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Public Works seeks LSA grant to add rain gardens and green infrastructure on East Ross Street
Summary
Public Works requested $1.5 million in Local Shares Account funding for street-safety and stormwater upgrades on East Ross Street between N. Queen and N. Shippen, including design (~$325,000) and construction (~$1.2 million) to manage several acres of runoff.
Director of Public Works Tina Campbell told the Public Works Committee on Nov. 3 that the city plans to apply for a Local Shares Account (LSA) grant to fund street‑safety and stormwater management improvements on East Ross Street between North Queen and North Shippen.
Campbell said the project is estimated at approximately $1.5 million: roughly $325,000 for design and engineering and about $1.2 million for construction. She said the design work would be in 2026 with construction in 2027–28 timed to precede planned paving. The scope includes rain gardens, bioretention basins and other green infrastructure aimed at capturing and treating up to 4 acres (and potentially up to 6 acres, depending on final design) of stormwater runoff in that corridor.
“We continue to seek grant funding for implementation while the design proceeds,” Campbell said, noting the city had already obtained $35,000 from the Chesapeake Bay Trust for preliminary design. She said the grant funding could enable stormwater installations that are not covered by the city’s existing capital plan and that without outside funding the project’s green infrastructure elements might not be feasible.
Councilors who live near the corridor expressed support and asked technical questions about which green infrastructure elements would be used and whether work would affect tree canopy; Campbell said rain gardens and other green elements are the primary strategy but that small retention tanks could be considered if designers recommend them. The committee moved the resolution authorizing the application to full council for Nov. 11.
If funded, the project would address localized flooding and add street‑safety improvements aligned with the city’s Vision Zero and Safe Streets priorities.
