Not every site transformation starts from scratch. Sometimes the smartest approach is knowing what to keep. The American Legion in Golden Valley sits on a former Red Lobster site, bringing its own set of existing conditions to work around. The primary challenge was improving the parking lot's drainage while staying within City and Watershed stormwater requirements. Rather than a full-depth parking lot replacement, our team used a mill and overlay approach combined with minimal excavation to install utilities and catch basins, keeping the project efficient and cost-conscious without sacrificing results.

A key part of the strategy was regrading the parking lot to improve drainage while keeping the proposed grade within the tolerance needed to maintain the pavement's "undisturbed" status — a careful balance that allowed the project to avoid triggering additional stormwater requirements altogether. Our team addressed existing problem spots with targeted storm sewer installation, new downspout connections, and a catch basin, along with a new patio and trench drain on the south side of the building. The existing site also featured two curb typologies, B612 and Monolithic, which shaped our approach to the site design, grading, utility work, and landscape restoration throughout.