Success Stories 2014
EPA 560-F-14-208
www.epa.gov/landrevitalization
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
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Land Revitalization Success Stories October 2014
Prepared under: Contract No. EP-W-12-021
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 Photos (top to bottom): Houses along California Street, St. Louis, Missouri; Conceptual design for the Roxana South Shore
Station area in East Chicago; Dry Gulch Stream, Lakewood, Colorado; Former auto repair facility in St. Louis, Missouri; and
Construction underway in Detroit, Michigan
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Land Revitalization Success Stories
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Contents
Land Revitalization Success Stories: An Overview of Recent and Ongoing Regional Land Revitalization Projects.
Our Goal
Our Approach
2014 Land Revitalization Projects
This Land Revitalization Success Stories Report 3
Planning for Sustainable Brownfield Redevelopment 4
Northside Redevelopment Project 4
Redevelopment Planning for Abandoned Gas Stations 5
Green and Vertically Integrated Business Analysis 7
South Side/Roxana Neighborhood Transit Oriented Development 8
Brownfields Program Development 9
Adapting to Climate Change 10
Economic Development and Climate Adaptation Planning 10
Developing Practical Land Revitalization Tools for Communities 11
Using the PREPARED Workbook in Connecticut 11
Green Demolition Practices 12
Best Practices in Infrastructure Coordination 13
Preventing Illegal Dumping 14
Litter Control Brochure 14
Improving Stormwater Management 15
Dry Gulch Stream Restoration 15
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Land Revitalization Success Stories
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Land Revitalization Success Stories:
An Overview of Recent and Ongoing Regional Land Revitalization Projects
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response's (OSWER) Land Revitalization
Program strives to restore land and other natural resources into sustainable community assets that maximize beneficial economic,
ecological and social uses, and ensure protection of human health and the environment.
The EPA Land Revitalization Team's (the Team's) mission contributes significantly to EPA's strategic planning goals by placing
protective, sustainable and energy-efficient solutions at the forefront when considering solutions for restoring contaminated properties
to useful life.
OUR GOAL
Our goal is to create a new norm. The EPA Land Revitalization Team strives for sustainable approaches to remediation and
revitalization to become the standard throughout EPA's cleanup programs. We encourage government officials and stakeholders to
incorporate sustainable cleanup and development techniques into standard practices, guidance, codes, ordinances and laws to ensure
mainstream adaptation and long-term benefits. We help communities that have difficulty securing funding from public and private
sources to achieve their revitalization vision as well as those that have superb revitalization strategies that just need a little expert
advice to keep going. We provide technical assistance to these communities as discrete projects or small projects that feed into larger,
longer-term revitalization projects. The success stories that follow demonstrate the Team's assistance to land revitalization projects
across the country in support of this goal.
OUR APPROACH
• Engage with communities: Environmental decisions improve when communities are actively engaged in the process. The EPA
Land Revitalization Team fosters stronger partnerships with stakeholders to promote their meaningful involvement and maximize
the efficiency of site cleanup efforts.
• Bridge the gap: Targeted technical assistance and funding often can significantly impact a project by providing access to experts
to launch a project, overcome a hurdle or identify a path forward. Most of the projects the EPA Land Revitalization Team supports
are part of a larger local effort that will require additional time and money to complete. However, EPA's support helps move the
project forward, make connections with partners and identify additional resources to leverage.
• Expand the conversation on environmentalism and work for environmental justice: Communities impacted by EPA's
decisions must have a role in the processes that affect the cleanup and revitalization of contaminated lands.
• Promote and manage community-based projects: Demonstration projects offer opportunities to test new ideas and ways to
make development sustainable; pilot projects provide opportunities to identify successful approaches and share lessons learned.
Together, these projects help keep the Team fully informed on the best available sustainability technologies and practices.
• Share success stories and lessons learned: Knowledge of sustainable land revitalization approaches encourages the
implementation of EPA's Land Revitalization Program and projects. The Team addresses this need by sharing success stories and
lessons learned through targeted outreach and educational efforts.
• Promote partnerships: The Team works with communities, state partners and federal partners to develop effective working
relationships and promote redevelopment practices, including urban agriculture, mixed-use and transit-oriented development,
renewable energy development and other options that protect human health and the environment. Technical assistance projects
encourage collaboration among partners pursuing revitalization, community and economic development and sustainability, as well
as encourage leveraging resources.
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2014 LAND REVITALIZATION PROJECTS
EPA Region 1 Using the PREPARED Workbook in Connecticut, State of Connecticut
EPA Region 3 Economic Development and Climate Adaptation Planning, Chester, Pennsylvania
Litter Control Brochure, Berkeley County, West Virginia
EPA Region 5 Northside Redevelopment Project, Gary, Indiana
South Side/Roxana Neighborhood Transit Oriented Development, East Chicago, Indiana
Green Demolition Practices, Detroit, Michigan
Best Practices in Infrastructure Coordination, Region 5
EPA Region 7 Brownfields Program Development, Burlington, Iowa
Redevelopment Planning for Abandoned Gas Stations, St. Louis, Missouri
EPA Region 8 Dry Gulch Stream Restoration, Lakewood, Colorado
EPA Region 9 Green and Vertically Integrated Business Analysis, Chico, California
Green Demolition
Practices. Detroit.
