Planning for Brownfield Community Involvement

Source: Center for Hazardous Substance Research, T. Boguski
3/2007

Community involvement is a key component of successful brownfield redevelopment programs. A community outreach plan is an effective tool for managing community involvement activities. Th e purpose of this guide is to help those who wish to develop and implement a community outreach plan..

Your community outreach plan should be appropriate for the size of your program. Cities with larger, more extensive brownfield programs may expect to have a more extensive long-term community outreach plan. Smaller cities, towns, or non-profit organizations may need a less extensive, shorter term community outreach plan. At a minimum, your plan should demonstrate a commitment to open, two-way communication with the people living or working near the brownfield property being evaluated or targeted for redevelopment.

Goals, Activities, and Schedule

Make a plan and specify what outreach activities will be implemented. Use a timeline to indicate when community outreach activities will occur. Allow time to prepare for successful events. Program evaluation and specific techniques for evaluating each activity should be included in your planning. Activities could include public meetings, brownfield redevelopment workshops, and/or site visits (if the site is considered safe for visiting). Meetings should be scheduled well in advance and at times that are convenient for community participants. This may mean holding meetings during the evening or other times outside of typical business hours. It also includes seeking input from stakeholders, especially potential community participants as to when and where meetings will be held. Distribute information on meetings and other activities in a manner that encourages participation. Announcements and notifications should be targeted toward all potentially affected neighborhoods and stakeholders, and all income and age groups. Th e following are potential ways to announce meetings and activities:

• newspapers
• community newsletters
• notices displayed in stores, libraries, churches, community
• bulletin boards, and other public locations
• announcements on community television programs
• telephone calls or direct mailings to non-governmentalorganizations, and community groups in the area
• door-to-door personal invitations

You may wish to work on a mutually agreeable schedule for meetings and other activities in an initial meeting. If your program is large, it may be appropriate to set up subgroups to meet on specifi c topics, or to organize community activities which will increase community interest and participation in brownfi elds redevelopment decisions.

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Brownfield Grants Overview from EPA

EPA recently held a webinar on its Brownfield Grants.  The now ARCHIVED webinar presents an overview of the EPA's Brownfield Assessment, Cleanup and Revolving Loan program. Grant guidelines for FY13 are expected to be published at the end of summer so taking time now to learn about the program will be especially useful to new applicants. The presenters will go over: basics of the brownfield program; the three types of grants; who is eligible to apply; and what projects the grants cover. This webinar is meant as a primer for the subsequent webinars we'll be hosting in August where we go into much more details for each of the three grants. Those webinars will be held on Aug. 16 - Assessments, Aug. 23 - Cleanup, and Aug. 30 - Revolving Loan Fund.

Links to this ARCHIVED WEBINAR,

PDF -  http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/r9bfoverview_071212/prez/Brownfields-101-7-12-12-Cluin-version-pdf.pdf
Audio - http://clu-in.tv/seminars/tio071212_full.mp3  

Strategies to Spur Disaster Recovery in Rural Communities

Monday, July 30th, 2:30-4:00 pm ET

This free webinar will highlight best practice examples of how to prepare your organization and your business community to be more resilient in the wake of a disaster, providing case examples from rural-based communities. The webinar will feature lessons learned from Joplin, Missouri and its recovery from an EF5 tornado on May 22, 2011 as well as catastrophic flooding in Minot, North Dakota on June 25, 2011.

Hear what Joplin local officials did to prepare a disaster plan to ensure business continuity, as well as their pro-active efforts immediately after the disaster to retain 80 to 90% of their impacted businesses, effectively communicate with local and national media, and develop an action plan to move forward on long-term recovery.

Learn how Minot officials effectively communicated with the public during devastating floods and how the community came together to advocate and procure federal recovery funds in the wake of disaster.

Space is limited, so register today.


