The Walton Sun (Helgoth, 2/22) reported that "Declaring a piece of property a brownfield site could come with a stigma, but the city hopes it also comes with enough incentives to make the old train depot property more marketable. Tuesday, city commissioners voted to designate the old train depot property on Sixth Street a brownfield site. City Attorney Rowlette Bryant said the brownfield designation — which is applied to property where expansion, redevelopment or reuse is complicated by actual or perceived contamination — gives property owners access to credits to build.
In 2007 the Bay Line Railroad Depot was being torn down when it was destroyed by fire. Plans at that time called for developing the site and land around it with a mix of residential and commercial areas.
Those plans seem to be on the back burner. Dwight Hicks, a Realtor who also offers brokerage and real estate consulting services, is managing the sale of the property. He said the designation will be a benefit for the property owner because it opens doors for financial incentives. Tax credits are available for voluntary clean up and for job creation, said Alex Webster, brownfield program coordinator for the state Department of Environmental Protection. He said a potential downside for the designation is the stigma. In this case there are some environmental issues on the property 'but not so great the property can’t be redeveloped,' he said."
For more information on the program, visit www.dep.state.fl.us.
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