Reuse Planning

Reuse Planning

Description

Superfund redevelopment is an important
component of EPA's commitment to returning
formerly contaminated sites to sustainable and
productive use. Reuse planning supports this
commitment by bringing communities together with
EPA to identify opportunities to strengthen site
cleanups, build partnerships and enable meaningful
reuse outcomes. This fact sheet provides EPA staff
with an overview of how reuse planning works, as
well as the tools and resources available to support
reuse planning activities.

For communities, successful site reuse outcomes
can include new jobs, increased tax revenues,
recreational amenities that support healthier
lifestyles and land uses that address local priorities.
There are more than 550 Superfund sites in actual,
continued or planned commercial, industrial,
recreational or ecological uses. For EPA,
considering future land use is an important part of
the Superfund process. As detailed in EPA's
"Considering Reasonably Anticipated Future Land
Use and Reducing Barriers to Reuse at EPA-lead
Superfund Remedial Sites" (OSWER Directive
9355.7-19), understanding a site's reasonably
anticipated future land use informs the entire
remedial process.1 Considering site reuse can:

¦	Inform the land use scenarios needed to perform
risk assessments.

¦	Result in the selection and implementation of
remedies that are consistent with reasonable
future uses envisioned by communities.

¦	Help ensure long-term protectiveness by
establishing site stewards who discourage
inappropriate activities and assist with the
implementation and enforcement of institutional
controls needed to protect remedies, human
health and the environment.

Reuse planning can also improve relations between
EPA and communities, help establish realistic

stakeholder expectations and even result in
remedial cost savings in some cases.

Required Activity

It is EPA policy to support, whenever practicable,
the reuse of Superfund sites where EPA has lead
responsibility, as stated in OSWER Directive
9355.7-19.

Making it Work

When to Use

Reuse planning can begin during any stage of a
cleanup, although timing prior to remedy selection
offers the greatest opportunity to integrate
anticipated future land use with cleanup planning.
Once a site's remedy has been selected, reuse
planning typically focuses on ensuring the
compatibility of planned future site uses with the
site's remedy, addressing potential redevelopment
obstacles and developing long-term stewardship
strategies.

Reuse planning works well where there is
significant community interest in the cleanup and
future use of a site. At other sites, EPA staff can
conduct interviews with key stakeholders and
review community documents, including
comprehensive plans and zoning ordinances, to
identify a site's reasonably anticipated future land
use(s). It is important to make sure that these
documents are up to date and accurately reflect
community goals and priorities.

How to Use

Broad community involvement and partnerships are
vital cornerstones of successful reuse planning.
EPA-supported Community Advisory Groups
(CAGs) and technical advisors funded through
EPA's Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) and
Technical Assistance Services for Communities

1 OSWER Directive 9355.7-19, available online at:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recvcle/pdf/reusedirective.pdf

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Reuse Planning

(TASC) programs can be key participants.
Engaging these representatives alongside
community residents, business owners, community
organizations, site owners, responsible parties, state
agency staff and local government representatives
establishes reuse planning's legitimacy and ensures
that all interested parties have a voice in the process.

EPA site staff can work with community
organizations and local governments to ensure
broad community representation in reuse planning
processes. Reuse planning processes are scalable
and flexible to address and reflect community
needs, and may include workgroups and tools like
design charrettes and community visioning.
Community visioning is a particularly effective
method which empowers communities through
involvement in collaborative planning processes to
review site and community information, develop
future use scenarios, and create action plans for
realizing those visions.

Reuse planning projects can be hosted by local
redevelopment authorities, community organizations
and property owners, or coordinated among
multiple stakeholder groups. Local governments
often facilitate reuse planning efforts, gathering
information and convening workgroups. Local
governments can be well-suited to assist with
reuse planning projects because they are
responsible for communities" general welfare and
quality of life. They can also facilitate the process
of working with EPA, site owners and responsible
parties to develop institutional controls and long-
term stewardship strategies for sites.

