The Brownfield Broadsheet – August 21, 2007

An Update of Regional Brownfield Program Developments

Did you know? Within Pinellas County there are three Brownfield Programs: the Clearwater Brownfield Program, the City of St. Petersburg Brownfield Program and the Pinellas County Brownfield Redevelopment Program. All are very useful to the business community and the quick links below will help you learn more about each program.

• Clearwater has designated a significant portion of the city center for redevelopment. The Clearwater Brownfield Area (click here for map) is composed of 1,842 acres in downtown and the Greenwood neighborhood. Clearwater jump-started redevelopment activities in the municipality with a pilot grant in September 1996 from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). As one of the first brownfield areas in the nation, the Clearwater Brownfield Program has had a number of successful projects, including:

• St. Petersburg launched its Brownfield program in 1997, when USEPA awarded the city Assessment and Cleanup Grants. The St. Petersburg Brownfield Program's first project was the Dome Industrial Park consisting of 122 acres in the inner-city. It is now home to the headquarters of Euro-Bake and the new Pinellas County Job Corps Center. Since 1997, St. Petersburg has added to its downtown brownfield area (click here for map) by designating more acreage in order to facilitate redevelopment projects in the city.

• Pinellas County kicked-off its Brownfield Program with an EPA Assessment Grant in June 2004. Since that time the Pinellas County Brownfield Redevelopment Program has been actively seeking opportunities to jump-start redevelopment projects by performing Phase I & Phase II Environmental Site Assessments with grant funds. The Brownfield Program is currently working with other County departments and the Tarpon Springs Housing Authority to facilitate affordable housing projects, a growing concern in our community.

What can the Pinellas County Brownfield Program do for you?

The Program has worked with several municipalities to provide funding for site assessments on properties that are being redeveloped.

• The Town of Belleair is in the process of turning over its wastewater treatment activities to county facilities. Grant funds have been used to perform site assessments on the existing wastewater treatment plant and town garage to see if there are any lingering environmental concerns. Assessment work will continue after the existing facility is demolished and the site is prepared for redevelopment.

• The Tarpon Springs Housing Authority has benefited by having lead-based paint assessments and environmental site assessments paid for with grant funds.

Potential brownfield projects come in many shapes and sizes. The Pinellas County Brownfield Program covers the unincorporated area of county and all municipalities with the exceptions of Clearwater and St. Petersburg. Visit http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/success.htm to gain insight and information on the many successful brownfield redevelopment projects across the United States.

If you have a property that is perceived to be environmentally impacted by previous uses or your municipality or business would like to gain access to this funding opportunity, please contact Teri Hasbrouck, Business Development Manager for the Pinellas County Brownfield Program at (727) 464-7319.

Recent Designations:

The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners passed resolution 07-103 to designate the Bryan Dairy Road Brownfield site on August 7, 2007. This site will be developed into affordable and market-rate multi-family housing. An innovative plan will allow the property to remain under County ownership within the community land trust program and be leased to the developer to build the new residential units