April 2006

Sacramento’s R Street Corridor is rich in history. R Street in downtown Sacramento was built on the abandoned lines of the historic Sacramento Valley Railroad, which was the first passenger railroad in the West. Beginning in 1856, the railroad ran from the Sacramento River to what is now the City of Folsom. With the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) providing oversight of investigation and cleanup of property in the area, brownfields property is being revitalized to transform part of historic downtown Sacramento.

Read Original Article at CA DTSC web site.

The Capital Area Development Authority (CADA) warehouse site on R Street was, most recently, underutilized as storage facility and a parking lot. Plans are now underway for new construction and to convert existing buildings into a mixed use and urban housing development project. Historically, from 1895 to the present, this 1.25 acre site has had a variety of occupants. Uses of the site have ranged from being a wood and coal storage yard to a woodworking shop, to being used for other local businesses. The site was eventually purchased by the State of California for warehousing. In 1957, when fire destroyed the paint shop warehouse, a portion of the property was paved and used for parking.

Starting in 1978, CADA leased a six-story warehouse building on the property from the State. Although used for warehousing, the site/building was valued because of its historical character. This warehouse served as CADA’s maintenance facility until it was scheduled for redevelopment. Another three story building, dating back to 1895, remained in use by the State of California as office and warehouse space.

With the variety of previous uses, including light industrial activities, CADA suspected that the soil may be contaminated and tests would need to be performed before proceeding with the redevelopment plans. In 1999, CADA sought the assistance of DTSC and entered the Voluntary Cleanup Program. Soils in and around the existing parking lot were found to contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and would need to be remediated. However, the groundwater was not impacted. The building tested positive for asbestos and lead based paint. The asbestos has been remediated through CADA’s restoration efforts and lead based paint will be addressed as part of the building upgrade.

CADA received a loan from a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields grant program to help pay for the cleanup. Under DTSC’s oversight, CADA prepared a removal action plan and excavated and removed approximately 5,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil to a depth of eight feet. Soils were transported to a permitted facility and the cleanup was completed by the summer of 2004. In September 2004, DTSC issued a certificate of completion that all environmental cleanup activities were completed and that the site was suitable for unrestricted land use. CADA has selected developers who have plans to restore the historical warehouse and convert it into 116 loft-style apartments through rehabilitation, new construction, and adding a parking garage. The “Capitol Lofts” project will provide much needed housing in downtown Sacramento and contribute to further revitalization of this historic industrial corridor.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 at 10:47 am and is filed under ●Brownfields Success Stories.

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