Reuse planning is a community-based process
undertaken in close coordination with EPA. EPA
site teams play key roles for reuse planning
projects, providing technical expertise and serving
as information resources. EPA site teams are also
involved as advisors and reviewers, providing the
community with site-focused input and feedback.
This engagement by EPA ensures that all reuse
planning outcomes are thoroughly grounded in an
understanding of the Superfund process and a site's
characteristics. In turn, this involvement ensures
realistic community expectations for a site's reuse
and provides EPA with the reasonably anticipated
future land use information needed to inform a
site's cleanup and long-term stewardship.

Reuse planning is built on meaningful community
engagement and effective information gathering.
Key steps include:

¦	Identifying process and reuse goals, ground
rules and decision-making. Broad community
involvement ensures that community
perspectives are well-represented and accurately
reflect community goals for a site's future use.

¦	Gathering and analyzing site and community
information. Reuse challenges and opportunities
are both site-related and linked to local priorities
and economic conditions.

¦	Developing reuse scenarios. Superfund site
reuses range widely, from commercial, industrial
and residential land uses to sports fields, parks
and wildlife habitat. Some sites host innovative
mixed-use developments; others support
agriculture and renewable energy facilities.

¦	Seeking out public input and refining reuse
plans. As site cleanup progresses and new
community information becomes available, it may
be necessary to update site reuse plans.

Reuse planning works best when it is consensus-
based: stakeholders working together to identify
reuse opportunities, address challenges, and build
common ground around shared decisions and
preferred outcomes. At sites with complex issues
and stakeholder conflict, EPA's Conflict Prevention
and Resolution Center can offer a range of
assistance, including training and facilitation
services. More information is available at:
www.epa.gov/adr.

EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Initiative (SRI) is
EPA's national reuse planning resource for
Superfund sites. Created in 1999, SRI's mission is
to ensure that at every Superfund site, EPA and its
partners have an effective process and the tools
and information needed to return the country's most
hazardous waste sites to productive use.

Today, SRI works closely with EPA's 10 regional
offices to identify Superfund sites that can benefit
from reuse-related engagement and assistance. At
these sites, SRI provides initial investments that help
move sites toward reuse. As reuse efforts gain
momentum, communities leverage these investments:
local governments, organizations and other site
stakeholders sustain redevelopment opportunities
with additional public- and private-sector resources.

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Training and resource materials developed by SRI

are available at: www.epa. gov/superfund/programs/

recvcle/tools/trainings .html.

Tips

¦	Define EPA's role and responsibilities to help
establish realistic community expectations for
site reuse.

¦	Involve stakeholders early and often.

¦	Communicate openly with the community.

¦	Recognize conflict and complexity as
opportunities as well as challenges.

¦	Learn from others who have been involved in
successful reuse planning.

Attachments

¦	Attachment 1: Examples of Active
Community Participation in Reuse Planning
Successes

Other Resources

¦	EPA community involvement and partnerships:
www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/tools/
communitvpartnerships .html

¦	EPA Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center:
www.epa.gov/adr

¦	EPA Land Revitalization Program:
www.epa.gov/landrevitalization

¦	Superfund Redevelopment Initiative (SRI):
www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle

¦	Superfund reuse policy and guidance:
www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/
policy/reuse .html

¦	Superfund reuse tools and resources:
www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/tools

Related Tools

¦ Community Groups

¦ Facilitation and Conflict Resolution

¦ Community Interviews

¦ Technical Assistance Services for Communities

¦ Community Visioning



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Attachment 1: Examples of Active Community Participation in
Reuse Planning Successes

Woolfolk Chemical Works Site, Fort Valley, Georgia

The Woolfolk Chemical Works Superfund site is a 31-acre former pesticide manufacturing and packaging
facility located in Fort Valley, Georgia. The site was placed on EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) of
contaminated sites in 1988.

With the site located in the center of town, residents worried about its potential impact on their health and
the local economy. To address these concerns, citizens, elected officials, state legislators, EPA site staff,
state and county health representatives, and local business owners formed a multi-stakeholder land use
committee known as the Woolfolk Alliance to regularly discuss the site's status and disseminate knowledge
to the community. In 2006 and 2007, the group engaged in an SRI-supported reuse planning process.
Through the reuse planning process, the Woolfolk Alliance has worked to integrate the site's cleanup with
redevelopment, enabling reuse outcomes that are protective of human health and the environment.

