Brownfields
Success Story
Taking Back Downtown
One Brownfield at a Time
Great Falls, Montana
"The grandest sight I ever beheld." That's how American explorer
Meriwether Lewis described the Great Falls of the Missouri River during
his and William Clark's landmark expedition across the uncharted
West in 1805. More than two centuries later, the Great Falls Montana
Development Authority (GFDA) is doing its best to keep downtown
Great Falls looking grand as ever by encouraging cleanup and
redevelopment of brownfield properties.
Great Falls is located on the high plains along Montana's Rocky
Mountain Front Range at the confluence of the Missouri and Sun Rivers,
which provided hydroelectric power for a thriving industrial economy
throughout the 1800s and early 1900s. Lillian Sunwall, a project manager
and business strategist with GFDA, describes the city's downtown as
a "diverse and exciting place" in the mid-1900s. But, as the chug of
industrial progress sputtered in the later part of the century, the city's
population growth slowed and many of the historic buildings were left
underutilized or abandoned.
"One of the big projects our organization is doing is to revitalize Great
Falls by encouraging investment downtown," Sunwall says. "We have
concentrated our efforts on several brownfield projects, and the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's [EPA] Targeted Brownfield
Assessment and Revolving Loan Fund grants have been critical to
attracting investment."
The Projects
The first site to be redeveloped under this program was a former
transmission shop and gas station at Central Avenue and 9th Street, one
of the busiest intersections in town. Two entrepreneurs were awarded a
$250,000 loan in 2010 to clean up the site, which had a petroleum plume
under it. Post-cleanup, the owners opened what has become a thriving
drive-through coffee shop.
&EPA
Photo credit: Amber Fern Photography
EPA Grant Recipient:
Great Falls Montana
Development Authority
Grant Types:
EPA Targeted Brownfield
Assessment and Revolving
Loan Fund
Former Uses:
Gas station, livery stables, bank
Current Uses:
Coffee shop, hotel/pub,
nonprofit offices
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Easter Seals-Goodwill renovated an old bank
building to serve as its regional headquarters.
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Photo credit: Amber Fern Photography
People are
walking around
these areas now.
These projects
are turning
vacant eyesores
into thriving
places where
people want to
be. It's changed
the feel of the
downtown.
Lillian Sunwall,
Project Manager &
Business Strategist,
Great Falls Montana
Development Authority
"They let us use them as guinea pigs," Sunwall says, referring to a creative
financing agreement GFDA brokered for the grantees with the Montana
Department of Environmental Quality's Montana Petroleum Tank Release
Compensation Board to facilitate the cleanup. Now other grantees are using
the same model.
Another site is the Arvon Block on 1st Avenue, South, one of the oldest
buildings in Great Falls. "Everyone said it wasn't worth saving," she says,
"but the structure was intact." Built in the late 1800s, the building was
one of the earliest livery stables in the region. "We have some photos
from the historical society that were taken when this was one of the only
buildings in town," she adds. "There was still animal feed in the building
when the cleanup began!"
Developers received a $128,000 low-interest loan to clean up hazardous
materials at the site, including lead paint and asbestos. The Arvon Block
building now houses an Irish pub and restaurant, and a small hotel is
on the way. In addition to retaining the building's historic character,
the developers plan to earn certification under the U.S. Green Building
Council's Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) program.
At a third location, Easter Seals-Goodwill applied a $350,000 grant in
2012 to clean up hazardous materials in a former bank building that is
home to the organization's five-state regional headquarters and several
programs for people with developmental disabilities. "They turned it into
a beautiful facility," Sunwall says, "a real awesome addition to downtown.
It also keeps good jobs in information technology, human resources,
marketing and program management here in Great Falls."
The Great Falls Community Food Bank, at 162012th Avenue, North,
was awarded a $38,312 grant to clean up asbestos and other hazardous
substances as part of a $500,000 renovation.
The Challenges
Misconceptions about brownfields were among the biggest obstacles,
according to Ted Lanzano, with EPA Region 8. "The attitude was: if it's
contaminated, I don't want to deal with it," he says.
Sunwall agrees. "When we first received the grant, no one had a clue
what brownfields were or their potential for redevelopment," she says.
"Educating the public and companies on how to deal with the
pollution was a biggie, as was letting them know about the grants
and resources available."
Collaboration with a variety of partners was critical to make things
happen. For example, GFDA partnered with the city of Great Falls to
integrate brownfield redevelopment into the city's downtown master
plan. Other partners included the Montana Department of Environmental
Quality, EPA Region 8, nonprofit organizations and the private sector.
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One of the most interesting aspects of the redevelopment effort underway is the
variety of ways projects are being financed. "We aren't pigeonholing ourselves
into just using brownfields funding," Sunwall says. "We are leveraging other
financing as well." For example, because it retained much of the original facade
and woodwork, the Arvon Block redevelopment qualified for tax abatement as
well as tax credits related to historic preservation.
The Benefits
Together, these projects are returning life to downtown Great Falls. Cleaning up
one property leads to ripple effects on others. Benefits include fewer abandoned
storefronts and more foot traffic. The Arvon Block used to be a place you wouldn't
go near at night. Now it's a place to grab a burger and a pint.
Once Easter Seals-Goodwill cleaned up the old bank building, it too changed
the atmosphere in the area. Its employees are eating lunch downtown and
frequenting local businesses. "It's spurred a local brewery to open nearby,"
Sunwall says. "Employers are looking at downtown as a more viable place to
do business."
She contends that revitalizing the downtown can help retain existing companies
and jobs too. "We have a large investment firm here, one that has lovely office
buildings in Seattle and elsewhere. Yet they've kept their headquarters in Great
Falls. They are a huge employer here."
Lessons Learned
Although it took almost 4 years to get the first brownfield project financed, GFDA
officials were undaunted. "Redevelopments are pretty quick," Sunwall says, "but
the lead-up takes longer. Keep communication lines open with major partners. Let
them know what you're doing early on so they are familiar with the project and
willing to help find solutions. Think outside the box and don't give up."
One of the keys to GFDA's success is knowing when and whom to ask for help.
"You don't have to be an expert in cleanup and redevelopment," she says.
"Leverage all the expertise you can. We have a pool of local environmental
professionals who oversee the cleanup work, and we depend on our local
historian to look into the old buildings and advise us on ways to preserve the
town's history."
The media too can be a great resource. "I'm constantly asking media outlets to do
stories on our projects," she says. "Invite them to open houses. Let people know
what you're doing. Put information on your website, Facebook and Twitter."
The bottom line is that redevelopment downtown is possible. "New construction
may be easier, but reuse of old buildings preserves that gorgeous character,
that piece of history that you just hate to see go away," she adds.
"To me, that's exciting."
The remodeled Great Falls Community
Food Bank features supermarket-style
shelving to make it easier for patr(
to select foods.
For more information:
Visit the EPA Brownfields website
at www.epa.gov/brownfields
or contact Ted Lanzano at
(303) 312-6596 or
Lanzano.Ted@epa.gov.
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