 I grew up in the Finger Lakes area of New York. I graduated from Lansing High and Cornell University and then moved to Venice, Florida. After working for two years in Florida for the oldest family Landscape Architecture and Contracting firm, Reasoner's, I moved to Rock Hill, March of 1979. I am a licensed registered Landscape Architect and a Residential Building Designer and have been in private practice since 1981. I am registered in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. The great percentage of my professional time is devoted to the fields of residential architecture, landscape architecture with all the other environmental affiliations that go with designing on the land. I have served in many different commissions locally and have served the York Soil & Water Conservation District since 1982 and a full commissioner since 1992. I participate in the Nutcracker Ballet with York County Ballet and have been involved with other productions with our church at St. John's. I am a Member of St. John's Methodist Church in Rock Hill. I have a wife, Karen, and we have one daughter, Michelle.  My design philosophy; The designs that evolve are a culmination of a process. The design process starts with listening to the needs and wants of a client. Investigate what will influence the process. Then start with concepts that provide a basis for a continuing process that the client and I will go through on a path to a point in time where the design will stop. Whether the project is a residence, a landscape, or a sculpture, the design process is the same. What a client must keep in mind is that in going through the process we will find solutions that are based on decisions previously made in the process. As an "architect" for a project, I keep in mind the twelve personifications that influence our lives; physics, music, law, medicine, astronomy, writing, drafting, geometry, optics, arithmetic, history, and philosophy. Life has a rhythm; this rhythm is translated by designing with nature. Every facet in our life is touched by a natural environment that changes with time, so in turn the design of project follows a rhythm that has harmony, form, function and will change in time. The other philosophy statement I strive for is "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness through design." The basic nature of man with our environment is to achieve these three God given rights.  The balance of my business time is divided between other volunteer positions as listed below. EDUCATION Bachelor of Science, Cornell University, 1977 Attend continuing education of a minimum of 10 hours per year through various continuing educational venues for ASLA and AIA credits. SELECTED HONORS AND AWARDS IN THE COMMUNITY AND DESIGN PROFESSION A member in good standing of the American Society of Landscape Architects, ASLA, 1982 to the present. Treasurer of the South Carolina Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, 2009. Ex-officio Board Member of the South Carolina Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, 2005 to 2009. Chapter Executive Committee member SCASLA, 1988 - 1994 A participant at the University of Massachusetts first symposium on Computers in Landscape Architecture, 1984 A member of the South Carolina State Board of Landscape Architects, 1989-1993, Chairman, 1992, 1993. A South Carolina delegate to Washington for the legislative fly-in, 1993, 1994 and April 2009 Volunteer for the South Carolina Arts Partnership, Design Week 2008, Certificate of Appreciation April 14, 2008 Member of the U.S. Green Building Council & LEED 2009, (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Associate Conservation Commissioner of York County, SC, 1982-1992 Elected Soil and Water Conservation Commissioner of York County SC, 1992 - 2000, Chairman, 1995-1999 Appointed Commissioner 2001 - present South Carolina Association of Conservation Districts legislative committee, 1995 - 2002 South Carolina Association of Conservation Districts awards committee, 2004 - present South Carolina Association of Conservation Districts, smart growth committee, 2000 York County Committee to formulate Storm-water Management and Soil Erosion ordnances for the county, 1988, 1989 City of Rock Hill, South Carolina, Tree Commissioner, a founding Commissioner, 1988-1993, Chairman, 1992, 1993 City of Rock Hill Empowering the Vision committee Member, Garden City sub-committee, 1987-1988, Designed Master Plan for Greenways. Made major contribution to remove mall covering Main Street and return to a motor vehicle street. City of Rock Hill, sub-committee, Commission on future development and facilities for PRT, 1995 - present Catawba Regional Waste Water Treatment environmental sub-committee Member, 1995-2000. Member and Chairman of Committee for York County for the purpose to preserve land to create a county commission to develop easements and purchase of development rights. 1997 Member of York County Forever Commission, a land preservation commission for York County formed from the above Committee, 1998-2005, Chairman, 1998-1999 Member of the Catawba River Study Commission, Implementation Task Force 1999 - 2007 City of Rock Hill Trails and Greenways Task Force charter Member, Chairman, 2000-2003, Chairman of advisory committee to PRT, 2003 - May 2009 City of Rock Hill Manchester Meadows Task Force charter Member, A City of Rock Hill Soccer Sport Complex and Park, 2001 York Conservation District Special Recognition Award, for Diligence and Dedication for Waste Water Treatment Project, received October 23, 2001  MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN LAND PLANNING AREA Involved with the South Carolina State sunset reevaluations and continued support of registration during tenure on the State Board of Registration. Christopher spent time and resources on behalf the City of Rock Hill to promote ideas for revitalization of the downtown main street area, including public presentations. The Empowering The Vision city planning process, which was a two year long range process to develop strategic incentives for the City, Christopher spent time and resources to promote a greenway master plan and make major changes in the physical structure of the old downtown main street development. Was a member of the committee that started one of the first county ordinances for Storm-water Management and Erosion Control in the State of South Carolina. As a City of Rock Hill Tree Commissioner we formulated a city street tree master plan and a parking lot landscaping ordinance for the City of Rock Hill. I also made recommendations for a historical tree grove park, which came to fruition with the design of Ken Simmons and Associates of Columbia, SC. As a futures development committee member, Christopher has been involved with promoting River Park on the Catawba River and other recreational and pedestrian oriented development activities to improve the quality of life in the City of Rock Hill. Appointed City of Rock Hill Planning Commissioner, February 2009 City of Rock Hill 2020 Comprehensive Plan Update As a member of the Regional Waste Water environmental sub-committee, Christopher was a steering force in looking at alternative methods to a regional approach to waste water treatment, instead of one large regional plant that would be an insensitive engineering approach to the regions waste water treatment needs. He brought in experts in decentralization and constructed wetlands for waste water treatment. Water Quality Forum panelist on waste water treatment comprehensive planning for the Catawba Wateree watershed, promoting Conservation Districts in a planning leadership role. As a member of the newly formed York County Forever Commission, Christopher spent and continues with time and resources to help promote and advocate open land preservation. Christopher has helped county and city planners in many instances to review new ordinances for Tree Preservation, Sub-division design, and Development Standards. Christopher the past 25 months was involved in the rewriting of the Lake Wylie Buffer yard ordinance for York County Council in the most recent revision, July 2007- August 2009. OTHER ACTIVITIES: York County Ballet Company Board Member and President, 2001 - present Rock Hill Rotary Club member, 1986 - present St. John's United Methodist Church member Cornell Alumni Club of Charlotte, NC, past President National Geographic Society Member, 1967 to the present |