BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In April 2008, the US Environmental Protection Agency awarded the
Land-of-Sky Regional Council (LOSRC) Regional
Brownfields Initiative (RBI) a
$400,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant to provide funding
and technical assistance to developers of brownfields
sites within Buncombe, Madison, Henderson and
Transylvania Counties. EPA also awarded the City of
Asheville a $400,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant to
address brownfields sites within the Asheville River
District.
These Brownfields Assessment Grants are used to
identify, characterize, and prioritize hazardous waste
and petroleum-contaminated sites; perform Phase I and II
environmental site assessments; develop cleanup plans;
and conduct community involvement activities. LOSRC is
managing both the City of Asheville and the RBI
Assessment Grants in order to prioritize the sites with
the highest development and public benefit potential,
both in the region and in the River District target
area.
Cleanup and redevelopment of Brownfields sites helps the region
preserve its natural resources, restore its historic and
cultural assets and attract businesses and industries to
the area, resulting in increased tourism revenues, jobs,
and tax revenues. LOSRC anticipates this project will
foster the revitalization of blighted properties
throughout the Land-of-Sky Region.
As
of December 2008, the RBI has adopted nineteen (19)
sites into the program as redevelopment partners. Here
are a few examples of our partners and their projects:
-
The
Town of Fletcher is redeveloping an abandoned lumber
treatment facility into the new Fletcher Town Hall –
the cornerstone of the future “Heart of Fletcher”
town center.
-
The
Town of Woodfin worked
with Reynolds Mountain to redevelop a closed
landfill into a multi-million dollar golf course
community and housing development.
-
RiverLink is revitalizing the Historic Cotton Mill, an anchor
site for the rebirth of Asheville’s French Broad
Riverfront District. Other RBI sites within the
Asheville River District include the Ice House, Day
Warehouse, and the Karen Cragnolin Park.
-
For
further information on all sites in the RBI,
CLICK HERE.
REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP
The RBI is a partnership
among Western North Carolina’s economic
developers, local officials, bankers, environmental
planners, realtors, LOSRC and other stakeholders that
assists the region’s Brownfield owners address potential
contamination issues and create economic development
opportunities in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, and
Transylvania Counties. Brownfields are underutilized or
abandoned properties that have actual or perceived
contamination.
The LOSRC formed the
Regional Brownfields Initiative to address Brownfields
on a long-term basis. The RBI began in early 2003, with
funding from an EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant of
$200,000, a $50,000 grant from the Economic Development
Administration (EDA) and funds from
AdvantageWest. Five LOSRC staff members with
backgrounds in economic development, transportation
planning, land use, housing, and solid waste management
help facilitate the RBI.
The
RBI has adopted twelve sites in the region to date.
Some of them are:
-
The Town of Fletcher is redeveloping an abandoned
lumber treatment facility into the new Fletcher Town
Hall – the cornerstone of the future “Heart of
Fletcher” town center.
-
The Town of
Woodfin
is working with private developers to redevelop an
old landfill into a multi-million dollar golf course
community and housing development.
-
The City of Hendersonville and the Old Mill Cultural
Center plan to transform the Grey Hosiery Mill into
a cultural arts center, furthering revitalization of
downtown Hendersonville.
-
RiverLink
is revitalizing the Historic Cotton Mill, an anchor
site for the rebirth of Asheville’s French Broad
Riverfront District.
-
The RBI has utilized funds from EDA and
AdvantageWest to create
an asset-based business plan with a targeted
marketing component for the
Ecusta
Business Development Center.
APPLICATION SELECTION CRITERIA
Sites are selected on a competitive basis based on site
selection criteria (below). Sites receive higher
priority if a redevelopment plan exists or is underway
and the owner/developer is eager to redevelop the site.
The RBI is interested in helping site owners get through
the environmental assessment process so the sites will
be redeveloped and put back into active use. The RBI is
also very interested in helping sites that are
key to downtown or
neighborhood revitalization efforts.
The threshold criteria that must be met for a site to
be considered in the selection process are:
Site meets EPA qualifications as a Brownfield;
Site owner is willing and able; and
End use is identified and consistent with
adopted plans and/or zoning.
Sites that pass the threshold criteria are competitively
compared using the following ranking criteria.
These criteria are listed in priority order:
Developer is willing and able to redevelop the
property successfully;
Redevelopment plan appears to be feasible
(e.g. developer has financial capacity and ability,
funding sources identified);
Nature and amount of economic impact (jobs
created, tax base increase, quality of life, etc.);
Site redevelopment is part of a larger plan;
Location within city/town, county and region;
Historical and/or architectural value;
Infrastructure available that matches end use;
Environmental impact of redevelopment (green
space, green building, clean-up, etc.);
Some environmental assessment has been done;
Environmental justice issues/impacts;
Site has insurance.
APPLICATION SUBMISSION DETAILS
1. Site owner or site representative contact
Land-of-Sky Regional Council (251-6622) and speak to a
Brownfields Team member: Jon Beck (Site Selection
Chair), Kate O’Hara (RBI Project Manager), or Holly
Bullman (Public Outreach and Involvement).
2. Site owner or representative fill out and
submit a Site Identification Form.
City of Asheville Site Identification
Form
Regional Site Identification Form
A site representative may be an environmental consulting
firm and a firm may submit more than one site for
consideration. Each site will be evaluated separately.
Selection Process – Next Steps:
The RBI Site Selection Committee will evaluate applications
during a special site selection meeting, held prior to a
quarterly Brownfields Advisory Group meeting. The Site
Selection Committee will recommend to the Advisory Group
which sites should be adopted into the program.
Applicants will be notified
shortly following the Advisory Group meeting whether or
not their application was selected.
Application Deadlines 2009:
March
13, 2009
June
11, 2009
September 10, 2009
Brownfields Advisory Group 2009 Meeting Schedule:
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2008
Thursday, July 9, 2008
Thursday, October 1, 2008
A request for proposals (RFP) may be released for a group of
sites or released for each adopted site, tailored to its
assessment needs. Prospective developers currently
working with an environmental consultant will have the
option to continue working with that firm or release a
bid for Brownfields assessment activities.
* Sites may be considered and selected in between quarterly
meetings via email communication with the Brownfields
Advisory Group.