Kilroy Sabre Springs is a Class “A” modern work campus in the heart of Northern San Diego. 

Featuring relaxing seating areas, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and a bustling café/bar combo, Kilroy Sabre Springs is a vibrant, eclectic work-life campus for the modern professional. Mindful of the environment, the goal of the property manager is to maintain an eco-conscious, low-maintenance aesthetic on the property. Kilroy Sabre Springs is a “bee-friendly” property and management requests plant material that will encourage the local bee population to visit and nest.

Challenges

When our team assumed maintenance work on the site, red fescue lined the main walkway of the property. The invasive species, while native to the area, looks like a grassy weed and did not represent the fresh aesthetic that the property management desired. To revitalize the area, our team drafted a plan to install new plant material to replace the red fescue; however, during the removal process, they found that the red fescue was planted on a fire lane that no one knew existed. Discovery of the previously unknown fire lane created a need for our team to pivot and develop a creative solution for replacing the red fescue as well as come up with a plan to remove and reinstall the fire lane.

When the property manager noticed a lack of activity in the open space that anchors the main entrances of the two office buildings on the property, they opted to enhance the area to encourage tenants, guests, and visitors to use the outdoor space more frequently. With the impending upgrade of plant material in the open space, the property manager made it very clear that they desired a cohesive design for the property, meaning that much of the existing plant material would need to be replaced.

Solutions

In order to remove the red fescue, our team had to approach the challenge in phases. Phase one required the complete eradication of red fescue on the property. Since red fescue is invasive and will continue to grow back if any is left, the team performed multiple spray kills in the area. Once all the invasive plant material was removed, our team then had to get to work on removing the existing fire lane grid. Once the grid was completely uninstalled, our team decided to regrade the area to lower it and reinstall the grid in the same spot. Posed with the opportunity to select a new ground covering to be installed over the fire lane, our teams recommended Kurapia, a highly versatile, drought-tolerant matted groundcover with white flowers. Kurapia is the ideal solution for the fire lane cover due to its drought-tolerant nature and dense growth rate. Kurapia uses much less water than traditional turf and requires no mowing as it only grows 1”-3” tall. From afar, the Kurapia gives the appearance of lush, green grass.

Designed to accommodate a live/work lifestyle, guests and tenants tend to spend a lot of time in the outdoor space. That being said, to ensure a cohesive aesthetic throughout the 450,000 square foot campus, the property manager requires that all of the outdoor spaces remain well-manicured and cohesive. Our team suggested the installation of drought-tolerant replacements like Black Rose Aeonium, Candelabra Trees, String of Pearls, and Sandpaper Sotols throughout the campus and in planters to meet this need.

LandCare was awarded a NALP Award of Excellence – Silver in 2021 for its work at Kilroy Sabre Springs. For photos and more, please visit the awards photo gallery here.