Representatives from the Woolfolk Citizens Response Group (WCRG) - the site's TAG recipient - served
as Alliance members, playing a critical role in helping to shape project outcomes. WCRG representatives'
institutional knowledge and local expertise proved invaluable in developing a detailed, realistic vision for the
site's reuse. Today, several properties have been transformed into office space, a welcome center and a
15,000-square-foot public library. The community is also continuing to work with EPA to integrate local
reuse priorities as part of the cleanup for remaining areas of the site. In 2010, Woolfolk Alliance Group
won the Citizen Excellence in Community Involvement Award. This award is presented annually to an
individual or a community group working with a Superfund team for outstanding achievements in the field
of environmental protection. The Woolfolk Alliance Group was recognized for its commitment and
dedication to the Ft. Valley, Georgia communities affected by the Woolfolk Chemical Works, Inc. site. The
dedication of the Woolfolk Alliance Group is unparalleled, and is evidenced by the majority of the founding
members remaining active in the group for over ten years.

For more information, please see SRI's fact sheet (www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/pdf/
rtu09_woolfolk.pdf) and video (www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/info/aftersf.html) documenting
the site's reuse.

Eastland Woolen Mill Site, Corinna, Maine

Faced with a significant loss of jobs and a contaminated property when the 21-acre Eastland Woolen Mill
closed in 1996, the Town of Corinna, Maine, sought assistance from EPA and the State of Maine to
address the contamination left behind by the mill and to integrate cleanup with local planning for the
revitalization of downtown Corinna. The site was placed on the NPL in 1999.

The proposed relocation and reconstruction of Main Street as part of the remedy sparked tremendous
local interest in redevelopment planning at the site. EPA provided an SRI reuse planning grant to the
community and the planning process was guided by the Corinna New Beginning Committee, which
includes citizens, business representatives and town officials. The committee meets monthly to discuss the
site's progress and ensure that residents are kept informed.

To date, the former Eastland Woolen Mill has been removed, Main Street has been relocated, the East
Branch of the Sebasticook River has been restored and 115,000 tons of contaminated soil have been
removed. Every step of the way, EPA, state agencies, the Town of Corinna and local stakeholders have
worked together to accomplish a cleanup that optimizes the reuse potential of the site. Today, a 20-unit
senior housing facility is located on a portion of the site. Additionally, a historic building was relocated on


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Reuse Planning

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site and is now in productive reuse as a country store and restaurant. A subdivision plan for a village-style
development and green space along the river was approved in 2006, and in 2008, a public bandstand was
built in the green space. A recreational boardwalk now extends through downtown Corinna. The
transformed site is a testament to the success of close partnerships and the critical role that reuse planning
and planning grants can have on the revitalization of a community.

For more information, please see SRI's site reuse fact sheet: www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/
pdf/EastlandWoolenMill .pdf

Avtex Fibers Site, Front Royal, Virginia

For more than 45 years, the 440-acre Avtex Fibers plant manufactured rayon, polyester and polypropylene
fibers for commercial, defense and space industries until operations ceased in 1989. In June 1986, EPA
listed the site on the NPL.

To ensure the site's cleanup and redevelopment in a manner consistent with local needs and facilitate
public participation, EPA, state agencies, the local economic development authority and the site owner
convened a multi-stakeholder group. Supported by an SRI reuse planning grant, the group has provided a
forum where diverse parties can consider site-related issues critical to the future of the area. Group
members include local officials, community members, environmental and business group representatives,
and municipal planners. Participants developed a redevelopment plan that divided the site into three areas:
a 240-acre river conservancy park, a 3 5-acre soccer field complex, and a 165-acre eco-business park
called the Royal Phoenix. The Skyline Soccerplex opened at the site in September 2006 and the historic
former Avtex administration building has been returned to use as office space. Redevelopment efforts for
the 165-acre eco-business park are underway, and are scheduled for completion in 2013.

For more information, please see EPA's site reuse fact sheet: www.epa.gov/superfund/accomp/success/
pdf/avtex.pdf

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