News from National Brownfields Coalition and Redevelopment Economics

CHP and Brownfields - Redevelopment Economics teaming with Pace University Energy and Climate Center and Northeast-Midwest Institute to analyze potential tie-ins

Redevelopment Economics part of Maul-Foster team, chosen by the Washington State Department of Ecology to re-energize and improve Washington's brownfields programs

Redevelopment Economics produces a Cost-Benefit Analysis for TIGER Infrastructure Improvements for Westport Waterfront

Redevelopment Economics presents "Green Jobs Strategies for Brownfields" at the West Virginia Brownfields Conference

Redevelopment Economics retained by the City of Rochester to analyze the feasibility of using tax increment financing as the primary gap-closer for three redevelopment projects

Redevelopment Economics presents "Third Party liablity Protections - the next of Brownfields Reforms?" at the Oklahoma Brownfields Conference

Redevelopment Economics published "State Reforms for Third-Party/Toxic Tort Liability Protection: A Conversation Starter " in Brownfield Renewal

This newsletter tracks congressional brownfields issues, emerging trends in brownfields redevelopment, and smart growth/urban redevelopment policy and research. Evans Paull, Executive Director of the National Brownfields Coalition and Principal of the consulting business Redevelopment Economics, is responsible for content.

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The Goldstein Brownfields Group is a platinum sponsor of the National Brownfields Coalition.

Click here for Michael Goldstein's bio. For information about becoming a sponsor of the Coalition, click here.

Coalition Campaign to Support Brownfields Appropriations Continues

Building on FY 11 Success

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Last month this Newsletter reported that Congress' FY 11 Continuing Resolution maintained EPA Brownfields budget at the FY 10 level of $100 million for Site Assessment and Cleanup and 49.5 million for Brownfields Assistance to the States, despite widespread cuts in other community development and environmental programs.

The National Brownfields Coalition is following up this successful campaign with FY 2012 advocacy. Generic letters are posted on the website to support: 1) just the EPA Brownfields Program; or 2) the EPA and HUD Brownfields and Sustainable Communities Programs.

The Coalition is financially supported by the Brownfields Leadership Circle, which is open for new members. Joining this month: CTC Public Benefit Corp.

Iowa and Louisiana - Brownfields Tax Credits Advancing in State Legislatures

Brownfields advocates in Louisiana and Iowa are successfully making the link between enhanced brownfields incentives and economic recovery.

Louisiana Moving Toward Re-Establishing Cleanup Credit. A Bill to re-establish a cleanup tax credit that lapsed in 2009 has passed the Senate. Senate Bill 40 would grant a credit of 15% of the total investment made for voluntary remedial investigation and a credit of 50% of the total investment made in voluntary remediation at a state-certified site. The Louisiana Brownfields Association (an active member of the National Brownfields Coalition) is making the case that the credit will leverage other funds at a 35:1 ratio (based on LDEQ stats), while also attracting federal funding (at least $3 in new federal grants for every $1 of tax credit)

Iowa May Bolster Brownfields-Grayfields Tax Credit. Senate Bill 514 - to expand Iowa's unique brownfields-greyfields tax credit - passed the Senate and is being considered in the House. The Bill raises the total tax credits available from $1 million (2010) to $5 million (2012). The unique program can provide tax credits varying from 12 percent all the way up to 30 percent of redevelopment costs, depending on the presence of contamination and the degree that the project meets sustainability objectives. See this article.

Evans Paull, while at Northeast-Midwest Institute, helped pave the way for the Iowa program in co-authoring a report for the Iowa Department of Economic Development, Proposals to Make Strategic Investments in Brownfields Redevelopment.

Brownfields Incentives Caught in State Budget Battles:

Michigan - Ends the Brownfields Tax Credit. In narrow votes generally along party lines Michigan's legislature approved a sweeping overhaul of the state's tax structure, including elimination of the brownfields tax credit which many communities regarded as the key incentive that helped get redevelopment projects get to the finish line. Brownfields supporters have won an appropriations set aside for an as-yet-unresolved program that will replace the tax credit. See this article.

California - The Budget Battles Continue. With the Governor proposing to eliminate California's Redevelopment Agencies, the state legislature is now considering multiple proposals to "mend not end" the redevelopment authorities. This blog summarizes the various proposals. The California Redevelopment Association is spearheading a campaign to retain critical redevelopment financing tools.

