In what was said to be the first major sports facility to use eco-friendly permeable paving, the ISFA–developer, owner and operator of U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox baseball club–has dedicated 265,000-sq.ft. Parking Lot L
Sources: Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, Chicago; CP staff
In what was said to be the first major sports facility to use eco-friendly permeable paving, the ISFA–developer, owner and operator of U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox baseball club–has dedicated 265,000-sq.ft. Parking Lot L. Spanning more than six acres of concrete pavers, the property is believed to be the largest permeable paving parking lot in the U.S.
Paving stone supplier Unilock provided L-shaped Eco-Optiloc pavers from its Aurora, Ill., plant. The 100-mm-thick Eco-Optiloc are molded with edge notches that create approximately half-inch voids between each stone; a 1.5-in-deep setting bed of quarter-inch chip enables water to flow through to the 14-in.-deep subbase, comprising 3-in-diameter recycled concrete and 3/4- to 1-in. limestone rock capable of retaining 600,000 gallons of water (equal to a 100-year rain event). Parking Lot L brings Unilock’s permeable pavement installation log in the Chicago market to about 2.5 million sq. ft.
On hand for the lot’s April 7 unveiling was Chicago Alderman James Balcer, who said that the $3.5 million price tag actually saved the city about $400,000 by not using asphalt and substantially reducing the amount of water entering storm sewers. He added that work would not need to be redone on the pavement for approximately 40 years, and that the project goes a long way toward establishing Chicago as one of the greenest cities in the nation. Parking Lot L meets the new 2008 City of Chicago Stormwater Management Ordinance that is designed to promote programs that minimize runoff and erosion control impacts of new development and redevelopment.