The Hispanic Center of West Michigan Sets Example with Zero-Stormwater Discharge

As a locally based non-profit organization serving the Latinx and broader communities, Hispanic Center of Western Michigan seeks to educate, advocate and empower more than 10,000 individuals annually. It provides holistic solutions in addressing community concerns with health, housing, education and food security, recognizing that such social determinants significantly can impact an individual’s quality of life.

At its headquarters on Grandville Avenue in Grand Rapids, which drains into the Plaster Creek watershed, green stormwater infrastructure practices provide natural solutions that can create positive influences in communities.

“The Latinx community faces a myriad of issues today, one of which is climate change,” said Bo Torres, executive director. “Hispanic Center of Western Michigan is dedicated to making sure sustainability is at top of mind when making decisions. We look forward to working with our partners whose focus and mission is dedicated to efforts that will serve the lives of the Latinx community in the best ways possible.”

Rehabilitating a 100-Year-Old Firehouse

The home for Hispanic Center has an interesting history. Originally built in 1913 as a firehouse, the 6,300-square-foot building was first purchased in 1986 by the newly formed Hispanic Center. But after about a decade, they were forced to relocate into another building due to structural deterioration.

Hispanic Center never gave up on its dreams of returning to its original home though, and eventually $1 million in donations and contributions from private foundations made it a possibility to rehabilitate the old building. At the request of donors, the building would be constructed using green building standards. Bazzani Associates, a local architectural firm known for historical restorations, provided design and technical assistance, completing the project in 2006. Bazzani also brought its green building design experience into the planning of the rehabilitation project to provide a LEED-certified building.

Rehabilitating the building for Hispanic Center required the project to obtain stormwater permits from the City of Grand Rapids. Bazzani provided a design solution, previously used in Grand Rapids, that would result in zero stormwater runoff discharged from this site. The design of the rehabilitation was a challenge because the original site of The Hispanic Center was almost entirely covered with impervious surfaces and a pitched roof made green components nearly impossible. To achieve zero stormwater runoff at this location, more green space would be necessary.

GSI provides natural solutions that can create positive influences in the community, including the reduction of street flooding and combating urban heat stress.

From the initial designs, the site was planned to manage stormwater on site through green infrastructure solutions, but there was a great lack of green space. Reducing the large parking area, by removing seven parking spaces, provided the ground needed for infiltration. For the project to meet stormwater requirements, five rain gardens were implemented onsite. Four smaller gardens capture stormwater runoff from the pitched roof and downspouts and one larger rain garden infiltrates the stormwater runoff from the parking lot.

Reduced Street Flooding and Better Water in Plaster Creek

The final design of the historic building preservation both created a zero stormwater runoff site and earned awards for the building. Most importantly, the Hispanic Center’s rain gardens reduce street flooding, provide green space to combat urban heat stress and help to increase the quality of the water in nearby Plaster Creek. Implementing rain gardens also reduced costs that would have been necessary to repair and pave the original parking area. Looking forward, the Hispanic Center would like to implement a demonstration garden that would be an educational component for the center and easily replicated in similar plots in the Roosevelt Park and nearby neighborhoods.

Smaller plots, like the rain garden at the Hispanic Center, can offer sustainable solutions and create opportunities for food security through the development of urban agriculture. Benefits provided by nature-based solutions can reduce health risks and offer food security options to communities that go beyond stormwater management.

Stormwater Currency is a collaboration between American Rivers, Corona, and WEF, with support from a private foundation. We are focused on building market-based and other incentive programs that link people, businesses, and local government to fund, build and maintain green stormwater infrastructure. Our goal is to create sustainable funding programs that increase private sector participation while providing multiple benefits to the public and the environment.

Serving West Michigan for over 40 years, The Hispanic Center is rooted in building relationships with individuals through trust by addressing barriers that inhibit self-sufficiency and community resilience. Through services offered by bridging accessibility and personal development, the Hispanic Center provides access to local resources for individuals to manage basic needs, local workforce partners for employment opportunities, mentoring the youth and supporting their families, and offers Spanish language services to community members in southwest Michigan. For more information on the services they provided to community members, please visit their website.