Infrastructure Coordination,
Northside Redevelopment Project
Business Analysis, Chico
South Side/Roxana Neighborhood Transit
Oriented Development, East Chicago, IN
Dry Gulch Stream Restoration,
Lakewood, CO
nfields Program De
Redevelopment Planning for
Abandoned Gas Stations, St. Louis, MO
Using the PREPARED
Workbook in Connecticut
Economic Development and Climate
Adaptation Planning, Chester, PA
Litter Control Brochure,
Berkeley County, WV
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This Land Revitalization Success Stories Report
This report illustrates the EPA Land Revitalization Program's approach to restoring land and other natural resources into sustainable
community assets. It highlights recently completed and ongoing land revitalization technical assistance projects in EPA's regions. This
report does not provide a comprehensive summary of EPA's land revitalization activities, but rather offers snapshots of select projects
to highlight successful approaches and lessons learned.
The Team issued a call to the EPA regions for land revitalization technical assistance projects and selected the following projects for
technical assistance after EPA regional staff nominated them. Although there were no restrictions placed on the type of projects that
could be nominated, the projects can generally be grouped into five categories as listed below.
PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT
• Northside Redevelopment Project, Gary, Indiana, EPA Region 5
• Redevelopment Planning for Abandoned Gas Stations, St. Louis, Missouri, EPA Region 7
• Green and Vertically Integrated Business Analysis, Chico, California, EPA Region 9
• South Side/Roxana Neighborhood Transit Oriented Development, East Chicago, Indiana, EPA Region 5
• Brownfields Program Development, Burlington, Iowa, EPA Region 7
ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE
• Economic Development and Climate Adaptation Planning, Chester, Pennsylvania, EPA Region 3
DEVELOPING PRACTICAL LAND REVITALIZATION TOOLS FOR COMMUNITIES
• Using the PREPARED Workbook in Connecticut, State of Connecticut, EPA Region 1
• Green Demolition Practices, Detroit, Michigan, EPA Region 5
• Best Practices in Infrastructure Coordination, EPA Region 5
PREVENTING ILLEGAL DUMPING
• Litter Control Brochure, Berkeley County, West Virginia, EPA Region 3
IMPROVING STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
• Dry Gulch Stream Restoration, Lakewood, Colorado, EPA Region 8
These projects demonstrate the variety of communities seeking assistance and the many niche areas of subject matter expertise that
are needed to support a revitalization effort. These projects also exemplify the catalyzing impact that a small investment can have.
EPA's Land Revitalization Program continues to work with our federal, state and local partners and with the private sector to test new
approaches for improved environmental protection and sustainable development. By supporting, promoting and communicating the
results of our land revitalization technical assistance projects, we are challenging our partners, stakeholders and ourselves to make
sustainable development the norm.
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Figure 1: The Northside Redevelopment area
includes four neighborhoods with potential for
redevelopment. A coordinated eft art will help
prioritize redevelopment plans and resources.
LESSONS LEARNED
Planning for Sustainable Brownfield Redevelopment
NORTHSIDE REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT
GARY, INDIANA, EPA REGION 5
Gary was created to be a steel town, with a large portion of its lakefront land occupied by the United States Steel
Corporation. Decline in the steel industry led to over 55% population loss from the city's peak population in the 1960s; more
than 20 percent of its population decline occurring between 2000 and 2010 from 102,746 residents to 80,294 residents.
The city's rapid loss of jobs and population has led to a large amount of blight and
abandonment in large swaths of the city. As the city's population dwindled, so did the
budget and capacity of local government, leading to a rise in crime and a sense of
disinvestment and disenchantment in the government's ability to rebuild.
In 2012, as part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT) and EPA Partnership for Sustainable for Communities,
EPA Region 5's Land Revitalization Team began working with Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson
and her new administration to establish priorities for brownfields redevelopment and
sustainability.
The EPA Land Revitalization Team identified a need to establish a process for
prioritizing sites and redevelopment projects into which technical resources and funding
could be targeted. During the first half of 2013, EPA assisted Gary officials in identifying
focus areas for redevelopment.
As a result of this planning effort, the "Gary Northside Redevelopment" area was
identified as a priority, with particular focus on four key areas: Horace Mann
neighborhood surrounding Methodist Hospital, the Emerson/Downtown district,
Aetna/Glen Ryan and Miller neighborhoods. These areas were selected by the city and
key stakeholders for the potential to build upon redevelopment opportunities. For each
area, technical assistance helped establish a team of city, regional and federal leaders
to focus efforts on the four areas.
This technical assistance helped catalyze a coordinated and focused redevelopment
effort, into which the city could direct regional, state and federal resources and
establish priorities for redevelopment. The teams provided the city with key objectives
that were approved by the mayor and, as of summer 2014, the city has targeted
funding to the four neighborhoods, including:
• $1.8 million has been assembled from EPA, HUD, the Northwest Indiana
Redevelopment Agency and the city for the demolition of the long-abandoned
Sheraton hotel.
• $155,000 in HUD Community Development Block Grant funds for targeted
demolition of homes.
