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Central Vermont
Brownfields Inventory & Assessment Initiative
(CVBIAI)
The Central Vermont
Brownfields Inventory & Assessment Initiative (CVBIAI)
offers grant funding and technical assistance to property
owners to assesses potential contamination for the purpose
of site re-use or re-development.
More often than not
abandoned or underutilized buildings, such as idle
industrial facilities or non-functioning gas stations are
undesirable to be re-developed as site conditions are
unknown. Yet many of these
brownfields
(click brownfields for definition) sites are located
within or adjacent to town or village centers making them
ideal for renovation/conversion into commercial or retail
space, housing or parkland/greenspace.
The Brownfields Inventory & Assessment Initiative offers
financial and technical assistance to property owners to
start the process of site assessment
and site clean-up so that it may be redeveloped.
Once a site is
enrolled in the CVBIAI, the property owner receives the
following
benefits:
free or reduced cost
of a phase I or II environmental site assessment, better
understanding of site conditions, information regarding
liability. (Sites must meet
site
selection
criteria in order to be eligible for enrollment.)
The CVBIAI can also provide landowners with a better understanding of the
funding sources, benefits, tax incentives, and the
liabilities, insurance protection, and other tools available
to redevelop sites. Remediation and redevelopment of these
sites brownfield sites will promote stronger, healthier and more vibrant
communities.
Funding
is provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to conduct phase I and II
environmental site assessments to determine whether a site
is contaminated. The
Brownfields Initiative
is led by an
Advisory
Committee
whose membership
consists of representatives from towns, financial
institutions, community development groups, the chambers of
commerce, law professionals and other interested parties.
Brownfields
Definition
Process
of Site Assessment and Site Clean-up
Benefits of Program Participation
Site
Selection
Funding
Advisory
Committee
Additional Information:
Brownfields Case Study - Turntable Park,
Montpelier
Similar
State Programs
Brownfield Links
For more information about the Brownfields Program
contact:
Clare Rock, Assistant Planner
phone (802) 229-0389 or email
clarerock@cvregion.com.
Brownfields Case Study -
Turntable Park, Montpelier
Preserving History, Creating Greenspace
In 1993
Montpelier began an aggressive strategy to improve the
economic vitality of its downtown and its riverfront areas.
Between 1997-99, the City constructed basic infrastructure
along Stone Cutters Way to support the commercial
redevelopment.
Throughout the
project, the City maintained its intent to create a public
park, an area along Stone Cutters Way specifically reserved
and designed for public use and enjoyment with the turntable
as a centerpiece.
Located along the
north bank of the Winooski River the site is approximately
0.27 acres. The former Salt Shed to the southwest has been
approved for a community arts center, and a new office
building was constructed to the northeast. The rail line
adjacent to the bike path remains in active rail use.
The Turntable is
eligible for listing as a contributing structure on the
Montpelier National Register District, entered on the
National Register on November 3, 1978 and "… is a
significant, rare, example of a railroad turntable."
*Photo from:
Vermont's
Granite Railroads, Robert C.
Jones, Whitney J. Maxfield, and William G. Gove, Pruett
Publishing Company, 1985, ISBN 0-87108-695-6
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Brownfield
Definition
“Brownfields
are abandoned, idled or under-used industrial and commercial facilities
where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived
environmental contamination.”
- US
Environmental Protection Agency
In other
words, it is a site that under normal circumstances would be developed and
contributing to a town’s tax base, but due to prior use there is a
potential for environmental contamination that is causing new users to shy
away from that site for fear of inheriting a environmental problem.
Experience in other regions shows that often an assessment determines there
is little or no contamination on a site, thereby making the land immediately
available for re-use. Typical
prior uses that may fall into this category include old town dumps, photo
developing sites, factories, dry cleaners, auto repair shops, and even some
agricultural sites.
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Process of Site
Assessment and Site Clean-up
Bringing a brownfield
property back to reuse involves the following steps:
Site
Assessment:
Assessment of a
brownfield site is done in two phases. A phase I
environmental site assessment determines the historical uses
of the property and the likelihood of contamination.
Information from a phase I assessment is then used to plan a
phase II environmental site assessment, which includes
testing the property’s soil, water, and/or air. This
information is used to determine cleanup options and develop
a corrective action plan. Environmental site assessments are
conducted according to the standards set by the American
Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).
