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Cover Your Asphalt

"Cover Your Asphalt" began as a pilot parking lot retrofit project led by the Leadership Sacramento Class of 2011. The pilot project to retrofit the existing parking lot at Florin Road Bingo was completed in December 2011.

We are now encouraging all business owners to cover their asphalt with our support. There are so many reasons to do so!

It’s the middle of summer and the temperature is 103 degrees. Given a choice between a parking spot in the blazing sun and one in the shade, which do you choose? A shaded parking lot is not only a requirement of many City ordinances, but is also good for business: studies show shaded lots lead to higher profits for local businesses and contribute to overall customer satisfaction.

With parking lots occupying about 10 percent of land in many cities, consider the following benefits of shade:

• Reduces pavement temperature by 36 degrees
• Decreases parking lot runoff containing metals, oil and grease
• Lowers temperature inside vehicles by 47 degrees
• Reduces fuel tank temperatures by seven degrees
• Studies show shaded lots lead to higher profits for local businesses and improve customer satisfaction

What does the project involve?

Cover Your Asphalt entails planting trees and retrofitting an parking lots. These improvements will bring many years of enjoyment to patrons, and the beautification effort will serve as a demonstration project that businesses, along with the Sacramento Tree Foundation, can emulate throughout the Sacramento region. Read more frequently asked questions or apply now.