• $1.5 million for the rehabilitation of the Hudson-Campbell fitness center.
• A $150,000 transportation oriented development planning grant from the Northwest
Indiana Regional Planning Commission for the Emerson/Downtown district.
The momentum created by this project was a key contributing factor for the city's
designation as a Strong Cities, Strong Communities Initiative participant in 2014.
For more information, please contact Stephanie Cwik, EPA Region 5,
cwik.stephanie@epa.gov.
In depopulated areas, it helps to
prioritize key sites or other catalyst
redevelopment opportunities.
Sometimes establishing capacity
and rebuilding local systems is
necessary to move projects
forward.
Planning for sustainable
brownfield redevelopment is a
long-term process that can be
enhanced at key times with
targeted technical assistance.
PLANNED POST-TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES
• Establish priorities for
redevelopment within the four
targeted areas.
• Target city investments to four
targeted areas.
• Complete a site inventory and
identify investment opportunities.
• Make connections to regional
area, including East Chicago, IN
and Chicago, IL.
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Planning for Sustainable Brownfield Redevelopment
REDEVELOPMENT PLANNING FOR ABANDONED GAS STATIONS
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, EPA REGION 7
St. Louis, Missouri, is plagued with abandoned property throughout the city. Like many cities across the country, St.
Louis has dozens of abandoned gas stations across its neighborhoods. These sites often are vandalized, have illegal
dumping and loitering, and are not maintained to protect human health and the
environment. Abandoned gas stations can be unattractive to developers or future site
owners because of the unknown contamination and smaller return on investment.
Additionally, gas stations tucked into neighborhoods can be hard to find, market and reuse.
Addressing these sites helps preserve the integrity of older neighborhoods and can be a
model repeated at thousands of sites across the country.
From February - December 2013, EPA's Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization and
Office of Underground Storage Tanks, in partnership with EPA Region 7, provided technical
assistance to the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) to support redevelopment
planning for three abandoned gas stations located in the same general geographic
location—south and southwest of downtown St. Louis.
The EPA technical assistance team analyzed the former gas station sites, located in
Fox Park, Tower Grove South and Benton Park neighborhoods. The Land Reutilization
Authority (LRA) owns all three sites and, therefore, the SLDC can influence their use.
The sites require environmental site assessments (ESAs) and remediation, which will
be facilitated by SLDC, Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and EPA.
Because the sites were located on separate parcels, EPA's technical assistance team
developed separate site reports that provided:
• A policy and infrastructure evaluation of the conceptual redevelopment plan to
ensure it was consistent with land use and zoning requirements and that
infrastructure and utilities were available and capable of supporting redevelopment.
• A market assessment to evaluate the neighborhood's demographics and an
assessment of how the data might influence the conceptual redevelopment plan.
• A review of the organizational capacity of SLDC and partners to facilitate interim
uses and redevelopment.
In April 2013, EPA Region 7 and the project team met with key stakeholders and
property owners to discuss neighborhood needs and opportunities for redevelopment,
such as access to small, local retail shops, restaurants or other amenities that would be
within walking distance to the community. Based on input from community members,
environmental conditions analysis, market data and infrastructure evaluations, the
project team developed conceptual site designs for each site to be used as educational
and marketing tools to promote site redevelopment.
The existing neighborhoods and uses surrounding each site influenced the orientation
and size of the building in the conceptual designs. For the Fox Park site, the conceptual
design recommended a mixed use (residential/commercial). The Tower Grove South
site conceptual design suggested residential reuse, and provided several design
options for a future developer to consider based on site costs and demand. Finally, the
Benton Park site was the only site with an existing building that could be reused, but it
also had the worst environmental conditions of the three sites. Market data and
Figure 2: Abandoned gas station site and
conceptual design for its reuse in the Benton
Park neighborhood.
LESSONS LEARNED
Engaging area residents in
discussions early in the
redevelopment process helps
refine developer requests for
proposals (RFPs).
Data and expert analysis help the
local stakeholders understand the
site options and opportunities.
While the three sites share several
common elements—former gas
stations, small site size, located
within mostly residential
neighborhoods—the reuse
opportunities varies based on site
location, site layout, reuse of the
current building and community
and market inputs.
SLDC can leverage limited
technical assistance for additional
project work. SLDC received
additional EPA funding to assess
the Benton Park site and pull
underground storage tanks,
making the site more attractive for
reuse.
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community input led to a recommendation to
consider reusing the building for commercial
use, but did not limit the opportunity to
building a new corner structure that could
feature commercial and limited residential
spaces.
For more information, please contact David
Doyle, EPA Region 7, doyle.david@epa.gov.
PLANNED POST-TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES
• In March 2014, EPA supported SLDC in a tank pull at the Benton Park site.
EPA removed eight underground storage tanks from the site and helped
address environmental concerns.
• "Without EPA's help, I'm certain this site would have been guaranteed to
sit inactive for another five years." - SLDC Project Manager
• SLDC continues to promote site redevelopment opportunities for the
three sites and pursue economic development.
