When it came to handling underground stormwater storage, the Myrtle Beach Hyundai Auto Dealership did not want to have to give up too many of its parking spaces. The original idea of a retention pond would take away 100 spots from the dealership. This project team decided to instead use impervious pavers, which enabled them to nearly hit their goal of 500 parking spots. The project was completed with 497 parking spaces on the 7-acre property.
Impervious pavers provided a strong surface for parking and infiltration while also meeting predevelopment versus post- development runoff requirements. But this project did not come without challenges. The site was home to poor soil condi- tions with a low infiltration rate and had construction sequencing challenges. To enable construction to occur without dam- aging the new pavers, the team laid the foundation and structural elements first, allowing cranes to operate on site without damaging the stormwater system. As for the soil conditions, the team added rock storage beneath the pavers to create an underground reservoir for rainwater.
“I feel this project is important because people need to understand and be aware of their options when it comes to storm drainage design,” said Bailey Evans, design engineer with Bolten & Menk, said. “In areas where space is an issue or property owners want an option more pleasing to the eye, pervious pavers and underground storage is a great alternative.”
To date, the project is complete, and the dealership is seeing an increase in monthly sales.