Site
Cleanup: Redevelopment projects take planning, public input, and
resources. The cost and extent of the cleanup needed may
factor into the type of end use that is appropriate for the
site. After the environmental site assessments are
concluded, owners may want to hire a consultant to discuss
their cleanup options. The CVBIAI program does not currently
provide funding for actual cleanups. CVBIAI can assist the
owner in developing the cleanup plans, identify additional
funding sources, and provide other technical assistance.
Site
Redevelopment:
After site assessment
and cleanup, there are several challenges involved in
redeveloping a site. These challenges may include: a viable
reuse plan, liability insurance, employment, funding
sources, and other reuse planning aspects. The CVBIAI can
assist owners in meeting these challenges.
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Benefits of Program Participation
Free
or reduced cost of a phase I or II environmental site
assessment:
The CVBIAI program
will pay for the entire cost of the phase I environmental
site assessment and either partial or the entire cost of the
phase II assessment, depending on the complexity and
available funds. This can save an owner $2,000 to $80,000.
Better understanding of site conditions:
Perhaps the largest
barrier
to
brownfields redevelopment is the
perception
(by
potential
developers and/or investors) of contamination. Without an
assessment of the property, this perception cannot be
dispelled. Contamination either is on the property or is not
on the property. Almost all potential buyers, lending
institutions, and investors require that an environmental
assessment be conducted before clearing title. The CVBIAI
program provides funds to do the environmental assessment
that would otherwise have to be borne by the owner.
Information regarding liability:
Concerns over
liability may discourage developers who are unfamiliar with
cleanup options and certification agreements. These concerns
also factor into the financial decisions of private
investors and lending institutions.
The CVBIAI program can
educate land owners and prospective developers on these
issues.
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Site
Selection and Advisory Committee
An Advisory Committee of local leaders and experts oversees
the
program. The project is funded for two years with the Advisory Committee
meeting on a monthly basis to help with the following:
-
identify
candidate sites;
-
recruit
and hire qualified consultants to perform site assessment; and
-
advise
CVRPC in overall administration of the program.
The Committee
has established a set of six criteria for selecting which sites to study.
-
The site has redevelopment potential;
-
The site will assist in
addressing public health, environmental, and land use issues;
-
The site assessment and redevelopment
has community and/or municipal support;
-
Redeveloping the site offers public
benefit, such as housing or parkland/greenspace;
-
The owner or developer has provided
willingness and can provide financial support/in-kind help for
cleanup, if it is needed; and
-
Results are achievable.
The site landowner
must be willing to give
site access and permission for the assessment; All towns
and property owners in
the region are encouraged to nominate candidate sites.
Click
here
to download a site nomination form.
The Central Vermont Brownfields
Advisory Committee normally meets on the third Monday of the month at the
CVRPC
offices on Main Street in Montpelier. Please call CVRPC to confirm.
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Funding
of the Brownfields Program
In 2006
CVRPC successfully received funding of two
grant proposals for
the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency’s (EPA) Brownfields Program - one for a
$200,000 hazardous substances grant and a second
for a $200,000 petroleum-specific grant.
The
funds will be
used to continue the mission of the
Central Vermont Brownfi eld Inventory and
Assessment Initiative (CVBIAI), created through
a successful $200,000 hazardous substances grant application in 2003.
Funding for
the Brownfields program is provided through the new Small Business Liability
Relief and Brownfields Revitalizations Act.
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Similar State Programs
The following Vermont regions/communities have or are in the process of
running brownfields programs:
-
Addison
County Regional Planning Commission
-
Bennington
Regional Planning Commission
-
Chittenden
County Regional Planning Commission
-
City of
Burlington
-
Lamoille
County Planning Commission
-
Northwest Regional Planning Commission
-
Rutland
Redevelopment Authority
-
Rutland
Regional Planning Commission
-
Southern
Windsor County Regional Planning Commission
-
Vermont
Department of Environmental Conservation (Waste Management Division)
-
Two
Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission
-
Windham
Regional Commission
CVRPC staff
is in close contact with staff in the above mentioned regions in
order to share information and learn from their experiences.
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Brownfields Links
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency Brownfields web site -
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
National Brownfields
Associations web site -
www.brownfieldassociation.org/
VT DEC
Brownfields handbook. Basic information on Brownfield
redevelopment -
Brownfields Handbook
Sustainable Management
Approaches and Revitalization Tools for brownfields web site
- www.smarte.org/
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