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Planning for Sustainable Brownfield Redevelopment
GREEN AND VERTICALLY INTEGRATED BUSINESS ANALYSIS
CHICO, CALIFORNIA, EPA REGION 9
Chico, a vibrant college town in Northern California with about 86,000 residents, is recognized as a regional center for
recreation, education, shopping, employment and health services. Rich in outdoor recreation opportunities and natural
resources, the town is also home to several local, entrepruial enterprises. "The Wedge," located in the southeast part
of the Southwest Chico Neighborhood Improvement Plan Area, offers up to 40 acres of
underutilized industrial land and is considered critical to the revitalization of the area.
EPA provided technical assistance to Chico to increase economic development in the The
Wedge by analyzing local, green and vertically-integrated business (VIB) opportunities.
VIBs conduct at least two processes that are typically separated—such as manufacturing,
distribution or retailing—in a single location. Several VIBs exist in or near The Wedge
already.
The technical assistance team met with city staff to understand the community's goals for
The Wedge and to attain a better understanding of the characteristics of The Wedge. The
team also met with numerous property and business owners, developers and economic
development professionals to understand the opportunities and challenges associated with
revitalizing the area. EPA funded an analysis of key market indicators and existing
institutional infrastructure to assist community officials understand economic drivers in
Chico. EPA also identified local entrepreneurial businesses that could be interested in
locating to The Wedge as a VIB. The final report presents recommendations and next steps
to the city to foster a supportive environment for attracting local, green VIBs to The
Wedge. Key recommendations from the project include:
Figure 3: The Soufhwesf Chico
Neighborhood Plan Area highlights
several VIBs and The Wedge.
• Establish a public/private partnership and assemble properties.
• Update and implement the Southwest Chico Neighborhood Improvement Plan.
• Nurture home grown, green VIBs.
• Leverage additional public and private investment opportunities.
On April 8, 2014, EPA met with more than 25 stakeholders, including business
owners from The Wedge, neighbors, realtors, economic development professionals
and city staff, to present the technical assistance findings and discuss opportunities
for revitalizing The Wedge as part of the Brownfields Community Wide Assessment
grant awarded to the city in 2012. As a result of the EPA-funded VIB analysis and
EPA Brownfields grant activities, momentum is building towards redeveloping The
Wedge. A developer is coordinating with the city to meet with the California
Department of Toxic Substances Control to discuss a strategy for moving forward on
a key property within The Wedge, and the
city is prioritizing sites for environmental
assessment.
LESSONS LEARNED
For more information, please contact
Nova Blazej, EPA Region 9,
blazej.nova@epa.gov.
Communities may be more successful
by assessing opportunities to foster
existing businesses as a strategy for job
creation and growth rather than
focusing on attracting a business from
another community.
A culture of sustainability is important
for green VIBs because it provides a
basis for cross collaboration and
encourages innovation and creativity.
When planning for sustainable
brownfield redevelopment in
communities with city budget
constraints, a public /private partnership
can allow the city to guide the process
while sharing redevelopment
responsibilities and costs.
PLANNED POST-TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES
• Continue to focus on redevelopment of the catalyst property at the "top"
of The Wedge.
• Continue site prioritization for environmental assessments for other Wedge
properties.
• Pursue developer interests and respond to inquiries.
• Continue to provide information on site opportunities.
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Figure 4: Conceptual design for the Roxana
South Shore Station area in East Chicago.
LESSONS LEARNED
Planning for Sustainable Brownfield Redevelopment
SOUTH SIDE/ROXANA NEIGHBORHOOD TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT
EAST CHICAGO, INDIANA, EPA REGION 5
The Vital East Chicago Project in the city of East Chicago is a HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for Sustainable
Communities initiative to plan and execute sustainable development projects that will facilitate community revitalization.
A team of key city leaders has been assembled (Vital East Chicago Team) and is responsible for developing a vision
for the two pilot projects. The project represents the mayor's vision for redevelopment
in East Chicago, and is informed by local, regional, state and federal stakeholder
engagement. The project objectives are to improve quality of life and public health for
residents by:
• Leveraging existing investment in East Chicago to support redevelopment efforts
that yield environmental, economic and social benefits to the community.
• Identifying and securing funding for these projects through public, non-profit and
private sources.
• Providing the structure for pilot projects that can be replicated throughout the city.
• Facilitating partnerships that will carry forward this work.
EPA provided technical assistance to support planning for the South Side/ Roxana
Neighborhood Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Project (one of the Vital East
Chicago pilots). These resources helped the Vital East Chicago Team gather
resources, understand opportunities and constraints, then design and conduct a transit-
oriented development charrette around the East Chicago commuter rail station, which
is the busiest stop on the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District South
Shore line. TOD planning experts reviewed materials associated with trail development,
stream cleanup and revitalization, infrastructure improvements and master planning
efforts in the area. The initial conceptual design options helped key stakeholders
consider what TOD might include at the East Chicago South Shore station.
On May 8, 2014, more than 30 stakeholders convened in East Chicago to learn about
TOD, review conceptual designs and begin identifying steps to take toward achieving a
TOD district. Participants were asked to take part in map-based exercises to identify
anchors for economic development and job creation; consider complete green street
strategies to beautify the station area and improve storm water management; improve
signage, connectivity and access to the station and the marsh; consider tools such as
design guidelines that will help to create a "sense of place" in the South Side/ Roxana
neighborhoods; and consider opportunities to construct a portion of a regional trail
network to support community building and healthy and active lifestyles.
