P UB L IC H E A LT H
Eye Sore No More Partnerships Boost Economic Revitalization through Brownfield Redevelopment By Holly Granat, Environmental Policy Analyst, Onondaga County Office of Environment Jean Hamerman, Deputy Director, Center for Creative Land Recycling
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and recycling is a team sport. From a project’s conception until its completion, experts from a wide range of disciplines are often needed to develop and execute the remediation plan, obtain funding, and get municipal approval. However, the end results justify this often long, multi-step, multi-stakeholder process. Investing in brownfields redevelopment can create valuable green space, return properties to the tax rolls, and spur community revitalization by turning community eyesores into community assets. As Onondaga County can attest, forming a partnership early on can help streamline redevelopment processes and ultimately lead to successful community revitalization. This article spotlights the productive partnership between Onondaga County and the Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR), U.S. EPA’s Technical Assistance to Brownfield Communities provider for NYS. In 2016, Onondaga County formed a partnership with CCLR (“See Clear”) when the county applied for its first U.S. EPA
classic example of how collaborative relationships in the field of brownfields redevelopment can yield outsized results in community revitalization. Although Onondaga’s first attempt at attaining a US EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant was unsuccessful, connecting with CCLR set the county on the path to success. CCLR was pivotal to the county’s understanding of the brownfield assessment and cleanup processes. They provided technical assistance during the FY16 and FY17 EPA grant application rounds and cut through much of the guesswork that can bring redevelopment projects to a standstill.
Brownfield Assessment Grant for the former Roth Steel property (“Roth Steel”). CCLR collaborates with municipalities, government agencies and the private sector to catalyze and facilitate the repurposing of blighted properties for community benefit through technical assistance and grant review services. It also convenes multi-sector practitioners at regional and statewide workshops to give stakeholders the skills and network they need to bring redevelopment projects to fruition. The partnership between CCLR and Onondaga County provides a 42
NYSAC News | Spring/Summer 2019
In 2017, the county was competitively selected to “pitch” the Roth Steel site at a Redevelopment Rodeo at CCLR’s Redevelopment Summit in Albany, NY. The county used this experience to meet a network of redevelopment experts who provided useful insights and expedited the process of Phase I and Phase II investigations through an agreement with NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. This experience, and the continued technical expertise from CCLR, set up the county to re-apply for an EPA Cleanup grant for Roth Steel in 2017. This time, they won the coveted $200,000 EPA grant. In the years since the EPA Cleanup grant was awarded, the Roth Steel Property project continues to move forward, with all eight buildings demolished, and an agreement with NYSDEC to divide the site for cleanup.
