Incubating Businesses in The YARD Illustrating the future of a former rail site in Spokane, Washington Project Summary Community: Spokane, Washington Technical Assistance: Site Design and Sustainable Practices Former Use: Maintenance Facility Future Use: Small Business Incubation Center The Hillyard neighborhood (The YARD) in Spokane, Washington, originally used for industrial rail operations, has seen little development since the early 20th century. In 2015, the city received a Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Grant from EPA. It then conducted community visioning efforts, market studies, and an infrastructure assessment to evaluate redevelopment strategies for The YARD. The city and the Northeast Public Development Authority (NEPDA) subsequently established a Brownfield Redevelopment Opportunity Zone in The YARD and refined a vision for a builders and makers small business incubation center for innovators, creators, and startup entrepreneurs. The Community's Challenge The city needed preliminary site planning and design support to understand their options for building the incubation center. The city planned to vacate a 10-acre maintenance facility it owned within the Redevelopment Opportunity Zone, and they were considering if they needed to acquire two adjacent properties. EPA's Land Revitalization Technical Assistance In 2016, EPA's Land Revitalization Program provided contractor technical assistance to create conceptual site redevelopment alternatives for the incubation center. Builders and Makers Small Business Incubation Center illustrative site plan For more information, contact Mary Goolie, EPA Region 10 Brownfields Program, at Goolie.Marv@epa.gov. These alternatives represented a range of densities and building designs, including layout and scale of buildings, access, parking, and open space. The team also incorporated innovative and sustainable Low Impact Design stormwater management and renewable energy (solar) generation techniques. EPA's technical assistance complemented the city's ongoing brownfields assessment and reuse planning activities within The YARD in a manner that will help the community advance and eventually implement priority projects in the comprehensive plan. The technical assistance will also better position the property for public or private redevelopment investment. s>EPA United States Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization Environmental Protection Agency EPA Pub # 560-F-19-005-T ------- |