Brownfields Success Story SERA United States Environmental Protection Agency Jack's Brownfield Redevelopment Louisville, Mississippi Introduction The transformation of the former Team Motors automotive repair facility and gas station into a shiny new Jack's Family Restaurant (Jack's) in Louisville, Mississippi is a perfect example of what public-private collaboration can achieve in communities with less than 10,000 residents. The redevelopment and cleanup of the Team Motors brownfieid represent a $2.25M private-sector investment into the community, bringing with it as many as 45 jobs, and a commitment from the developer to take on the roughly $600,000 cleanup of the site. The goal was to encourage cleanup, redevelopment, and job creation in the community. That goal has been achieved. The Challenge Like many small, rural communities in Mississippi, Louisville has had challenges with encouraging re-investment in the downtown area, particularly along Church Avenue. With a keen eye on leveraging resources, the mayor and Board of Aldermen worked with Winston County, the Winston Partnership, and the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) to spur private sector investment and redevelopment. Louisville used funding through its 2017 EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant, the private-sector cleanup incentive offered through the Mississippi Economic Redevelopment Act (MERA), and technical support from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and PPM Consultants, Inc. (PPM) to encourage Jack's to open its 200th store in Louisville, Mississippi. EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant With its 2017 EPA Brownfield grant, Louisville was able to fund environmental assessments along the Church Avenue corridor for property owners, prospective purchasers, and developers. Among the sites and located a stone's throw from City Hall, was a three- acre parcel that was once home to an automotive repair facility, a former Shell gas station, a thrift shop loaded with asbestos, and a former oil company that at one time stored tens of thousands of gallons of petroleum. No previous environmental assessments had been conducted at the Team Motors site, so uncertainties remained for any individuals wanting to redevelop it. The EPA- grant funded assessments identified asbestos in the remaining buildings and impacts to soil and groundwater from past releases EPA Grant Recipient: City of Louisville, Mississippi Grant Type: EPA Community-Wide Assessment Grant Former Uses: Automotive repair facility and gas station Current Status: Efforts at the site have resulted in the construction of a new restaurant and as many as 45 new jobs Leveraged Dollars to Date (from Assessment Grant): • $600,000 Private Sector Cleanup • $2.25M Development ------- "The EPA Brownfields Assessment grant allowed us to conduct all the due diligence and cleanup planning for the site. With these uncertainties removed, it was much easier for us to encourage the developer to invest in our community." EPA Region 4 Brownfields (404) 562-8729 Will Hill, Mayor City of Louisville, Mississippi For More Information: EPA Brownfields Program Website: of petroleum and solvents on the property. The grant also assisted with identifying cleanup costs and the necessary design of the remediation system. Jack's Family Restaurants At about the same time that the environmental work was being completed, Jack's contacted the property owner and expressed an interest in purchasing the property. With known contamination, Jack's leadership had initial reservations about the lingering environmental liabilities and the potential for significant cleanup costs. The Solution City leadership, Winston Partnership, Jack's, MDEQ, MDA, EPA, and PPM teamed up to find an innovative solution that included liability protection and brownfield cleanup financial incentives. While other businesses may have steered clear of this property in favor of an undeveloped greenfield, Jack's was willing to take a closer look. Because Louisville had already funded the necessary environmental assessment activities with its 2017 EPA Brownfield Grant for the property owner, Jack's was able to save nearly $50,000 in assessment costs. The Board of Aldermen passed a resolution designating the Team Motors Site as a "redevelopment area," which opened up the project for private sector brownfield cleanup incentives. MDEQ staff worked with Jack's on the cleanup requirements, while the MDA assisted the City and Jack's with the cleanup incentive under MERA. This collaboration allowed Jack's to recoup cleanup costs incurred through the rebate of newly generated sales taxes from the new restaurant. The Cleanup After MDA approval, Jack's had a Corrective Action Plan developed and cleanup activities performed, which included asbestos abatement and disposal, demolition of existing building structures, removal of an underground hydraulic lift, installation and operation of an ozone sparge remediation system, and installation of a vapor intrusion barrier with sub- slab depressurization system to protect patrons in the new restaurant. This project is innovative. It is the first brownfield redevelopment project in Mississippi to incorporate a vapor barrier and ozone sparge system into its cleanup plan. As a result of cleanup activities, approximately 27,000 square feet of asbestos-laden buildings (ail in poor condition) were abated and demolished, potential vapor impacts to visitors of the site were eliminated, and soil and groundwater are actively being cleaned up. The Big Picture This brownfield redevelopment project is truly unique. It incorporates assessment funding from an EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant, a community involvement process through the EPA grant and MDEQ's Brownfields Program, and the willingness of a private sector company to tackie asbestos, vapor intrusion, and groundwater cleanup using a Brownfield cleanup sales tax rebate. Louisville, Winston County, Winston Partnership, MDEQ, MDA, and Jack's all worked together through this public-private collaboration. Representing long-term value, a health, safety, and environmental eyesore has been replaced with a revenue- producing asset for the community. ------- |