We recently had the honor of bestowing Conservation@Work certification on the newly-constructed Downers Grove Civic Center! This high-profile public space is serving as a beautiful example to other municipalities, park districts, and residents of how incorporating native landscaping can increase visual appeal, provide habitat, save money, and improve the visitor and employee experience. Jason Michnick, Environmental Sustainability Coordinator at the Village of Downers Grove, was kind enough to share some of the interesting details and lessons learned through the design and installation of the native plantings and other conservation-minded approaches that have earned this site a Conservation@Work certification.
What made Downers Grove decide to incorporate native landscaping into the new Civic Center plans?
The Village has been making a concerted effort to increase native landscaping on Village-owned property for more than a decade. In total, there are now 27 areas where the Village has installed native landscaping. These include naturalized detention areas, rain gardens, and pollinator gardens. The Village also has stormwater programs that help residents install bioswales and incentivize rain gardens. Given this history, native landscaping was a natural decision when designing the Civic Center. With the adoption of our Environmental Sustainability Plan, the Village is actively working to set an example for sustainability in the community. The Civic Center is just one example of this and a great demonstration of how incredible native landscaping can look when well-planned and intentional.
How many plants were installed as part of this project, and was any turf grass or other plant material removed?
Construction of the Civic Center was completed in 2024 with landscaping being installed in the fall of 2024 and spring of 2025. Below is a summary of the number of species and individual plants that were planted on site:
Since this was new construction, there wasn’t any turf grass removed. Less than 10% of the site utilizes an eco-seed mix of deeper-rooted grasses. The remaining portion of the site that is not building or parking lot (permeable pavers) is landscaped.
The Civic Center also has two green roofs that are planted with a mix of sedums, alliums, and sedges.
What benefits have you seen from having done this project?
We are still in the first year since installing the landscaping, but we have already seen an abundance of wildlife converge on the Civic Center. Throughout the spring, summer, and early fall we have seen multiple species of bees, lots of monarch and swallowtail butterflies, and even goldfinches perched on coneflowers. The grounds have also evolved throughout the seasons as plants flower at different times and the color palette changes. It has certainly been a benefit to the experience of walking into the building for staff, residents, and guests.
Since the site was designed to meet the Village’s stormwater management requirements, we have not had flooding issues. However, the site was designed with multiple rain gardens and permeable pavers to manage more stormwater on site, and improve water quality of runoff entering the St. Joseph Creek watershed.
Any lessons learned that you’d want to pass on to others interested in a project like this?
While creating our recently adopted environmental sustainability plan, we learned that improving biodiversity and finding ways to give back to nature were important values to residents. The design of public spaces, such as the Civic Center, was an opportunity to speak to those values of the community. Beautiful public spaces can bring a sense of pride to residents and employees.
There can also be a misconception of what “native” looks like and the design of the Civic Center grounds was an opportunity to educate residents on the possibilities of what native landscaping can look like. The Village benefited from being able to develop a cohesive vision and design of the Civic Center campus together, but that isn’t the only way to bring a public space to life. We’re now working to take what we’ve learned at the Civic Center and incorporate it into the design of our downtown streetscape and other public spaces.
What partners in this project would you like to acknowledge and recommend?
The initial landscape design plan was put together by Hitchcock Design Group. The Village also contracts with HLR for ongoing maintenance. HLR is also the Village’s contractor for our residential bioswale program and other natural areas.
Congratulations to the Village of Downers Grove on a beautiful project and for their Conservation@Work certification at the new Civic Center! If your organization has ideas for partnering with The Conservation Foundation, we’re always happy to hear from you! Please contact [email protected].