Our Expert Speakers:
Jerry Chavez
President and CEO
Minot Area Development Corporation
Minor, North Dakota

At his current position since 2005, Jerry has developed economic development initiatives that produced immediate results while having long term applications. As of May 2012, MADC has facilitated over $750M in capital investment and creation of over 600 new jobs. Prior to joining MADC, Jerry served as the Vice President of Marketing for the Great Falls Development Authority. There, he developed a three-pronged, $300,000 budget marketing plan that has produced 150 new client projects. Jerry has conducted presentations to community-wide groups and civic organizations for the purpose of education and promotion of economic development, necessary infrastructure development and much-needed political cooperation. Jerry has three children and enjoys hunting, fly fishing, hiking, and travel.

Rob O'Brian, CEcD
President
Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce
Joplin, Missouri

Rob O'Brian, President of the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Ball State University with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications, and minors in journalism and political science. His civic/business activities include President of the Joplin Business and Industrial Development Corporation, Vice-President of the Joplin Industrial Development Authority, current Board Member and Past-President of the Missouri Economic Development Council, Board Member and Past-President, Missouri Economic Development Financing Association. O'Brian was a member of Governor Blunt's State Government Reform Commission and was instrumental in writing the Enterprise Zone and Quality Jobs Act legislation. Since the May 22, 2011 tornado that devastated one-third of Joplin, O'Brian has been at the forefront of the recovery efforts by amassing resources for the business community to ensure that businesses can rebuild and thrive in the community.

Kirstie Smith
Communications Director
Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce
Joplin, Missouri

Kirstie has more than 19 years of experience in marketing and communications. Prior to joining the chamber in 2005 she held marketing positions at both area health systems in Joplin. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from Ottawa University with a double major in Marketing and Theatre. Her responsibilities include all marketing decisions, media and public relations, governmental affairs, website design and maintenance duties, editing, writing and all creative design for the area's largest chamber of commerce which serves over 1,100 business members.

About the Free Webinar Series:

IEDC invites you to take advantage of these no-cost online learning events. Attend all remaining five - or any combination - of the new Free "Economic Recovery in Disaster-Impacted Communities" web seminars. Based on real pre-disaster planning and post-disaster experiences, each seminar will equip you to plan and sustain your community's economic recovery in the wake of disaster.

The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is conducting this web seminar series with grant funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).

Brownfields and Gas Stations

Source: smartgrowthamerica.org, B. Chang
7/12/12

Across the country abandoned gas stations represent one of the trickiest problems
facing small towns and big cities alike. In particular, old gas stations pose a threat to the land when their underground storage tanks begin to deteriorate, potentially leaking petroleum into the groundwater. A recent New York Times article covered the ways in which the hamlet of High Falls, NY has sought to address the negative community impact of its abandoned gas stations. Investors have begun to clean up and redevelop these lots, and their efforts have turned unattractive, contaminated brownfields into office space, restaurants and small shops. These innovative projects are creating new ways to bring money into the local economy and are helping revitalize the community. Brownfield redevelopment is not without obstacles, however. The small size of these lots can make them challenging to market to potential investors. Complex layers of regulation and funding streams mean that redevelopers, whether public or private, need specialized knowledge to succeed. Often the people with the strongest motivation to redevelop these sites are neighbors and community residents, but these parties are rarely equipped with the knowledge or resources to drive a complicated remediation process, especially with state and federal funding for these projects in short supply.

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Texarkana, Texas, Receives Two EPA Brownfields Grants Totaling $1.3 Million

Source: Texasbusiness.com
7-2-12

Texas Business reports:  TEXARKANA, Texas—The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced grant awards from the brownfields redevelopment program bringing the total to $1.3 million.

A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. 

“These brownfields grants will help convert environmental eyesores into sources of local pride,” said EPA acting regional administrator Sam Coleman in a prepared statement.  “EPA is committed to putting both people and property back to work and turning problem properties into community assets.”

 In May 2012, the EPA announced the city of Texarkana was selected to receive a $900,000 brownfields revolving loan fund grant which focused on 200 properties in the Historical Downtown and 7th Street Corridor.  

