New Albany’s forward-thinking approach to development isn’t limited to high tech infrastructure and fiber optics. In fact, one of the latest examples employs an old world tool – brick.
The city recently launched an innovative storm water mitigation initiative designed to protect existing natural features and restore native habits while ultimately supporting over 340,000 square feet of commercial development, 800 multi-family residential units and 700 single-family homes surrounding Market Square, the community’s urban core.
The effort encompasses a variety of best practices from wetland basins and stream corridor/floodplain protection to street planters and tree lawn swales that address the issue in a holistic fashion instead of parcel by parcel. The project spawned the transformation of Third Street into a ‘green street’ where the historic brick pavement not only complements the community’s timeless Georgian architectural style but also serves as a permeable surface that filters and stores stormwater prior to release into the Rose Run stream corridor.

It’s another example of how New Albany continues to grow in a way that protects its architectural integrity and natural setting while encouraging the development of a progressive 21st century infrastructure.

For more information on New Albany’s Village Center Stormwater Mitigation Strategy, contact Kathryn Meyer, deputy director of community development at kmeyer@newalbanyohio.org.