LEXINGTON, Ky. — Homeowners and contractors exploring environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional driveways gathered virtually to discuss a residential retrofit project that challenges conventional paving practices in the city.

The Stormwater Stakeholders Advisory Committee heard from Eileen Burke, an environmental compliance specialist with Kentucky American Water, and Scott Pfeiffer, a local landscape designer, about their effort to replace a gravel driveway with permeable grass pavers in the Mentelle neighborhood, according to meeting minutes archived by the city.

Burke said the original gravel surface required constant maintenance—repeated herbicide treatments every few months and careful surface grazing to manage weeds without scattering rocks. A standard concrete driveway would have dominated her small lot, which sits just a mile from downtown on a street built at the turn of the 20th century. Instead, Burke chose grass pavers, also called turf stone, concrete blocks with open gridwork installed over a gravel base and backfilled with soil.

The solution offers water infiltration, low maintenance, and off-street parking while blending with the landscaping. Burke said her inspiration came from Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate, a nearby historic property where permeable pavers already dot the 17-acre grounds.

The project encountered obstacles when the city denied a permit for the driveway apron—the portion between the street and sidewalk. Burke's neighborhood has a sidewalk set 12 feet from the curb line, accounting for 37 percent of the total project. After navigating the easement variance process and agreeing to accept responsibility for apron repairs if construction damage occurred, she ultimately won approval.

Pfeiffer explained the technical installation, noting that permeable systems create void space beneath the surface using open-graded aggregates. The typical system runs 14 to 16 inches deep with about 40 percent pore space, storing roughly half a cubic foot of water per square foot of pavement. Edge restraint—reinforced concrete curbs hidden below grade—proved critical to system longevity.

The discussion highlighted growing interest in permeable surfaces to reduce stormwater runoff. Pfeiffer noted that nearly every new school in Kentucky now incorporates permeable surfaces, and many commercial sites have adopted the technology. Residential applications remain less common.