Cleveland Church Parking Lot Repaved
Empire Paving Repaves Iglesia Nueva Vida's Parking Lot — Fox 8 "Driveway to the Draft" Winner
When Fox 8 Cleveland launched its “Driveway to the Draft” contest, the idea was simple: let the community nominate the local organizations and businesses that needed new pavement the most. Hundreds of nominations came in. One stood out — Iglesia Nueva Vida, a Cleveland church that has quietly served Northeast Ohio families for more than 30 years. Empire Paving partnered with Fox 8 to make it happen, repaving and expanding the church’s worn-out parking lot at no cost to the congregation.
A church the community leaned on
For three decades, Iglesia Nueva Vida has done far more than hold Sunday services. The church runs a food-pantry ministry that distributes groceries to families across the area every other Saturday, hosts community events, and supports local students — including a recent graduation celebration for neighborhood kids. As the congregation grew, though, its parking lot couldn’t keep up. Years of wear had left the surface cracked and uneven, creating a real safety problem for the worshippers and pantry families who rely on it every week.
“I was crying all day — it’s something we’d been waiting for,” said Pastor Jose Reyes, who learned the church had been selected just as the lot’s condition was becoming a Sunday-morning hazard.
The work: resurface and expand
This was more than a patch job. Empire Paving’s crews resurfaced the entire lot and expanded it to add capacity — creating more room for the growing congregation and for the families who arrive on food-distribution days. The finished lot is striped for safer, more orderly, more accessible parking. Crews completed the paving and striping on schedule.
“If we’d done somebody’s driveway, it would help one family. This helps hundreds,” said Scott Heiman of Empire Paving.
What it means for the neighborhood
Pastor Reyes described the new lot as more than a construction project — a sign of support from the community his church has spent 30 years serving. For Empire Paving, a locally owned company, the project is exactly the kind of work that defines the “Driveway to the Draft” campaign: using the company’s commercial paving expertise to give back to Northeast Ohio.
Why Empire Paving
Empire Paving is a locally owned commercial and industrial asphalt contractor that has served Northeast Ohio for more than 20 years. The team handles everything from commercial parking lot paving and asphalt resurfacing to concrete construction, sealcoating, catch basins, storm drains, and sewer work. Whether it’s a single lot or a full-scale commercial site, every project gets the same standard of quality, safety, and on-time delivery that earned Empire Paving its reputation across the region.
See the coverage
Watch Fox 8 Cleveland’s segment on the Iglesia Nueva Vida project and read the full story:
Fox 8 article: https://fox8.com/news/cleveland-church-parking-lot-repaved-as-part-of-fox-8s-driveway-to-the-draft-contest/
Need commercial parking lot paving in Cleveland?
Empire Paving delivers durable, professionally striped lots for businesses, churches, and organizations across Northeast Ohio.
