Houston Commercial Landscaping Case Study: Rockstar Energy Bike Park
Revitalization efforts are some of the most exciting projects we get to be involved with. There’s nothing quite like watching a space be transformed in a way that not only makes it more usable and also brings people to the area in a positive way.
This Rockstar Energy Bike Park project is a great example of commercial landscaping in Houston, TX that allowed us to be part of a greater effort to make a real difference in the community.
It All Began with Another Houston Commercial Landscaping Project
The roots of this BMX park can be traced back to another project that we completed in the area. We handled the commercial landscaping for a skate park and an adjacent accessible playground for children with special needs (Dylan Park).
Both of these projects are in an area near north Houston—a place where there was really no reason to come and hang out previously.
The addition of the skate park and the playground were a vital step in revitalizing the area and bringing purpose to the community. Suddenly kids had a clean, safe, and active way to spend their time in the beautiful skateboarding park and on the accessible playground.
But it wasn’t long before the BMX bikers began speaking up that they wanted a space where they could bike. The district listened to their voices and began formulating plans for a BMX park.
That’s when the Rockstar Energy Bike Park was born.
The goal was to create a space where BMX could truly be celebrated with all types of tracks. The district wanted to create a premier park that could help draw people to the area in a positive way—much like the skate park and playground did.
Adding Greenery to Enhance the Appeal
In terms of exactly what Yellowstone Landscape handled on this project, we installed everything that wasn’t part of a BMX track. That included the trees, shrubs, turf, and the irrigation system throughout the park as well as the parking lot areas. This greenery helped to really bring the space to life and soften the look of all the paving, tracks, and BMX apparatus.
As the project was underway, Rockstar, the Energy Drink company, signed on to become involved. In stepping up and putting naming rights on the park, they also assisted in paying for it. The park has a competition stadium that can seat up to 3,500 spectators. Since opening, it has since been recognized internationally as a premier BMX sports venue.
The park has everything from dirt tracks to pump tracks to bowls, truly celebrating “all things BMX” as was the original goal.
In fact, Rockstar Energy Bike Park is the largest BMX bike park in the nation.
The 30-acre bike park was actually scheduled to host the 2020 UCI BMX World Championship, but had to postpone that event due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Regardless, it remains open for bikers of all skill levels.
Overcoming Challenges on a Large-Scale Project
Any time that we’re working on a massive project with a lot of moving parts, there’s quite a bit of coordination and care required. That was the case for this Houston commercial landscaping project.
Between working with the course designer and coordinating with all of the crews that were in and out of the park, it had to be a fine-tuned operation. Every time that we’re working on a large-scale project, there are a lot of deadlines to meet so that we’re helping maintain the project timing. We understood that we had to work around track and course installation while still making sure that we hit our deadlines.
Thanks to lots of planning and thoughtfulness, this project went smoothly and we wrapped up the landscaping in time for the big grand-opening ceremony.
Upon finishing the landscape installation, we transitioned seamlessly into maintenance. All of the beautiful greenery that we meticulously installed now had to be maintained in order to protect the investment.
We began a two-year maintenance contract with the client and come in weekly to make sure that the irrigation system is functioning optimally (making tweaks and adjustments as they’re needed), mowing the grass, trimming trees and shrubs if it’s needed, and just making sure that everything continues to look well-groomed and perfectly presentable.
We go into the park every Tuesday morning while it’s closed for maintenance. This helps us to keep Rockstar Energy Bike Park looking its best.
A Passion for Revitalization Projects
As we mentioned, we love the opportunity for being involved in efforts that are created to revitalize the communities that we work in. This project was a huge success and the end result has helped bring more business and more opportunity to the Northern part of Houston, TX where previously there was very little going on (and very little to draw people into the area).
This park has been a major success in revamping and reshaping the image of North Houston and we’re incredibly proud to have been part of the effort.
While this is an incredibly unique project, the same principles that we use in any commercial landscaping project, in any market that we work in, can be applied. It demonstrates that we utilize out-of-the-box thinking, have the capability to handle big, complex projects, and can work seamlessly with a team of others.
It also demonstrates our passion for being able to truly be an integral part of the communities that we work in. These types of revitalization projects are exciting and inspiring for us as they remind us why we love what we do.
In general, the commercial landscape industry is about making spaces more beautiful and more functional, so that they can truly be used to the fullest potential. In this case, an unused, unvisited space, was made into something incredibly valuable for the community. In watching the success of this park, and the way that it’s already brought so many opportunities to the area, it reminds us what this work is all about.
We were so proud to collaborate with the designers and engineers at Jones & Carter who helped to make this park a reality. Check out their video about the project to see more of this project.
Do you have a commercial landscaping project in Houston, TX that you’d like to talk about? Request a consultation today. We’ll meet to learn more about your property and its challenges and come up with a comprehensive plan to take care of all of the details for you.
