MEA Profiles: Kenneth R. Grisewood, LLA, RLA, PP, Vice President, Principal

Kenneth Grisewood is Vice President and Principal at Menlo Engineering Associates, Inc. 

Ken received his Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Kentucky and joined Menlo Engineering in 1993.  A member of the American Society of Landscape Architects since 1985, Ken is a licensed Landscape Architect in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Kentucky, and is also a licensed Professional Planner in New Jersey.  Ken has 37 years of experience as a Landscape Architect, Environmental and Regulatory Permit Specialist, and Project and Construction Manager.

Ken leads Menlo Engineering’s team of talented landscape designers and planners from initial conceptual planning to project landscape and lighting design to providing expert testimony and construction review.  Ken is also the firm’s resident environmental and regulatory permit specialist.  His responsibilities include environmental impact analysis, wetland evaluation and delineation, and natural resource inventories and endangered species reports, as well as overseeing the associated development permitting process requirements.  Nearly every one of the firm’s projects goes through Ken and his group as they work out the feasibility and concept designs and then finalize the visual appeal of the project.  Some of Ken’s more notable work includes:    

• Lincoln Harbor Waterfront, Weehawken, NJ:  Landscape architecture design of two public waterfront walkways with pedestrian spaces, including geometric layout, grading, paving patterns, planting layout, and details.  Project objectives included the development of a central plaza to be used as a community gathering space for festival events, the provision of ample seating areas for viewing the Hudson River, and a significant tree canopy and plantings for enclosure and climate, as well as a south park plaza for a passive recreation space and experience garden focused toward children.  The project also included a structural walkway over the water, along with shoreline stabilization, waterfront plantings, and soil enhancement, all regulated by the Hudson River Waterfront and NJDEP Waterfront Development.

• The Plaza at Harmon Meadow, Secaucus, NJ:  Landscape and hardscape renovations, including grading, drainage, lighting, landscape, and details of an existing pedestrian plaza within a mixed-use development.  Project objectives included the critical preservation of the existing mature tree canopy, enhanced decorative lighting and paving, the improvement of the pedestrian circulation pattern, and the provision of a central community multi-use space for weddings, small festivals, and exhibits.  The project was subject to New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (aka New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority) approval and was scheduled so that construction would not impact the existing retailers.   

• Commons at Holmdel, Holmdel, NJ:  The redevelopment of the 145-acre Lily Tulip Facility for a mixed use development, including a 235,000 SF retail facility, a 158-unit age-restricted residential community, a 70,000 SF office complex, a 120-unit assisted living facility, and a 130-bed nursing home.  Ken’s work included the overall Master Plan for the project and his landscape architecture design included a plaza, streetscape design, new boulevard with traffic calming devices and roadway improvement plans as detail elements within the overall site plan. 

• Meadows at Manalapan, Manalapan, NJ:  A 546-unit single and multi-family residential community on a 140-acre site.  Ken prepared the complex General Development Plan that was required for the project and provided the extensive landscape architectural design.   

Ken looks forward to continuing to help Menlo Engineering’s clients see their projects through to successful completion, from initial conceptual planning to design and final aesthetics.