3. Brownfields
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines a brownfield
as "real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of
which MAY be complicated by the presence or potential
presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant".
The actual presence of contaminants on this "real property"
must be determined by a carefully planned investigation known
as an environmental site assessment (ESA).
• http://brownfieldaction.org/brownfieldaction/brownfield_basics
4. TheLoveCanal
A former canal was turned into a
chemical dumping site
Housing development later built
over the top of the dump site
15 babies born between 1979
and 1980—only two were
healthy
Phase I and Phase II
Environmental Site Assessment
10. EffectsofaBrownfieldon
EconomicDevelopment 1. What happens to property values adjacent to a Brownfield?
2. What happens to city property taxes?
3. Effect on local neighborhoods?
4. What are the spillover effects on the city/county?
12. BarrierstoSuccess
1. Lack of funding
2. Lack of information about benefits
3. Loss of property value to adjacent properties
4. Cost of clean-up
5. Legal concerns
13. RedevelopmentIssues
1. Requirements for clean-up different dependent on future use
2. Limit liability for new owners
3. More reliance on private sector for support and funding
4. State bond issues
14. CriteriaforRedevelopment
1. What is the effect of a brownfield property and its
redevelopment on nearby residential property values?
2. What is the geographic scope of this effect?
3. Do different types of brownfield redevelopments affect
nearby residential property values differently?
4. What is the effect on property values of different
redevelopment factors, demographic variables, and
location characteristics?
