Feature
The many faces of brownfields
Brownfields are like snowflakes. Although the causes and methods cleanup might be similar, no two projects are alike. A brownfields project can be rural or urban, it can impact wildlife, vary drastically in size and complexity, and even affect a Native people’s way of life.
Small-scale projects have big time impacts
In a town where the population is less than a thousand, a brownfield project often has a larger-than-life identity. Community awareness means every single resident knows about it. Such a redevelopment can also have a bigger financial impact on a small town than a larger one.
In eastern Washington, when town leaders of Rosalia scanned the horizon for a way to ignite tourism, they saw opportunity in the redevelopment of a former gas station.
With the help of USTfields Initiative funds and other EPA support, the quaint, old building was transformed from a blemish in the town’s major intersection to a focal point and tourist attraction: The abandoned, run-down gas station is now the Rosalia Visitor Resource & Interpretive Center.
Urban projects often involve more individuals, more regulations and more groups. Seattle’s Rainier Court project is a classic example of the complexity that results from multiple property owners, patchwork funding, numerous stakeholders and a diverse community. Although the 7-acre project is now well underway, it took years to get the redevelopment started. When complete, Rainier Court will provide much needed affordable senior and family housing to one of Seattle’s lower income neighborhoods.
In central Idaho, close to the town of Challis along the Salmon River, the Bayhorse Historic Mining District is being assessed by EPA and Idaho’s Department of Environmental Quality. Scattered over 500 acres, the contaminated land might be converted into an historic park. On the other hand, the American Linen Property in downtown Boise is a dramatically smaller project in comparison: A former industrial building that takes up less than a block is being converted into an urban cultural hotspot.
Redevelopment for wildlife and native peoples
Though brownfields can differ in terms of community context and size, all redevelopment projects share a common goal: to improve the quality of life. Sometimes that means wildlife. In Rosalia’s brownfield project, for example, the Wildlife Habitat Council collaborated on restoration of the site to ensure the project met the needs of wildlife as well as people. As a result, Rosalia incorporated native landscaping and wildlife habitat into the redevelopment plans.
Brownfields can even impact subsistence. In the hinterlands of western Washington, a tribe’s shellfish diet was threatened by contamination. The Jamestown S’Klallam tribe was already at work trying to restore the estuary that was causing flood hazards and contaminating shellfish beds. With EPA assistance, they were able to restore the safety of their food supply by removing contaminated pilings from the intertidal area.
Preventing contamination of a food supply was also the goal after an oil spill in the northwest corner of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. When the Makah tribe lacked the staff and resources to respond, an EPA grant allowed them to mobilize.
Brownfields come in many different sizes, shapes, complexities and types. And every single one is worth the effort, resulting as they do in cleaner environments, revitalized urban areas, new open spaces, and safe food and water supplies.
For more about successful brownfields projects in Region 10, go to http://www.buildingonbrownfields.com/archive.htm.
Groundwork
Alternative funding sources
There’s a treasure trove of private non-profit entities that understand the benefits of brownfield redevelopment. This final article on funding sources, the third of a series, presents an overview of foundations and grant funding sources.
Because end-use planning plays such a significant role in the search for funding, as noted in previous articles, private foundations and land trusts are potential sources for grant money. And they are numerous. According to the EPA, "There are over 57,000 foundations, corporate givers, and grantmaking public charities in the United States that offer more than 246,000 grants." And many of these organizations have Web sites, both for those looking to give and those looking to receive.
Private foundations
A Web site like Funder’s Network, for example, exists to "assist funders and organizations interested in creating more livable communities through better decision making regarding growth and development." Funders Network represents 52 private foundations that support issues like infill, infrastructure investments, brownfield redevelopment and habitat protection.
One example of a brownfield-friendly foundation is the Meyer Memorial Trust which has general purpose grants available to support land acquisition and development. Project Officer Ann Linninger points out that foundations will often have broad, far-ranging environmental interests which is why they are viable funding sources. For example, a foundation interested in smart growth will likely see brownfields as a way to avoid sprawl.
Land trusts
Like private foundations, land trusts are non-profit organizations that can be a viable funding source for brownfields redevelopment projects. Land trusts exist to protect open spaces and green ways through conservation, land donations, land purchases and estate planning.
Funding for the Seattle Art Museum’s (SAM) outdoor sculpture park came in part from a land trust. SAM purchased 8.5 acres in downtown that included a former petroleum tank farm. Funding for the acquisition was obtained through a private fund raising campaign conducted jointly by The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the Seattle Art Museum.
The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national, non-profit, land conservation organization that saves land for people to enjoy as parks, community gardens, historic sites, rural lands and other natural places.
A similar group is The Land Alliance, a national organization that is brownfield-friendly and lists each conservation and environmental related trust in each state in the U.S. at http://www.lta.org/regionallta/northwest.htm.
