Brownfields Program
What is a Brownfield?
Abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
Under the City of Raleigh’s EPA-funded Brownfield Assessment Grants, Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments were conducted on 500 East Davie Street. The 0.83 acre parcel of land, owned by the city, consists of commercial buildings that are currently unoccupied, but were utilized for a variety of commercial and community-based operations from about 1930 through 2005. These included automotive repair and maintenance, laundry and dry cleaning operations, vending machine operations, and a vehicle repossession service. The subject site is bounded by E. Davie Street to the north, the Rex Senior Health Center (512 E. Davie Street) to the east, a vacant lot and residential area along E. Cabarrus Street to the south, and the new mixed use Carlton Place residential condominium and commercial development that encompasses the entire city block to the west along S. East Street. An Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA) was prepared for this site to evaluate the effectiveness, feasibility and cost of potential environmental cleanup alternatives for the site. The EPA requires that the City provide a 30-day public notice and comment period for this document.
500 E. Davie Street Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives
A hard copy of the document is available for review at the Raleigh Department of City Planning, One Exchange Plaza (off of Fayetteville Street), 3rd Floor.
Raleigh's Commitment
The City of Raleigh is committed to facilitating equitable, environmentally sustainable economic development within the City through its Brownfields program. By encouraging new and expanding businesses to locate near the urban core in economically distressed areas through the Brownfield and other local and state programs, the City hopes to reduce urban sprawl, increase economic development and improve neighborhood livability in the areas that need it most.
Overview of the City of Raleigh Brownfields Program
The City of Raleigh has been active in Brownfields issues since 1999 when it was awarded its first grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Brownfields are abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. The Brownfields Assessment Program is designed to fund environmental assessments. The previous Raleigh Brownfields Assessment Program focused on the Garner Road Industrial Area (GRIA). A total of eight Phase I assessments, three Phase II assessments, and a wetlands assessment were completed using this grant. In 2001, the City was awarded a Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF) grant in the amount of one million dollars. This grant makes loans available for developers who need to conduct brownfield cleanup activities to redevelop their property. This includes but is not limited to: excavation and removal, management or treatment of contaminated soils and hazardous materials; removal of bulk containers of hazardous wastes; and demolition activities (including mitigation of lead and asbestos) that are part of a cleanup. The loan application must be made before the start of cleanup activities. This grant also offers the opportunity for non-profit agencies to participate in the program and receive up to 30% loan forgiveness, and municipal borrowers can receive up to 20% loan forgiveness.
All of Raleigh's Brownfields efforts focus on the Development Zone (DZ) in general with more focused target areas within the DZ. The target areas focus on the downtown area and adjacent residential redevelopment areas. The target areas were chosen based on the presence of high concentrations of potential Brownfield sites as well as demonstrated need for economic development. The most recent addition to the City's Brownfield Program was the 2004 Brownfield Assessment Grant in the amount of $400,000. This grant money is designated to be used for Phase I and Phase II assessments of potentially contaminated property within the DZ. The grant will also be used to establish clean up and redevelopment strategies for assessed properties.
In 2006, the City identified candidate brownfield properties and conducted a review to identify which of the properties would be assessed by the City’s environmental consultants, Hart & Hickman. There are several phases to the assessment process, including Phase I and Phase II assessments, followed by remediation and redevelopment planning. A phase I environmental site assessment (ESA) refers to inspecting the property and reviewing historical information and environmental records to determine if a property is likely to be contaminated. A Phase II assessment refers to collecting samples of soil and ground water to determine if the property is contaminated. The remediation and redevelopment planning step identifies cleanup methods and feasible redevelopment strategies for the properties.
Several sites have been assessed using EPA grant dollars. These sites include301 Hillsborough St.; 500 E. Davie St.; 4 parcels at 500 Fayetteville St.; 615 Fayetteville St.; 10 W. South St.; the former 15 Lenoir St.; 600, 602, 616, and 820 S. Salisbury St.; and 1420 Garner Road.
- The City’s “Convention Center Parking Lots” (CC Lots) site is comprised of several individual parcels totaling approximately three acres of commercial property in downtown Raleigh. The specific parcels are located at 615 Fayetteville St., 10 W. South S.; and 600, 602 and 616 S. Salisbury Street. Most of the parcels had historical operations of potential concern, such as gasoline service stations, automotive sales and service facilities, and dry cleaning and laundry facilities.
- A phase II site assessment identified petroleum, solvent, and metal impacts to soil and/or ground water at the site. The petroleum impacts are believed to be associated with the presence of 14 fuel underground storage tanks across the site.
- An Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA) was approved by the EPA for the CC Lots site. Based on the ABCA approved by the EPA, 616 S. Salisbury St. was remediated in September 2007, and 10 W. South St. was remediated February 2008.
- 500 East Davie St., a City-owned commercial site, is a 0.83-acre property near downtown Raleigh that was originally developed in 1930. The site vicinity was used for a variety of operations, including vehicle maintenance services, laundry and dry cleaning, and church-related uses.
- The results of the phase I environmental site assessment indicated an underground storage tank was located at one time in front of the building beneath the sidewalk along East Davie Street. The phase II ESA results found a modest impact to site soil and ground water from petroleum hydrocarbon compounds. In addition, there appears to be modest impact from petroleum hydrocarbon compounds to the soils below the warehouse slab.
- The recommended cleanup activities include properly closing the underground storage tank and removing the sump sediment. Limited excavation and disposal of soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons in localized areas under the concrete slab may be required. This site is scheduled for cleanup in May.
The City was successful in getting revolving loan funds for the cleanup of assessed City-owned properties into what is considered a more permanent brownfields program that can be utilized for brownfield cleanup even after the formal EPA grant closes out. Both the $1 million Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund and the $400,000 Assessment Grant are set to close out on Sept. 30.
City of Raleigh Brownfields Advisory Committee
The City of Raleigh Brownfield Committee is composed of representatives from various city agencies and provides over-sight for the city's Brownfields program. This committee meets as necessary to review progress on Brownfields issues and to make recommendations regarding management of the program. Tasks of the committee include but are not limited to the following activities: providing input on project tasks, critiquing work being done, recommending certain actions that should be undertaken, applying for federal grants, reviewing and approving applications, and developing criteria to award grants. City agencies that are members of the Brownfield Advisory Committee are: planning, community development, finance, administrative services, and the chamber of commerce.
City of Raleigh Brownfields Database
A Brownfields Database was created using ArcGIS to identify sites in need of environmental attention. The inventory identified a total of 1673 potential Brownfields sites in the City of Raleigh Development Zone. Contact the City of Raleigh Planning Department at 516-2650 for more information.
For More Information Contact:
Alysia Bailey-Taylor
Planner II
Planning Department
One Exchange Plaza, Suite 204
Raleigh, NC 27602
919-516-2650
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