Downers Grove North Parking Lots to Open; New Traffic Patterns Announced

The parking lots surrounding are set to open for the first day of school Monday after being closed for construction this summer.

Parents are asked to drop off and pick up students on Forest Avenue at the south end of the school, and on the south side of the east parking lot, just north of Grant Street.

Pick up and drop off on Prince and Main streets will be prohibited at all times.

Maps of new traffic patterns are attached to this article.

Earlier this month, District 99 announced that it would install permeable pavers instead of asphalt or concrete in North High's enlarged east parking lot.

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Though the pavers cost the district nearly $600,000, the move is expected to save taxpayers between $40,000 to $100,000 in overall project costs, according to District 99 officials.

"We're saving taxpayers a tremendous amount of money, both in initial investment and in future life cycle costs, and this may even effectively reduce stormwater utility costs," District 99 Board Member Michael Davenport said Monday night.

Stormwater detention was a high priority for District 99 as construction began earlier this summer. Before the start of the project, half of the land east of the school (east of Main Street) was a grass field and half was a parking lot. With the entire property being converted to a parking lot, the permeable pavers eliminate the legal requirement for the district to install a costly underground storm water detention system.

Instead, the pavers act as the system, holding and dispersing rain and snow melt into the surrounding ground, and preventing excessive overflow into the neighborhood’s underground water systems, officials said.

The permeable pavers are also considered to be more environmentally friendly.

“The decision to install permeable pavers was made for one reason:  economics,” says Marty Schack, Director of Facilities. “The types of pavers we are installing are the most advanced available on the market today, and are a really green solution.”

Several other benefits are expected by installing permeable pavers, including:

• Better water runoff than hard pack surfaces of concrete or asphalt, which makes the lot safer for pedestrian traffic during rain storms and icy winter conditions.

• Less maintenance than asphalt or concrete. 

• More durable than asphalt or concrete. 

• The ability for district staff to perform repairs, whereas more costly contractors are needed to service asphalt and concrete surfaces.

"We're going to save a lot of money, and have a fabulous-looking parking lot," Davenport said.

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