RSS Subscribe Turning Environmental Liabilities into Economic Assets

Brownfields, Planning

As both the public and private sectors develop strategies for economic recovery, the role of redeveloping brownfield properties is becoming increasingly important. Brownfields represent under-performing assets in communities and present a tremendous opportunity for public-private partnerships to foster sustainable economic development.

The Washington State Department of Ecology recently issued a policy report focusing on how to better integrate economic development with environmental cleanup. This report is a milestone marking a pa

RSS Subscribe Creating Better Tools to Fund Brownfield Cleanup

Brownfields

Washington State’s Department of Ecology has released a study authored by Maul Foster & Alongi on financial alternatives to improve their Remedial Action Grant Program. Remedial Action Grants provide funds that help local governments to take on cleanup of contaminated sites. Washington’s program is one of the nation’s most robust state funding sources for cleanup. Over the last 20 years, Washington State has invested $345 million through Remedial Action Grants matched by $290 million in local government funds to undertake some 242

RSS Subscribe How-To Guide for Redeveloping Brownfields

Brownfields

Cities and towns across the Northwest are looking for ways to create jobs and revitalize their Main Street business districts. In many of these communities, there are derelict or abandoned properties like former gas stations, dry cleaners, or repair shops that drag down the appearance and economy of the town. The concern that environmental contaminants linger beneath these properties hinders their redevelopment. The Washington State Department of Ecology has recently developed a new guidebook for local government and community orga

RSS Subscribe The View from My Desk at a Former Brownfield

Brownfields

I recently attended the National Brownfields Conference hosted by USEPA. I learned about some great programs across the country such as New York’s Brownfield Opportunity Areas Program, the Western Pennsylvania Brownfields Center at Carnegie-Mellon, and the West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center. What got me most excited were the synergies around brownfields in USEPA Region 10. A few examples:

• The Port of Portland’s Troutdale project winning the national Phoenix Award
• The innovation and passion behind brownfield redevelopment

RSS Subscribe Brownfields 101: The Third Generation

Brownfields

The concept of the “third generation” of Brownfield application integrates environmental remediation and economics with the impact the redevelopment and restoration of contaminated property has on a community. Approximately 50 people participated in a workshop facilitated by MFA at the Brownfield Redevelopment and Land Revitalization Conference in what was hailed as “the best program experienced at a conference.” In a typical brownfield conference session, attendees listen to speakers talk about how other communities have succeeded