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| Brownfields Weekly |
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March 28, 2002 THIS WEEK:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit the Brownfields.com
Conferences page for the latest industry events. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- National Study Highlights UST Revitalization
Successes WASHINGTON, D.C. - A growing number of communities across the nation are rising to meet the challenge of redeveloping polluted, abandoned gas stations and other petroleum contaminated properties, according to a national study by the National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals (NALGEP) and the Northeast Midwest Institute. The study, "Recycling America's Gas Stations; The Value and Promise of Revitalizing Petroleum Contaminated Properties," identifies 20 examples of states and communities that are at the forefront of cleaning up petroleum contaminated sites and turning them into community parks, businesses, affordable housing units, mixed used developments and new service stations. "The closed corner station remains a problem for main street America," says Matt Ward, NALGEP Environmental Attorney and study co-author. "But a new approach is emerging that puts local communities in partnership with states and the EPA to turn these pollution problems into community revitalization solutions. We hope the models of USTfield success in this report can help other communities around the country to do the same." As many as 200,000 abandoned gas stations across the country, in communities of all sizes and in all places, are impacted by petroleum leaking from underground storage tanks (USTs). Many gas stations were forced to shut down because they could not comply with 1998 federal requirements to clean and upgrade gas tanks, often because their owners could not afford to investigate and clean up any contamination. The study shows the problem is not limited to abandoned gas stations alone. Nearly 30 percent of the nation's operating gas tanks, the study found, are not being maintained properly. Poor tank maintainance creates the risk of possible petroleum contamination which can threaten public health, thwart economic development, and blight neighborhoods. The new Brownfields Revitalization Act signed by President Bush on January 11 provides new law and resources for cleaning abandoned gas stations. By highlighting successful revitalization efforts, the study seeks to build an information base that can be shared and used to foster effective state and local partnerships to promote UST site reuse in communities across the United States. Copies of "Recycling America's Gas Stations" can be obtained by contacting NALGEP at (202) 638-6254 or nalgep@spiegelmcd.com. British Government Agency to Focus
Exclusively on Brownfields LONDON, England - A new focus for the British Government's land redevelopment agency, English Partnerships (EP), was announced March 20th by Lord Falconer, Minister for Planning and Regeneration. The government agency will now focus exclusively on brownfields regeneration. It will also manage a national portfolio of strategic brownfields sites and demonstration projects. "EP has an essential role to play in continuing the regeneration of England," said Lord Falconer. "Under the guidance of their new Chair, Margaret Ford, English Partnerships will refocus their efforts to identify strategic brownfield land and oversee its development." English Partnerships was created in 1999 by combining the roles of the Commission for the New Towns (CNT) -- similar to Empowerment Zones in the United States -- and the national functions of England's Urban Regeneration Agency. To focus on their new objectives, EP will transfer the Commission for the New Towns landholdings to local authorities. They will also progressively relinquish the use of their CNT planning powers. English Partnerships' new priorities will include a national portfolio of national strategic sites, including the Greenwich Peninsula, the Coalfields Programme; Millennium Communities; support for Urban Regeneration Companies; the English Cities Fund and other new and innovative financial mechanisms and the National Land Use Database (NLUD). The announcement comes on the heels of a report that suggests England will face a huge housing shortage in 20 years. The report, by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, warns that the impending property shortage will hit London and the South East hardest, while in the North and Midlands there is the opposite problem of low demand, leaving empty and abandoned properties. The foundation report said the bulk of new homes could be built on recycled brownfield sites. New Partnership Boosts Resources for
Canadian Brownfield Development TORONTO, Ontario, Canada - Aon, a family of insurance brokerage, consulting and insurance underwriting subsidiaries, announced last week that its Canadian subsidiary, Aon Reed Stenhouse and aboutREMEDIATION.com have established a partnership to add environmental risk resources to Canada's premier online source for remediation, brownfields redevelopment, and property cleanup information. The partnership between Canada's leading environmental risk services firm and Canada's most comprehensive remediation site provides a gateway to a wealth of information about environmental insurance products and successful risk management strategies. This newly available information will enable real estate developers, engineers, environmental consultants and others in the remediation industry to gain a better understanding of their risk management and insurance options. One of the biggest barriers to any remediation project is the liability exposure associated with previously contaminated land. But Ian Matheson, senior vice president with Aon Reed Stenhouse, says such exposure is avoidable. "Environmental liability protection significantly reduces risk for developers and consultants and ultimately creates new opportunities