The INsite team recently had a lunch reviewing Sustainable and Permeable Pavement Systems (1) presented by Jamie Jenkins, a Commercial Hardscapes consultant for Jewell, an Oldcastle company.  Permeable interlocking concrete pavement (PICP) is a sustainable system that can eliminate the need for detention creating more useable area on a property. Although there are other systems available for permeable surfaces, such as  grasscrete (2) the PICP create a look that is aesthetically pleasing as pavers.

Structural Integrity

The PICP system is very similar to traditional pavers system and has the same structural integrity as pavers, but there are small gaps between the pavers that are filled with gravel (similar to a grout in tiling).  These small gaps allow the water to penetrate though three layers of stone and aggregate where the water is retained until flowing into a drain or directly into the ground.

Water Harvesting

The system can be used to channel water into a tank for water harvesting, which can earn you LEED credits.  For example, in a residential project the Owner used the PICP system and drained the water underneath the paver system to a detention tank with permeable lid.  The Owner then used a solar powered pump use the harvested water for irrigation.

Reduces Urban Heat Islands

Also the lighter color pavers have a solar reflective index of 29, which means it absorbs less heat and reduces the amount of urban heat islands, which means it prevents the rise in atmospheric temperatures that many parking lots create with heat retention because of their dark surface.

Recharge Ground Water

If water detention or retention is not needed and only mitigation is required, you can allow the water to drain into the ground to recharge the ground water (depending on site and local code requirements).

Cost Effective

The paver system is also cost effective for long term use because it is cheaper to re-level a paver system than it is to remove and replace a concrete drive or parking lot.  The only down side of the system is that it requires regular maintenance with a leave blower or sweeper truck to remove debris that can block the flow of water through the pavers.  However, that kind of maintenance is typical for concrete and asphalt systems for certain Owners.  If there is a project dealing with limited amount land where the profits on developments are contingent upon the amount of square feet and parking this may be a viable solution if detention and mitigation requirements are consuming a significant portion of the land.  However, within the City of Houston it may be difficult to get this system permitted and until they allow these systems to be used this system may be best suited for something outside the city limits, but in the county.

Videos

Demonstration:  500 gallons per minute

Belgard Permeable Pavement Systems

Resource information:

(1) http://www.belgardcommercial.com/permeable-overview

(2)  http://www.grasscrete.com/docs/paving/grasscrete.html

It seems multi-family developments have gone through some challenging steps in the City of Houston’s planning department in order to obtain that coveted building permit.

Upstart Advantage in the Approval Process

The process of weaving your way through the City of Houston usually starts with a meeting with the city planners falling on Wednesdays, the day allotted to meet with both planning departments at one time in one location.  Though not required, this initial meeting is highly recommended and affords the design team with an upstart advantage in the process towards approval.

Performance Standard Site Plan

On approval, we are talking about getting the Performance Standard site plan, driven by the Architect in most cases through both the planners at 3300 Main and  611 Walker regarding Chapter 42-230 of the City of Houston ordinance regarding multi-family developments.  This planning approval process entails a hybrid of various site design elements, including unit density, number of parking spaces, and if park dedication is required or not. Most importantly though, is how the fire protection on site is laid out.  Hydrant locations, hose path lay, private street widths all need to be incorporated on the plan before the City of Houston will approve it.

Density on Site

Another aspect of the process involves dwelling units per acre or what is referred to as the density on site.  Thirty or more dwelling units per acre triggers the option to be reviewed from chapter 42-235 and exempts you from other sections as prescribed by the ordinance.  One can also with higher densities achieve reductions in the aggregate open space required.

Cost Saving Options Not Always Approved by City

In a recent experience regarding the Performance Standard Site Plan process approval, we wanted to achieve some owner cost savings and add additional green space knowing the various city departments may not accept it.   We designed part of the continuous loop as a 20 foot private road where no parking would be allowed.  In the city’s response, referring to section 42-232 this drive needed to be a 28 foot wide private street like the others on site to make the continuous loop required by the ordinance.

Thus begins the challenge in multifamily developments of weaving your way through the City’s requirements and obtaining approval in this important part of the building permit process.

As the economy turns the corner and development begins increasing, one critical aspect for clients to understand is “platting”. You say, what is “platting”? In a nut shell, platting is the legal process in which “raw or unclassified land” is designated for a specific purpose. In Texas, the cities are spreading out and this new development encroaches into what I refer to as farm land or property which has not been recorded from its initial designation when it was granted from the State. In more urban areas, much of the land is already platted, however, a re-plat may be necessary say for example, to sub-divide an existing property, but that is a story for another blog. Today we are focusing on the raw land situations, since this typically requires the most amounts of time and resources to complete.

The Platting Process

On a recent project, a client came to us ready to start running. After some initial discussions, we realized the property was in fact raw land and required to be platted. The client said so what, we are ready to go. At that point, we explained the platting process, which includes title and legal work, surveying as well as filing the documents with the County for recording. We noted this process can take 3-4 months or longer depending on project specifics. Furthermore, if this within a regulatory area, City of Houston including its surrounding counties, you cannot obtain a building permit without the final recorded plat. This was obviously a surprise to the client, but we worked diligently with them during the process and the project had a happy ending.

Platting is Necessary

There are obviously other items omitted from this blog, however, the important aspect to understand is platting is a necessary part of construction. In addition, prior to purchasing land for development, do some due diligence investigation into the property’s status, this can save time and frustration later down the line. During this process it is also a good idea to determine where utilities (power, water/sewer, gas, etc) are coming from. And finally, always remember to retain your friendly Architect to assist you.