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This material has been funded wholly or in part by the
United States Environmental Protection Agency under
contract EP-W-07-023 to SRA International, Inc. It has
been subject to the Agency's review, and it has been
approved for publication as an EPA document. Mention
of trade names or commercial products does not
constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
Prepared by:
SRA International, Inc. (Contract No. EP-W-07-023)
3434 Washington Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201
Prepared for:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response
Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization
Washington, D.C. 20460
Cover photo: A new community at Summerset at Frick Park, Pittsburgh, Pa with single family homes, condominiums, and apartments.
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Brownfields: Lands of Lost Opportunity Coming to Life Again
More than a decade ago, EPA recognized
that local communities were struggling
to address contaminated (or potentially
contaminated) properties that were causing
blight in neighborhoods, and lowering
property values and tax revenues. The private
and public sectors hesitated to invest in
these properties—which became known as
brownfields-for fear of bearing responsibility
for any pollution found. In response, EPA
offered seed money to local communities
to identify and assess contamination
on brownfields. This helped to resolve
uncertainties and prepare these properties for
redevelopment.
Since its inception in 1994, EPA's Brownfields
Program has evolved into a highly successful
collaborative effort between federal, state
and local partners and private investors.
Making up the core of EPA's Brownfields
Program are the grants for assessment,
cleanup, revolving loan funds and job training.
To date, $548 million in EPA grants have
assisted thousands of local community efforts
to revitalize brownfield properties.
Landmark legislation passed in 2002
broadened EPA's Brownfields Program and
provided liability protection to promote private
sector participation in brownfields cleanup
and development. The availability of other
financial and technical tools and resources
further enhanced the Brownfields Program's
value. These tools include a federal tax
incentive, which encourages private sector
investment; and state voluntary cleanup
programs that allow properties to be cleaned
up under state oversight, assuring developers
and investors that they will never be held
liable for past contamination.
EPA's Mid-Atlantic Region is an ecologically,
demographically and economically diverse
area. Home to over 29 million people, the
Region spans the Atlantic Ocean to the
Appalachian Highlands, and includes the
District of Columbia and the states of Virginia,
West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and
Pennsylvania.
Regional Administrator Donald S. Welsh (second from left) presents a cheek to the
Johnstown Redevelopment Authority, Pa. for brownfields assessment and cleanup.
Brownfields are all around, in the smallest
towns and largest cities; they comprise empty
warehouses, decrepit factories, old coal
mines, vacant gas stations and junk-strewn
lots. They are located along waterfronts,
near transportation hubs, in neighborhoods,
suburbs and even the mountains.
Partnerships form the cornerstone of every
successful effort to revitalize contaminated
land in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Property
owners, developers, local governments,
and state and federal agencies each bring
something unique to the table, and help
to ensure that projects are adequately
funded, protective of human health and the
environment, and serve the communities in
which they are located. Infrastructure needs-
such as roads, sewers and storm water
management—require the direct involvement
of local and county governments.
State brownfields programs provide incentives
and guidance to promote redevelopment.
As shown later in this report, EPA provides
millions of dollars to support these programs
and works closely with all our states to
expedite redevelopment of brownfields. EPA
is always seeking opportunities to develop
partnerships with local, state and community
organizations interested in revitalizing
brownfields.
Cleaning up contaminated sites is now easier
and faster. We are proud of the progress
we have made. Since 1994,140 recipients
in the Mid-Atlantic Region have shared over
$52 million in brownfields grants, breathing
new life into old properties. These grants to
communities, states and non-profits have
resulted in the cleanup of 65 brownfields, and
leveraged 7,218 jobs and over $525 million
associated with assessment, cleanup and
redevelopment in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
The possibilities of reuse are endless. Former
brownfields in the Mid-Atlantic Region
are now new homes, businesses, schools,
municipal facilities, stadiums, parks, trails,
and riverfront promenades-projects that
have stimulated economic development and
community revitalization while improving the
environment and protecting public health. In
this report, we are proud to share highlights
of Mid-Atlantic brownfields redevelopment
successes.
EPA Mid-Atlantic Administrator
Donald S. Welsh
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
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EPA's Brownfields Mission
Brownfields are typically blighted former
commercial and industrial sites that have
been left idle or abandoned, causing both an
economic and environmental drain on their
communities. Fears of potential contamination
and associated liability hamper redevelopment
of these sites and make developing in pristine
areas, called greenfields, more attractive. EPA
estimates that between 500,000 and one
million brownfields tarnish the landscape of
communities across the country.
The mission of EPA's Brownfields Program is
to resolve the environmental issues on these
sites, relieve pressure to develop pristine open
space and farmland, revitalize communities
by creating jobs, and return property to
productive use and local tax rolls. The
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields program provides
technical and financial assistance to states,
communities and other stakeholders in the
Region to assess, safely clean up, plan for and
sustainably redevelop brownfields. We also
sponsor conferences, community workshops
and property transaction forums to help foster
brownfields redevelopment.
The Mid-Atlantic Region was instrumental
in bringing mining sites into the national
Brownfields Program. At the heart of
Appalachia, coal mining and steel production
fueled economic growth during the early
20th century. Today, our Region is left with
thousands of abandoned mining sites that
acidify rainwater runoff, polluting over 5,000
miles of streams and rivers.
Bucks County, Pa. Bristol Riverfront North Brownfields mixed-use redevelopment project
incorporates age-restricted residential units and first class office space.
Cumulative Dollar Amount of Brownfields Competitive
Grants in the Mid-Atlantic Region
$60,000,000
50,000,000
40,000.000
30,000,000
20,000,000
10,000,000
0-
$52,348,790
Cumulative Mid-Atlantic EPA and Leveraged
Cleanups Completed
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Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
-------
2002, President George W. Bush signs the
Brownfields law at a brown fields site in
Conshohocken, Pa.
The good news is that abandoned mining
sites present tremendous revitalization
opportunities. In June 1999, Central City,
Pennsylvania received the country's first
Brownfields grant to address contamination
from mining sites. Since passage of the
Brownfields law, which officially recognized
mine-scarred lands as brownfields, many
other Mid-Atlantic communities have received
funding and technical support to address
mine-scarred land projects.
EPA's Brownfields Program is a model of
environmental stewardship that protects
the environment, promotes partnership,
strengthens the marketplace, and sustains
reuse. Continuing our success in the Mid-
Atlantic requires collaboration among all
levels of government, the private sector and
non-governmental organizations. Recognizing
that environmental protection can be the
engine that drives economic redevelopment,
EPA will continue to support brownfields
redevelopment to protect human health and
the environment, enhance public participation
in local decision-making, and build safe and
sustainable communities.
Cumulative Dollars Leveraged for Mid-Atlantic
Brownfields Projects
$600,000,000
500,000,000
400,000,000
300,000,000
200,000,000
100,000,000
0
$525,261,718
Cumulative Number of Mid-Atlantic Brownfields
Revitalization Jobs Leveraged
7.218
"Partnerships form the cornerstone of every
successful effort to revitalize contaminated
land in the Mid-Atlantic Region."
-Donald S. Welsh,
Regional Administrator
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
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BROWNFIEIDS
MILESTONES
Over the years, EPA's Brownfields
Program has grown from a single
pilot project to a large-scale
resource that assists thousands of
communities with redevelopment
efforts. This graphic represents the
history and major milestones of the
Mid-Atlantic Region's Brownfields
Program and traces the progression
of our success.
