RETURN TO USE INITIATIVE

2014 Demonstration Project

MARTIN-MARIETTA, SODYECO, INC.:

Charlotte, North Carolina

THE SITE: Between 1936 and 2005, the 1,500-acre
Martin-Marietta, Sodyeco, Inc. Superfund site (the
Site) was home to various chemical dye manufacturing
and specialty chemical production companies. Site
operations, including improper disposal of untreated
chemical manufacturing wastes and landfilled materials,
resulted in contaminated soils and ground water.
Following the discovery of site contamination in 1982,
EPA placed the Site on the National Priorities List (NPL)
in December 1982.

Between 1987 and 2011, EPA developed and amended
cleanup plans for the Site. The final remedy included
capping some contaminated soil in place, disposing of
waste materials and other contaminated soil off site,
treating contaminated ground water and implementing
land use restrictions. Clariant, the primary potentially
responsible party, funded and performed all cleanup
activities, with oversight provided by EPA and the North
Carolina Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (NCDENR). Following the completion of
Superfund cleanup activities, EPA deleted the Site
from the NPL in February 2012.

HE OPPOR T UNI The Site is the largest area
of underused industrial land in Mecklenburg County, so
site stakeholders were eager to return it to productive
use. Additionally, extensive site infrastructure could
support a wide range of reuse options. Existing
infrastructure includes rail and interstate access, a
wastewater treatment facility, 300,000 square feet of
industrial space, utility substations and transmission
lines, and a 360-million-gallon containment pond.

PO EN IAL BARRIER: The complexity and
large area of the Site could be daunting to prospective
developers. Due to the nature of the site contamination,
not all areas of the Site would be acceptable for all
types of reuse following cleanup.

PICTURED: The Site is located along the Catawba River.
(Source: EPA)

BARRIER: The complexity arid large area of the Site could
be daunting to prospective developers. Due to the nature of site
contamination, not all areas of the Site would be acceptable for all
types of reuse following cleanup.

SOLUTION: Cooperation and open communication between
EPA and site stakeholders made clear what areas of the Site
wouid be acceptable for different types of reuse. In August 2011,
the Site's owner put land use controls in place permitting only
commercial and industrial land uses across cleaned-up areas of
the Site and restricting other land uses that are incompatible with
the site remedy.

PICTURED: The main ReVenture Park entrance. (Source:
EPA)

BEFORE: A large area of underused industrial land with
extensive existing infrastructure.

AFTER: Site redevelopment helps preserve local habitats and
wildlife and uses renewable resources to generate electricity. In
addition, construction of ReVenture Park is underway.

SEPA

United States
Environmental Protection
Agency

Superfund Redevelopment Initiative

November 2014 1


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THE SOLUTION: EPA's Superfund and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
programs agreed to work closely with the Site's owner and the community to make sure any potential
site reuse plans were compatible with the Site's cleanup. This cooperation and open communication
between EPA and site stakeholders made clear what areas of the Site would be acceptable for different
types of reuse. In August 2011, the Site's owner put land use controls in place permitting only commercial
and industrial land uses across cleaned-up areas of the Site and restricting other land uses that are
incompatible with the site remedy. When a local development company Forsite Development, came
forward hoping to reuse site property as the Region's first eco-industrial area called ReVenture Park,
site stakeholders were open to reuse and proactive about reviewing the plans. Forsite Development's
vision focused on uncontaminated areas of the Site, which included 667 acres along the Catawba River.

THE SITE NOW: Today, by reclaiming, restoring and reinventing this industrial area, ReVenture
Park is becoming a national model for innovative redevelopment and one of the most dynamic and multi-
faceted renewable energy projects on a Superfund site in the United States. The Site's redevelopment
will breathe new life into the Site by reusing the Site's extensive existing infrastructure to create a
platform for large-scale renewable energy and alternative fuel projects. When finished, ReVenture is
estimated to generate over $900 million in new investment and create over 1,000 "green collar" jobs.
As part of the initial phase of the park construction, Forsite Development has begun developing a
30-megawatt waste-to-energy biomass power plant. The project involves turning duckweed grass,
grown on site, and virgin sawdust created during the lumber manufacturing process, into a renewable
gas, similar to natural gas. This process generates clean renewable energy while generating only a
small fraction of emissions produced by traditional coal-fired power plants.

A few of the other projects planned for the park include a photovoltaic solar field to be developed on a
closed 25-acre landfill, a regional wastewater treatment facility that changes bio-solids into a renewable
energy resource, a business park focused on energy efficiency, renewable energy and environmental
technology, and office space for community organizations. In late 2013, following the completion of on-
site building renovations, Forsite Development began recruiting new and emerging recycling projects,
as well as alternative fuels and renewable energy technologies businesses to the Site. Ten start-up
companies and pilot projects are already operating at ReVenture Park. "It's becoming an entrepreneurial
incubator," said Tom McKittrick, president of Forsite Development. "Our goal from the beginning was
to take a shuttered manufacturing plant that has very heavy infrastructure and reposition the buildings
to create recycling-based projects." On-site projects range from creating a lightweight, ballistic armor
made from organic material to developing the first highway-ready, light-duty electric pickup truck.

Environmental stewardship is also an integral part of site redevelopment plans. The Site's natural
resources are enhanced by a 185-acre conservation easement with wildlife habitat projects, stream
restoration and a trail system connecting the regional Carolina Thread Trail across the Site to the nearby
U.S. National Whitewater Center. In August 2014, EPA Region 4 presented Forsite Development with
an "Excellence in Site Reuse" award to recognize the developer's commitment to safely and sustainably
reuse the Site. The site owner continues to maintain the Site's remedy.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Michael Townsend, Remedial Project
Manager, at townsend.michael@epa.gov or (404) 562-8813; or Bill Denman, Region 4 Superfund
Redevelopment Coordinator, at denman.bill@epa.gov or (404) 562-8939.

&EPA

United States
Environmental Protection
Agency

Superfund Redevelopment Initiative

November 2014 2


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