The 10-acre site was used for agriculture until the 1970s. From 1988 until 2001, the site had many uses including stints as a Christmas tree lot and circus grounds. The environmental problem came from a rail line that ran through the property between 1957 and 1988. Soil sampling results showed contamination around the southern abandoned railroad embankment. While levels varied along the rail line ranging from 3.3 parts per million (ppm) and above, soil samples contained levels of arsenic up to 140 ppm, well above acceptable levels for residential use.

Read Remainder of Article at CA DTSC web site.

Before electricity made it possible to turn lights on with the flip of a switch, homes, businesses, and streets were illuminated by gaslight produced from coal at manufactured gas plants. The process that generated the gas also generated many hazardous substances including coal tar, oil and lampblack. While some of these pollutants were reused for asphalt and other purposes, much of it was stored or disposed of at the facility. These residuals polluted the soil and sometimes even the groundwater.

CA DTSC Introductory Video on Brownfields

The link referenced above is kind of an interesting introduction to brownfields in California.  It provides case studies and success stories and explains how the California Department of Toxic Substances Control can help with redevelopment of environmentally challenged properties

Basic Vegetable Products processed onions and garlic on a 29-acre site in Vacaville. The company contributed to California’s agricultural industry for more than fifty years before closing in 1986.

Federal Tax Incentives – Potential Brownfield Financing Deal Makers (click here to read)

Charlie Bartsch was, I believe, formerly of the Northeast Midwest Institute and now is with ICF International consulting firm. In alot of people’s minds, Mr. Bartsch could also be called Mr. Brownfields. In this article/Powerpoint presentation for the Engineers Society of Wester Pennsylvania “Business of Brownfields Conference“, he talks about the advantages of Federal Tax Incentives and different types, such as the following:

Brownfield development is not just for the U.S. This article is about a success story in the Czech Republic, where a “spoil bank” is being redeveloped into a golf course/country club with first class accomodations.

Developers get $170,000 tax credit for successful brownfields project. This is a small project, but it’s always nice to hear about the success stories, large or small.

Article below from http://www.usmayors.org/

Project was largely made possible by tax increment financing.

Request for Discussion: Readers, please submit other success stories.

Interesting note below about, “…the location of large amounts of brownfield land in the former industrial heartlands of the country matches poorly with the areas of highest current land demand in the south and south-east.” In my experience, that is the opposite of what we face in the U.S. Any comments?

Key issues

The Environment Agency is committed to bringing more land into sustainable use. Concentrating development on brownfield sites can help to make the best use of existing services such as transport and waste management. It can encourage more sustainable lifestyles by providing an opportunity to recycle land, clean up contaminated sites, and assist environmental, social and economic regeneration. It also reduces pressure to build on greenfield land and helps protect the countryside.

The old Remington Arms Depot is a nine-acre site in Salt Lake City containing a 37,000 sq. ft. office building. The property was most recently occupied by the United States Geological Survey which moved its operations in 1999 thus making the real asset available for disposal. After GSA’s June 1999 Brownfields Project Location Meeting with Salt Lake City officials, the city expressed interest in using the property as a new site for fleet management in conjunction with the school district. The property is now in the final stages of a public benefit conveyance to the Salt Lake City School District for educational purposes.

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