Tubac Park, planned for a currently empty lot at the entry to Tubac Village, is the first in a series of open spaces envisioned by Santa Cruz County. The 1/3 acre Park serves as a large group space that can be programmed by the County or reserved for special private events. On a daily basis, the park will offer benches and tables for individuals and small groups, bike racks and a drinking fountain, horseshoe and corn hole courts, and informational signage. As a programmed space or during festival time (Tubac festivals can draw 20,000 visitors and up), the Park is designed to accommodate group activities and booths. The pavilion, with surface mounted tables that may be moved for flexibility, provides an adaptable space for a variety of functions, from festival activities to wedding venue and reception space.

Wilder, working as a sub-consultant to Solis Engineering, is providing landscape plans inclusive of shade structure, game courts, seating areas, planting, and lighting. Passive water harvesting is used throughout the park. Wilder developed interpretive signage: one sign highlights the site’s rainwater harvesting basins collecting stormwater from the parking lot and explains how ecologically designed raingardens benefit our desert ecosystem; the second sign illustrates the significance of the Santa Cruz River to the founding and history of Tubac, and guides visitors to the nearby De Anza trailhead which begins at the Tubac Presidio. Dennis Caldwell of Caldwell Design illustrated the signage.

Wilder makes a point to understand local ecology and to express the site’s natural character in design. Wilder conducted an inventory of the site and adjacent undisturbed areas to understand the soil conditions, off-site influences (water run-on, circulation across the site) and the local plant palette. The proposed plant palette contains obtainable species that are local to the site. Seed mix is used in more ‘wild’ areas to provide a greater diversity of plants than is available from the nursery. We worked with the team to make sure included park elements are durable and maintainable over time by County staff. Wilder programmed a variety of activities, including daytime and nighttime uses, to ensure that the space is activated throughout the day and the seasons. We have found this is critical to a space’s success and endurance.