Richmond, Va
receives first
$200,000
Assessment
Demonstration
Pilot grant in
the Mid-
Atlantic Region
National
Brownfields
Program
begins. The
communities of
Baltimore, Md.;
Cape Charles/
Northampton
County, Va.;
Pittsburgh, Pa.;
and Philadelphia,
Pa. each receive
a $200,000
Assessment
Demonstration
Pilot grant
Pittsburgh,
Pa. hosts the
first National
Brownfields
Conf BrencB
EPA conducts
the first
Targeted
Brownfields
Assessment
in the
Mid-Atlantic
Region
EPA introduces
Brownfields
Revolving Loan
Fund (RLF) grants
Philadelphia,
Pa.; Baltimore,
Md.; Richmond,
Va. and
Pittsburgh, Pa.;
each receive RLF
grants
Baltimore, Md.
selected as
a Showcase
Community.
EPA awards
first Brownfields
Job Training
grant to Impact
Services, Inc., of
Philadelphia, Pa.
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
-------
J
•r
K^P
Qip^ President George
[MP^ W. Bush signs the
Ji^i^P The total value of Small Business
EPA Brownfields Liability Relief
Assessment and Brownfields
'a. 'amf° grants awarded in Revitalization Act
rst the Mid-Atlantic in Conshohocken,
ilot reaches more Pa., clarifying the
3 than $8.7 million liability structure
Communlty for brownfields
k and dramatically
hed expanding
the funding
and eligibility
of properties
within EPA's
Brownfields
Program
EPA partners
with the U.S.
Army Corps of
Engineers to
announce its
Urban Rivers
Initiative-two
watersheds in
Mid-Atlantic
selected: the
Anacostia River
and the Elizabeth
River
TMlKl^^^
iil0P
^*
Earth
Conservancy,
a non-profit
group dedicated
to restoring
abandoned
coal fields in
northeastern
Pa., receives
Mid-Atlantic's
first Brownfields
Cleanup grant
EPA Mid-Atlantic
sponsors
community
brownfields
redevelopment
conferences in
Clarksburg, WVa.;
Roanoke Va *
Titusville, Pa.; and
Hazleton, Pa.
EPA announces its
Land Revitalization
Agenda,
making reuse of
contaminated sites
a priority in all its
cleanup programs.
Little Elk Creek in
Maryland selected
as the Mid-
Atlantic's Area
Wide One Cleanup
Program pilot
project
The Federal Mine-
Scarred Lands
Demonstration
Program created,
three sites in
the Mid-Atlantic
selected: Stone
Creek Tipple
property, Lee
County, Va.;
Kelly's Creek,
Kanawha
County, WVa.;
and the CAN DO
Cranberry Creek
site, Hazleton, Pa.
EPA Mid-
Atlantic and the
Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania
sign a first of
its kind One
Cleanup Program
Memorandum
of Agreement
outlining how
the two agencies
will coordinate
efforts to clean
up and redevelop
contaminated
sites
The Land
Revitalization
Update, a
quarterly e-
newsletter for
the Mid-Atlantic
Region, is
launched
EPA's new
federal
regulations for
All Appropriate
Inquiry take
effect
Bucks County
Redevelopment
Authority makes
the Region's
first Brownfields
Revolving Loan
Fund loan for
$975,000
EPA announces
$5 million in
Brownfields
grants to
communities in
the Mid-Atlantic
Region
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
-------
BROWNFIELDS
Grants are the core of EPA's Brownfields Program. They support revitalization
efforts by funding environmental assessment, cleanup and local job training
programs. Since 1994, 140 recipients in the Mid-Atlantic Region have shared
over $52 million in Brownfields grants, breathing new life into old properties.
The following sections provide examples of how EPA funds have contributed to
successful brownfields redevelopment throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region.
EPA Region 3: Active Brownfields Grants to Communities (2007)
Grant Communities
Detail Inset: Allegheny County (PA) Area.
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Brownfields Assessment Grants
Assessment grants are available to state and local governments to support pre-
cleanup activities, such as environmental site assessments, creating brownfields
inventories, planning for cleanup and redevelopment, and conducting community
outreach activities.
To date, EPA has awarded 90 Assessment grants totaling more than $23,783,000
to communities in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
-------
"The availability of funding
from EPA was instrumental
in the [project's] early
stages."
—Marc Knezevich of the
Urban Redevelopment Authority
Over 200 new homes built on a former slag pile-Pittsburgh, Pa.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
From Slag to Riches: New Housing on
Pittsburgh's Nine-Mile Run
Nine Mile Run, a former riverside slag
dump bordering the main access highway
to Pittsburgh's eastern suburbs, is being
transformed into Pittsburgh's largest and
most noteworthy residential development
since World War II, Summerset at Frick Park.
For years, the 238-acre Nine Mile Run served
as a dumping site for slag, an industrial
by-product of steel production. When slag
dumping ceased in the 1970s, the property
became a dumping ground for construction
debris. These activities turned the once-
forested area into two large waste piles that
towered over nearby trees and contributed to
the pollution of Nine Mile Run stream.
Pittsburgh's Urban Redevelopment Authority
(URA) recognized the potential value of turning
abandoned industrial areas such as these
into residential and commercial developments
and used an EPA Brownfields Assessment
grant to assess Nine Mile Run. EPA's grant
prompted interest from other public and
private partners. According to Marc Knezevich
of the URA, "the availability of funding from
EPA was instrumental in the project's early
stages."
Brownfields remediation at the Nine Mile Run
site was a complex and challenging venture
that revitalized the existing community. A
task force comprised of the URA, Summerset
Land Development Associates, the City of
Pittsburgh, private developers and surrounding
community groups was formed at the start
of the project to facilitate open discussion
and impart a sense of ownership to the
community.
Incorporating principles of smart growth
and new urbanism, more than 200 single-
family homes, townhouses, condominiums
and apartments have already been built.
These developments feature tree-lined,
pedestrian-friendly streets; smaller lot sizes;
sidewalks; energy-efficient building materials;
and alleyways that follow the pattern of
Pittsburgh's historic neighborhoods. One
of the residential developments has been
designated as a PATH (Partnership for
Advancing Technology in Housing) community,
showing how revitalization of contaminated
land can turn around an entire area.
More than 700 new housing units, nearly
100,000 square feet of new neighborhood
commercial retail space, and more than 100
acres of park land are still under development.
Ultimately, infrastructure improvements at
Summerset at Frick Park are expected to cost
$50 million and private investment is expected
to exceed $200 million.
Wheeling, West Virginia
Home Improvement in Wheeling
The City of Wheeling, West Virginia made
the revitalization of its center district a high
priority. The loss of manufacturing and other
economic drivers left the center district
spotted with idle and underused brownfields.
Two adjacent, 10-acre sites-one known as
the Pavilack property and another formerly
owned by CSX railroad—were particularly
promising and became key targets for cleanup
and reuse.
The city used an EPA Brownfields Assessment
grant to assess the Pavilack property, which
was home to a steel foundry, an axle finishing
plant, and a junkyard. Cleanup required
asbestos removal and demolition of several
buildings, and placement of a soil and asphalt
cap to contain residual contamination. The
CSX property was assessed with private
funds in the late 1990s, which determined
that the property did not require cleanup. Both
of these sites were cleaned up under West
Virginia's Voluntary Cleanup Program.
New Lowe's Home Improvement Center-Wheeling, WVa.