An additional multi-purpose grant totaling $400,000 will be used to assess and clean up a site located at 203/205 West Broad Street.  Past uses of the site included various shops and storage space.  The site is contaminated with both inorganic and organic materials, as well as heavy metals.  The funds will also be used to conduct a Phase II environmental assessment and develop a cleanup plan and remove contaminated materials from the buildings and cleanup soil.  The project is expected to preserve the façade and all salvageable interior features of a historic 1885 site for commercial development.

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Plan to revive Memphis neighborhoods makes debut

Source: Commercial Appeal, A. Maki
7/2/12

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton on Monday unveiled an ambitious plan to improve three key areas of the core city by removing blight, supporting existing businesses and attracting new retail stores.  The three neighborhoods targeted by Wharton's "Innovation Delivery Team" are South Memphis, the Binghamton-Broad Avenue area and the Madison Avenue-Cleveland corridor. "If the heart of the city dies, the extremities die as well," said Wharton during a news conference at Victory Bicycle Studio on Broad. "We have got to rebuild our core city." Wharton said the announcement site itself was a model of the city initiative.
After a new extension of Sam Cooper Boulevard opened parallel to Broad Avenue, the street went into decline before being reborn as an arts, entertainment and business district. "It went downhill, but look at it now," Wharton said. "It's a real success story."

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EPA Smart Growth Webinar: July 19

On Thursday, July 19, join EPA's Office of Sustainable Communities to discuss tools and strategies that can help rural communities spur economic growth while maintaining their rural character. Presenters Ben Herman (FAICP and Principal of Clarion Associates, a national land use firm) and Dean Severson (AICP and Principal Agricultural and Rural Planning Analyst for the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Planning Commission) will highlight zoning strategies from EPA's recent publication, "Essential Smart Growth Fixes for Rural Planning, Zoning and Development Codes," and provide tips for implementation. Download the report from http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/publications.htm.

Webinar Details
Thursday, July 19, 2012, 2:00-3:00 Eastern
To join this webinar, click on https://epa.connectsolutions.com/epasmartgrowth
No pre-registration is required.
Participants must also phone in. Audio is not available through the webinar.
Conference Number: (866) 299-3188. Participant Code: 2025662950

Georgia Brownfields Law Amendment Encourages Redevelopment of Hazardous Sites

Source: Environmental & Land Development Advisories
6/27/12




Last month, Governor Deal signed HB 1102, amending Georgia’s brownfields law to encourage
more reuse and redevelopment of hazardous sites. These amendments include (1) a 30-day grace
period for buyers of qualifying property to seek a limitation of liability; (2) automatic liability limitations
to future recipients of qualified properties; and (3) preferential treatment of brownfield property for
tax purposes.

First, HB 1102 expands the definition of a “prospective purchaser” under the brownfields law to include
“a person who has applied for a limitation of liability pursuant to this article within 30 days of acquiring
title to a property where there is a preexisting release.”  Before this amendment, a prospective
purchaser was required to apply to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division for a limitation of
liability prior to purchasing the property.  This amendment relieves sellers of the obligation to permit
soil and groundwater testing prior to a sale, plus gives purchasers a 30-day grace period to conduct
testing after obtaining title to the land.

Second, the new legislation makes clear that the benefit of the limitation on liability runs with the land
to future owners (so long as they are neither a previous owner, nor a contributor to release at the
property). In other words, the limitation of liability for brownfield properties will now “automatically
inure to the benefit” of these future owners, rather than just being fully transferable by the person to
whom the limitation is granted.

Third, HB 1102 grants existing brownfield purchasers potentially up to 15 years to recover the related
tax benefits. The brownfields law previously allowed property owners to apply for “preferential
assessment” of brownfield property to reduce property taxes for up to 10 years, but HB 1102 extends
the preferential assessment period when “construction or improvements on the property commenced
but thereafter ceased” for more than 180 days, construction or improvements resumed after the delay and the owner submits a sworn certificate stating the relevant dates.

