BROWN
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Low Impact Development Parking Lot
for a New Recreation Center
Sustainability Pilot Background
EPA's Brownfields Sustainability Pilots provide technical assistance to assist
communities in achieving greener, more sustainable results when redeveloping
brownfields. These pilots also provide models for other communities across
the country.
EPA provided the City of Laredo with technical assistance for the design of a low
impact development (LID) parking lot to service a new recreational center. The
center will be located adjacent to a formerly contaminated wetland on Killam Lake.
EPA assisted the city in developing conceptual drawings for sustainable stormwater
management for the parking lot.
TEXAS
Haynes Recreation Center Background
In 2006, the City of Laredo received a $100,000 Brownfields Cleanup grant to clean up the 18 acre Killam Lake site
which is part of the Chacon Creek Watershed. This site was subject to years of illegal dumping. As a result of the
cleanup, the city will reduce the potential for water pollution from the site and help prevent riparian degradation in
the Chacon Creek Watershed. In accordance with the Chacon Creek Master Plan, which calls for the preservation
of natural land and the creation of recreational opportunities, the city plans to sustainably design and construct the
Haynes Recreation Center on property adjacent to a wetland site. The city requested technical assistance through
the EPA Sustainability Pilot to design a low impact parking area for the center.
Project Highlights
The city wants to incorporate innovative sustainable stormwater management and sustainable features in the design
of the recreational center. EPA assistance included providing conceptual drawings for an alternate parking area to
serve both the recreational center and the city's trail system along Chacon Creek. The new parking area design
includes stormwater features such as:
• Porous pavers and pervious concrete to allow for stormwater absorption below parking and walking areas
• Bioswales and bioretention swales featuring native plants to absorb stormwater runoff
• Tree locations for additional bioabsorption of stormwater runoff
EPA also provided the city with the tools to adopt sustainable stormwater management principles on other sites in the
city. The conceptual drawings include a schematic of the parking area and designs for various stormwater retention
technologies. This allows the city to replicate these technologies on other sites.
The city expects to complete construction of the recreation center and the alternate parking area by April 2010.
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Challenges and Lessons Learned
Building Local Capacity to Replicate Technologies
on Other Sites
The city requested assistance with all the sustainable
parking lot components, including alternative building
materials, construction debris management, and
stormwater management. The technical assistance
provided a site specific conceptual design for the LID
parking area, schematics of the different technologies
recommended, and probable materials cost estimate for
the construction of the parking area. These tools were
designed to provide the city with replicable approaches
for implementing stormwater management principles for
parking areas on other sites in the city.
Wanes Recreation
Center and
Chacon Creek
Recreation Area
Site Plan.
Sources for Additional Information
For more information on this project, please see the full Laredo technical assistance report at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/sustain_plts/factsheets/l aredo.pdf and
Probable Materials Cost Estimate at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/sustain_plts/factsheets/l aredo_ci.pdf
Regional Contact Information
For more information on the Laredo Haynes Recreation Center Sustainability Pilot project, please contact:
Casey Luckett Snyder
EPA Region 6
214-665-7393
luckett.casey@epa.gov
Low Impact Development
Parking Lot for a New
Recreation Center
EPA-560-F-09-508
October 2009
www, epa.go v/bro wn fields
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