Creekside Commons delivers a diverse range of experiences within a compact, single acre site - including dedicated play areas, passive and active recreation spaces, interactive learning experiences, and a tranquility garden.  Site features consist of a net-play structure, climbing wall, cascading waterway, splash pad, synthetic ice rink, lawn-game courts, cultural map, and music garden. The semi-circular entry plaza, shaded by tensioned fabric canopies, serves as the central access point to the surrounding site features.  The main walkway forms a visual axis that terminates on a raised circular planter in the therapeutic garden, further punctuated by a tall kinetic wind sculpture.  The walkway is covered by a wooden pergola, adorned with grapevines and string lights, designed to resemble the silhouette of the nearby Tobin Bridge. This main axis defines the edge of the “synthetic ice” rink to one side and the lawn area with horseshoe and bocce courts on the other.  Beyond the lawn area is a small plaza that has been engraved with a cultural map of Chelsea.  Stories and memories from town residents are inscribed in the granite pavers and boulders that decorate the surrounding planting bed.  A winding stone-dust path leads back to the entry plaza and forms the spine of the music garden that allows visitors to experiment with music and sound.  Outdoor instruments are tucked in amongst lush plantings, such as tuned drums, contrabass chimes, a metallophone, xylophone and the intriguing “whisper dishes.”

The active play area, on the opposite side of the entry plaza, allows children to expend energy while improving strength, coordination, and agility on the net-play structures and climbing wall. Adjacent to the play structures is the water discovery zone with cascading waterway and splash pad. The cascading waterway winds its way down a built-up hill formed with excess site fill, arranged boulders, and softened with planting pockets. The waterway is fed at the top by a hand operated pump which starts the cascade down through a series of dams and weirs that allow children to collect and release the flow of water. The waterway is formed by a cast concrete channel surfaced with rounded river stones. The waterway leads to a basin on the splash pad where user activated spray jets add to the play experience.