Title
Canyon Road Median Sustainability Redesign Presentation
Body
In 2022, the Community Services Department, Parks Division developed an Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPM). As part of executing the IPM staff began evaluating existing medians throughout Los Alamos and White Rock with the design goal of reducing water consumption, landscaping intensity, long-term maintenance needs and improving safety for staff and the travelling public, while maintaining the medians. The previous practice was to use herbicide on the median’s cracks and crevices to maintain them. One of the tenets of IPM is to look for design controls to minimize the use of pesticides. Under Task Order No. 3 of Services Agreement AGR22-21c, Huitt-Zollers was engaged to develop design concepts that would emphasize aesthetics while reducing maintenance requirements across the County’s roadway medians.
After the initial presentation to the Parks and Recreation Board in January 2024, the project was paused temporarily due to competing priorities and limited staff time, with work resuming in late 2025. Since restarting, staff has presented preliminary concepts to both the Transportation Board and the Parks and Recreation Board and conducted a two-option community survey that generated 112 responses, providing direction on community preferences. These presentations and the survey served as the primary methods for soliciting public input.
After presentations to the Parks and Recreation Board on August 13, 2026 and the Transportation Board on September 3, 2026, the Canyon Median Design Plan returned to the Parks and Recreation Board for formal action on October 8, 2026. At that meeting, the Board voted to support the Canyon Median Design Plan and recommended that it be forwarded to the County Council for consideration and approval.
During the community survey phase, two distinct design options were presented for public input. Survey responses indicated that community members preferred specific elements from each option rather than favoring one in its entirety. Based on this feedback, the most preferred components were combined into a single unified design. As a result, one consolidated conceptual design is what is being presented to Council.
Landscaping in median areas plays an important role in maintaining the overall image and visual quality of Los Alamos County. Well-designed medians enhance year-round aesthetic interest, highlight community features, provide visual screening, improve traffic calming and safety, support microclimate benefits, model water-wise landscape practices, and reduce long-term maintenance needs. These outcomes form the guiding principles behind the median design effort.
During the initial phase of the project, staff from the Parks Division as well as the Public Works Department evaluated and prioritized medians suitable for low-maintenance redesign. Canyon Road, from Rose Street to 39th Street, was identified as the most appropriate starting location based on existing conditions. These medians have high visibility, require significant labor to maintain, present access challenges due to roadway configuration and traffic volumes, and consist largely of narrow spaces with grass or declining landscape conditions.
The proposed design reflects a consistent, sustainable approach for future median improvements and emphasizes the following principles:
• Reduce water consumption
• Utilize durable, native or regionally adapted plant materials
• Ensure compliance with County and NMDOT standards
• Reduce long-term staff maintenance needs
• Support the Integrated Pest Management Plan
Together, these principles will allow the County to improve the visual quality of medians while lowering irrigation infrastructure needs, decreasing labor demands, and establishing a clear direction for future design decisions.
The Opinion of Probable Construction Cost (OPCC), as estimated by the project’s design vendor, is $546,115. This figure reflects only the construction cost and does not include overhead, contingency, or Gross Receipts Tax (GRT). The estimate is provided for informational purposes only. Approval of construction funding will be requested at a later date.
County staff are presenting this evening to provide Council and the public with an overview of the project’s history, community engagement, and the design principles informing the proposed median design. The presentation outlines work completed to date and introduces the resulting conceptual design for Council’s consideration as the next step in the project.
Attachments
A- Canyon Median Design Presentation
B- OPCC from Huitt-Zollars