Success Story
REVITALIZING THE TOWN OF FLETCHER TO
CONSTRUCT A NEW DOWNTOWN
Fletcher, North Carolina
With the assistance of EPA Brownfields funding, the Town of Fletcher is in the process of
converting the grounds of a former log home manufacturing facility into a downtown area.
HIGHLIGHT
After the EPA Brownfields
Cleanup grant ($200,000), the
EPA RLF ($50,000), and town
funding ($175,000) paid to
clean up the former log home
manufacturing plant previously
contaminated with dioxin and PCP,
the North Carolina Department
of Environment and Natural
Resources (NCDENR) granted
liability protection in the form of a
Brownfields Agreement.
Plans are in place to develop
a new downtown area for the
Town of Fletcher, creating new
jobs and bringing revenue to
the town. The town rezoned the
site for downtown development,
put tax incentives into place to
attract developers, and is working
towards broadening the vision of
the "Heart of Fletcher" to promote
future development.
When looking to expand the local school system, North Carolina's Henderson
County and the Town of Fletcher, (the current site owner), chose a 28-acre
former log home manufacturing facility site. It was chosen primarily due to
its location just off the main highway and adjacent to the town park, which
includes playgrounds, ball fields and walking trails. Shortly after the purchase,
the town funded and performed a limited Phase II investigation where it
learned that the site was contaminated with dioxin and pentachlorophenol
(PCP) and therefore, not suitable for building a school.
The town shifted its vision from expanding the school system toward building
a vibrant downtown area; the widening of Highway 25 had displaced the
original downtown in 2003. The small town of 4,200 people indicated their
desire for a walkable downtown area with a city hall, municipal buildings,
small business, residences and walking trails to enhance the greenspace.
The community believes the redevelopment and creation of a downtown will
generate new jobs, create a meeting place for the community, and become
the "Heart of Fletcher."
ITACTS: U.S. EPA Region 4 (404) 562-9900 or visit the EPA Brownfields website at: www.epa.gov/brownfields
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The site was agricultural land composed of residences
prior to 1971 when the Carolina Log Home Building
Company purchased the site. The main building was
the processing plant where logs were debarked,
cut to size, and treated with a preservative that was
95 percent varsol (mineral spirits) and 5 percent
PCR Treated logs that cured outside on a pad were
then stored on the site; this is the source of PCP
contamination in the soil and groundwater. Timberpeg
Co. purchased the site in the mid-1980s, and operated
as a construction business. They leased the other
buildings to smaller businesses, such as a plastics
recycling company that operated from 1992 to 1996.
Prior to the purchase of the site, a Phase I investigation
suggested no further action was warranted, and
in 1997, the town purchased the property. The site
sat vacant until 2000 when the town paid for and
performed a limited Phase II investigation prior to any
school development plans. However, the investigation
indicated that the ground water was contaminated with
PCP. The Town of Fletcher worked alongside with the
Land of Sky Regional Council (regional planning and
development organization), who pursued funding from
EPA, to learn about the extent of the contamination. In
2004, a more detailed investigation followed, revealing
that soils and ground water in the location of the drip
pad were contaminated with both dioxin and PCP.
The site entered into the North Carolina Department
of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR)
Voluntary Cleanup Program in 2001. The town was
awarded a Brownfields Cleanup grant, and using a
subgrant of Land of Sky Revolving Loan Fund (RLF)
monies in 2005, cleanup began. After 950 cubic yards
of source soil within the drip pad location were removed
and disposed of off-site (300 cubic yards were deemed
suitable to remain onsite), the location was restored to
grade with clean fill. Additional ground water monitoring
wells were installed in accordance with the long-term
ground water monitoring plan for the site to allow
for monitored natural attenuation. It continues to be
monitored on an annual basis with provisions to cease
monitoring if plan requirements are met.
Artist's rendition of the
proposed Town Hall
Fletcher is a family town regaining a valuable piece
of property to reestablish a community-centered
downtown described as the "Heart of Fletcher"
When the initial vision of expanding the school
system at the site ended, the town held a charette in
2004 and asked the residents for feedback about the
redevelopment of the property, envisioning the "Heart
of Fletcher." The vision includes a walkable and
centralized downtown with commercial, residential
and recreational uses as well as a Town Hall.
After soil excavation and complying with the long-
term ground water monitoring plan, a Brownfields
Agreement with NCDENR was completed providing
liability protection to the town.
The town received a $350,000 grant from North
Carolina Department of Transportation to build a
better access road to the site. The site sits a quarter
of a mile back from Highway 25 which connects
Ashville to Hendersonville. Currently, the site is
vacant and the Town of Fletcher is actively seeking
developers by offering property tax incentives. The
town was recently awarded a $5 million loan from the
U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development to
build the Town Hall adjacent to the site.
Brownfields Success Story
Carolina Log Home Building Company Site
Fletcher, North Carolina
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA560-F-11-073
December 2011
www. epa.gov/brownfields/
igion 4(404)562-
ilds website al
.epa.gov/brownfields
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