Brownfields

Recycling Valuable Urban Resources

Abandoned or underutilized industrial sites, known as Brownfields, offer a substantial potential for re-use and redevelopment as productive, job producing properties. They also present a significant challenge and opportunity for collaborative efforts in site remediation and reuse. Private-public partnerships for Brownfields restoration have evolved as all parties interested in economic development and smart growth have recognized Brownfields as valuable real estate resources. There are thousands of Brownfield sites nationwide for which the presence or absence of environmental contamination is unknown. At many of these sites, environmental hazards are most likely to be in the form of soil, ground water, or building surface contamination with materials of concern including lead, chromium, petroleum, PCBs, chlorinated solvents, and asbestos.

Brownfields Teams

Brownfields restoration usually entails a highly collaborative effort by:

Environmental Engineers Environmental Scientists Hydrogeologists

Attorneys
Financial Institutions
Developers
Municipal Officials
Community Groups
State Regulatory Officials

Recycling Valuable Urban Resources

Brownfields Teams

Brownfields Remediation Process

Tour of Brownfield Sites

Whitman Experience

EPA Website

Brownfields Remediation Process

Cleanup of Brownfields sites is usually voluntary rather than mandatory, and in many states, is subject to the state’s regulatory requirements for voluntary cleanups. Federal and state legislation combined with municipal initiatives provide the real estate development industry with new opportunities to participate and take a leadership role in enhancing and restoring valuable urban land resources. The key to facilitating the restoration and reuse of a Brownfields site is the reduction or elimination of uncertainty and liability for cleanup. This is usually accomplished through a systematic process beginning with discovery and ultimately leading to site remediation. The six primary steps in the Brownfields site remediation process are illustrated to the right.

Tour of Brownfield Sites

Come take the tour of Brownfield redevelopment project sites that Whitman has helped to make possible. Some of these projects are completed, some are under construction, and some are in the earlier, investigation stage.

Take the Tour

Whitman Experience

The Whitman Companies, Inc. can point with pride to its expanding portfolio of Brownfields accomplishments on behalf of enlightened business owners, developers, and municipalities. Brownfields projects in major cities including Philadelphia, Trenton, Wilmington, and Elizabeth are resulting in profitable re-use of dormant properties for housing, community services, hotels, open space, and a variety of commercial land uses. The Whitman Companies’ professional Brownfields services include:

Evaluation of Site Conditions
Brownfields Remediation
Site Selection and Screening
Project Development
Assistance with Financial Considerations and Cost Recovery
Assistance with Municipal Brownfields Programs

The Whitman Companies, Inc. has unmatched experience in industrial site assessment, cleanup, and restoration. Participation in Brownfields conferences, committees, and boards enables principals at Whitman to constantly explore new avenues and approaches in Brownfields issues and projects. As a member of NAIOP’s (National Association of Industrial and Office Properties) national Brownfields Task Force, we remain at the cutting edge of the political, financial, and market forces that shape the direction of Brownfields site restoration.

Publications on Brownfields

See Publications for reprints of Brownfields articles and other related Brownfields documents. If you would like to speak to us directly about a particular Brownfield site, contact Ira Whitman.

EPA Website

USEPA has developed SMARTe 2007 (Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools electronic) as a web-based, menu-driven, decision analysis support system for developing and evaluating future reuse scenarios for potentially contaminated land. SMARTe contains guidance and analysis tools for addressing all aspects of the revitalization process including planning, environmental, economic and social concerns. SMARTe is intended for all revitalization stakeholders. A few of the new features in the January 2007 version of SMARTe include:

New Getting Started section to help users who are just beginning a revitalization project
Updated content on environmental, social, and economic resources
New checklists including how to select a developer and environmental lawyer
New case studies
Expanded list of links to additional resources.

SMARTe is being developed by EPA's office of Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment and Office of Research and Development, with support from the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministrerium F?r Bildung and Forschung [BMBF]).

SMARTe is available at: http://www.smarte.org/smarte/home/index.xml