CHALLENGE

Center Street Village, located in Mentor, Ohio, is a community that has been around since the early 19th century. The strip contained abandoned homes, commercial offices, and an elementary school that had closed-down in 2004 due to declined enrollment. In 2008, a master plan was developed to restructure the historic town into a ‘recognizable’ downtown. This mixed use development faced the typical challenge of most retail projects. How can an Owner develop the maximum amount of site in order to return the most amount of revenue out of the project. Additionally, portions of the project were on the National Historic Register and required very selective shapes and colors in order to “stitch” the old with the new.

INFLUENCE

The redevelopment of Center Street Village consisted of turning the abandoned school into condominiums , construction of 36 townhomes, a few freestanding homes and commercial buildings. Ashphalt was considered as it is recognizable less expensive for the initial installation than traditional pavers, but in the long-run it would not be as cost-effective. Studies show that ashphalt lasts 10 years maximum, where as pavers can last 30+ years. Pavers can also be installed in a permeable paver system- this will allow rainwater into the soil so that it doesn’tdrain into local streams.

SOLUTION

Unilock’s Eco-Optiloc was selected for the entire parking lot and drive lanes because of its industry leading infiltration rates while remaining ADA compliant. Eco-Optiloc ensures that rain and stormwater will rapidly infiltrate the the sub-base and this allowed the design team to increase the site for the Owner and maximize building footprint, while satisfying all the stormwater management requirements. Unilock worked with the design team to produce a color that would be acceptable for the historic regulations as well as the surrounding architecture.