Even more funding sources
Susan Morales, with the EPA office in Seattle, has a long list of potential leads for brownfield funding partnerships, crossing into agriculture, mining and wildlife habitat protection. Don Stuart, American Farmland Trust’s (AFT) Pacific Northwest regional director, says things look promising as farmers and urbanites work together to control sprawl and conserve farmland.
Morales has started discussing mutually beneficial relationships with the Wildlife Habitat Council and she says grants may be available there and in other not-so-obvious places such as the Office of Surface Mining and the National Vacant Properties Campaign.
Although information on various alternative funding sources exists online, always start with your state or local brownfields contact as your primary resource. They will be your best guide through the complexities and possibilities of funding your brownfields redevelopment project.
Profile
Brownfield coordinator plays matchmaker
Renate Mengelberg’s name fits neatly with her job of overseeing brownfield development in Clackamas County, just east of Portland, Oregon. Her first name "Renate" means "new life." In charge of the Clackamas County Brownfields Program, she helps breathe new life into contaminated properties as she orchestrates the people, funding and forces needed to nudge or kick-start a project.
The program is a young four years old, but Mengelberg started working in county government more than a decade ago, with a newly minted MBA in Marketing. Today Mengelberg sounds like a business person wheeling and dealing in the private sector. That’s probably because her efforts are highly focused on seeking out both property owners and buyers of potential brownfield sites.
As Business and Economic Development Coordinator, Mengelberg’s work went into high gear following a county-wide study in 2003. The results showed a high demand for new industrial space that couldn’t be met with the existing supply of land.
What followed was an EPA-funded systematic search throughout the county for all potential brownfields.
It turned out that in Clackamas County, Oregon’s third largest, 109 properties showed potential for brownfield redevelopment. After a systematic inventory with details on each property, Mengelberg and the three people on her team now have their work cut out for them.
In a program that is more proactive than reactive, Mengelsberg and her colleagues work closely with property owners and potential buyers to get them "smitten" with the concept of cleaning up and redeveloping one of the targeted properties.
In fact, Mengelsberg calls what she does "matchmaking." Her work consists of a schedule of targeted and ongoing outreach and education activities including cold calling, public forums and one-on-one visits with interested parties.
She admits her approach to describing the potential of redeveloping brownfields is heavy on cost projections because, as she explains, all parties want to know the same thing: how much will it cost to clean up and how much will it sell for?
Specifying every cost estimate is critical, says Mengelsberg, but equally important is de-mystifying the state’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) process and data, and making information user-friendly.
Industrial certification program is huge advantage
In her work to market the benefits of brownfields, Mengelsberg can take advantage of Oregon’s industrial certification program. "We are so fortunate to have our state’s industrial certification program," says Mengelsberg. "It’s a kind of ‘good housekeeping seal’ because it allays buyers’ concerns about contamination and clean-up issues at the front end of a deal."
The state inspects and documents factors such as utilities available at the site, local workforce availability, easements and liens, and any improvements on the sites as well as any state or local development incentives.
"This way people are not as fearful about gremlins that might jump out later. It’s a huge marketing advantage. When a potential buyer can read an inspection before they even visit the property, the deal moves faster and keeps moving," Mengelsberg explains.
With over 100 properties pegged for development and, assuming that Mengelsberg and her colleagues "keep at it", Clackamas County is likely to be dotted with new and bigger businesses, more jobs and other benefits from an expanded tax base.
And as Mengelsberg and her colleagues keep matchmaking sellers with buyers, they can take credit for having brought a lot of "new life" to their county.
Events
Sign up for notification of new grant guidelines
The EPA Proposal Guidelines for the next round of grants should be available soon, with proposals likely due in late November. If you want to get notification of the guidelines and the due date, sign up for the EPA Brownfields listserve at http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/listserv.htm.
October: Conference calls help with grant guidelines
EPA Region 10 is hosting two conference calls for anyone interested in applying for the next round of Brownfields Assessment, RLF and Cleanup grants.
The first call will be held Thursday 10/13/2005 01:00 PM to 4:00 PM, Pacific Daylight Time. The phone number is 206-553-4602 The second call will be held Tuesday 10/25/2005 01:00 PM to 4:00 PM, PDT. The phone number is 206-553-4557
During each call representatives from Region 10 will review guidelines, share tips and answer questions. Summaries of each call will be posted on the Region 10 Web site as soon as possible after the calls.
October 19-20: Northwest Environmental Summit sponsored by Association of Washington Businesses, Tacoma, WA. More information at www.ecwashington.org.
November 2-4: 0th Annual Brownfields Conference, Denver. More information at www.brownfields2005.org.
November 10: ECOSS Annual Giving Thanks Dinner and Auction Event. Contact lora@ecoss.org for more information.
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