Wisconsin - Budget Challenges. In Wisconsin, due to fiscal challenges facing the state, there will be no Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) Brownfields Site Assessment Grants (SAGs) awarded in Fiscal Year 2011 (June 30, 2010-July 1, 2011). Also, the next budget bill (FY 2011-2013) proposes changes to the state brownfields grant programs. Under the proposed bill, the new Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) will be administering state funds for brownfield activities.

For more information about Wisconsin brownfield programs, please contact Darsi Foss, Brownfields and Outreach section chief, at darsi.foss@wisconsin.gov or at 608-267-6713.

EDA-HUD Partnership Proposed in New Effort to Establish "Growth Zones"

Details of the Administration's FY 2012 budget reveal a new joint EDA-HUD proposal to to establish 14 urban and 6 rural "Growth Zones." The HUD Budget indicates that the new program will use current authority under the Enterprise Community/Renewal Communities Program to establish tax incentives. The EDA budget includes $40 in new funding for the "Regional Innovation Program" to provide assistance to the same twenty communities. The Regional Innovation Program was authorized in the America COMPETES Act, passed late last year.

Ohio Expands Use of CWSRF Funds for Brownfields

Ohio has recently re-vamped and expanded their brownfields loan program which uses Clean Water State Revolving Funds (CWSRF) to make loans, not just for for brownfields cleanups, but also for site preparation. Their use of CWSRF "Program Income" (rather than direct federal CWSRF funding) creates greater flexibility and allows the funds to be used for a broader array of activities. See this Redevelopment Economics summary.

"Reverse Site Selection" - Brownfields 2011 Session Presentations

Redevelopment Economics has partnered with CWS Consulting on two past projects and recommends their economic development work. CWS has developed a "reverse site selection" methodology for assisting communities in positioning themselves for future corporate investment. At Brownfields 2011 Chris Steele, President of CWS, gave two excellent presentations on this unique strategy:

Two Deans of Smart Growth Advance the Art and Science...

Kaid Benfield posted "The Callapse of the Key Assumptions of Sprawl" on the NRDC blog;
Chris Leinberger authored "Cities vs. Suburbs is the Wrong Debate" in the New Republic. Leinberger cited the finding that a "2007 survey of the walkable urban places in the top 30 metros showed 50 percent of them were in central cities and 50 percent were in the suburbs."

Redevelopment Economics Gears up for EPA Brownfields Grant Applications

Redevelopment Economics has added staff capability to assist communities with EPA Brownfields grant applications. We have added Fritz Ohrenschall, a Northeast-Midwest Institute Research Assistant who helped procure foundation support for the Revitalizing Older Cities Program. Fritz will assist Evans Paull, who is batting 1.000, twelve-for-twelve, in grant applications to EPA (including Brownfields Showcase status for Baltimore), EDA, and HUD.

Lawrence Brownfields-to-Park Project Garners National Attention

Our March Newsletter was a special issue on the connection between brownfields and parks. The current National League of Cities Newsletter details another community altering brownfields-to-park project in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The project creates the 5-acre Manchester Street Park on a site that was a rail yard and, more recently, an incinerator. CDBG and EPA funds were critical elements.

The project was also highlighted as a Brownfields Renewal Award winner. Brownfields Renewal is a member of the Brownfields Leadership Circle.

Indianapolis Promotes the TOD-Brownfields Connection

Results from the EPA Brownfields Sustainable Communities Partnership

EPA has published a new web-page detailing the six Brownfields Sustainable Communities Pilots, with links to news accounts and reports. The Indianapolis Sustainability Pilot is geared to promoting TOD reuse of brownfield sites and their report, "Prioritizing Actions to Promote a Transit-oriented Future" is on the EPA website. Local officials indicate that they are moving forward with targeting a portion of the Smart Growth District for initial investment incubation with the help of from the US EPA Sustainable Communities Partnership.

Campaign to Over-rule EPA's Move to Suburban Kansas City

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to move its Kansas regional offices out of downtown Kansas City, KS, to an office park nearly 20 miles outside of the city.

Smart Growth America is leading the effort to have the decision over-turned, saying that "EPA's decision contradicts its own mission, hurts employees, hurts Kansas City and wastes taxpayer dollars. See this advocacy alert.

Please e-mail me, ev@redevelopmenteconomics.com, with feedback and/or suggestions for future articles.

Sincerely,

Evans Paull
Executive Director, National Brownfields Coalition, and Principal, Redevelopment Economics

ev@redevelopmenteconomics.com
202-329-4282