Yarrow Point is a beautiful pocket neighborhood located in the Medina area of Bellevue (see map, left). The community access boat ramp offers resident canoeists, kayakers and (non-motorized) watercrafts unencumbered access to Lake Washington and its scenic vistas just off the shoreline.
The Yarrow Point boat ramp was originally a gravel path leading down to the Lake at the end of a long residential street. Stormwater runoff from the street was a consistent problem, flooding the boat ramp and making it muddy or pedestrians to navigate as they hoisted their boats down to the Lake (see photo, right).
When MacKay Landscape Services first surveyed the scene, the ramp was badly in need of an upgrade. Our challenge was to address the water saturation problem, improve the structural integrity of the boat ramp and devise a drainage solution that would also reflect the natural beauty of the neighborhood.
First, a general contractor was called in to install an entirely new storm drainage system along the main residential street and down the sides of the boat ramp. This initial 
step would more effectively manage and divert rain and stormwater runoff from the road.
MacKay Landscape Services was then brought in to tackle the large patch of mud that the boat ramp had unfortunately become. We started by laying 4″ of crushed rock down the length of the 150ft boat ramp. On top of this layer we installed a Grasspave2 System honeycomb mat (see product sheet, left), which was then filled in with sand. Next step. we covered that layer with a mat of sod, which we manually pressed into the Grasspave2 matrix with a sod roller, to set all layers securely in place.
The crushed rock – Grasspave2 – sod multi-layer structure provides not only permeability to absorb rain and runoff, but also stability and structural integrity of the boat ramp to mitigate potential damage from future runoff and pedestrian impacts (photo, right: view from the Lake, looking up the length of the boat ramp, accessible to non-motorized watercraft and people).
Before & after views of the Yarrow Point boat ramp (photos, below). As you can see, our work offered both a structural and an aesthetic improvement to this beautiful neighborhood, so the community will be able to enjoy it for years to come…
…and! After completion of the boat ramp upgrade, the Town of Yarrow Point loved our concept and results so much, they hired us to install another one at 
Town Hall (photo at right). This installation was not so much to address a drainage issue, but to create a durable strip for handling vehicle traffic and overflow parking, while establishing a more attractive entryway to the town’s center. Both projects were a memorable success.
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