EPA is leveraging over $150 million in existing and proposed investment in East
Chicago (EPA Programs, including Superfund, Resource Conservation Recovery Act
(RCRA) and the Great Lakes National Program Office, as well as the City and other
partner funds) to improve the quality of life for residents. The effort will result in
economic, environmental and social benefits for residents, demonstrating the Agency's commitment to sustainability. This plan will help
provide expanded housing and mobility choices, reduce transportation costs, improve public safety, support economic development
and promote connectivity to other areas of the city for residents, visitors and tourists. It will also contribute to environmental benefits
such as a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled.
For more information, please contact Danielle Potts, EPA Region 5, potts.danielle@epa.gov.
Bringing key leaders to the table
early in the planning process helps
to create joint strategies and
implement solutions to resolve
environmental challenges.
Conceptual planning helps
stakeholders leverage additional
ideas and see the possibilities for
sustainable brownfield
redevelopment.
PLANNED POST-TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES
• Meet regularly to engage key
stakeholders, formalize a
community engagement plan
and engage in longer-term
strategic planning and
implementation.
• Work to identify near-term
activities and how to implement
recommendations from the report
immediately in the project area.
• Work to incorporate these
sustainable development plans into
their comprehensive plan to guide
the implementation process and
position the city to be competitive
for future grant funding.
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Planning for Sustainable Brownfield Redevelopment
BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
BURLINGTON, IOWA, EPA REGION 7
Burlington, Iowa, is like many towns across America: it has a historic downtown in need of investment and
revitalization to restore economic development and community services to the broader city. While several
organizations are working to improve development opportunities in Burlington, the
disconnected approach was leading to duplicative efforts. However, by working together
to build a Brownfields Program, these organizations can achieve a revitalized vision for
downtown Burlington and further their own goals for the region.
From January to June 2014, EPA provided technical assistance to build a cohesive
Burlington Brownfields Program. The Burlington Brownfields Program instituted a
Sponsor Group to lead future brownfield and development efforts. Sponsor Group
members included the City of Burlington, the South East Iowa Regional Planning
Commission and Downtown Partners, Inc. The Sponsor Group set goals for the
program, including a focus on redeveloping property downtown.
EPA technical assistance supported a webinar series to help build local capacity
and support the formation of the Burlington Brownfields Program. The first
webinar focused on helping the community organize its brownfield program goals
and objectives, as well as identify individual brownfields projects throughout
Burlington. A second webinar focused on site prioritization and identifying the key
opportunities, challenges and connections to available properties and interested
development projects.
Figure 5: The Burlington Brownfields Program will
focus on susfainable redevelopment at
brownfields downtown.
In May 2014, EPA Region 7, Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the project team met with key stakeholders and property
owners to identify redevelopment opportunities. The project team developed a site prioritization tool to help the Sponsor Group
understand assets and challenges associated with each site. The project team also developed a program report that outlined the goals
of the Burlington Brownfields Program, available tools and resources, and next steps to continue to build toward a sustainable vision for
downtown Burlington and surrounding neighborhoods.
For more information, please contact Whitney Rawls, EPA Region 7, rawls.whitney@epa.gov.
LESSONS LEARNED
A defined group of leaders helps consolidate
limited resources and presents a stronger story to
attract economic development.
Site prioritization helps communities with limited
resources identify immediate opportunities while
still cataloguing all potential resources.
Successful planning for sustainable brownfield
redevelopment relies on communication between
all entities supporting development, economic
revitalization and infrastructure improvements.
PLANNED POST-TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES
• The Sponsor Group will accept the Brownfields Program
and identify a redevelopment vision.
• The Sponsor Group will conduct broader community
outreach to educate stakeholders about the Brownfields
Program and seek input.
• The Sponsor Group will develop a downtown
redevelopment vision and strategy that will direct future
growth to the city's downtown (reusing existing structures/
infrastructure, creating a more compact development
pattern and enhancing downtown vibrancy.
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Adapting to Climate Change
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE ADAPTATION PLANNING
CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA, EPA REGION 3
Chester, Pennsylvania, is no stranger to damage caused by inadequate protection from coastal hazards. On
September 5,1971, more than 11 inches of rain fell on Montgomery and Delaware
counties, leading to at least 12 deaths. In Chester, flooding swept across Eyre Park
destroying nearly a hundred homes and forcing 300 residents to relocate at an
estimated cost of $17.6 million (1978 dollars). Eventually, the city built a levee to
protect parts of the city, but in 1999, flooding from Hurricane Floyd breached the levee
causing over $1 million of damage to the nearby school.
Numerous vacant, abandoned and/or contaminated properties along the Delaware
River remain vulnerable to flooding, especially as climate change presents new threats.
The Chester waterfront area presents an opportunity to explore options other than
traditional industrial or commercial development. Opportunities could include
redevelopment or non-development that may increase the city's resiliency to sea-level
rise and increased precipitation events.
Figure 6: Homes located in Chester,
Pennsylvania.