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
-------
In 2006, phase one of an $18.5 million
redevelopment project on the two former
brownfields was completed: a 160,000-
square-foot Lowe's Home Improvement
store that created 175 jobs. The developer
is acquiring adjacent land and planning two
additional redevelopment phases that are
expected to leverage as many as 1,000 jobs.
Shenandoah, Virginia
Parks Revitalize Communities Too
The 66-acre Big Gem Cast Iron Furnace site,
located in the center of Shenandoah, Virginia,
was once the principal producer of iron in
the area. Like many manufacturing plants,
it suffered from the effects of economic
downturn and closed. Over time, the site's
buildings were demolished and the land
reverted to forest. In 1995, the property was
donated to the city for redevelopment, though
the extent of the site's residual contamination
remained uncertain.
Using an EPA Brownfields Assessment grant,
the town investigated the property and found
that minimal cleanup would be required.
EPA's funding allowed the town to develop a
comprehensive landscaping and architecture
plan for the site, promote community
outreach, and solicit local resident input on
reuse options.
The town installed ground water monitoring
stations and a filtration system to make a
pond on the site safe for recreational use.
Nearly $180,000 was leveraged from the
Town of Shenandoah, the Virginia Department
of Forestry, the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development, and Wrangler Jean
Company, to create a community park. Phase
I included the creation of a picnic area, a
fishing pond, bridge and gazebo. Future
redevelopment efforts will create an access
A view of the creek at Big Gem Park-Shenandoah, Va.
"EPA's funding and project support played a large role in
allowing us to create a vision that enhances and benefits
our community."
-Judy Jewell, Economic Development Director for Shenandoah
road to the property and a parking lot. When
finished, the park will also have sports fields,
an amphitheater, and walking trails.
According to Judy Jewell, Economic
Development Director for Shenandoah, "The
Big Gem project is really designed to add to
the quality of life of our residents... EPA's
funding and project support played a large role
in allowing us to create a vision that enhances
and benefits our community."
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Brownfields to Ball fields
Named for the major league baseball player
and humanitarian, Roberto Clemente Park
in Lancaster, Pennsylvania was built in the
1960s as part of an urban renewal initiative.
Over the next few decades, the park and
surrounding neighborhood fell into disrepair.
Neglect, poor management and an increasing
concentration of poverty and blight in the
surrounding neighborhood turned this 3.5-acre
park into an underutilized, trash-ridden and
vandalized parcel of urban parkland that
became a neighborhood liability rather than
Roberto Clemente Park—a distressed neighborhood in Lancaster, Pa., gets a new walking
path, playground, and baseball fields.
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
-------
an asset. It was not until 1998 that the Inner
City Group, a coalition of 12 neighborhood-
based non-profits, decided to clean up the
3.5-acre park as part of a larger bid to restore
the community.
After encountering buried debris in the
park during initial cleanup efforts, the
coalition asked the Lancaster County
Planning Commission for help. The
Commission delegated a portion of its EPA
Brownfields Assessment grant to conduct
an environmental investigation of the
property, which was previously home to
varied industrial uses, including a scrap yard
and a dry cleaning facility. The assessments
revealed arsenic and lead contamination in the
soil and trichloroethylene in the ground water.
Many rural areas in the Appalachian region face devastating and widespread environmental
problems caused by their mining heritage.
"Anytime you have an opportunity to make a difference in this
world and you don % then you are wasting your time on Earth.
-Roberto Clemente
Following a risk assessment, 60 cubic yards
of soil were excavated and deed restrictions
were placed on the property.
With $700,000 in redevelopment funding, the
revitalized park was dedicated in 2005. The
park includes a walking path, playground and
baseball fields for adult and youth leagues
and plays host to a number of community
activities.
By providing a safe, clean and attractive
gathering place, the park fosters community
pride and neighborhood harmony, youth
development, socialization and recreation.
The success of the restored Roberto
Clemente Park has encouraged the Inner
City Group to continue aesthetic and
economic improvements to the surrounding
neighborhood.
Central City, Pennsylvania
Using BrownfieU Resources to Reclaim
Appalachia's Coal Mines
Many areas in the Appalachian region face
devastating and widespread environmental
problems caused by their coal mining
heritage. The Dark Shade Watershed, which
encompasses the Borough of Central City
and Shade Township, Pennsylvania, is one
of those areas. Through EPA's Brownfields
Program, these communities are finding new
ways to promote the cleanup and reuse of
mine-scarred lands.
After the coal mining operations of many
Appalachian communities shut down following
World War II, local economies like Central
City's began to decline, and poverty levels
climbed to well above national averages.
Many of these communities also suffered the
environmental effects of acid mine drainage
(AMD), which is the seeping or surging of
acidic, metals-laden water from abandoned
coal mines. AMD coats streambeds with
contaminated, orange sediment that can
devastate entire watersheds.
To address these problems, non-profit
community groups and the communities of
Central City and Shade Township formed a
partnership to explore innovative ways of
cleaning up the Dark Shade Watershed. The
result was the creation of a "watershed
approach"-the designation of the entire
watershed as one contaminated and targeted
property.
"We're a small community, and when we started the process to clean up the Dark Shade
Watershed, people said, 'Oh, it doesn't matter; we're too small to be important. 'But, we
showed them that even small communities like ours can create successful partnerships
and get assistance to clean up these sites. Small communities shouldn't be intimidated
by the 'big government agencies."
—Sharon Harkcom, Project Manager, Central City
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
-------
Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Grants
Revolving Loan Fund grants capitalize a revolving pool of funds to pay for cleanup
activities on brownfields. Private and public developers can apply for low- or no-
interest loans from the funds for cleanup activities. A portion of the loan fund can
also be used to provide grants, which do not require repayment, to pay for cleanup
on publicly owned or non-profit-owned properties. Applicants must contribute 20
percent in matching funds.
To date, EPA has awarded 29 RLF grants totaling more than $23.3 million to
communities in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
The project was awarded the first EPA
Brownfields Assessment Pilot grant to
address mine-scarred land. The innovative
watershed approach, along with EPA's
funding, enabled the two communities to
leverage more than $431,000 in financial
support for cleanup and restoration from the
Office of Surface Mining, the U.S. Department
of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Department
of Community and Economic Development and
coal companies.
Dark Shade Creek is being restored as a
recreational tourist draw for fishing, white-
water rafting and eco-tourism. The use of
partnerships and assistance from EPA and
other federal, state and local entities is often
critical to the success of projects like these in
small communities.
"Everything has to start somewhere," said
Sharon Harkcom, project manager with
Central City. "We're a small community,
and when we started the process to clean
up the Dark Shade Watershed, people said,
'Oh, it doesn't matter; we're too small
to be important.' But we showed them
that even small communities like ours can
create successful partnerships and get
assistance to clean up these sites. Small
communities shouldn't be intimidated by the
'big government agencies;' EPA has been
a great partner and critical to getting our
brownfields and environmentally impacted
properties cleaned up. We couldn't have done
it without their project support and financial
assistance."
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Returning to the Waterfront
Using $1 million from an EPA Brownfields
Cleanup RLF, a $200,000 EPA Brownfields
Cleanup grant, and a $5 million loan from
the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment
Authority (PENNVEST), the Redevelopment
Authority of Bucks County and private
developers are cleaning up a former industrial
property on the Delaware River in Bensalem,
Pennsylvania.
Known as the Riverfront South Brownfield
Redevelopment Project, this 26-acre property
was used for shipbuilding, warehousing and
manufacturing from 1917 until 1997. In the
1940s, the U.S. government used the property
to produce sulfuric acid, hydrogen fluoride and
cryolite. When manufacturing ceased in 1997,
machinery and buildings were removed from
the property.
