Northeast Ohio Regional Retail Analysis
Executive Summary
Environmental Impacts
The development of retail space impacts the environment. Additional vehicle miles traveled
are generated by shoppers driving further, while additional stormwater runoff is produced by
the impervious surfaces of parking lots and buildings. Graph 5 compares
the airborne pollutants estimated to be generated by 5.6 billion miles of driving annually for
shopping purposes to the quantity of pollutants generated by the top 25 air emission sources
for selected pollutants in each county of the region.
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Graph 5. Airborne Pollutants Generated (Tons) in Study Area
SOURCE: Environmental Defense Scorecard from USA EPA's National Emission Trends Database, 1996 www.scorecard.org
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Runoff from paved surfaces is 16 times greater than from vacant grassy land. As a result,
larger water volumes flow into waterways in shorter and more intense durations. Compared to the
expected runoff generated by land in a natural state, it is estimated that existing land
developed for retail use in the study area increases surface runoff by 874 million cubic feet
annually. Most of this water would eventually find its way into these water bodies, but it
would be at a more gradual pace, filtered as groundwater. Graph 6
compares the estimated annual increase in runoff generated by existing retail development for
the area’s primary watersheds. The largest amounts are within the Cuyahoga River watershed
followed by the cumulative total of the streams which discharge directly into Lake Erie.
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Graph 6. Increased Runoff from Existing Retail Development, by Watershed Annually (millions of cubic feet)
SOURCE: Northeast Ohio Retail Analysis
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