Topo d'Oro Landscape Design
(847) 387-9509
Bluff & Ravine

Landscape Design & Build in Highland Park, Illinois

Call (847) 387-9509Request a Design Consultation
Landscape design and build project by Topo d'Oro in Highland Park, Illinois

Highland Park has the most technically demanding terrain and the most specific slope regulations on the North Shore. A 100-foot bluff runs along six miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, deep wooded ravines extend up to a mile inland, and elevations range from 580 to 725 feet. The City's Steep Slope Zone caps decks in the zone at 150 square feet per application and 300 square feet total per lot, prohibits substantial earth moving, requires a vegetation plan that keeps tree crown cover on the slope at 40 percent or above, and requires certification by a licensed professional engineer. Topo d'Oro designs to those rules rather than around them.

Services

What we build in Highland Park

  • Landscape Design

    Custom landscape design for Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicago's North Shore. AutoCAD site plans, 3D renderings, planting design and full build documentation.

  • Hardscaping

    Natural stone patios, walkways, driveways, retaining walls and stone fireplaces built for Chicago freeze-thaw. Serving Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicagoland.

  • Decks & Pergolas

    Custom cedar and ipe decks, pergolas, railings, fences and privacy screens built in-house. Iron and woodwork for Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicagoland.

  • Outdoor Living

    Custom outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, fire pits and rooftop terraces designed and built for Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicago's North Shore.

  • Lighting & Water

    Low-voltage LED landscape lighting, color-changing systems, fountains and ponds designed and installed for Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicago's North Shore.

  • Artificial Turf

    Professional artificial turf installation for lawns, pet areas, putting greens and rooftops in Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicagoland. Built on a drained base.

  • Commercial Landscaping

    Commercial and association landscaping across Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicago's North Shore. Grounds care, hardscape restoration, drainage and entrance work for property managers and condo boards. Call (847) 387-9509.

  • Snow & Ice Management

    Snow plowing, sidewalk clearing and ice management for residential and commercial property across Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicago's North Shore. Seasonal contracts. Call (847) 387-9509.

The Steep Slope Zone, in plain terms

Article XIX of the Highland Park zoning code governs the ravines and bluffs where soils may be unstable, and it is unusually prescriptive. Earth moving is prohibited except the minimum required for building foundations, driveways, drainage control structures and immediate yard areas — substantial earth moving is prohibited outright. Structures generally may not be built in the zone at all.

The exceptions are exactly the things a landscape firm builds: retaining walls for slope stabilization, stairs, walkways, and small decks capped at 150 square feet per application and 300 square feet total per lot. Vegetation removal requires a permit from the City Forester and may not reduce tree crown cover on the slope below 40 percent. Permit submittals require geotechnical reports, earth moving plans with topographic survey, hydrological control plans, vegetation plans, and certification by a licensed professional engineer.

Read that list again and the design brief writes itself. On a Highland Park slope you are not designing a backyard. You are designing a stabilized, drained, accessible slope that happens to be beautiful — and you are documenting it to an engineering standard.

Trees, surveys and what gets counted

A tree removal permit is required for trees greater than eight inches DBH, and tree surveys must document all trees six inches in diameter or larger within the construction zone, with species, size, location and condition. Dead, dying, diseased and hazardous trees are exempt from permit fees but still require documentation.

Removing a healthy tree during construction can trigger both tree removal fees and a replacement requirement. Applications need two copies of site plans with the tree survey plus a tree protection fence plan. On a wooded ravine lot that is real survey work, and it belongs at the front of the project rather than at the permit counter.

Jens Jensen's town

Jens Jensen — the Prairie School's defining landscape architect, the person who did more than anyone to establish that Midwestern landscapes should be built from Midwestern material — lived in Highland Park and has multiple registered projects in the city. Frank Lloyd Wright's Willits House, a canonical Prairie School house, is here, and the National Register also includes homes by John S. Van Bergen, Howard Van Doren Shaw, Robert E. Seyfarth and David Adler.

