Technical Assistance Success Stories I EPA #560F23306

May 2022

Planning for Sustainable Brownfield Redevelopment

CITY OF LODI - LODI, CA (EPA REGION 9)

SITE STATISTICS

Community: Lodi, California

Local project lead: City of Lodi

Current use: City of Lodi Parks and Recreation Department

Maintenance and Storage; Fitness Center

Future use: Aquatic Center and/or Mixed-Use Development

Brownfields technical assistance: Highest and best use

analysis for site reuse

PROJECT BACKGROUND

The project site (Figure 1) historically contained a manufactured gas
plant and has been occupied by the City of Lodi's Parks and
Recreation department for decades. The site includes three parcels
covering approximately 2.6 acres and is significantly underutilized, Its
redevelopment presents an opportunity to provide services to the Hgure 1: Pr°iect Site Map
underserved neighborhood of East Lodi and to better integrate the site into historic Downtown Lodi (which is located to the
west across from an active rail corridor).

PROJECT CHALLENGE

The City of Lodi needed help to understand the most suitable end uses for the property and to identify barriers to redevelopment.

HOW EPA HELPED

In 2021, the U.S. EPA's Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization

(OBLR) provided technical assistance (TA) to support the City of Lodi by:

•	Performing a desktop analysis of the site to determine legally
permissible uses, local real estate market conditions, development
requirements, and environmental constraints.

•	Interviewing community members and other stakeholders to develop a
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis.

•	Creating four concept plans with potential redevelopment options to
inform financial modeling.

•	Comparing the relative returns of multi-family for-rent, office, and retail
uses.

•	Performing high-level financial modeling to determine estimated
construction costs, total costs, Net Operating Income (NOI) predictions, and potential Return on Cost estimates.

COMMUNITY'S NEXT STEPS

•	Finalize the brownfields assessment of the site and determine a cleanup plan and budget.

•	Conduct a feasibility study to determine demand, revenue potential, and costs to build an aquatic center/fitness facility.

•	Consider acquiring one or both of the outparcels (Figure 1) to increase redevelopment options.

•	Begin conversations with real estate developers to determine the best structure for a public-private partnership.

Figure 2: Project Site, Facing West

Questions? Please contact EPA Region 9: Kelly Garbach or Nova Blazei

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