Since the property is located within a State
Enterprise Zone, it was prioritized for cleanup
and redevelopment. An environmental
investigation conducted in 2004 with state
funding revealed volatile organic compounds,
polychlorinated biphenyls, pesticides and
metals in the ground water. Some of this
contamination was draining into the Delaware
River. The Redevelopment Authority loaned
$1 million in EPA RLF funds to a private
developer to initiate cleanup of the site.
The estimated $4.5 million cleanup is being
conducted under EPA's One Cleanup Program
agreement with Pennsylvania.
The site's eventual redevelopment will
incorporate smart growth and new urbanism
concepts, creating 500 housing units; office,
retail and restaurant components; and
pedestrian-orientated streets. Plans include
Cleanup of contaminated properties along
the Delaware River, Bensalem, Pa.
four acres of public greenspace along the
Delaware River that will complement natural
aesthetics and provide an area for recreation,
as well as new walking and biking trails that
will connect the area to nearby parks.
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Insuring Success for Brownfields
Redevelopment
The Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, a Triple-A minor
league team associated with the Philadelphia
Phillies, has a new home in Allentown. The
team's new, $34.3 million, 7,000-seat
stadium was built on a 26-acre brownfield.
The site was an electronics manufacturing
plant from the mid-1940s through 2003.
Following the plant's closure, all of the site's
buildings were demolished, and the property
became a vacant eyesore for the community.
Environmental assessments revealed buried
electronic parts and high concentrations of
chlorinated solvents, mercury, nickel and
silver.
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
-------
New home for A/lentown's Iron Pigs Triple A minor league baseball.
To assist in the cleanup, Lehigh County
received a sub-grant from the City of
Allentown's Brownfields RLF program to pay
for environmental insurance, which proved
crucial to the project's success. Due to the
site's industrial history, the potential for
unforeseen conditions requiring additional
remediation and increased project costs was
quite real.
The $77,000 insurance policy provides
coverage for any unexpected remediation
costs that arise during excavation and
construction. The policy will continue to
protect the county against any hidden
expenses-up to $1 million-should any new
conditions arise during a 10-year period ending
2016.
"The environmental insurance covers
previously unknown environmental issues that
could have halted construction," explained Bill
Ahlert, chairman of the city's Lehigh Valley
Land Recycling Initiative board.
When the Iron Pigs' new stadium opens
in April 2008, it will not only offer the
community new recreational options, it will
produce 30 full-time and many other part-
time jobs. These new jobs and associated
commercial activity will stimulate additional
economic development in the area.
"We see this project as a hub around which
economic development will occur. It's a
perfect reuse for a former industrial property
because we're taking a good portion of land
and turning it into greenspace," said Glenn
Solt, manager of capital projects for Lehigh
County.
"The environmental insurance covers previously
unknown environmental issues that could have
ha/ted construction."
—Bill Ahlert, Chairman
Lehigh Valley Land Recycling Initiative board
Brownfields Cleanup Grants
Cleanup grants pay for site-specific cleanup on publicly owned or non-profit-owned
properties. Applicants must own the property and contribute 20 percent in matching
funds.
To date, EPA has awarded 16 Cleanup grants totaling more than $3,260,000 to
communities in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
The former Cambria mill complex received National Landmark status in 1989- Johnstown, Pa.
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future ol Manufacturing and Mining Lands
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Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Former Steel Mill Preserving History and
Creating Jobs
Johnstown was once a hub of Pennsylvania's
steel country. At the industry's peak, steel
mills covered 12 miles of the city's riverfront.
Much of that activity was part of the Cambria
Iron Works complex, which was established in
1848 and bought by Bethlehem Steel in 1923.
As decades passed, Pennsylvania's steel
industry fell into a period of steady decline,
and in 1992, Bethlehem Steel closed all of
its Johnstown mills. The former Cambria mill
complex received National Landmark status
in 1989.
After Johnstown's mill closings,
unemployment rose to 25 percent and many
left the city in search of work. In an effort to
restore the historic mill complex and revitalize
the city, the Johnstown Redevelopment
Authority (JRA) acquired multiple buildings
within the complex and several acres of
vacant land. The community used EPA
Brownfields Assessment funds and $600,000
in Brownfields Cleanup funds to assess the
site and initiate cleanup.
In support of this project, JRA secured
grants totaling nearly $7.3 million from 17
other sources, including the National Park
Service, the U.S. Economic Development
Administration, and the Appalachian Regional
Commission.
Because of the historic mill's National
Landmark status, none of the original
buildings were torn down. Rather, many
of the original structures were restored,
including a carpentry shop now being used
by a wood refinishing company, and an
1850's blacksmith shop that has attracted
The former Sterling Steel Company mill, McKeesport, Pa., whose redevelopment is estimated
to leverage 500 jobs and $17 million in investment.
the interest of several artisans. The restored
complex is now a tourist draw and source
of community pride, as well as being
home to light industry, including two small
manufacturing operations. Approximately
100 people work in these renovated historical
buildings on the site, which also features an
urban walking trail system and grounds for
festivals and other public events
McKeesport, Pennsylvania
A Rusting Steel Mill Primed for New Uses
A 14-acre site in McKeesport, Pennsylvania
was originally home to the Sterling Steel
Company in 1889, the first U.S. facility
to produce stainless steel. However, as
technology advanced and newer facilities
emerged over the next 90 years, the
company's mill gradually became obsolete and
operations ceased in 1981.
Located on the Monongahela River, the
property was acquired by GLS, a private
company, in 2000. Due to environmental
contamination, GLS was unable to make
site improvements so they approached
the City of McKeesport for help. At the
city's recommendation, the Redevelopment
Authority of Allegheny County (RAAC) got
involved and secured EPA funding for site
assessments by working with the West-to-
West Coalition, an economic development
organization representing 22 Monongahela
River Valley communities. Assessments
identified petroleum and asbestos
contamination on the former mill site.
In 2004, RAAC purchased the site from GLS
and received an EPA Cleanup grant. RAAC
raised an additional $3 million in funding for
the cleanup from federal and state Community
Development Block Grant funds awarded to
Allegheny County. Remediation is complete,
though capping of contaminated areas will
not be finalized until a reuse for the site is
determined.
RAAC is evaluating reuse proposals that
include a waste-to-energy facility as well as
a transfer station for recycling wood waste.
Because of its location near the river and
nearby rail lines, the site's future use will
likely be industrial. Ultimately, redevelopment
of the former Sterling Steel property is
estimated to create as many as 500 industrial
jobs and generate $17 million in investment
from county, state and private sources for the
City of McKeesport.
Brownfields Cleanup grants first became available in
2003 with the passage of the 2002 Brownfields Law.
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
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Brownfields Job Training Grants
EPA provides funds to communities and non-profit organizations to train local
residents to take advantage of the jobs created through the assessment and cleanup
of blighted land. Through Job Training grants, EPA works to ensure that residents of
brownfields communities do not bear a disproportionate burden of the consequences
of these sites, and can benefit during the reuse process. To date, EPA has awarded
13 Job Training grants to communities in the Mid-Atlantic Region, with 396 trainees
completing training and 297 obtaining employment.
Cumulative Number of Mid-Atlantic Job Training Graduates
Brownfields Job Training
grants produce skilled
environmental technicians
to help clean up brownfield
properties.
Brown fields Job Training program participants learn a variety of skills as part of training
curricula.