EPA's Land Revitalization Team is providing technical assistance to Chester to
evaluate real estate market conditions and collect examples of land use strategies
that can promote economic development, increase green infrastructure and reduce
vulnerability to climate change. The project was initiated in December 2013 and was
completed in September 2014.
In May 2014, EPA conducted a site visit to meet with local stakeholders and planning
staff and to tour the areas that may be vulnerable to climate change and where
redevelopment could improve climate resilience. EPA's technical assistance team has
developed a report that provides national examples of (a) relevant regulatory standards,
incentives and guidelines that Chester may consider as it updates its zoning and
subdivision regulations, and (b) national examples of non-regulatory projects, programs
and approaches that may be helpful to the city.
The report focuses on examples drawn from areas outside the Pennsylvania, New
Jersey and Delaware region, as the approaches used here are already familiar to local
stakeholders. However, it also includes some very recent examples from the New York
region based on intensive research on improving climate resilience following Super
Storm Sandy. The report includes examples: from distressed cities with significant
inventories of public lands; that are relevant to the types of redevelopment opportunities
available in Chester; of different levels of flood risk mitigation required by new
construction; that allow for a climate sensitive use of the lower floors of buildings on
vulnerable lands (e.g., parking); that are related to repurposing land for flood
absorption; and that can be graphically illustrated to improve public understanding.
For more information, please contact Dave Campbell, EPA Region 3,
campbell.dave@epa.gov.
LESSONS LEARNED
Regulatory approaches to
improve resilience to increased
creek and coastal flooding often
involve tax rebates, storm water
fee reductions or grant funding to
offset added development costs
related to installation of site or
building-based resiliency features,
including porous pavers and
asphalt, bioretention and
vegetated swales.
Significant opportunities may exist
to reduce stream flooding risk
through redesign of upstream
parks, similar to projects
implemented in Fargo, Tulsa, New
York, and New Orleans.
PLANNED POST-TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES
• Revision of flood plain regulations
to better align with the Federal
Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) Community Rating System
(CRS) criteria.
• Evaluation of best practices in
home and land swaps to remove
population from flood risk areas.
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Developing Practical Land Revitalization Too/s for Communities
USING THE PREPARED WORKBOOK IN CONNECTICUT
STATE OF CONNECTICUT, EPA REGION 1
Like other states, municipalities in Connecticut are faced with the challenge of productively and sustainably
reusing brownfields properties. Connecticut has an extensive brownfield program that is administered through
the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
(CTDEEP), Connecticut Department of Economic and Community
Development (CTDECD) and other state agencies. Accessing information and
resources involves multiple websites, which is made more difficult if the user
does not have a good familiarity with the various state and federal programs
relevant to their brownfields sites.
Manage
Property
Reuse Risks
Assess
Property
Reuse Risks
EPA is working with CTDEEP to create a Web-based tool to help
Connecticut's municipalities navigate the redevelopment process and access
applicable state and EPA information. This tool is based on the PREPARED
Workbook, published by EPA in 2011, which outlines a risk management
framework to help municipalities evaluate actions to bring about the reuse of
brownfield properties.
The project will provide a user-friendly interface for municipalities to
engage the Connecticut Brownfields program and address specific issues
related to their brownfield sites. The Web-based tool will walk a
municipality through the steps outlined in the PREPARED Workbook. Each
step in this process will be briefly described and linked to the appropriate
sections of the PREPARED Workbook where more detailed discussion is
available, as well as to relevant Connecticut information, guidance and
resources. The process will include worksheets in an electronic format and
instructions for their use.
In addition, EPA is providing technical assistance to update the original
PREPARED Workbook worksheets to reflect state-specific and more up-to-
date information. By using this tool, municipal project managers will gather
information from a broad team of professionals and be better equipped to
make decisions about their level of involvement in individual brownfields sites
from a risk management perspective. Connecticut initiated the project in
March 2014 and expects to complete it by December 2014.
For more information, please contact Kathy Castagna, EPA Region 1, castagna.kathleen@epa.gov.
Stakeholder
Engagement
Figure 7: Stakeholder engagemenf is central to the
PREPARED Workbook process for brownfields
redevelopment.
NEXT STEPS
Meet with Connecticut information
technology staff to finalize Web map.
Develop final draft of Web page content.
Test final draft of Web page content and
Web format with key Connecticut
municipalities.
Provide final Web page content for
publication on Connecticut website.
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Land Revitalization Success Stories
October 2014
Developing Practical Land Revitalization Too/s for Communities
GREEN DEMOLITION PRACTICES
DETROIT, MICHIGAN, EPA REGION 5
Detroit has almost 80,000 blighted structures and vacant residential lots, according to a report by the Detroit Blight Removal
Task Force, representing almost a third of Detroit's housing stock. This scale of blighted buildings has significant
environmental, social and economic impacts. EPA is working with partners to find ways to align federal resources to support
the city's environmental and economic revitalization.
