Superfund Site Reuse & Land Revitalization REUSE PLANNING: FOUR KEYS TO SUCCESS! www.epa.gov EPA'S CLEANUP PROGRAMS have set a national goal of returning formerly contaminated sites to long-term, sustainable, and productive use... This fact sheet provides a quick overview of the key project components essential for the successful reuse of Superfund sites. What do Superfund Sites in Reuse Look Like? Parties reuse Superfund sites for many different purposes. New Community Park in Maywood, California The Pemaco Maywood Superfund site occupies four acres along the Los Angeles River in Maywood, California. Home to a chemical manufacturing plant until 1991, the site re-opened as Maywood Riverfront Park in May 2008. The cleaned up property now offers soccer fields, a playground, handball courts, and basketball courts to residents of this urban, minority community located outside Los Angeles. How Are Superfund Sites Reused? Parties undertake reuse planning projects. These projects have four key components: ¦ Stakeholder Engagement & Conflict Resolution ¦ Strategic Analysis & Reuse Plans ¦ Education, Tools, & Training ¦ Implementation Strategies Why Plan for Superfund Site Reuse? Superfund site reuse provides significant benefits, including: ¦ land reuse and revitalization ¦ local benefits (jobs, income increases, community land uses) ¦ EPA benefits (enhanced protectiveness and long-term site stewardship) ¦ new partnerships ... AND THE REUSE OF SUPERFUND SITES is helping to revitalize communities nationwide. There are more than 500 Superfund sites in industrial, commercial, residential, recreational, and ecological uses. New Mixed Use Development in Port Salerno, Florida For years, the Solitron Microwave Superfund site was vacant and unused. In 2003, the Port Salerno Industrial Park (PSIP) acquired the site and worked closely with EPA. Today, PSIP is returning the site to reuse, providing much needed retail, office, and warehouse space within this rapidly growing community in southeastern 1 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Redevelopment Initiative ------- Superfund Reuse Planning: Four Keys to Success Strategic Analysis & Reuse Plans Reuse planning requires strategic analysis of site and community information. • Site Analysis: contamination and remedy considerations need to be analyzed alongside a site's physical characteristics, like steep slopes and wetlands. A site analysis indicates whether particular land uses may be feasible at a site. • Community Analysis: Superfund sites are located within a larger social, economic, environmental and land use context. A community analysis indicates whether there are priority land uses supported by site stakeholders, local and regional land use trends, natural resource linkages or other factors. Effective stakeholder engagement forms the foundation of successful reuse planning projects. In most cases, broad community involvement is a vital cornerstone. Lengthy site histories, health and safety concerns, diverse stakeholders and the complexities of teclmical site information often lead to contentious situations regarding the cleanup and revitalization of contaminated lands. Consideration of a site's future land use provides a fresh, powerful way to bring together diverse stakeholders, address contentious situations, and resolve conflicts. Stakeholder engagement activities also help establish reasonable reuse and remediation expectations for sites, build support for site cleanups and strengthen relationships between EPA and Superfund communities. Appropriate activities range from initial situation and conflict assessments that identify key stakeholder interests to facilitated meetings, community involvement and outreach programs, and conflict resolution services that enable parties to identify shared interests and collaborate with each other. Stakeholder Engagement & Conflict Resolution These analyses result in conceptual reuse plans that identify specific reuse opportunities and key considerations for different portions of sites using Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping and other technologies. At some sites, reuses can be phased in over time, as cleanup milestones are achieved. Components of these analyses include stakeholder interviews, collaborative meetings, and review of site and community information (EPA site data and decision documents, site zoning and property parcel and deed information, and regional studies and planning documents, like Comprehensive Plans). 2 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Redevelopment Initiative ------- Education, Tools, & Training Superfund Redevelopment js Search: © All EPA '§> This Area | Go | You are here: EPA Home » Superfund » Programs » Superfund Redevelopment Superfund Redevelopment Quick Finder Superfund Redevelopment Celebrates Its 10-Year Anniversary In July 2009, EPA will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Superfund Redevelopment Initiative, and the work done to help communities across the country reclaim Superfund sites, and bring down the barriers that have kept many of them vacant and underutilized for decades. As part of this 10th Anniversary milestone, SRI will be highlighting reuse stories from around the country on its website over the course of 2009. More Information on the SRI 10 Year Anniversary Knowledge is power ... and Superfund reuse knowledge is available to everyone. Reuse planning links site stakeholders with the wealth of information and lessons learned from projects nationwide. Projects can save time and resources by relying on already developed fact sheets, case studies, white papers, guidebooks, trainings, and other materials. Stigma and liability issues have been particular challenges for many communities. Today, thanks to the BFPP provisions of the 2001 Brownfields Revitalization Act, environmental insurance, and EPA tools like Ready for Reuse Determinations, established tools are available to address these issues. Links to these materials and tools are available from EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Initiative web site (www.epa.gov/ superfund/recycle). Information is also available from EPA site teams and EPA Regional Superfund Redevelopment and Land Revitalization web sites. Please see the Getting Started section for more information. Implementation Strategies Site reuse priorities have been identified, the site's remedy and proposed reuse mesh well and are broadly supported, and parties have begun discussing how to make site reuse happen on the ground. It is an exciting and challenging time. Feasible, practical reuse implementation strategies rely on partnerships - the continued involvement of project stakeholders through to the project's completion. In order for Superfund site reuse to happen, there are many moving parts to manage and parties with multiple responsibilities - no one can go it alone. • For EPA, key implementation responsibilities may include guiding the analysis and selection of appropriate institutional controls and ensuring a site's long-term stewardship. At many sites, project partners like local governments may be willing to serve as site stewards. • For communities and other parties, key implementation responsibilities may include addressing site ownership considerations, updating local planning and regulatory tools and incentives, and identifying technical assistance that will support a site's return to use. All parties are responsible for working together to establish coordinated goal and timeline schedules, achieve shared project milestones, and address outstanding site-related issues. Flexibility and creativity are all-important at this stage. Best of all. a successful implementation strategy leads to a ribbon-cutting ceremony and makes Superfund site reuse a reality - whether that means the construction of a wind energy facility, a new community park, or an office and retail center that will spark job growth and generate tax revenues. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Redevelopment Initiative 3 ------- Getting Started EPA supports all of the reuse planning activities described in this fact sheet. At Headquarters, EPA has created the Superfund Redevelopment Initiative (SRI) to support communities' efforts to return Superfund sites to productive use. SRI provides a range of tools and information resources for both EPA staff and communities interested in Superfund site reuse. In each Region, information is also available from EPA site teams as well as Regional Superfund Reuse and Land Revitalization web sites. SUPERFUND REDEVELOPMENT CONTACTS Melissa Friedland National Program Manager for Superfund Redevelopment (703) 603-8864 friedland.melissa@epa.gov Frank Avvisato Superfund Redevelopment Initiative Project Officer (703) 603-8949 awisato.frank@epa.gov SRI's web site at: www. e pa .gov/s u pe rf u n d/p rogra ms/recyc I e *>EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Solid Waste arid Emergency Response Superfund Redevelopment Initiative Washington, DC August 2009 www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle ------- |