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
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Wilmington, Delaware
A New Line of Work for Wilmington's
Undereducated and Underemployed
Residents
Decades ago, the City of Wilmington,
Delaware was a thriving manufacturing city
of shipbuilding, rail car manufacturing, steel
mills and tanneries. Today, approximately 25
percent of the city's land is brownfields.
Complementing two EPA Brownfields
Assessment grants awarded to the city, the
Delaware Department of Natural Resources
and Environmental Control (DNREC) received
two EPA Brownfields Job Training grants
to train undereducated and underemployed
residents of Wilmington's Southbridge
and East Wilmington neighborhoods. With
a combined population of approximately
8,000, these neighborhoods have poverty
rates of nearly 18 percent, and the highest
unemployment rates in the city.
The environmental aspect of DNREC's job
training program is run by the Delaware
Technical and Community College. It includes
instruction on Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) construction safety
and outreach, asbestos and lead based paint
mitigation, forklift operation, HAZWOPER
certification, and a general brownfields
course.
The job training program in Baltimore, Md., has graduated nearly 100 students.
One of the unique aspects of DNREC's
training program is the a-la-cart training
it provides to participants. This provides
participants with the opportunity to gain
necessary certifications without completing
the full 126-hour program. The success of this
approach is evident since more than half of
the trainees opted to take only portions of the
course. To date, 88 participants in DNREC's
environmental job training program are
employed in the environmental field-doubling
the original goals for training and placement.
Suiting up for Level A hazardous waste
response.
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore's Job Training Program Targets
Veterans
Like any mid-sized city, Baltimore has
neighborhoods and communities with higher
than average unemployment and poverty
rates. As a result of declines in the industrial
and manufacturing industries, the city has
more than 60 known brownfields that are
three acres or larger. Within these properties
lies great potential for job generation, through
both redevelopment and the demand for
skilled environmental technicians to help
address them.
To meet this demand. Civic Works, a local job
training provider, has used three Brownfields
Job Training grants to create and deliver
an environmental training program, B'more
Green. Based on Department of Labor studies
indicating that as many as 25 percent
of Maryland's veterans are unemployed,
B'more Green includes a 15-day program
specifically designed for veterans. Civic
Works' latest class of veterans included those
from campaigns as recent as Operation Iraqi
Freedom and from as far back as Vietnam.
Civic Works has graduated over 100 students
to date, with a job placement rate of nearly
94 percent.
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
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Targeted Brownfields Assessments
In addition to grants, EPA conducts site assessments on brownfields to assist
communities with redevelopment planning. A Targeted Brownfields Assessment
(TBA) is a Phase 1 and/or Phase 2 environmental assessment conducted by EPA to
determine the nature and extent of environmental contamination on a brownfield.
Since 1996, EPA has conducted TBAs on more than 24 brownfields within the
Mid-Altantic. Half of these properties have been redeveloped for new uses or have a
redevelopment plan underway.
EPA also provides grants for state environmental response programs that address
the assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields. These Mid-Atlantic state
programs have conducted over 200 EPA-funded assessments, clearing the way for
redevelopment on dozens of properties.
To apply for TBA assistance from EPA, please go to our website: http://www.epa.
gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/regional/eligibility.htm
Communities that do not
receive EPA Brownfields
grants may be eligible for
TBA assistance.
Scranton, Pennsylvania
AllAboardl-Scranton's Historic Train
Station is Revitalizing its Downtown
Dating back to the 1890s, the 4.5-acre,
Central New Jersey Railroad's (CNJRR)
freight station in Scranton, Pennsylvania had
once been the central hub for the region's
railroad traffic. Located adjacent to the
Lackawanna River, the site was home to a
14,000-square-foot, Queen Anne-style train
station used primarily for freight hauling until
the mid-1950s. More recently, the facility
was used as a warehouse, until it was
ultimately abandoned in the 1990s. The City
of Scranton took ownership of the property,
which was placed on the National Register of
Historic Places and remained one of the area's
most recognized structures.
In 2000, CNJRR Station, LP purchased the
station to redevelop the historic structure
Cumulative EPA-Led Targeted Brownfields Assessments
in the Mid-Atlantic Region
Plans for new commercial and retail facilities
in Scranton's Pa. former train station.
for commercial and recreational purposes.
To determine the level of cleanup required,
EPA Mid-Atlantic conducted environmental
assessments under the TBA Program. Cleanup
and redevelopment, which are expected to
total more than $4.5 million, will be funded
through a $2 million grant from the State of
Pennsylvania's Redevelopment Assistance
Capital Program, and the remainder from
private investment.
Scheduled for completion in 2008, restoration
of the site will retain the structure's historical
integrity while creating new commercial and
retail facilities-including a restaurant and
23,000 square feet of office space that will
bring as many as 250 jobs to the area.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A Former Quarry Becomes an Environmental
Education Center
Using "green" technologies, an urban
brownfield in a typical Philadelphia
commercial corridor will be transformed into a
new, neighborhood-based learning center for
environmental studies.
At the request of the City of Philadelphia, EPA
conducted a TBA on this former industrial
site, revealing contaminants such as arsenic
and lead in the soil.
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
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"There's no way to learn about the environment
without being in the environment."
-Jerome Shabazz, an Overbrook parent and Executive Director of
JASTECH Development Services
The planned site of the Overbrook
Environmental Education Center is located
within a larger area targeted by the city
for revitalization, and reuse of the property
will be an important element in this overall
effort. Grants provided by the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection
(PADEP) and the City of Philadelphia are
contributing to the cleanup and redevelopment
of the property. Juveniles Active in Science
and Technology (JASTECH) will operate
the center as a "living laboratory" offering
environmental programs for students
throughout the region.
The Overbrook Center will be built using
sustainable design and construction practices.
It will include a bio-retention basin, an urban
garden consisting of native plants, and
green roofing (which uses plant growth as
insulation). The planned 46,000-square foot
education center will preserve over 60 percent
of the site as open greenspace and retain
over 75 percent of its storm water to avoid
burdening the neighborhood's aging sewer
system. When cleanup and construction are
complete, the center will provide an urban
oasis complete with native plantings, outdoor
biology labs and green architecture. The
Overbrook Center was presented a storm
water best management practices award by
the Academy of Natural Sciences.
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bank Sees Green on a Former Industrial Site
The former Stainless site in Perkasi,
Pennsylvania was a vacant, 2.80-acre
commercial property located in an industrial
and residential area. The property was used
industrially since 1912. The most recent
industrial owner, Stainless, Inc., operated
a steel fabrication facility there from 1967
through the mid 1980s, when operations
ceased.
The property first became an environmental
concern in 1990, when an oily discharge
running into a small stream bordering the
site was reported to the Bucks County
The Overbrook Environmental Education
Center received a storm water best
management practices award from the
Academy of Natural Sciences.
Department of Health. Initial site assessments
performed by Stainless, Inc. revealed an
underground storage tank containing fuel
residue and water, and a subsurface vat
containing solvents. Though some remedial
actions were taken, trichloroethylene (TCE)
levels remained high in the site's soil and
ground water.
Following these initial assessments, the Bucks
County Redevelopment Authority (BCRDA)
purchased the Stainless property with the
intention of cleaning and preparing it for
resale. The site entered Pennsylvania's Act
2 voluntary cleanup program and received
funds for treatment of TCE in the soils. While
performing the cleanup, a nearby facility
conducting its own required monitoring
program, found TCE in its ground water
samples.
