https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE Expo
    • Calendar of Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Administration


Viewpoint: How to move brownfields from eyesores to opportunities

Viewpoint: How to move brownfields from eyesores to opportunities

Increasingly, downtown redevelopment atop brownfields is being recognized as not only a possibility, but as a better choice in many cases.
  • Written by Eric Williams
  • 26th July 2011

Brownfield properties are burdens on cities and counties even in the best economic times. The polluted parcels are commonly abandoned and considered unusable, so they are overlooked or deliberately avoided for commercial and residential developments. Inventories of distressed properties are growing, often despite their ideal locations — many are in city centers — while construction marches through newer, “clean” areas. Such sprawl compromises the environment, strains public infrastructure and other resources, and weakens communities.

The engineering capability to renew most of the estimated 500,000 to 1 million brownfields in the United States has existed for years. However, relatively few of them have been cleaned up because landowners, lenders, brokers and developers lack knowledge, confidence and capital. Increasingly, though, downtown redevelopment atop brownfields is being recognized as not only a possibility, but as a better choice in many cases.

Cities and counties can encourage and benefit from that change, including generating badly needed new tax revenue and jobs, by making their communities attractive to brownfield redevelopment. They can do that by:

• Identifying and envisioning uses for and actively marketing well-located brownfield properties;
• Offering tax-increment financing and other tax-based initiatives, as well as grants and loans, in some cases through established redevelopment districts;
• Streamlining development processes, including for entitlements, zoning and permits, while minimizing political obstacles;
• Anticipating and helping resolve peripheral issues, such as relocating businesses, where necessary; and
• Encouraging redevelopment through public-private partnerships.

Parchment, Mich., took many of those actions when it committed to transforming a contaminated former paper mill that was derelict 10 years after the mill closed. The city had a particular interest because, although many brownfields are privately owned, it held title to the 83-acre property and its structures following a 2001 settlement over unpaid taxes.

In 2009, Parchment contracted with Frontier Renewal to create River Reach, a public‐private partnership to purchase and redevelop the mill property. Moving forward that way allowed the city to extinguish its environmental liability, and rightly protects future buyers and developers from similar responsibility.

The $100-million River Reach project has entitlements for a master-planned development of more than 80 townhouses, 265 single-family homes and 80,000 square feet of retail and office space. Parks and trails are planned for the development, with links to others nearby.

Environmental engineering for the site, which hugs the Kalamazoo River, integrated plans for clearing the property, and cleaning up soil and groundwater, with how the site would be redeveloped. In October 2010, 200 people showed up to see heavy equipment tear down the first of the mill’s structures, part of 650,000 square feet of dilapidated buildings that had to be razed. That work wrapped up in April.

Construction of a main road, made possible by $1.3 million in federal funds, as well as installation of public utilities and preparation of individual parcels, will begin soon. When the first phase of the project is complete in 2012, Parchment will have an attractive site ready for vertical development, a source of long-term jobs and tax revenue, and a new and vibrant image for the community.

Access to capital is a critical reason why Parchment’s River Reach is succeeding where earlier proposals for the same parcel failed. As intense regulatory work was going on, the public-private partnership assembled a “capital stack” for the first phase, comprising money from Frontier Renewal’s own equity fund, a $1 million state grant, a $1 million state loan, $2 million in municipal infrastructure improvements, and $50 million in tax-increment financing and state tax rebates.

Public-private partnerships significantly increase the likelihood that brownfield redevelopment ideas become reality. Collaboration helps assure the expectations of all stakeholders are understood early on and fulfilled in the process, and that there are sufficient sources of capital. Cities and counties that take steps to make brownfields more appealing for development can realize extraordinary outcomes.

Eric Williams is president and chief executive officer of Frontier Renewal, based in Denver and Seattle. Frontier Renewal brings new thinking, a comprehensive approach and vital capital to redeveloping brownfields, unlocking their value in ways that are environmentally responsible and create shared benefit for communities, landowners, developers, investors and others. Contact Eric at [email protected].

What do you think? Tell us in the comment box below.

Related Stories

  • Report: Brownfield redevelopment leads to more jobs, increased tax revenue
  • City turns riverside brownfields into park
Tags: Administration Economy Public Works & Utilities

Most Recent


  • environmental
    Seasons change: Addressing environmental issues takes many forms
    With extreme temperatures, increasing natural disasters and seasonal changes that are no longer predictable, environmental concerns are growing across the world. As a result, government and educational institutions, through their political bodies and leadership, are now mandating and prioritizing sustainability for their communities. The measures being taken, and goals being met, take many forms to […]
  • federal grants
    Best laid plans: Here are a few steps cities and counties should take when a federal grant comes their way
    Part 1 of this report on managing federal grants and funds appeared in the June 2023 issue of Government Procurement. In recent years, Congress has approved legislation giving local governments access to new sources of federal grants and funds. The laws include: American Rescue Plan Act (APRA), Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES), […]
  • sustainability
    5 ways procurement can lead on government sustainability
    A seat at the table.” “No longer a back-office function.” “Purchasing is tactical, procurement is strategic.” You can’t spend a day diving into the world of public sector procurement without running headlong into this sentiment. Conference keynotes, webinars, certification curricula and more have been dedicated to advancing the premise that procurement is at its best […]
  • HUD awards 28 multifamily subsidized properties $18 million for green energy retrofits, modernization
    The challenges of retrofitting legacy properties to modern standards can’t be understated—both practically and fiscally. The latest investment of $18 million in funding through the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program announced last week by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is intended to help property owners participating in assistant multifamily housing programs […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • How local governments can get ahead of the infrastructure wave: Strategies to mitigate risk
  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery
  • Why health care should never go “back to normal”
  • How government workers can stay efficient with a DMS

White papers


7 Resources to Level-up Your Federal Grants Administration and Compliance

5th September 2023

Elevator Phone Line Replacement Strategy | A Guide to Reliable, Code-Compliant Solutions

29th August 2023

2023 State of Public Sourcing Report: The Bright Future of Public Procurement

23rd August 2023
view all

Webinars


Grant Preparedness: Unlocking Funding Opportunities for Your Success

10th August 2023

2023 State of Public Sourcing: Taking Local Governments into a Bright Future

1st August 2023

Stop Playing with Fire: How to Manage Infrastructure Asset Risk So You Know You’re Covered

20th June 2023
view all

PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


Gallery: Hottest temperatures recorded in American cities during July

12th September 2023

The top 10 Asthma Capitals for 2023

7th September 2023

U.S. cities with the cleanest air from latest “State of the Air” report

5th September 2023
view all

Twitter


Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.