Vertical buildings cannot be placed directly on the seismically volatile fault line, so the master planning team instead shifted the site of Millcreek’s future city hall west of the Common, while leaving additional open space to expand north.

When demolition and excavation began, crews encountered numerous unmarked utilities from the 1950s. A coordinated effort with local utility companies ensured no surrounding businesses lost utilities while rerouting lines. Copper wiring now traces the new lines, making them easy to find for future construction and maintenance.

Although the Common slopes 10 ft from east to west, the rink is the only part of the plaza that is perfectly level. The roller skating rink will transform to ice skating in the winter thanks to refrigerant pipes embedded every 3 in. throughout the 11,725-sq-ft rink to maximize surface cooling capabilities.