November 10, 2011 – The Cecil Group’s Build Boston Lineup

This year we’re happy to have three Cecil Group staff members presenting sessions at the annual Build Boston Conference in Boston’s Seaport District. Principal Ken Buckland will be presenting Municipal Facilities Plans: Strategies for Success on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 6 PM, Principal Steve Cecil will be presenting Transit-oriented Development: Boston, the Region and Beyond on Friday, November 18, 2011 at 1 PM and Director of Landscape Architecture Erik Bednarek will be presenting Community Sustainability: The Big Picture on Friday, November 18, 2011 at 8:30 am. Click here for more information about Build Boston or to register.

October 31, 2011 – The Cecil Group’s Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest

At The Cecil Group we put our skills to more than just making our cities and towns better places to live. We’re also quite creative in pumpkin carving. Check out the photos from our annual Pumpkin Carving contest, where everyone gathers together and gets one hour to carve their masterpiece. This year’s winner was Steve Cecil, with his 3-dimensional interpretation of our guest judge’s Greek goddess costume. See the photos.

October 7, 2011 – The Cecil Group Presents a Form Based Code Workshop

Steve Cecil and Ken Buckland, Principals at The Cecil Group will be presenting a workshop on form-based codes and other emerging tools to shape downtowns and mixed-use districts on Thursday, October 27, 2011.

Form- based zoning is emerging as a useful method for addressing design and development of buildings in downtowns. Other tools include design review in historic districts, TOD districts, and using 40R. This workshop will describe emerging tools to help shape the design quality of both new development and
adaptive reuse to create the cohesive and vital environments that are key to successful districts. The morning session will focus on form-based codes and the planning techniques that are used to create regulations that merge land use controls and design standards. The afternoon session will explore other methods for physically shaping development to enhance value and the design quality of projects and places. The seminar will include descriptions of Amherst’s current initiative to create form-based zoning districts for two villages as one of the case studies for discussion.

Date: October 27, 2011
Time: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Where: Amherst Town Hall, Amherst, MA 01002

Registration information can be found here.

October 3, 2011 – The Cecil Group at SNEAPA

Cecil Group Principal Steve Cecil will be participating in a panel focusing on design review at this year’s SNEAPA Conference in Providence, Rhode Island. The panel takes place on Friday, October 21, 2011 at 9:15 am.

Design Value That Sticks: Practical Experience with Mandatory and Advisory Design Review

Hear about the practical experiences of programs and communities with mandatory or advisory design review.  The session will cover methods that have worked (and some that have not) to overcome challenges and resistance to design review in communities of all sizes.  Learn how to make the design review process successful in meeting public goals.

• Tim Sheehan, Executive Director, Norwalk Redevelopment Agency
• Elizabeth Hahn, Program Manager, Massachusetts Downtown Initiative
• David Carlson, AIA, AICP, Executive Director, Boston Civic Design Commission
• Steven D. Cecil, AIA, ASLA, President, The Cecil Group

Click here to download the registration form.

September 1, 2011 – The Cecil Group Clambake

View photos from our end of summer outing.

August 15, 2011 – The Canvas is no Longer Blank

View photos of our new entry wall installation.

June 16, 2011 – The Cecil Group up to its Elbows in Chalk

The Cecil Group team spent a couple of beautiful sunny hours putting their skills in urban design, architecture, and graphic design together to translate the Fort Point skyline into a skillfully crafted chalk drawing. View the photos and watch the transformation. Click to see the photos.

June 10, 2011 – Ken Buckland Moderates a Panel at MAPD

Cecil Group Principal, Ken Buckland moderated a session on RFPs and Contracts: Public and Private Sector Perspectives at the Massachusetts Association of Planning Directors (MAPD) Conference on June 10, 2011.

The Massachusetts procurement law under Chapter 30B and its recent amendments directly affects procurement of services by towns and cities – and the consultants who service those cities and towns. This session will provide experts on c.30B to present their thoughts on dealing with the same law from both the public sector and private sector perspectives.

March 31, 2011 – ArtsBoston BosTix Booth Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Having a client in the arts business makes one thing certain – a great ribbon cutting ceremony. From Mayor Menino to Keith Lockhart to Grandma the Clown and so many characters in between, it was an afternoon of fun as The Cecil Group ushered in its newest building to Faneuil Hall. Enjoy these photos and make sure not to skip the cake replica.

View photos from the ribbon cutting ceremony.

March 30, 2011 -  Principal, Ken Buckland to Speak at Residential Design and Construction

Cecil Group Principal, Ken Buckland will be speaking at Boston’s Residential  Design and Construction conference along with Diane Georgopulos of MassHousing. Details below:

Design review for 40B projects
Friday, April 29 | 10:30 am–12:00 noon | CR
The Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP) and the Department of Housing and Community Development commissioned The Cecil Group to develop a handbook for Chapter 40B Project Design Review. The handbook explains how design is considered in the Chapter 40B review process, which subsidizing agencies use to evaluate building and site design of applications for project eligibility. This technical-assistance manual presents the steps of design review and explains an approach to resolution when the proposed design conflicts with the project context. Learn about the design-review regulations and standards, the process that the agencies use to review projects and the handbook.

Speakers
Kenneth Buckland AICP, LEED AP, The Cecil Group
Diane Georgopulos FAIA, MassHousing
Register here to attend Residential Design and Construction. The above session is number B7 under the housing workshops track.

December 15, 2010 – The Cecil Group Honored with Two Planning Awards

The Cecil Group was honored to receive two outstanding planning awards from the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Planning Association for projects in Boston and Lee, Massachusetts. The firm was recognized, along with its clients and project team members at the MA APA annual awards luncheon held this past Friday.

The first award was for the work the firm did for MassDevelopment on the Lee Eagle and Laurel Mills redevelopment studies. This project was led by firm Principal, Kenneth Buckland.

The second award was for a study of the Rutherford Avenue corridor in Boston. The Cecil Group served as the urban designer on a larger project team led by Tetra Tech Rizzo.

December 08, 2010 – The Cecil Group Names Two New Associates

The Cecil Group is pleased to announce it has promoted two individuals to Associates of the firm, Joshua Fiala AIA LEED AP and Valerie Conyngham. Josh is a talented architect and urban designer and brings a strong project leadership to all of his assignments. Valerie serves as the firm’s business and marketing manager and is responsible for overall firm success and directing its marketing strategy. Please join us in congratulating these two deserving individuals for this wonderful achievement.

October 13 2010 – Steve Cecil  Keynotes WTS Transportation Mini Series

Steve Cecil, Principal of The Cecil Group was the Keynote Speaker for the Connecticut Valley Chapter of Women in Transportation’s Mini Series,which was held October 14, 2010.  His talk touched upon how some of Connecticut’s towns and cities are planning for and encouraging multi-modal transportation. He shared the experiences of The Cecil Group’s work in the Town of Stratford and City’s of New Haven, Norwalk, Stamford and New London in developing sustainable design plans for future development within their downtowns and incorporating the area’s history, how businesses and residents function and the various modes of transportation.

October 06 2010 – The Cecil Group Welcomes Erik Bednarek

The Cecil Group is pleased to welcome Erik Bednarek RLA to our growing team of senior professionals. Erik will lead The Cecil Group’s Landscape Architecture and Land Planning practice areas. His background and experience complement The Cecil Group’s design staff and extensive landscape and streetscape portfolio. He was previously Principal of EJB Designs and a Landscape Architect for VHB. In addition to his previous work on public and institutional projects, Erik brings a diverse clientele and experience in landscapes for residential projects, homes, and commercial clients.

September 27 2010 – Introducing our New Website