Tag Archives: permeable pavement

Third Phase of Onondaga Commons Green Infrastructure Begun September 2014!

Construction began this month on the “Gar Building” green infrastructure project located at 414-416 W. Onondaga Street, Syracuse.  This project involves converting a run down parking lot previously connected to the combined sewer to a porous asphalt installation with ornamental landscaping.  Shown below is the stone infiltration basin and the base course of porous asphalt being installed are shown below.

Gar Building infiltration basin looking southerly

Gar Building infiltration basin looking southerly

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Green Infrastructure Completed at JNJ Syracuse!

Construction was completed this month at the JNJ Syracuse restaurant site located at 725 E. Fayette St., Syracuse.  The project consisted of porous asphalt to which runoff from the building was directed and added greenspace on site and in the “snow strip” adjoining Forman and E. Fayette Streets.

View of 725 E. Fayette St., looking southwesterly

View of 725 E. Fayette St., looking southwesterly

Checking in on Erie-Bruce Green Infrastructure after 1 Year

The Erie-Bruce Green Infrastructure project located at 2112 Erie Boulevard East in Syracuse consisted of porous asphalt, porous pavers, and two bioretention areas.  The site is characterized by sloping topography toward the office building, and clayey soils exhibiting low infiltration.  The green infrastructure installed not only achieved the Onondaga County Save the Rain program objectives for retention of stormwater on-site, but did so in a manner that actually alleviated the flooding that sometimes occurred in the building related to storm runoff.   Construction was completed in the Fall of 2013.  Photos are from late Summer 2014.IMG_0543

Porous asphalt (foreground) and porous pavers (background) at Erie Bruce Green Infrastructure project

Porous asphalt (foreground) and porous pavers (background) at Erie Bruce Green Infrastructure project

 

Porous Pavement Construction Underway for Latest Phase of Onondaga Commons – Former AAA Building

Construction began this week on Onondaga Commons’ latest Save the Rain green infrastructure project, GIF #09.  The project consists of the replacement of 17,200 sq ft of formerly impervious surfaces with 15,300 sq ft of porous asphalt and 1900 sq ft of added greenspace.  The project will manage over 380,000 gal of stormwater annually.  Photograph is of the porous asphalt base following construction.

Porous Base at Former AAA

Porous Base at Former AAA

Green Infrastructure Makes Business Sense

Photo Credit: The Icehouse

Photo Credit: Stormwater Magazine, May 2014 and The Icehouse

The May 2014 Issue of Stormwater Magazine contains an excellent article on page 44 entitled “Exploring New Partners to Green Our Urban Landscapes.”  The article describes how incorporating green infrastructure (GI) into site development can yield a return on investment.  Some of the examples cited in the article include:

  • The visual amenity afforded by a green roof incorporated into an apartment complex in Boylston MA resulted in an increase in rent of between $300 and $500 a month for those units that overlooked the green roof.
  • the DECREASE in the amount of frost heave in porous pavements in Chicago, IL when compared with conventional paved surfaces has resulted in a longer lifespan for the installations making porous pavement the lower cost alternative.
  • green roofs double the lifespan of conventional roofs thus incurring savings in roof replacement dollars over a 40 year lifespan.

These examples don’t even consider the possible benefits available through various subsidies for such technology nor consider the relative offset in costs where regulations or ordinances would require stormwater management, whether through GI or conventional measures anyway.  More detailed information is contained NRDC’s 2013 report “The Green Edge: How Commercial Property Investment in Green Infrastructure Creates Value” discussed in our January 31, 2014 blog post.

Buffalo, New York Green Infrastructure

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it will provide technical assistance to the Buffalo Sewer Authority to expand the use of green infrastructure to reduce water pollution and improve Buffalo’s resilience to the impacts of climate change. The EPA will assist Buffalo in assessing paved and unsightly vacant lots, which contribute to stormwater runoff and pollution of local waters. The newly announced assistance augments a $500,000 grant provided to Buffalo in March 2014 to help fund green infrastructure projects in the city. The projects are expected to prevent nearly 5 million gallons of stormwater runoff per year from flowing into Lake Erie.

“The EPA is very excited to assist the Buffalo region in assessing how vacant lots across Buffalo contribute to stormwater pollution,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “The expansion of green infrastructure on vacant lots will promote sustainability and expand projects to improve water quality and withstand the increasing impacts of flooding related to climate change.”

Source:  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 05-01-14

Natural Systems Engineering and Spectra Engineering Team wins County Green Design Contract!

On April 7, 2014, the team of Spectra Engineering (Syracuse, New York) and Natural Systems Engineering was notified of award for RFP No. 13-3330-002 – Green Project Design Professional Services for Onondaga County, New York.  The project will involve the design of “green streets” under the County’s award-winning “Save the Rain” program.

September 2011 "Save the Rain" newsletter.

Photo Credit: September 2011 Onondaga County “Save the Rain” newsletter.

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Green Infrastructure Creates Value!

Check out NSE’s blog post on Syracuse Urban Properties.  We provide a local pictorial perspective on the recent NRDC report “The Green Edge: How Commercial Property Investment in Green Infrastructure Creates Value.” 

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Onondaga Commons – Porous Asphalt at Community Health Clinic and Slocum Avenue Properties Completed!

Construction was completed in late 2013 on a green infrastructure project funded by the Onondaga County Save the Rain program.  The project was designed by Natural Systems Engineering for the Short Enterprises/Onondaga Commons team to manage more than 700,000 gal of stormwater runoff annually.

Health Clinic/Slocum Porous Asphalt looking southerly.

Health Clinic/Slocum Porous Asphalt.