All parties (the state, EPA, BCRDA, the
impacted facility, and the community) lacking
authority to investigate the source of the TCE,
requested a TBA. The results of the TBA led
to an EPA Removal Assessment investigating
the entire area, finding multiple plumes.
Meanwhile the TBA investigation and process
assured protection of human health and the
environment, and allowed the cleanup and
reuse of the Stainless site to continue.
Following cleanup, the site was purchased
by First Savings Bank and is now home to
the bank's 40,000-square foot green office
building. The building is Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED) certified
and includes lots of natural light, efficient
windows and other features which save 25
percent in heating and cooling costs.
First Savings Bank's 40,000-square foot green office building, Perkasie, Pa.
m
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
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When EPA started cleaning up hazardous
waste sites close to 30 years ago, citizens
feared harmful health impacts and reduced
real estate values. Developers shied away
from contaminated sites. Now, communities
want these properties returned to productive
use, and reuse planning has become as
important to the process as assessment and
cleanup.
In 2003, EPA announced its Land
Revitalization Agenda to promote the
productive reuse of all contaminated
land, including Superfund and Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
sites. Reuse of contaminated sites promotes
economic and social benefits to communities,
results in faster and more protective cleanups,
and helps retain greenspace. EPA's Land
Revitalization Initiative seeks to resolve
barriers to reuse and promote the reuse of
sites that are being or have been cleaned up.
The Mid-Atlantic Region's Land Revitalization
Program integrates cleanup and reuse as
mutually supportive goals, emphasizes
sustainable site reuse, develops partnerships
to support reuse, and measures the economic
and environmental benefits of reused
properties.
In 2005, EPA surveyed more than 500 of
the most severely contaminated hazardous
waste sites in the Mid-Atlantic Region,
encompassing more than 230,000 acres.
Today, 93 percent of this land is in use or
planned for reuse. More than half of the
The Money Point area of the Elizabeth River Basin in Chesapeake, Virginia is a 35-acre area
that once thrived with shipping terminals, factories and wood treatment plants.
Region's former Superfund sites have new
life as parks, wildlife areas or recreation
areas. At other contaminated sites where
federal cleanups were required, new industrial
facilities, apartment houses, office buildings
and retail stores have been built.
EPA and its state partners can help property
owners and communities revitalize these
sites by providing information to potential
stakeholders, coordinating with other
regulatory programs, incorporating reuse
plans into cleanup designs, helping to resolve
liability concerns, and expediting cleanup to
support reuse.
The Mid-Atlantic Region's Land Revitalization
Action Team works with buyers and
developers to clarify EPA's role in the cleanup
of a site and any financial or environmental
obligations that remain. EPA can also review
proposed revitalization plans to make sure
they are compatible with EPA's cleanup plan
for a site and protect human health and the
environment.
The Mid-Atlantic Region's quarterly e-
newsletter, the Land Revitalization Update,
is a great source of information for news,
resources and policies affecting the reuse
of brownfields and other contaminated
properties in the Mid-Atlantic Region. To
view issues of the Land Revitalization
Update go to: http://www.epa.gov/region3/
revitalization/newsletters.htm
The Mid-Atlantic Region's Land Revitalization
program also focuses on complex, area-wide
contamination problems to help revitalize
broad geographic areas, such as watersheds,
using collaborative and integrated
approaches. Following are examples of
collaborative approaches that cross traditional
organizational and regulatory boundaries
to coordinate multiple agency processes,
streamline requirements and leverage
resources.
The Mid-Atlantic Region's Land Revitalization Action Team works with buyers
and developers to understand EPA's role in the cleanup of a site and any
financial or environmental obligations that remain on the property.
Mill-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
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Darby Creek, a tributary to the Delaware
River, is targeted for ecorestoration,
Philadelphia, Pa.
Interagency Collaboration at Little
Elk Creek, Maryland
Little Elk Creek in Cecil County, Maryland
was selected as an EPA One Cleanup
Program Area-Wide Pilot in 2003. The Little
Elk Creek pilot project used a collaborative,
cross-programmatic approach to address
a widespread ground water contamination
concern at an underutilized industrial park and
ensure that the site's development and reuse
met the needs of the surrounding community.
The project's partners-EPA Mid-Atlantic,
Maryland Department of the Environment
(MDE), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Cecil County, City
of Elkton, University of Maryland, and local
property owners—collaborated to improve the
interaction and information sharing between
federal and state cleanup programs. The
community formed the Little Elk Creek Reuse
Committee to develop reuse recommendations
for sites within the Little Elk Creek area.
This coordination of project partners enhanced
data and resource sharing and greatly sped
up the assessment and cleanup processes,
reduced redundancy, saved time and money,
and avoided missteps. At one of the sites,
EPA and MDE are coordinating with the
developer of a new housing development,
allowing the developer to proceed with
planning and construction of over 1,000
new homes as EPA conducts cleanup on the
property.
Restoring Habitat to Revitalize Urban
Rivers-Delaware River Estuary
The Delaware River Estuary, the largest
freshwater port in the U.S., is highly
industrialized; it is the third largest
petrochemical port in the country, with
millions of gallons of crude oil transported
on the river daily. As a result, it is the most
impacted area of the Delaware River system
in terms of contaminants and habitat loss.
To improve the region's ecological health and
support the revitalization and redevelopment
of coastal communities, EPA partnered with
NOAA, the States of Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, and Delaware, and the Partnership
for the Delaware Estuary to identify habitat
restoration opportunities along the Delaware
River Estuary.
A web-based regional database and mapping
tool targets brownfields and other waste
sites to promote the restoration of critical
habitats along the Delaware River. This web
site helps property owners and developers,
community groups and federal, state, and
local governments identify contaminated sites
and underutilized properties and view existing
restoration projects and potential sites for
restoration. It also provides an overview of
coastal habitats, natural resources critical
to maintaining a healthy river and sources
of contamination. To use the online tool,
please visit: http://mapping.orr.noaa.gov/Web
site/portal/Delaware/
The Urban Rivers Restoration Pilot
Initiative Spurs Cleanup of One of
the Most Contaminated Areas of the
Chesapeake Bay Watershed
The Urban Rivers Restoration Pilot projects
designated by EPA and U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers address the challenges of urban
river cleanup, protect public health, and
promote economic sustainability.
One of these projects, the Money Point area
of the Elizabeth River Basin in Chesapeake,
Virginia, is a 35-acre area that once thrived
with shipping terminals, factories and wood
treatment plants. Legend has it that the
locals dubbed the area Money Point for the
jobs and wealth it created. However, the
area now suffers from high concentrations
of contaminants that have killed most of the
aquatic life.
The Pilot supports the Elizabeth River Project
(ERP), a non-profit group, in its efforts to
motivate property owners along the river
to make voluntary improvements. In 2006,
ERP's Money Point Revitalization Task Force
completed a 10-year Watershed Action Plan
to clean up the river, conserve and restore
habitat, and foster environmental stewardship
with local industries. The Elizabeth River
Project, in conjunction with 150 project
partners, is now implementing its Watershed
Action Plan to help guide cleanup priorities for
the river.
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
-------
*^x
EPA works closely with its state partners to promote the assessment, cleanup and
reuse of brownfields. Each of the states in the Mid-Atlantic Region receives annual
grants (Section 128(a) State and Tribal Grants) from EPA to support brownfields and
voluntary response programs. Below is a summary of each state's various programs
and incentives that aid brownfields projects, as well as contact information for each
state.
