Laurel Highlands Visitor Center Feasibility Study

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Client

Project Description

As part of the PA DCNR’s Laurel Highland conservative landscape effort, EPD is working with the Pennsylvania Environmental Council to complete a multi-pronged feasibility study. The study assessed the feasibility of market, facility, operation, maintenance, and site choices for a Visitors’ Center in the Laurel Highlands. During the feasibility study process, technical analysis was paired with input sessions and review meetings conducted among local and regional stakeholders. Evaluating facility design options, management, and operations scenarios with sustainability metrics are embedded into the entire process. Metrics were compared between potential site options from the perspectives of development cost, traffic safety and visibility.

At the study’s outset, nine precedent visitors’ centers of regional landscape/cultural interest were “benchmarked” for their innovation in sustainable strategies. The takeaways informed the Center’s programming, design, operations, and management scenarios. From studying potential spatial relationships of different scaled building scenarios, and identifying how the potential design elements serve future visitors, the Feasibility Study presented a range of building square footages, amenities and site configurations for decision. Furthermore, the study assessed the feasibility of five sites based on a range of metrics, including environmental impact, visibility, pad readiness, pedestrian safety, and potential cost.