Kitchener receives $175,000 for patio-like permeable parking lot

A new permeable patio-like parking lot in the city of Kitchener is among 11 sustainability projects in cities across Ontario to receive new federal funding dollars, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities announcedFriday.

The city is set to receive $175,000 through the FCM's Green Municipal Fund, meant to help cities tackle climate change and increase environmental sustainability.

"This permeable parking lot will help us understand how effective permeable pavers are for managing impacts to our water quality," KitchenerMayor Berry Vrbanovic said in a press release.

• Transit depot receives $8M from Federation of Canadian Municipalities

The parking lot will act as a test site to assess how effective permeable paving might be to manage water amounts in the city. If successful, the technology could help make the existing storm water system more effective.

By allowing more water todrain into the ground and more warmth to remain in the pavers, the city could also save on the cost of road salt sinceice would be less likely to form.

The parking lot will be situated at Huron Natural Area and is set to officially open on April 30 at 1 p.m.

Friday's announcement also saw Waterloo region receive $8 million in federal funding to expand its energy-efficient transit depot on Strasburg Road.