EPA Mid Atlantic Brownfields State Grants
$40,000,000
35,000,000
30,000,000
25,000,000
20,000,000
15,000,000
10,000,000
5,000,000
0
$37,807,514
District of Columbia
The District of Columbia's Brownfield Revitalization Amendment Act of 2000 established
the Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP), a brownfields program, and authorized tax and other
incentives for the cleanup and development of contaminated property.
In addition to the VCP, the District also enacted the Voluntary Remediation Action Program,
which permits parties that are not responsible for a tank leak-such as a prospective purchaser-
to remediate a site and obtain a No Further Action letter from the District.
For more information on the District's VCP and Brownfields Program, please contact the District
Department of the Environment, Land Remediation and Development Branch at (202) 535-2289.
Since 1997, EPA has
given nearly $38 million
to Mid-Atlantic State
programs to support
brownfields work.
A new condominium building at the corner
of 13th and M Streets, NW is the crown
jewel of the neighborhood.
Prior to its redevelopment, the property
had many different uses, including a
supermarket, gas station, apartment
building, print shop, take-out restaurant,
liquor store and dry cleaner. Petroleum
and solvents, both in the soil and
groundwater, were cleaned up in 2005.
The redevelopment of this .8-acre parcel is
a valuable addition to this highly developed
residential and commercial area.
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
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Delaware's Brownfields and VCP
Programs have helped with the costs
associated with the recent redevelopment
of more than 35 acres of the South
Wilmington riverfront.
The properties include Christina Landing
Towers & Townhomes, which had a
long history of dumping commercial and
industrial wastes. Plans for this site call
for construction of 63 luxury townhouses,
273 upscale apartment units, and a 280-
space parking garage.
The nearby Justison Landing property
has been in continuous industrial use
since the late 1700s by the steel, rail and
power industries. Over the years, the site
became strewn with brick, rock, coal and
ash, wood, slag, foundry wastes, and
other debris. The property is currently
undergoing redevelopment as an ultra
modern mixed use residential, commercial
and retail project.
Another of the area's properties, the
Howard Street Commercial Development/
Christina Landing Retail Center, is
currently being redeveloped for commercial
and retail use. This site had a history
of industrial uses, including a yard that
processed scrap metal, old appliances
and electrical transformers that may have
contained PCBs. When completed, the
property will contain a grocery store with
supporting retail stores.
El
Delaware
Delaware established its VCP in 1993 and its Brownfields Program in 1995. The 2006
Hazardous Substance Cleanup Act Policy on Brownfield Grants authorized the appropriation
of $5,000,000 annually from the Hazardous Substance Cleanup Act Fund (HSCA Fund) for the
purpose of reimbursing up to $1,000,000 in cleanup costs for eligible brownfields redevelopment
projects.
Up to $225,000 may be awarded to any single private brownfields redevelopment project for
approved costs incurred for assessment, investigation, cleanup activities, or oversight charges.
Of this amount, the first potential $125,000, being a dollar to dollar reimbursement, and the
second potential $100,000 being a fifty cents to the dollar reimbursement.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) administers the
Brownfields Program and gives funding preference to redevelopment projects with public
benefit-such as affordable housing (e.g., for low- to middle-income buyers), LEED Certified
Green Buildings, and development consistent with smart growth principles. To apply for funding
and for Brownfield certification, go to: (www.dnrec.state.de.us/dnrec2000/Divisions/AWM/sirb/
Brownfield/doc/BF_Cert_App.doc).
Delaware's Brownfields Tax Credit Program offers employment and capital investment tax
credits to parties that clean up brownfields and encourage new business on them. Companies
that invest at least $200,000 in a facility on a former brownfield and create at least five new
jobs are eligible to receive tax credits, including:
• $650 per each $100,000 of new investment;
• $650 for each new job created; and
• a 15-year graduated gross receipts tax credit.
Credits for employees and investment increase by $250 if the business locates on a brownfield
in a targeted area.
DNREC promotes the cleanup and development of state brownfields by ensuring timely
and effective cleanups with protective, equitable and sustainable remedies and long-term
stewardship for properties that have a remedy in place. The state's Brownfields Advisory
Committee, representing broad public interest and community perspectives, advises DNREC on
its Brownfields Program including the development of rules, policies and procedures. For more
information on Delaware's VCP and Brownfields Program, please contact James Poling at (302)
395-2600 or z\jim.poling@state.de.us.
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
-------
Maryland
Established by the state legislature in 1997, the Maryland Department of the Environment's
(WIDE) Voluntary Cleanup Program provides state oversight for voluntary cleanups of properties
contaminated with hazardous substances and provides liability protection for inculpable parties.
MDE's Brownfields Site Assessment Initiative uses federal funding to conduct site assessments
on privately and publicly owned brownfields.
The Brownfields Revitalization Incentive Program, established in 1997 as part of Maryland's
smart growth policy, focuses on the efficient use of existing infrastructure as an alternative to
developing on open space. The "Maryland Smart Sites" Web site (www.mdsmartsites.orgt
provides a list of properties that meet the needs of businesses and developers and support
Maryland's smart growth efforts. An online source for information on publicly owned
redevelopment opportunities across the state, Maryland Smart Sites aims to market these
opportunities in conjunction with an array of existing state, local and federal incentives.
Properties that qualify for remediation assistance from the Maryland Department of Business
and Economic Development's Brownfields Revitalization Incentive Program (BRIP) are eligible to
receive a property tax credit as well. They must participate in the state's VCP and the property
must be located in a jurisdiction that has elected to participate in the BRIP. For five years after
cleanup, VCP-participating qualified brownfield projects can receive a real property tax credit
between 50 and 70 percent of the new increment of taxes on the increased value of the site.
Properties located in any of the state's 28 designated enterprise zones may take advantage of
the tax credit for up to 10 years. The brownfields credit, combined with other available state
property tax credits, may not exceed 100 percent of the tax on the increased value of the site.
Property owners responsible for contamination may not take advantage of the tax incentive.
For more information regarding Maryland's Voluntary Cleanup Program, please contact Luke
Wisniewski, Maryland Department of the Environment, at (410) 537-3493. For more information
regarding the Brownfields Revitalization Incentive Program, please contact Jim Henry, Maryland
Department of Business and Economic Department, at (410) 767-6353.
A property long regarded as an industrial
landmark, the General Motors van
assembly plant in East Baltimore shut
down operations after 68 years. Duke
Realty was awarded a purchase contract
to clean up the site and invested more than
$140 million to redevelop the property into
a commercial business park. The project
is expected to create thousands of new
jobs over the next ten years and aims to
bring one of Baltimore's largest and most
prominent industrial properties back to life.
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
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Capitalizing on the success of the adjacent
Clipper Magazine Stadium, Armstrong
World Industries, Franklin and Marshall
College, Lancaster General Hospital, and
EDC Finance Corporation are rejuvenating
47 acres of industrial property Armstrong
no longer needed for its manufacturing
operations.
The mixed-use redevelopment project
includes the creation of a collegiate
athletic complex, community recreational
access, and Lancaster General Hospital
clinical and therapeutic facilities,
administrative offices, and a nursing
college-creating hundreds of jobs and
fueling additional economic development
in Lancaster City. This high-profile
revitalization project has been designated
as one of PADEP's Brownfield Action
Team projects and is participating in the
One Cleanup Program with PADEP and
EPA.
