A downtown forest could sprout around the Federal Office Building, The Plain Dealer reported August 1, 2006

A plan calls for dozens of trees, a serpentine walk and new lighting in the plazas that flank the building, which houses 4,000 workers at East 9th Street and Lakeside Avenue.

The urban-forest design, estimated to cost $15 million, would be a counterpoint to the open green spaces that dominate nearby malls. The General Services Administration hopes to have it done by late 2009.

Three kinds of trees - sugar maple, American elm and shumard oak - will be laid out in a pattern that mimics the building's structural grid. They would provide a buffer from lake winds and the summer heat.

Updates

The site will be designed by Richard Fleischman Architects with artist Pae White. Susan Miller writes a nice summary of the design plans at RealNeo.