2025 Design & Master Plan - South Dakota State University

section 1 – parking lots
Parking lots are a necessary component of the campus fabric. Properly
designed parking lots should consider vehicular and pedestrian flow,
maintenance operations and snow removal, and the visual impact to adjacent
streets and properties. Parking lot design should also account for adequate
signage, landscape screening, sustainable stormwater management options,
and should have proper illumination according to the standards established
by the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES). All permanent parking lots on
campus are to be constructed with a concrete curb and gutter and either
asphalt or concrete surfacing.
Incorporating landscape buffers at the edges of parking lots and the use of
internal landscape islands can greatly reduce the visual impact of campus
parking. Landscape buffers need not be a solid continuous mass. An
intermittent landscape planting at the edge of parking lots provides a balance
of screening and openings for monitoring lot activity from the street. Berming
of the buffer areas also increases the effectiveness of screening provided.
Internal parking islands should be consolidated to create larger linear
planting spaces, as represented in Figure 1.1. These linear internal islands
break up the parking mass and provide a favorable location to plant trees,
collect stormwater, and stockpile snow within the interior of the parking lot.
The linear islands will also help to align parking in winter when parking lot
striping can be covered by snow. Trees planted within the islands benefit
from a larger soil mass, resulting in increased tree health and accelerated
growth.
figure 1.1: example - sustainable parking lot with
linear landscape islands and street buffer
The excavation of parking lot islands and placement of quality topsoil is
an important factor in landscape success. A planting area constructed with
a quality topsoil will allow for increased water infiltration, increased root
penetration, and overall healthier plantings. Refer to the soil preparation
notes in Section 10 of this document for specific information related to topsoil
placement and subgrade preparation.
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