United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA Region 9 Brownfields Program Success Stories
Route 66 Creosote Pit • Flagstaff, AZ
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Making Room for Redevelopment at Brownfield Site
Project Description
Property Address: 116 West Phoenix Avenue
Property Size:
Former Use:
Contaminants Found:
Current Use:
Planned Use:
Current Owner:
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
3.4 acres
Electric power plant, rail spur,
farm supply story, city storage,
farmer's market
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs)
Bus transfer station, parking lot
Multi-modal transportation hub,
retail and commercial space, open
air market, greenspace, Route 66
history museum
City of Flagstaff
Project Partners
• Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
• City of Flagstaff Capital Improvements Division
• Environmental Protection Agency Region 9
• Southside Community Association
• La Plaza Vieja Neighborhood Association
• U.S. EPA
Property History
The city-owned Route 66 Creosote Pit Brownfields site
is located between downtown Flagstaff and the Southside
Neighborhood and along historic Route 66 and the
Flagstaff Urban Trail. The Rio de Flag (flash stream)
flows near the Creosote Pit site and through the Southside
Neighborhood—resulting in most of this area existing in the
100-year flood plain.
The project site has a long history of industrial uses dating
back to 1896 when the site was first used as rail yard—and
later as electric power plant between 1906 and 1946. The
city removed all remaining structures from the site in
1980 and the site was used for parking, a seasonal farmers
market, and by the city for storage. Due to the former
industrial uses of the site, The City of Flagstaff, under
a grant from the Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality (ADEQ), conducted Phase I and Phase II
Environment Site Assessments (ESA) between 2006 and
2008. The Phase II confirmed elevated levels of polynuclear
aromatic hydrocarbons in the soil as a result of the creosote
Brownfields redevelopment plan for the Creosote Pit site
Highlights
• Environmental cleanup allows the Flood Control Project to
move forward, taking the Creosote Pit site and Southside
Neighborhood out of the flood plain and paving the way for
needed redevelopment to proceed
• Green remediation strategy minimized the environmental
footprint of the cleanup by reducing:
• Total miles driven by project haul trucks from 7360 to
1150 miles or 84 percent
• Low sulfur diesel fuel consumption by 1035 gallons
• Greenhouse gas emissions by more than 20,000 Ibs of
carbon dioxide equivalents
• Fresh water use by 10,000 gallons
• Use of raw materials by using 869 tons of recycled soil
for backfill
• Current use as a bus transfer station provides an immediate
community benefit—and serves to test-drive the viability
of the long-term redevelopment objectives for the former
Creosote Pit site
pit operated by both the railroad and the power plant for
dipping and treating wood materials such railroad ties and
electrical poles. Contamination was limited to a 0.02-acre
area surrounding the creosote pit—allowing the Northern
Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority
downtown transfer station to be temporarily located on a
portion of the site.
Drivers for Redevelopment
The Creosote Pit project site and most of the Southside
Neighborhood—one of the oldest neighborhoods in
Flagstaff—are located within the Federal Emergency
Management Administration's (FEMA) 100-year Flood
Plain. As a result, stringent building and insurance
requirements preclude redevelopment and new development
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in this area. To help move the redevelopment process along,
the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed
a multi-year project to remove the area from the 100-year
flood plain. However, during the realignment process, it was
discovered that the Creosote Pit is in the way of the project.
The project site's prime downtown location, ties to historic
and major transportation systems, and current use as a bus
transfer station, led to the development of a community-
driven Redevelopment Plan that calls for the mixed reuse
of the Creosote Pit site as a multi-modal transportation hub,
urban trails and greenspace, retail and commercial space
including an open air retail market and a Route 66 history
museum. The old Route still bisects Flagstaff and runs
through the historic downtown. The city offers a walking
tour describing the history and location of many of the old
buildings in downtown Flagstaff.
However, until the contamination was removed from the
site, the Redevelopment Plan and Flood Control Project
could not move forward. In 2009, the city received a
$126,900 Brownfields Cleanup grant from EPA to clean
up the Creosote Pit site, allowing both the Flood Control
Project and Redevelopment Plan to move forward and allow
much needed redevelopment and future development.
Project Results
In September 2010, cleanup of the 0.02 -acre Creosote
Pit site kicked off with an event attended by the Mayor,
City Manager and staff from various city departments.
Representatives from EPA Region 9 filmed the event; the
film showcases the history of the property, the Rio de Flag
Flood Control Project, the cleanup and Redevelopment
Plan, and ties in the importance of the site's proximity to
Route 66.
During the cleanup, green remediation elements were
employed to reduce air emissions and energy use and
conserve natural resources such as reducing truck and
equipment idle, using only reclaimed water, and combining
activity schedules—excavated soil after additional sampling
was hauled offsite for proper disposal while these same
trucks were cleaned and returned to the site with a load of
backfill.
Cleanup of the Creosote Pit site was completed in
November 2010 and resulted in the removal of 833 tons
of contaminated soil along with wood, concrete, brick, old
piping and other material. A No Further Action letter was
issued through the ADEQ Voluntary Remediation Program
Interim reuse of a portion of the Creosote Pit site for the Northern Arizona
Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority downtown bus transfer station
Funding Information
$89,963 PADEQ Phase I and II funding
$35,000 City of Flagstaff and in-kind labor from fall
2006 to February 2011
$126,900 EPA Brownfields Cleanup grant (American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding)
Project Timeline
2006-2008 Phase I and Phase II ESAs conducted by City of
Flagstaff, (ADEQ grant)
2009 EPA Brownfields Cleanup grant Awarded to the
City of Flagstaff
2009-2010 Development of the West Phoenix Avenue
Brownfield Redevelopment Plan
09/2010 Cleanup started by the city with oversight from
ADEQ
11/2010 Cleanup completed by the city with oversight
from ADEQ
02/2011 NFA letter issued by ADEQ
in February 2011; allowing the Rio de Flag Flood Control
Project and Redevelopment Plan to move forward.
Two phases of the Rio de Flag Flood Control Project have
been completed including the Clay Avenue Detention
Basin and the Butler Tunnel underpass. Additional
funding will be necessary to allow more phases of the
project to be completed including the Creosote Pit site and
Southside Neighborhood realignment. The city will put the
Redevelopment Plan out for bid when the Rio de Flag Flood
Control Project is completed at the site.
For additional information, please contact:
April Laliberte • Project Manager • City of Flagstaff, AZ • (928) 913-321 7
alaliberte@flagstaffaz.gov
Brownfields Region 9 Success Story
Proposed Civic Center, Flagstaff, AZ
April 2011
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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