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Valdosta Brownfields Assessment Grant Project Comes to a Close

Source: WCTV.TV
7/2/12

The City of Valdosta has closed out its Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Assessment Grant, effective June 30, 2012. This $400,000 grant, awarded in July 2009 for a period of three years, allowed the city to identify, prioritize, and assess brownfield sites throughout our community.

A brownfield is a property in which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields.

Funding for this grant was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Valdosta was the only Georgia community to be funded by EPA with ARRA funds within the 6-state Region 4.

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Florida #Brownfield Voluntary Cleanup Tax Credit

In 1998, the Florida Legislature created the Voluntary Cleanup Tax Credit (VCTC) to encourage participants to conduct voluntary cleanup of certain dry cleaning solvent contaminated sites and brownfield sites in designated brownfield areas.  Participants may be private or public entities, but they must meet the eligibility criteria established under Sections 376.3078, 376.30781, and 376.82, F.S, as applicable, and they must enter into either a Voluntary Cleanup Agreement, for drycleaning solvent cleanup, or a Brownfield Site Rehabilitation Agreement.  Tax credit certificates are awarded by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection from an annual $5 million authorization and are valid against Florida Corporate Income Tax.  Tax credit awards in excess of $5 million for any given fiscal year are issued from the next available tax credit authorization.  The table below summarizes the available types of tax credits.  Please see Section 376.30781, F.S., for more detailed information.

	Tax Credit Type
	Site Rehabilitation	Site Rehabilitation Completion Order (NFA) Bonus	Affordable Housing Bonus	Health Care Bonus	Solid Waste
Application Frequency	Annually	Once	Once	Once	Once
Maximum Credit for Costs Incurred and Paid from 07/01/1998 to 06/30/2006	35%; $250,000	10%; $50,000	N/A	N/A	N/A
Maximum Credit for Costs Incurred and Paid after 06/30/2006	50%; $500,000	25%; $500,000	25%; $500,000	N/A	50%; $500,000
Maximum Credit for Costs Incurred and Paid after 12/31/2007	50%; $500,000	25%; $500,000	25%; $500,000	25%; $500,000	50%; $500,000

Application Deadline: For site rehabilitation applications, the annual application deadline is January 31, or the following business day, of the year following the calendar year for which an applicant is claiming site rehabilitation costs. Therefore, all site rehabilitation costs incurred during a single year (e.g. 2011) must be claimed in an application submitted to the Division of Waste Management by January 31of the following year (e.g., 2012). No prior year costs can be claimed in an annual site rehabilitation tax credit application.

For additional information, please contact Teresa Booeshaghi
(Teresa.Booeshaghi@dep.state.fl.us or 850-245-8933)

Air and Water Quality Impacts of Brownfields Redevelopment

Case studies indicate that #brownfield redevelopment can offer significant environmental benefits when compared with alternative development scenarios. Estimates of air and water quality impacts of brownfield reuse for multiple revitalization projects in five municipal areas indicate that daily vehicle miles traveled per capita are 32 -57% lower and stormwater runoff is 43 - 60% lower for brownfields than conventional alternative or greenfield sites.

A number of previous studies compared the environmental performance of specific brownfield redevelopments with similar projects built on undeveloped greenfield sites. These studies examined single brownfield/infill developments and entailed extensive site-specific analysis. The comparison sites generally accommodated the same number of residential units and commercial square footage, but typically occupied more acreage per employee or residence and were less location efficient. A review of 12 of these studies concluded that brownfield/infill development results in significant environmental benefits when compared to their greenfield counterparts. However, making broader quantitative assessments applicable to brownfield redevelopment around the country requires a methodology that is more easily transferable. This study tests an analytical approach to quantifying the environmental impacts of multiple redevelopment projects in a given municipal area in a manner that can be replicated in other regions. The method was applied to five cities and their surrounding areas—Seattle, WA, Baltimore, MD, Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, Emeryville, CA, and Dallas-Fort Worth, TX.