EPA Region 5 is assisting Detroit in updating its residential demolition bid specifications as the city
ramps up its blight removal efforts. As a result of EPA's efforts, future residential building demolitions
will better address backfill contamination, stormwater infiltration, asbestos, fugitive dust, materials
recycling and deconstruction. This assistance is augmenting the federal response to the Detroit
bankruptcy, including assistance from the U.S. Department of Treasury's Hardest Hit Fund. This work
builds upon EPA Region 5's On the Road to Reuse: Residential demolition bid specification
development tool, which the Region created for use by cities, counties or land banks undertaking
residential demolitions.
EPA Region 5 and the Detroit Land Bank are leading the effort to safely remove blight
from the city's many residential properties with the goals of:
• Minimizing adverse environmental and health impacts.
• Promoting reuse of salvaged materials and the safe disposal of hazardous
materials.
• Supporting compliance with asbestos regulations.
• Leaving sites in a condition suitable for redevelopment, including reuse for green
infrastructure and urban agriculture.
The project team coordinated the March 4, 2014, Demolition Best Practices Workshop.
At the Workshop, 80 residential demolition stakeholders focused discussions on ways
to reasonably incorporate materials management, health and workforce development
strategies in planned residential demolitions. The project team developed the
Workshop Outcomes Report to inform demolition practices related to health and
environmental impacts in advance of the $52 million Hardest Hit Fund residential
demolition program.
Figure 8: Vacant and blighted homes in
Detroit, Michigan.
NEXT STEPS
Finalize Demolition Specification
Review Tool.
Finalize Rapid Building Assessment
Tool.
The Land Revitalization Team is also developing two tools—the Specification
Assessment Review Tool and the Rapid Building Assessment Tool. The Specification Assessment Review Tool facilitates a self-
assessment of demolition specifications developed by municipalities, land banks and other public landowners tasked with implementing
residential demolition programs. The Rapid Building Assessment Tool allows property assessors to assess and inventory a building to
determine the recommended course of action (e.g., rehabilitation candidate, extent of deconstruction, recycling opportunities or
hazardous/unsafe (demolition only)). The Land Revitalization Team will incorporate these tools into the EPA Region 5 Residential
Demolition Bid Specification Development Tool as a resource for other cities, municipalities and land banks.
For more information, please contact Jon Grosshans, EPA Region 5, grosshans.jon@epa.gov.
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Land Revitalization Success Stories
October 2014
Developing Practical Land Revitalization Too/s for Communities
BEST PRACTICES IN INFRASTRUCTURE COORDINATION
EPA REGION 5
Cities throughout the Midwest continue to experience economic and demographic shifts that result in an imbalance
between the infrastructure that exists and the infrastructure that is needed. In many cities, past development
patterns have resulted in more infrastructure than is currently needed, given depopulation and an emphasis on
more compact development patterns. These cities are also facing the economic
constraints of a shrinking revenue base, while at the same time facing decreases in
funding from state and federal revenue sources. Creative approaches in infrastructure
management is more important than ever in these and other cities that are seeking to
provide more resilient and efficient results.
EPA's Land Revitalization Team is developing a tool that will help cities identify best
practices to more effectively coordinate public infrastructure maintenance, repair and
development. The tool also will assist cities in estimating the cost savings that they can Fjgure 9. /nfrasfrucfure repair jn Defroil
realize by implementing more efficient infrastructure planning practices. Michigan.
NEXT STEPS
Develop draft Community Public
Infrastructure Asset Management
Tool, to include a Checklist and
Action Plan, and Invest-to-Save
Analysis Tool.
Conduct webinar with
participating cities and request
feedback on draft tool.
Refine and finalize the tool and
develop user guide.
The project team met with public officials in the cities of Saginaw and Detroit, Michigan,
and Vaparaiso, Indiana, to learn how city officials approach infrastructure maintenance,
repair and development. The meetings provided information about existing
organizational arrangements that facilitate progress or create barriers to more effective
coordination; factors that drive infrastructure priorities (e.g., economic development,
availability of grant funds) and their implications for coordination; and potential benefits
of improved coordination, including cost savings and improvements in quality and
continuity of public services.
Information from these meetings and additional research will be the basis for
developing a Community Public Infrastructure Asset Management Tool. The tool will
help local infrastructure managers, city planners and other local officials assess their
current state of coordination, identify practical ideas for change and estimate the cost savings and other benefits that could be realized
through enhanced coordination.
The tool will have two parts. The Checklist and Action Plan will be a question-based checklist to help communities assess their status
with regard to completing an asset inventory, organizational practices that encourage coordination, community collaboration and
financial collaboration. It will summarize local priorities and areas for improvement in an action plan. The second part of the tool will
allow municipalities to complete an Invest-to-Save analysis. This will:
• Help municipalities organize information about public infrastructure to support a high-level strategic invest-to-save analysis.
• Serve as an analytical tool to assess long-term savings from near-term public infrastructure investments and the incremental
benefits of coordinated planning and investments.
• Provide high-level cost-benefit information to help managers and public officials explain sensible, cost-effective infrastructure
investments.
We expect the tool to make clear that better coordination could not only help cities stretch their dollars further and improve service
reliability, but could also attract investment to help communities achieve revitalization objectives. Coordination can help ensure that
projects have broad local support, demonstrate a comprehensive planning approach and articulate multiple benefits that could be
leveraged through public funding. A history and reputation for cooperation and coordination also communicates to potential investors
that the city is committed to timely and predictable review processes in support of investments in community revitalization.
