Page 59 - Michigan City, IN US Highway 421 Corridor Plan

3.3 Corridor Redevelopment Goals, Principles and Strategies

K. Incorporate low-impact development » delineate and flag the smallest site disturbance area
strategies, tools, and techniques into all new possible to minimize soil compaction on the site and
development within the 421 Gateway District. restricting temporary storage of construction equipment
in these areas.
One method of reducing throughput of water resources is 2. Design and install grassed filter strips and vegetated (bio)
to require that all new land development incorporate low- swales into site plans and rights-of-way to filter pollutants
impact development (LID) / green infrastructure approaches from stormwater. LID filtration systems use soils and
to mimicking / restoring pre-development hydrology to the vegetation to remove pollutants from stormwater and A Variety of Low-Impact Development
maximum extent practicable. LID is an approach to land include ways of capturing and removing trash, debris and
development that uses various land planning and design sediment from stormwater before it reaches streams and Strategies, Tools and Techniques can be
practices and technologies to simultaneously conserve and other tributaries. Common filtration techniques incorporate Incorporated into Existing and Proposed Rain water is captured and stored in this cistern, and used for
protect natural water resource systems and reduce infrastructure natural features (i.e., wetlands, riparian corridors, mature landscape irrigation.
costs. LID still allows land to be developed, but in a cost- forests) into site development plans. It is estimated that Site Development (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin, TX)
effective manner that helps mitigate potential environmental bioswales can remove between 80 and 100 percent of total Source: KKC
impacts. For example, site plans should be developed that suspended solids, zinc, and lead from stormwater as well
prevent water from running off the land too quickly and instead, as between 40 and 60 percent of total phosphorus and
allow the water to soak back into the earth and replenish the nitrogen.
groundwater table or aquifer. Reducing the quantity and velocity
of water run-off minimizes soil erosion and loss of land. Site 3. Require and/or incent the installation of pervious paving
plans should employ strategies and techniques that protect the materials in parking lots and other hardscape areas to
quality of water that flows into lakes, streams, and wetlands or reduce the total site imperviousness and stormwater runoff.
recharges groundwater supplies. LID stormwater management Provisions could be added to the City’s land development
best practices should be implemented on privately-owned land regulations requiring pervious paving for all parking
as well as within public rights-of-way, particularly along roadsides that exceeds the minimum required by City regulations.
and in parking lots, where soils and other conditions will allow. Utilize infiltration systems which encourage the downward
LID processes for systematically managing stormwater include movement of water to reduce the total quantity of overland
‘chains’ or natural treatment methods of filtration, infiltration, runoff and pollutants from impervious surfaces.
and storage and ultimately reuse.
» design and implement systems for on-site detention and A rain garden is a shallow, constructed depression that is planted Vegetated swales clean storm water runoff from parking lots and
Initiatives and Actions micro-detention; with deep-rooted native plants. It is designed to receive runoff from allow it to infiltrate the earth.
» revise subdivision regulations to incorporate the use of hard surfaces such as a roof or driveway. Source: New Seasons Market Parking Lot, Portland, OR
1. Encourage development patterns that respect natural shared driveways whenever possible, but especially in Source: elandscapellc.com
systems such as watersheds and wildlife corridors. Site sensitive areas;
fingerprinting, a term that refers to implementing minimal
site disturbance techniques, can be used to further » limit driveway width to ten feet (for both single and
reduce the limits of clearing and grading on a greenfield shared driveways); and
site, thereby minimizing the hydrologic impacts. Site » minimize building setbacks, where possible to reduce
fingerprinting includes restricting ground disturbance by driveway length.
identifying the smallest possible area and clearly delineating
it on the site. Land-cover impacts can be reduced through 4. Consider means of incenting the installation of high-
minimal disturbance techniques that include the following: performance, green building best practices into all new
construction projects within the 421 Gateway District.
» reduce paving and compaction of highly permeable soils;
Stormwater storage reduces the quantity of stormwater
» minimize the size of construction easements and being flushed through the system. Green roofs, cisterns
material storage areas; (above-ground and underground), and vegetated swales

» site stockpiles within the development envelope during provide an excellent method of storing stormwater on-site,
the construction phase of a project; to prevent it from overloading natural systems, as well as to Green roofs capture and direct rainwater to bioswales and rain Building roofs are designed to capture and direct
use for irrigation of landscaped areas. Existing buildings can gardens on the ground. (Green Bldg Resource Center, rainwater to collection systems on the ground.
» site building layout, clearing and grading to avoid utilize rain barrels under downspouts to collect, store and Houston, TX) (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Austin, TX)
removal of existing trees where possible; and reuse stormwater. It is estimated that one 42-gallon rain Source: KKC Source: KKC
barrel can provide storage for 0.5 inches of runoff from a
rooftop measuring 133 square feet.
3-09

Adopted: August 16, 20165 Envision 421 Gateway District 3.0