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New Jobs At Old Site: Chamber Eyes #Brownfields for Industrial Prospects

By Mike Pare
Chattanooga Times Free Press (TN)
July 1, 2012

With industrial park space in Hamilton County at a premium, economic developers are looking to the past as a way of growing Chattanooga's future business prospects.

The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce is crafting a list of former industrial properties with the aim of having some tracts potentially readied for redevelopment.

"There are quite a few," said Chamber Vice President of Economic Development Charles Wood about brownfield sites in the city. They
offer an opportunity with infrastructure already in place."

...

Enterprise South had about 6,000 acres at one time, but now less than 60 acres are uncommitted or not under option. Volkswagen, Amazon, Archer Daniels Midland and other companies have moved in over the past three years. Also, about half of the former Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant space was deemed too hilly for business and turned into park space or buffer.

MORE - http://timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jul/01/new-jobs-at-old-sites-chamber-eyes-brownfields/

UPDATE!!!! Brownfield Area-wide Planning Grant

Request for EPA Brownfield Grant Proposals - Area-wide Planning (AWP)

In mid-August 2012 (planned) EPA will announces the availability of EPA grant funds for projects  to facilitate community involvement and develop area-wide planning and implementation approaches to brownfield assessment, cleanup, and subsequent reuse.   Brownfield area-wide planning grant funding must be directed to specific areas affected by a single large or multiple brownfield sites, such as a neighborhood, downtown district, city block or local commercial corridor.  The grant funding will result in a plan and implementation strategy for the brownfields-affected area, which will inform the assessment, cleanup and reuse of brownfield properties and promote area-wide revitalization.  

Eligible applicants include local and State/Tribal governments, quasi-governmental agencies (e.g., Regional Planning Councils) and non-profit organizations.  (FY10 BF AWP Pilot Program recipients are not eligible to apply.)  The maximum total amount of grant funding that applicants may apply for is $200,000.  Applicants may apply for project periods of up to 24 months.  EPA anticipates selecting approximately 20 projects through this competitive opportunity. 

WEBINAR: Brownfield Grants Overview

Brownfield Grants Overview - July 12, 2012, 4:00PM-5:00PM EDT (20:00-21:00 GMT). This webinar will present an overview of the EPA's Brownfield Assessment, Cleanup and Revolving Loan program. Grant guidelines for FY13 are expected to be published at the end of summer so taking time now to learn about the program will be especially useful to new applicants. The presenters will go over: basics of the brownfield program; the three types of grants; who is eligible to apply; and what projects the grants cover. This webinar is meant as a primer for the subsequent webinars we'll be hosting in August where we go into much more details for each of the three grants. Those webinars will be held on August 16 - Assessments, August 23 - Cleanup, and August 30 - Revolving Loan Fund. Audience: Any potential brownfield applicant which includes any governmental entity, nonprofits and tribes. For more information and to register, see http://clu-in.org/live .

Kentucky DEP Offers Free Assessments

Free Assessments
The Kentucky Brownfield Program offers free Phase I and II environmental assessments to local governments, nonprofits and quasi-governmental agencies. Check out our Targeted Brownfield Assessment Program for more information.

Funding
Program staff can help identify funding for your project whether it is owned by a public or private entity. There are U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants available for cleanup and assessment, and there are tax incentives for private entities undertaking a brownfield cleanup project.

FREE: Building American Cities Toolkit for solutions to vacant/abandoned property.

New Web-Based Toolkit Offers Practical Strategies to Transform Blighted Property to Productive Reuse
 

The Center for Community Progress has launched a major new web-based tool – the “Building American Cities Toolkit” - that helps users drill down to practical solutions for vacant and abandoned property. Launched on June 15, the free resource is designed to let public officials, local leaders, stakeholders and residents shift easily from global overviews of dynamics into proven local solutions that offer practical strategies tailored to communities' unique local needs. For more information and to access the toolkit, click here.