to transform Canada's brownfields into land suitable for commercial, residential or recreational use." "The Toronto Waterfront redevelopment project is the type of project that could be significantly environmentally enhanced through the use of risk transfer strategies" notes Mr. Matheson. "To the extent that environmental liabilities can be capped or mitigated, stakeholders and lenders could benefit immeasurably. With a well-crafted risk management program, the Waterfront project can be a even more satisfactory win for everyone." "We have added risk-related information to our online resources so that property and environmental stakeholders involved in industrial land development can educate themselves about how management and insurance can benefit their businesses and ultimately enhance the environment," says Tammy Lomas-Jylha, Business Manager, aboutREMEDIATION.com. It is the goal of both Aon Reed Stenhouse and aboutREMEDIATION.com to support the ongoing development of Canada's brownfields by making remediation information available through a single web portal. For worldwide Brownfields news and resources, visit Brownfields.com International
Partners: States Budget Shortfalls Could Shortchange Smart Growth Programs WASHINGTON, D.C. - More than a dozen states have made or are considering massive cuts to smart growth programs to address budget shortfalls, according to a report released Monday by NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse and Smart Growth America. The report warned that cutting these vital programs eventually will threaten local economies, the environment and public health, and called on state legislators to defend them. "We understand that states have to tighten their belts, but this is not the time to return to the failed policies of the past," said Deron Lovaas, NRDC's deputy director for smart growth policy. "We have hundreds of examples around the country of programs building vibrant communities, revitalizing older neighborhoods, and protecting our cherished green spaces. States have to take the long view." The economic downturn has dramatically reduced state revenues. One estimate places the aggregate budget shortfall for states for fiscal year 2002 at $40 billion. The report surveyed the status of smart growth programs in 15 states and the District of Columbia. Programs facing the budget axe: Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Utah. Colorado and Ohio are considering smaller cuts. Some state officials, who apparently realize the long-term benefits of smart growth initiatives, are expanding these programs or starting new ones. Report authors say these officials are responding to their constituents. "Sprawl is one of [the public's] top concerns," said Allison Smiley, director of the Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse. "In last November's election, voters passed 73 percent of the open space protection ballot measures in 14 states." Three weeks ago, California voters passed a $2.6 billion ballot measure protecting open space. In Washington state, lawmakers this year passed five smart growth statutes, and Massachusetts legislators are considering two measures that would provide more money to preserve green space, clean up brownfields, and encourage communities to incorporate smart growth principles in local planning. Smart growth initiatives are also underway in New Jersey and Washington, D.C. Harley Davidson Dealer Rallies Around
Urban Redevelopment In 1999 Blues Brothers LLC, the company that owns the Harley Davidson franchise in Stamford, Connecticut, began looking for a place to relocate. Their showroom was just a few blocks away from an abandoned site -- a natural choice for their future expansion. But before Blues Brothers owner Fritz Blau could get started, the .75 acre site, whose past uses included a machine shop and printing and engraving facility, required contamination assessment. The property was located in a mixed-use neighborhood in the South End of Stamford, where a neighborhood community group, the South End Neighborhood Revitalization Task Force, had been meeting for three years. The South End had also been designated as a Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF) Pilot. Despite the contamination, Mr. Blau remained interested in developing the property. He presented his proposal to redevelop the site to the task force. The city's Community Development Director, who also served as the BCRLF Fund Manager, also attended this meeting, telling Mr. Blau about the BCRLF loans. After meeting with the BCRLF staff, Blues Brothers applied for the loan. In December 1999, the Harley Davidson franchise signed a loan agreement with the city for the money to be in place by the time cleanup began. Blues Brothers funded Phase I, II, and III assessments. Contaminants were found on the site, including semi-volatile organic compounds, mixed petroleum, chromium and other metals. The $165,000 BCRLF loan paid for removal of the contaminated soil on the site, which began in March 2000. Although the property required cleanup only to commercial standards, Blues Brothers LLC cleaned up the site to higher residential standards, which excludes capping, to broaden the long-term future uses of the property. Site redevelopment, which included renovation of two turn-of-the-century buildings and site landscaping, began immediately after cleanup was completed. On December 1, 2000, the community celebrated the grand opening of the Harley Davidson / Buell Dealership of Stamford. The project reduced public exposure to toxic pollutants and created 7 to 10 new jobs for community residents. The project was also unique because of the strong partnerships formed between City, State and Federal agencies, the local business community, and the local residents. Demonstrating the true essence of a Showcase Community, these partnerships show how strengths and resources can be brought together to create positive change in a community.
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