That history is not decoration. It is the reason a native, structurally honest, terrain-led approach reads as correct in Highland Park rather than as a compromise. The City also publishes a Native Ravine Plants for Restoration guide and enforces beach, ravine and bluff regulations under its Lake Michigan Protection Zone, directing owners to the City Forester to determine whether a property needs restoration.

Local detail

Local conditions and village requirements

Steep Slope Zone structures
Retaining walls for slope stabilization, stairs, walkways and small decks are the permitted exceptions — decks capped at 150 square feet per application and 300 square feet total per lot.
Steep Slope Zone earth moving
Prohibited except the minimum required for building foundations, driveways, drainage control structures and immediate yard areas. Substantial earth moving is prohibited outright.
40% crown cover floor
Vegetation removal in the zone requires a permit from the City Forester and may not reduce tree crown cover on the slope below 40 percent. A vegetation plan is required.
Engineering documentation
Permit submittals require geotechnical reports, earth moving plans with topographic survey, hydrological control plans, vegetation plans and certification by a licensed professional engineer.
Tree permits and surveys
Removal permit required for trees greater than eight inches DBH; surveys must document all trees six inches or larger in the construction zone, with species, size, location and condition.
Lake Michigan Protection Zone
The City enforces beach, ravine and bluff regulations for lakefront property and publishes a Native Ravine Plants for Restoration guide.
Where we work

Neighborhoods and areas we serve

  • Ravinia District
  • the lakefront bluff
  • the ravine corridors
  • East Highland Park
  • West Highland Park
Questions

Frequently asked in Highland Park

Can I build a deck on my Highland Park bluff lot?

Within the Steep Slope Zone, small decks are permitted as an exception — capped at 150 square feet per application and 300 square feet total per lot. Larger structures generally may not be built in the zone. Outside the zone the normal rules apply. The first step is establishing exactly where the zone boundary falls on your property.

What is the Steep Slope Zone?

A zoning overlay under Article XIX covering the ravines and bluffs with potentially unstable soils. It prohibits substantial earth moving, generally prohibits structures, and permits a specific short list of exceptions — retaining walls for slope stabilization, stairs, walkways and small decks. Permits require geotechnical reports, hydrological control plans, vegetation plans and certification by a licensed professional engineer.

Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Highland Park?

Yes, for trees greater than eight inches DBH. Tree surveys must document all trees six inches or larger within the construction zone, including species, size, location and condition. Dead, dying, diseased and hazardous trees are exempt from the fee but still require documentation, and removing a healthy tree can trigger removal fees and a replacement requirement.

How much can I clear on a ravine slope?

Vegetation removal in the Steep Slope Zone requires a permit from the City Forester and may not reduce tree crown cover on the slope below 40 percent. A vegetation plan is required as part of the submittal.

Why does bluff and ravine work cost more?

Because it is engineered work. Geotechnical investigation, PE certification, slope stabilization, hydrological control and restricted access all add real cost before a single stone is set. The alternative — building on an unstable slope without that work — costs far more when it moves.

Nearby communities

We also work in

  • Deerfield

    Landscape design, hardscaping, decks, outdoor living and lighting in Deerfield, IL — designed for flat postwar lots, heavy silty clay soils and the Village's tree and drainage requirements.

  • Glencoe

    Landscape design, ravine and bluff work, hardscaping, outdoor living and lighting in Glencoe, IL. Built to the Village's 8-inch tree removal permit threshold.

  • Lake Forest

    Estate landscape design, hardscaping, outdoor living and lighting in Lake Forest, IL — built for a village whose code expects landscape to dominate the improvements.

  • Northbrook

    Landscape design, hardscaping, decks, outdoor living and lighting in Northbrook, IL — designed for postwar lots, mature canopy and the Village's tree protection rules.

Begin your golden sanctuary.

Tell us about the property and how you want to use it. We will walk the site, scope the work and put it in writing.

Call (847) 387-9509Request a Design Consultation