The CA had an article about the latest incarnation of plans for Overton Square. The developer is making some changes after complaints that their original layout was too suburban and car-centric in feel for Midtown in general and Overton Square in particular. They've added an extra building along Cooper to soften the large parking lot, and the plaza at the corner of Madison and Cooper looks quite nice. However, the article failed to address the flooding issue in Midtown that centers on Lick Creek, which runs directly underneath the property in question. Belleair and the zoo, both just downstream of Overton Square, are flooding regularly, and Overton Park is threatened with various plans to try to fix the flooding. All of these involved digging and building berms, none of which are desirable in a historic park.
Any building in Overton Square MUST address storm water run-off (heightened dramatically by big box roofs and parking lots) to keep from adding to this problem. Green roofs and storm water collection need to be required by the city to keep the already out of hand problem from getting even worse. Developers routinely get a pass from dealing with storm water containment, but that has got to stop. This enforcement also needs to apply to any development that might happen in the fairgrounds, also situated just by a tributary that feeds this flood problem.
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