Projects: Residential

A master-planned community, The Woodlands will comprise residential, recreational, commercial, and industrial development. Over 1,300 single-family residential homes and a complex of multi-family homes will be constructed. The homes will be based around two 18-hole regulation golf courses, one 9-hole executive golf course, neighborhood and public parks, pedestrian and equestrian trails, and open space. A 1,600 square foot community center featuring tennis courts and a swimming pool is included. A business/industrial park, a wastewater treatment plant, water reclamation and production facility, a village center featuring shops and restaurants, and a semi-highrise resort hotel with swimming pool are also planned. The project includes utility installation and roadway construction. Earth Systems Pacific performed a soils engineering investigation which entailed site reconnaissance, field exploration, laboratory testing, and geotechnical analysis of the data. We provided geotechnical recommendations for site preparation, grading, utility trenches, retaining walls, pavement sections, site drainage and finish improvements. Under construction as of 2003, the project has involved mass grading of large acreage, cuts and fills from 3 to 10 feet, and up to 30 feet for retaining wall areas. Our certified technicians and inspectors have perfomed grading observation and testing, foundation observations, and testing of construction materials at our in-house laboratory. A time frame of nearly 20 years is anticipated to complete all proposed phases.

Tumbling Waters Condominiums, Orcutt Road, San Luis Obispo

Consisting of 178 units configured from single units to nine-plexes, the Tumbling Waters condominiums are two- to three-stories structures above a basement garage. The garage level extends 3 to 5 feet below surrounding grade. A single-story community center is also included in the project. As a landscape feature and potential noise barrier, a berm approximately 8 feet high was constructed. An existing creek that bisected the site was filled to accommodate the extension of adjacent roadways. A new trapezoidal channel was created to accommodate drainage that previously flowed along the creek and box and arch culverts were constructed for channel crossings. Two detention basins 3 to 4 feet deep were also constructed. Our personnel conducted soils engineering investigations, geologic studies, and an environmental assessment and monitoring program for the project. Primary concerns regarding construction at the site were variable soils, expansive soils, and liquefaction potential. Geotechnical recommendations developed to address these concerns included site preparation and grading, utility trench backfill, conventional reinforced mat foundations and continuous and spread foundations, retaining walls, pavement sections, and drainage around improvements. Our certified technicians and inspectors performed observation and testing of soils during rough grading, on-site improvements, and off-site improvements; concrete testing and special inspection for site improvements; foundation excavation observation; and testing and special inspection of concrete, reinforcing steel, and post-tensioning for the structures.

Belmont Village Assisted Living Facility, San Jose

Belmont Village Assisted Living Facility is a 180,000 square foot, seven-story post-tensioned reinforced concrete structure for senior housing. The facility also has a subterranean parking structure. Our personnel provided geotechnical engineering services with recommendations for the foundation of the structure including the subterranean parking structure. The first three floors of the building are constructed of heavily reinforced structural concrete. The third through the seventh floors are post-tensioned reinforced structural concrete design. There is also a steel frame penthouse and roof system constructed on top of the concrete structure. Our personnel provided special inspections during construction of the project including reinforcing steel placement, structural concrete placement, post-tension stressing inspection, shop and field welding inspection, fireproofing inspection, and laboratory quality control testing of the concrete.

Joshua Ranch Residential Development, Palmdale

DeVaul Ranch, Los Osos

The DeVaul Ranch property is the site of a residential subdivision comprising 96 single-family residential lots, along with 31 zero-lot-line residential lots, 24 duplexes, a large parcel for an apartment complex, and a public park. Madonna Road was extended in a southwesterly direction, and additional improvements included the construction of several interior roads providing access from Madonna Road, and two drainage basins. Our personnel performed a soils engineering investigation which included review of previously developed geotechnical data, general site reconnaissance, field exploration, laboratory testing of soil samples and geotechnical analysis of data. Preliminary geotechnical recommendations were presented for site preparation, grading, utility trenches, foundations, slabs-on-grade and exterior flat work, retaining walls, pavement sections, and site drainage and finish improvements.

Senior Housing Project, Park Street, Paso Robles

The Paso Robles Senior Housing Project comprises 40 apartment units surrounding a central courtyard, with a clubhouse on the ground floor of the southeast corner of the complex. The structures are three-story and are of stud construction with continuous and spread foundations, and slabs-on-grade. Two stairways and an elevator provide access. An asphalt concrete parking lot is also included. Our personnel conducted a soils engineering investigation entailing site reconnaissance, field exploration, laboratory testing, and geotechnical analysis of data. The original report was subsequently undated, and our personnel provided geotechnical analysis and recommendations to address current standards. Preliminary geotechnical recommendations for site preparation, grading, utility trenches, foundations, slabs-on-grade, retaining walls, pavement sections, and drainage were developed. Primary geotechnical concerns were the potential for hydroconsolidation and the corresponding potential for settlement, and the erodible nature of the soil. To mitigate these potential effects, a program of overexcavation, moisture conditioning and recompaction of the upper soils was recommended. During construction, we performed construction testing and inspection services such as grading observation and testing, foundation excavation observations, and special inspection and testing.

Ardenwood Forest, Fremont

Ardenwood Forest is a community in northern Fremont that is presently under development. The project involves residential units, research and development, and light industrial uses, schools, overpasses over the railroad tracks, bridges, and utility realignments. The area involved is approximately 826 acres. Specialized investigative techniques that were used on this project included a review of historical maps and records of the site and vicinity; study of air photos from 1954 to identify buried stream channels; a cone penetrometer exploration program; and special studies relative to settlement of the overpasses and approach fills.

Ritter Park Development, Palmdale

Ritter Park is an 11,000-acre master planned community located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains south of Palmdale, California. The project will contain approximately 7,500 residential units, shopping centers, community activity centers, educational facilities, and associated infrastructure. Project terrain includes steep hillsides, the San Andreas Fault, soft alluvial soil, and areas of high groundwater. Primary concerns with development of this site included slope stability, hazards related to ground rupture and seismicity associated with the San Andreas Fault, hydroconsolidation, liquefaction, and expansive soils. Our geotechnical engineering and engineering geology studies addressed these concerns by extensive subsurface investigation by various drilling techniques (including downhole logging and video logging of borings), several miles of trenching for fault hazards, aerial photo reconnaissance, surface mapping, and geophysical exploration.

Residential Development Projects