Lookout Point-St. Joseph, Michigan

Spectrum Lakeland, previous Lakeland Regional Health System, discovered a housing shortage in the St. Joseph, Michigan area, which made hiring and retaining talented staff and marketing the area to potential new hires difficult. In an effort to provide safe, affordable housing options, Lakeland redeveloped a former unused nursing home site, centrally located to area hospitals, medical offices, and laboratories, into high-quality, short-term housing for their staff and those in residency at the hospital. 

Lakeland reached out to Wightman to provide landscape architectural services for the location, including working with the building architect on the site layout and development; the installation of pedestrian amenities including benches, play fields, and street lighting; site landscape; and the creation and development of a kid-friendly playground. Key to the success of the project was the ability to maintain the beautiful, sweeping view of Lake Michigan across the street.  Wightman's design, which included high quality landscaping and thoughtful site placement, set the tone for the development while still being easy to maintain.