United States
Environmental Protection
^Agency

i

Plan for Brownfields Redevelopment Success

Climate-Smart	Brown

Who should participate?

initial, high-level analyses may be conducted by a local or regional agency (e.g., planning,
public works department), climate-focused nonprofit, or university. Consultants with climate
data expertise, resilience planning/design, and/or engineering experience will be needed to
conduct more complex analyses. Involve community members to help ground truth data.

Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (5105T) I EPA 560-F-23-289 I October 2023

Successful brownfields
revitalization doesn't
just happen. It's
planned for.

Approach brownfields
revitalization through
creative, inclusive,
and efficient planning
activities.

¦ Create a brownfields
revitalization plan
based on the
community's need
and vision, and site
and surrounding
area conditions such
as environmental,
economic, real estate
market, assets,
challenges, and
vulnerabilities. These
factors will directly
influence how the
site is assessed and
remediated.

Planning activities
focused on brownfields
revitalization and as
described in this fact
sheet are eligible under
an EPA Brownfields
Assessment or
Multipurpose Grant.

Early in the site
selection process,
consider the range
of realistic site reuse
options.

Our community needs to:

¦ Ensure brownfields redevelopment is resilient and sustainable over the long term, given
changes to local climate conditions.

¦ Identify where we can safely reuse brownfields as buffer properties to protect vulnerable
community members, amenities, and investments.

How climate-smart brownfields planning can help: Climate-smart brownfields planning
evaluates how current and projected climate hazards will affect the immediate and long-term
safety and protectiveness of the site. This climate information will inform decision-making for
resilient cleanup and reuse.

Influence on brownfields assessment, cleanup, and reuse: Ensuring the safe, long-term
reuse of the site requires identifying changing climate conditions such as increases in
the frequency and severity of flood events, drought, extreme temperatures, and wildfires.
Factoring these climate conditions into decision-making will influence how the site can be
cleaned up and redeveloped, including design and placement of structures, treatment or
monitoring systems, and engineering controls.

What is involved? Climate-smart brownfields planning activities include:

¦	Site-specific analysis: Integrate future climate projections into brownfield inventories and
screen for vulnerable sites across a community to prioritize resilient investments. Use the
best available city, local or site-level future projections and sources such as the Climate
Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation CCMRA') Assessment Tool.

¦	Area analysis: Identify how climate hazards wili affect buildings and infrastructure
surrounding the site, and how those hazards will affect site safety following cleanup.
Document costs of resilience measures as well as costs of delay and inaction to help
justify climate-smart brownfields investments.

¦	Visual tools: Develop maps, site renderings, etc., to protect assets and demonstrate
how anticipated climate exposures will create vulnerabilities and risks at and around the
brownfield site.

¦ Disproportionate impacts analysis: Consider how youth, disabled, health-compromised,
low-income, or older residents will experience the effects of climate change, and use
community engagement opportunities to seek brownfield assessment, cleanup, and
reuse solutions that build their resilience.

When to conduct?

Screen for climate vulnerabilities on and around the site as early as possible during the site
assessment and reuse planning process. Considering this information upfront will help your
community make targeted, cost-effective assessment, cleanup, and investment decisions
that will lead to more sustainable and resilient site reuse choices.

What does it typically cost?

Costs may range from $5,000 to $15,000 if using free tools and in-house expertise to
conduct initial, high-level analyses. Complex analyses involving climate consultant(s) may
cost $25,000 to $50,000, depending on the size of the geographic area.

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