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2004 Smart Growth Summit "Setting the Standard" Friday, November 19th from 8:00AM - 4:00PM |
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Brownfields ”Brownfields redevelopment is an essential component of smart growth — and a critical part of EPA's mission — as both seek to return abandoned and underutilized sites to their fullest potential as community and economic assets.” --- EPA Mission
Background As defined by the Brownfields Cleanup Program (BCP), a Brownfield is “any real property, the redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous waste, petroleum, pollutant, or contaminant”. Examples include former factories, gasoline stations, dry cleaners and other businesses where chemicals or solvents were used or stored, warehouses, abandoned parking lots, abandoned railroad switching yards, air strips, bus facilities, and landfills.
At the current rate of redevelopment, it will take 486 years to remediate the 6800 potential Brownfield sites that currently exist on Long Island . R edevelopment is especially challenging here because 1) Long Islanders drink their own groundwater, thereby significantly raising needed cleanup standards and 2) nearly all sites are under two acres.
It is difficult to attract private investors to sites requiring intensive clean-up. Most lack the proper resources needed to accomplish redevelopment. Additionally, standards are so high and regulations so technical that local governments often lack the resources to manage clean-up projects and solicit grant moneys.
Complicated as it may be, the issue must be addressed. Idle Brownfields can blight entire neighborhoods, creating substantial economic and environmental burdens. If there is real contamination, failure to clean up a site threatens the quality of water, air, and surrounding soil. Alternatively, c leanup and redevelopment can restore Brownfields to vital and productive properties that can spur economic development, facilitate the preservation of open space and enhance the quality of our built environments.
Restoring value to these underutilized and abandoned lands dramatically relieves the development pressure on our open spaces. Reasonable estimates conclude that for every 1 acre of Brownfield redeveloped, up to 3 acres of open space are preserved. Integrating Smart Growth principles in this redevelopment maximizes this potential, while increasing opportunities for economic growth and community acceptance. |
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Vision
Long Island |