For more information, please contact Chris Choi, EPA Region 5, choi.christopher@epa.gov.
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Land Revitalization Success Stories
October 2014
Preventing Illegal Dumping
LITTER CONTROL BROCHURE
BERKELEY COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA, EPA REGION 3
Berkeley County is the second most populated county in West Virginia. Since 2000, the county saw
unprecedented population growth and an increase in open dumping and roadside littering. A lack of public
awareness of the county's solid waste programs among the influx of residents most
likely contributed to the increase in litter and open dumping.
EPA's Land Revitalization Team and staff from Region 3 assisted Berkeley County,
WV, in developing a brochure to promote public awareness of the county's solid waste
programs, litter control and open dumping laws. The pamphlet focuses on increasing
public awareness of alternatives to such illegal activities and promotes recycling
opportunities in the county. The brochure features eight panels of content about
alternatives for the management of waste materials and information on cleanup
solutions.
The Berkeley County Litter Control Program is using the brochure to promote public
education. The Program distributes a limited number of printed copies of the brochure
at special events, Earth Day events and other similar functions to promote recycling of
waste materials and educate the public on the costs and risks associated with littering
and open dumping. The Berkeley County Solid Waste Agency applied for two state
grants, requesting funds to print up to 30,000 pamphlets of the newly designed brochure
for broader distribution to area schools. In addition, the county distributed an electronic
copy to residents through a listserv e-mail and posted on Facebook.
For more information, please contact Christopher Thomas, EPA Region 3,
thomas.christopher@epa.gov.
Figure W: The litter control brochure
provides information on how to safely
dispose of waste in the county and the
benefits of safe waste disposal.
LESSONS LEARNED
Small technical support projects
can make a large impact to
small communities, offering
resources that often are provided
by volunteers or not found within
the community.
Traditional educational materials
come to life in social media
settings and improve the reach
to citizens.
Preventing illegal dumping
requires repeated, ongoing and
engaging outreach.
PLANNED POST-TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES
• Continued education of residents
about alternative disposal
methods for the county.
• Broader distribution of the
brochure through mailings and
online resources.
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Land Revitalization Success Stories
September 2014
Improving Stormwater Management
DRY GULCH STREAM RESTORATION
LAKEWOOD, COLORADO, EPA REGION 8
Figure /1: Removal of ID-channel debris,
reducing erosion potential, flattening channel
bank slopes and vegetation maintenance are
key project elements in the Dry Gulch channel
restoration design.
NEXT STEPS
The Lamar Station Crossing redevelopment project in Lakewood, Colorado, used funding from an EPA
Brownfields Assessment grant and a Brownfields Cleanup grant to conduct planning activities and remediate
4,200 cubic yards of contaminated soils in 2012. The Lamar Station Crossing
redevelopment project includes property owned by the Metro West Housing Solutions
(Metro West) and a portion of the Dry Gulch Stream.
The Dry Gulch channel has steep drop offs at the top of the channel bank and erosion
issues. The Gulch also is considered a safety hazard by Metro West. There is debris, low
value vegetation and rubbish within the creek, which is aesthetically unattractive and
creates potential hazards for flood debris and associated conveyance reduction issues.
EPA's Land Revitalization Team, Metro West Housing Solutions and the Urban
Drainage and Flood Control District are working together to address water quality,
safety and erosion control concerns associated with the Gulch by designing an
approach for stream restoration. Additional project goals are to make the Gulch more
ecologically sustainable, connect with a future greenway and to use Dry Gulch as an
educational and recreational asset for neighborhood residents and community partners.
The project is also part of the South Platte Urban Waters Partnership.
The project team conducted a site visit on March 5, 2014, with the purpose of reviewing
existing site channel conditions, identifying areas of channel improvement and
establishing restoration concepts. The site visit observations and discussions of site
constraints and opportunities identified problem areas along the channel to be
addressed through restoration concepts. During the site visit, the project team
presented three restoration concepts that ranged from: 1) Channel and Vegetation Maintenance, 2) Partial Channel Stabilization and
Vegetation Maintenance and 3) Full Channel Stabilization and Restoration.
The stream restoration design project includes development of restoration concept drawings, initial assessment of channel hydraulics,
the recommended plan's concept overview drawing and preparation of a Restoration Concepts and Recommended Plan summary
memorandum. The project team and stakeholders selected the Partial Channel Stabilization and Vegetation Maintenance plan
approach as the best value in terms of addressing the key project goals while minimizing cost and reducing impacts to healthy sections
of the existing stream corridor.
The final deliverable for the stream restoration project includes a package of construction drawings that can be used by Metro West to
obtain construction bids to implement the recommended improvements. Prior to developing the construction drawings, Metro West will
use the recommended plan concept drawings and details to obtain an initial estimate of construction costs in an effort to reassess the
available budget.
For more information, please contact Stacey Eriksen, EPA Region 8, eriksen.stacey@epa.gov.
Develop construction drawings,
prepare a no-rise floodplain
certification and conduct final
coordination with stakeholders.
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