Planning for Sustainable Brownfield Redevelopment Redefining an Industrial Image Indianapolis Indiana EPA Region 5

Land Reviialization Success Stories | EPA 560-F-l 8-002
June 2018
Planning for Sustainable Brownfield Redevelopment
REDEFINING AN INDUSTRIAL IMAGE
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, EPA REGION 5
From 1929 until the turn of the 20th century, the P.R. Mallory company used the Campus to
produce electronic components and batteries, employing thousands of people. Redevelopment
and reuse of the Campus is impeded by identified environmental impacts to soil, groundwater, and
soil gas, primarily associated with chlorinated volatile organic compounds (cVOCs).
The city of Indianapolis bought the property in 2015 to conduct further environmental assessments,
secure and maintain existing structures, pursue acquisition of a privately-owned adjacent parcel,
engage with counsel to pursue responsible parties for remediation costs, and facilitate
community-led planning efforts. Both the Near East Area Renewal Community Development
Corporation and the Purdue Polytechnic High School expressed interest in Campus
redevelopment. Given the complexity of the Campus in terms of parcels and conditions of
buildings, the city determined that additional information on the real estate market and
infrastructure was needed to focus future environmental assessment and cleanup efforts, as well
as inform local discussions about site reuse options.
In September 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Land Revitalization Team
worked with the city to conduct a reuse assessment for the Campus, including a market assessment
overview and evaluation of site opportunities and constraints for redevelopment planning.
The EPA Land Revitalization Team traveled to the Campus in November 2017 to meet with
key stakeholders and assess the site's opportunities and constraints, including its location in
relation to other properties and businesses. The Team reviewed past environmental,
planning, and building assessment files to understand environmental concerns, opportunities
for collaborating as part of larger comprehensive planning efforts, and the conditions and
limitations of the Campus buildings. Additionally, the Team reviewed primary and secondary
data sources to develop a market research and analysis overview of the project area.
The Team developed a Reuse Assessment for the Campus based on information from the
past documents and data from market research. The existing environmental investigations
revealed limitations to future reuse, including several environmentally restrictive covenants
and several historic buildings with limited or cost prohibitive reuse opportunities. The Team
identified two primary redevelopment opportunities:
Reuse the Administration Building for the Purdue Polytechnic High School & Mixed
Use: The high school could utilize 60,000 square feet on the top two floors of the
Administration Building, leaving 52,500 square feet for mixed-use development on the
first floor (22,500 square feet) and lower level (basement) (30,000 square feet).
Construct a new Purdue Polytechnic High School & Reuse the Administration Building
for Affordable HousingJ: Build a new 80,000 square feet building for the high school in
the northwest corner of the property. Of this, 20,000 square feet could either be used
for future school expansion, or to attract a retail/commercial establishment as a
revenue generator. The Administration Building could be reused for affordable
residential units on the top two floors (60,000 square feet), subsidized for teachers and
non-profit workers.
For more information, please contact Stephanie Ross, EPA Region 5 at
ross.stephanied@epa.gov.
PLANNED POST-TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES
• Address environmental concerns
through the installation of a vapor
mitigation system, and soil and
groundwater management
plan(s).
• Work with community partners to
select the best reuse option for
redevelopment and seek
community input.
• Develop a schedule for
redevelopment with project
partners to ensure community
expectations can be met.
LESSONS LEARNED
• Site reuse options may be
constrained by existing covenants
put in place to reduce impact to
human health and the
environment.
• Redevelopment for large historic
buildings can be cost prohibitive.
• Market data can identify
supporting uses on a site once a
primary redevelopment concept
is identified.
GREEN SPACE
NEW
CONSTRUCTION
CMW
BUILDING
BUNKER
BUILDING
The former P.R. Mallory Campus is one of the most prominent brownfields in Marion County. This 10-acre site is comprised of five
parcels. It is located within the IndyEast Promise Zone of Indianapolis and is designated as a Historic Landmark by the
Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission.
Figure I. Proposed site plan for new
construction of the high school.

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