Pennsylvania
Since 1995, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's (PADEP) Land Recycling
Program (Act 2) has been instrumental in encouraging the voluntary cleanup and reuse of
contaminated commercial and industrial sites. Nearly 2,700 properties have been remediated
and 76,000 jobs created or retained since the inception of the program by utilizing the four
cornerstones of Act 2: uniform cleanup standards, liability relief, standardized reviews and time
limits, and financial assistance.
Since 2003, Pennsylvania has invested $230 million in brownfields revitalization, helping to
clean up and redevelop 950 abandoned industrial sites covering more than 6,000 acres, while
creating and retaining 27,000 jobs. Investment and cleanup activities in the last four years alone
represent nearly 40 percent of all properties remediated under the Act 2 program.
To accelerate this effort, the Brownfield Action Team (BAT) program was launched in 2004.
BAT serves as a single-point-of-contact system to streamline permitting processes and
redevelopment efforts for sites that local officials target as priorities. The BAT works closely
with other state agencies to provide cleanup and financing strategies. BAT projects typically
receive PADEP permits and other authorizations in half of the usual time. Since its launch, BAT
has helped 33 projects in 22 counties to redevelop more than 4,500 acres of brownfields.
Also in 2004, Pennsylvania signed a historical Memorandum of Agreement with EPA, enabling
Pennsylvania's Land Recycling Program to serve as a "one-stop shop" for EPA and Pennsylvania
standards that guide the cleanup of brownfields.
Pennsylvania's brownfields have been redeveloped into everything from parks and walking
trails to commercial offices, retail and entertainment complexes, and single- and multi-family
residential developments. These achievements build on the commonwealth's already strong track
record of making environmental protection work for the business community.
For more information on Pennsylvania's Brownfields Program, please contact Jill Gaito,
deputy secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Community
Revitalization and Local Government Support, at (717) 783-1566 or at jgaito@state.pa.us.
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
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Virginia
Since 1997, Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Voluntary Remediation
Program (VRP) has provided a framework for remediating brownfield properties. The VRP
is a non-enforcement cleanup program that provides a formal mechanism for DEQ oversight
while providing flexibility to the participant. The VRP uses a risk-based approach that provides
reasonable cleanup goals and allows for institutional and engineering controls to be considered
as remediation approaches. Eligibility is limited to properties where remediation is not mandated
pursuant to a federal or state regulatory program. When the remediation is satisfactorily
completed, DEQ issues a "certification of satisfactory completion of remediation." This
certification provides assurance that the remediated site will not later become the subject
of a DEQ enforcement action unless new issues are discovered. The DEQ also provides site
assessment services as an incentive for the reuse or redevelopment of brownfields.
The General Assembly of Virginia enacted House Bill 2141 in 1997, which amended the Code
of Virginia and created a property tax incentive. The code created a separate class of property,
the environmental restoration site, for VRP participants. The section allows the local governing
body of any county, city or town, by ordinance, to exempt or partially exempt environmental
restoration properties from local taxation annually for a period up to five years. Upon the request
for a determination if a property is the subject of remediation activities conducted in the VRP, a
letter will be sent to the requesting party certifying whether the property meets the criteria of
an environmental restoration site. Such certification can then be presented to the local governing
body for any special tax considerations. Properties that are enrolled in the VRP may also be
eligible for federal tax incentives.
DEQ's goal in implementing its brownfields program is to provide innovative, business-oriented
provisions that are substantive, user friendly and timely. A "Brownfields Manual" published by
DEQ facilitates brownfields cleanup and redevelopment by offering an overview of the process,
frequently asked questions and flowcharts to help quickly and easily assess a project's eligibility.
For more information on Virginia's VCP and Brownfields Program, please contact Kevin Green,
DEQ's Division of Waste Program at (804) 698-4326 or at klgreene@deq.virginia.gov.
Since the early 1920s, the 1.4-acre
Clarendon Triangle site in the City of
Arlington had been host to a mix of
residential and commercial uses. The
property was occupied by several gasoline
distribution stations, a car wash, an
automobile dealership, and an office
building. By the late 1980s, the site
became dilapidated and largely vacant.
Starting in the late 1990s, the surrounding
Arlington area began to experience
significant revitalization due to market
forces and local "smart growth" initiatives.
Before construction was initiated,
a Corrective Action Plan to address
documented petroleum contamination was
formulated and approved. As a result,
areas of contamination were properly
addressed and successfully resolved.
The redevelopment of the Clarendon
Triangle site played a significant role in
transforming a once-blighted area into a
functional community combining the best
of urban residential and functional retail
uses.
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
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The decline and legacy of three primary
economic sectors, coal mining, steel
production and glass production, have left
vast areas in West Virginia with real or
perceived contamination. Revitalization
of mine-scarred lands and other former
industrial sites is complicated in some
areas by declining populations, absent
responsible parties, and transportation and
logistical challenges. Small communities
often lack the personnel and expertise
to successfully compete against larger
urban centers for brownfields resources.
To overcome these hurdles and support
rural areas, the West Virginia State
Legislature developed a model approach
by establishing two Regional Brownfield
Assistance centers to support community
efforts to turn brownfields into productive
land again.
West Virginia
West Virginia's Voluntary Remediation and Redevelopment Act (VRRA) limits enforcement
actions by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP), provides financial
incentives to entice investment, and limits liability under environmental laws and rules for those
who remediate brownfields sites under the program. The VRRA and its implementing regulations
were developed by a diverse group of stakeholders to encourage voluntary remediation and
redevelopment. This process has led to a strong program that is protective of communities and
the environment while promoting economic development in West Virginia. The VRRA provides for
flexibility in the voluntary cleanup of under-utilized properties and marks a turning point in state
environmental policy.
In 2005, the West Virginia State Legislature created two regional Brownfields Assistance
Centers to support community efforts to turn brownfields into productive land again, one serving
northern counties and the other serving southern counties. Both assistance centers are state
mandated and funded, and work closely together in conjunction with WVDEP and the West
Virginia Development Office.
The Centers conduct general citizen and local government education efforts on brownfields;
solicit grants and low-interest loans for assessment, cleanup and job training; and provide
support for preliminary legal and planning work. Requests are prioritized from communities
that are already working on community-wide development planning and may be interested in
integrating brownfields redevelopment into those plans. Additionally, the Centers can acquire
property and act as a developer, and may enter into partnerships and agreements with other
public or private entities to manage and coordinate remediation and redevelopment activities.
For more information on West Virginia's VRRA and Brownfields Program, please contact Ken
Ellison, WVDEP's Division of Land Restoration at (304) 926-0455.
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields: Recasting the Future of Manufacturing and Mining Lands
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EPA Mid-Atlantic Contact Information
For more information about redevelopment projects described in this report,
please contact:
Tom Stolle Christopher Thomas
Brownfields Coordinator Land Revitalization Coordinator
U.S. EPA U.S. EPA
3HS51 3HS51
1650 Arch Street 1650 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029 Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029
(215)814-3129 (215)814-5555
stolle. tom@epa.gov thomas. christopher@epa.gov
For more information on how to apply for EPA Brownfields grants, please go to EPA's Mid-
Atlantic Brownfields Web site: http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/
Land Revitalization Newsletter
For more up-to-date information on Brownfields and other Land Revitalization projects, please
visit the Mid-Atlantic Region's Land Revitalization Newsletter Web site:
http://www.epa.gov/region3/revitalization/newsletters.htm
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&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Mid-Atlantic Brownfields
and Land Revitalization
Program
EPA 903-K-08-001
February 2008
www.epa.gov
Printed on chlorine-free 100% recycled paper with 100% post-consumer fiber using vegetable-based ink.
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