California's Redevelopment Agencies (RDA), under two laws that were signed by Governor Brown on June 28, "must decide whether to: (1) pass a resolution stating its intent to reform their RDA and commit to making sizeable remittance payments that will be distributed to school, fire and transit districts; or (2) begin winding down their respective RDAs and transferring assets to successor entities." Source: Holland and Knight Newsletter.  

The primary issue revolves around tax increment financing revenues.  CRA's previously benefited from the state reimbursing localities for some of the revenues that were lost due to TIF pledges.  Under the new "Voluntary Program" CRA TIF's must contribute to local police, fire, and school funding.     

Liability for Renewable Energy on Contaminated Sites

CLU-IN held a webinar on July 6 focusing on potential liabilities associated with siting renewable energy on current and formerly contaminated lands and mining sites, including Brownfield, Superfund, mining, and other potentially contaminated sites with potential for utility scale renewable energy facilities.  The presentations are available here. 

In March, EPA issued a guidance document, "Siting Renewable Energy on Contaminated Property, Addressing Liability Concerns."   

A recent article in Environment 360 points out the advantages of developing renewable energy on brownfields and other contaminated land.  Brownfields sites usually have two critically important advantages over more pristine/greenfield sites - infrastructure and proximity to transmission lines.  

Boston - Clean Tech Incubator Nearly Doubles, as Open House Features Solar-Cooled Beer       

Greentown Labs, a South Boston startup incubator focused on cleantech, has nearly doubled its number of resident companies since moving from East Cambridge in May.  A recent open house featured beer cooled by a "Solar Milk Chiller," prototype by Promethean Power.  See this article.     

Under Project XL, Atlantic Station (a massive brownfields redevelopment project near downtown Atlanta), the developers are required to survey residents and employees about their driving habits in order to see if the projected VMT reductions are coming to fruition.

The 2010 survey was recently issued with impressive results:

In 1992 Baltimore celebrated the grand opening of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the stadium that set the standard for a new breed of urban ballparks that both contributed to and benefited from urban redevelopment.  Also in 1992 Evans Paull, then with the Baltimore City Planning Department, managed an analysis of "The Economic Impact of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the Results of a Fan Spending Survey."   

The report, like the stadium, broke new ground by focusing on fans' out-of-ballpark spending and documenting the synergies between the ballpark and the downtown area.  After receiving a recent request, we finally took the time to scan it in and put it on the website.    

• Brownfields Bloom in Seattle; 
• Dayton Brownfields Transformed into Prairie;  
• Obama Administration announces "Strong Cities-Strong Communities Pilots;"  
• Smart Growth America leading advocacy effort to save funding the EPA Smart Growth Office;
• Walkscore issues new rankings for cities;
• Gillibrand announces "Made in America" proposals to spur high tech manufacturing;  
• Solar Companies Race to Complete Projects as Tax Grants Expire;  
• Oakland brownfields news series focuses on "Right Beneath Our Feet - Brownfields in West Oakland;" and Missed EPA Grant Stalls Redevelopment;"  
• New Jersey - Woodbridge Energy Center Power Plant (700 MW) part of $50 million environmental cleanup and restoration of 185-acre Raritan River site.