plus Greenbelt at Boulevard. Image by Gates and Associates
The Lounge
This 6,200-square-foot outdoor living room is an extension of residents’ private backyards: a place to read a book by oneself or sit with friends under shade structures, or next to a double-sided fireplace. The ergonomic, European-style furniture of The Lounge includes wavy, organic-shaped concrete benches. A small kids area is to the side.
The Kitchen
At 10,750 square feet, The Kitchen is one of Boulevard’s larger pocket parks. It includes two BBQs, large, family-style dining table, and a dry sink suitable for keeping beverages.
The Playground
Perhaps the most traditional pocket park at Boulevard, The Playground is 4,800 square feet of play structures, tables and chairs, and shading. Although created for children and their parents, The Playground shares the color schemes and paving design of the entire park network.
The Hangout
At 10,670 square feet, The Hangout takes “passive open space” to a new level with a circle of hammocks and Adirondack chairs on a lawn.
The Gym
The Gym is one of several spaces offering exercise or play. Its 6,400 square feet include fitness equipment and artificial turf suitable for fitness activity. Other exercise spaces are The Lawn, which offers both a yoga lawn and a stepped lawn suitable for group classes.
The Hangout includes a circle of hammocks. Rendering by Brookfield Residential
Some of the other 15 pocket parks are: The Library, The Retreat, The Town Square, The Track, The Dog House, The Native Garden, The Rose Garden, The Japanese Garden, The Classic Garden and The Gallery.
The Connected Community of Boulevard
Boulevard is by Brookfield Residential and Lennar. The masterplanned community was conceived with a specific homebuyer in mind: active, urban, connected, progressive. Its inviting design includes a network of pocket parks, pedestrian-friendly streets, an interior trail system, and convenient accessibility to highways 580 and 680 and the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station. Boulevard abuts the Iron Horse Regional Trail, a scenic 32-mile regional park for hikers, cyclists and local equestrians. Also coming soon to Boulevard is a 30-acre community park
