Brownfield Redevelopment
What is a Brownfield Redevelopment?
A Brownfield is an abandoned, idle or under-used industrial or commerical facility where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.
A Local Example: Sanford Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP), July 2003, Lee County, NC
Site before Re-development
The former location of the WWTP that closed in the early 1970s sat vacant because of perceived contamination.
Site After Re-Development
The first development on the property was a stadium seating multiplex theater, a much-desired commodity in the Sanford area that only had one aging two-screen theater in operation.
What are the Benefits?
Economic
- Funding assistance is available on a national level
- Increased property values
- Tax incentives
- Existing utilities and infrastructure are already in place
- Creates new businesses and new jobs
- Protects developers from future liability
Environmental
- Improves air, water and soil quality
- Reuses previously developed land and buildings
- Reduces urban sprawl
- Protects local ecology
Social
- Reuses historic buildings
- Relieves potential environmental health hazards
- Enhances the character of the area
- Provides a safer setting
What is the IMPACT?
- Eyesore
- Attacts crime and vandalism
- Potential source of groundwater pollution (negative health impact on area residents)
Tracking Progress
Within the Sustainable Sandhills region, Richmond, Lee and Cumberland counties each have a completed Brownfield Redevelopment project. There are also active projects in Scotland and Cumberland counties.
The Tartan Marine site in Hamlet (Richmond County) had lead-contaminated soil and was an abandoned boatyard. When plans were first mentioned to redevelop the old abandoned boatyard nobody thought was "good for anything," it became clear that the residents weren't all that excited about redeveloping the site. But, by the time the lead-contaminated soil (from pouring keels for sailboats) was excavated and land use restrictions were put in place, people began to get curious, realizing that perhaps this site was indeed good for something. The idea for a chair manufacturing facility, in a county that needed jobs, was born. And with it, another rural redevelopment was safely accomplished.
Action Steps
Public
- Lobby: Remind local officials about negative impact of site(s) in your neighborhood; economic value of recycling facility.
- Monitor: Compile a record of problems at the site or caused by site (i.e., a list of criminal activity) and negative press about site.
- Adopt a local site.
Elected Officials
- Seek grant funding: Opportunities to address this action item exist through the North Carolina Brownfiled Programs of NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) and grant funding from the EPA and the U.S. Economic Development Admistration to fund site assessments and redevelopment planning.
Sources of Assistance and Ideas
- HUD Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI)
- Research Triangle Institute International
- Success Stories - NC DENR Division of Waste Management, Brownfield
- US EPA Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment
- http://www.landofsky.org/downloads/StimulatingInfill.pdf
Localities that have Brownfield projects or programs:
- Raleigh has a Brownfield Program and a Brownfield Advisory Committee.
- Land-of-Sky Regional Council of Governments has a Regional Brownfield Initiative.
- Piedmont Triad Council of Governments has a Regional Rural Brownfield Site Inventory and Assessment Project.
- According to the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, Division of Waste Managment, the following counties have nine or more Completed and/or Active Brownfield Projects: Mecklenburg (43); Guilford (12); Buncombe (10); Forsyth (10); and Wake (9). The majority of these are located in urban areas.
- Click here to see other completed and active Brownfield projects in North Carolina.