A majority of Park Ridge, Illinois aldermen are still interested in building a “green” parking lot on city-owned property in Uptown.
The group would like to wait another year to take on the project, however, reported the Chicago Tribune.
Aldermen on Jan. 11 reached a consensus of support for designing a permeable parking lot in 2021 on the site of the city’s paved Central Parking Lot next to the Park Ridge Public Library. At the same time, aldermen asked that construction of the new lot wait until 2022.
“It may be more difficult to move it further out,” according to a message from an MWRD representative to the city, reported the Chicago Tribune.
The city staff were directed to inform MWRD officials that the city is willing to move up design to earlier in 2021 but there is still a strong interest in waiting until 2022 for construction.
According to First Ward Ald. John Moran, the city had pushed back the date due to the COVID-19 pandemic and financial uncertainties related to it, as well as because the current asphalt lot will be usable for at least two more years.
This storm water project will replace the asphalt parking lot with permeable brick pavers and other storm water management components. The goal is to allow water to be detained under the pavers and released slowly into the city’s sewer system through a perforated drain pipe, according to city Engineer Sarah Mitchell, reported the Chicago Tribune.
According to Public Works Director Wayne Zingsheim, constructing the permeable parking lot this year could also be difficult because another large project: the construction of underground storm water storage under Marvin Parkway is scheduled for 2021 as well.
The current cost estimate is $800,000 for construction and approximately $160,000 for engineering.
The city is responsible for paying all engineering costs and will pay half of the construction cost, with the MWRD grant funding the other half.
The city’s annual cost for maintaining the lot has not been determined.
Two additional disabled parking spaces will be added and the lot will lose 13 spaces as it gains landscaped areas, the City Council was told, reported the Chicago Tribune.
