Technical Assistance Success Stories Planning for Sustainable Brownfield Redevelopment Economic Recovery and Revitalization Gloversville Ny (EPA Region 2)

Technical Assistance Success Stories | EPA #560F23295

March 2023

Planning for Sustainable Brownfield Redevelopment

ECONOMIC RECOVERY & REVITALIZATION - GLOVERSVILLE, NY (EPA REGION 2)

SITE STATISTICS

• Community: Gloversviile, New York

• Local project lead: Mayor's Office, City of Gloversviile, New York

• Former use: Leather Tannery, Water Reservoir

• Future use: Multi-season recreational activities

• Brownfields technical assistance: Prepare re-use design and conduct funding & financing analysis

PROJECT BACKGROUND

The former Risedorph Leather Tannery is a 13.1-acre parcel with
residual soil, groundwater, and pond sediment contamination. The
tannery is located in a predominantly residential neighborhood
approximately three blocks from downtown Gloversviile. It contains
three industrial buildings that are currently used for storage by the
Gloversviile Department of Public Works. The City of Gloversville's
overall goal is to repurpose the site and two adjoining parcels as a
year-round active recreational facility.

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PROJECT CHALLENGE

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The City of Gloversviile needed assistance to evaluate the viability of a
multi-season recreational re-use for the Risedorph site given local and

regional community needs, the sites topographic constraints, and historic contamination. A New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation Record of Decision (ROD) was issued for the site in 2008, and any subsequent reuse of the
site will have to address the ROD requirements.

HOW EPA HELPED

In 2022-2023, the U.S. EPA's Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) provided technical assistance (TA) to

support to the Risedorph Leather Tannery redevelopment project. The TA included the following support:

• Preparation of Re-use Design: An integrated re-use design was prepared for the site to envision it as a year-round
recreational destination. Features of the re-use design include an indoor muti-sport recreational building, cross country
running I ski trails, snowtubing, ziplining, and bike tracks. The design enables the city to conduct the project in phases
as funding becomes available. Development of a solar array on Parcel 3 was offered as an alternative use.

• Identification of Funding Sources: Financial requirements of the project were evaluated and a detailed list of
potential grants, funding opportunities, and other sources was prepared for the City. This list includes federal, state,
regional, and business resources that are organized based on the site's planned uses.

• Analysis of Project Budget: A detailed Sources and Uses analysis was prepared to help identify sources of income,
application of grants and funding, and initial cost estimates by parcel for site construction and environmental
assessment and remediation.

CITY'S NEXT STEPS

• Apply for grants to fund the completion of an environmental assessment on Parcel 1 and petition the NYSDEC to revisit
the existing ROD based on the planned re-use design.

• Begin the due diligence process on Parcel 2 to enable acquisition.

• Prepare a more detailed design of proposed site improvements to identify accurate construction cost estimates.

• Begin contacting public and private funding agencies to help offset future development costs.

Questions? Please contact EPA Region 2: Sehenine Mitchell or Sadira Robles

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