What a Personality!

By Ken Kastman, PE

It is often said that a brownfield is a real estate deal with an environmental personality. Wow … the Orchard-Whitney brownfield has quite a unique environmental personality!

Technically, there is everything a thirsty consultant would want at the property — except a deep pocket to fund the next investigation. Successful cleanup of the Orchard-Whitney property will require a streamlined investigation approach and a shift in the typical remediation/redevelopment timing in order to attract investment.

The typical cleanup approach of investigating and cleaning up the property before the redevelopment process begins will not work very effectively at the Orchard-Whitney property. Performing redevelopment planning and remediation steps concurrently so that they arrive at regulatory closure and a development contract at the same time will spur community and developer interest, and will facilitate a cost-effective cleanup for the property.

Where to begin?

The first question is where to start technically to prepare the site for future safe use. The historic data indicate that the likelihood of the entire property being “clean” or able to be cleaned up to meet a residential risk cleanup level is small. Also, the historic data suggest that substantial cleanup costs may be needed, even to achieve a non-residential cleanup level. This evaluation suggests that a high-value, non-residential end use may be necessary to create a viable project.

Where to start technically is at the end … that is, end use will likely drive the remediation approach. Here are some steps to think about in creating a viable technical remediation approach:

1) Create a reuse concept plan. Perform a market survey to assess potential high value, non-residential uses. Consider uses such as an entertainment district, hotel complex, commercial plaza or office park, developing ideas in the context of the new stadium being built nearby. Be sure to place market survey results in the context of the area reuse plans. Ask how the end uses will fit in with the new stadium and the surrounding community.

2) Develop remediation approaches based on potential non-residential end uses. Building footprints and parking lots can provide engineering barriers to minimize potential environmental risks. Find out if the grade needs to be raised. Consider old foundations or utility corridors that were left behind.

3) Streamline a supplemental Phase II investigation approach. Review prior Phase II and other available information in detail to identify clues as to what took place where. Review periodic air photos, Sanborn maps, geologic surveys and USGS maps to identify prior process buildings and activities.

Perform a biased screening level investigation at suspect areas to broadly identify impacted suspect locations, constituents, depths and constituent concentrations based on the historic data review.

Use the triad approach (systematic planning, dynamic work strategies, real-time feedback and field-based measurement tools) to obtain screening level data and secure appropriate information to discuss remedial strategies with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

4) Perform a remedy selection. Define cleanup target levels in conjunction with state regulations, considering what remediation techniques may be required to achieve the cleanup target levels, and how the remediation options can be folded into the potential end uses. 

5) Assess the cost of remediation. Determine the preliminary remediation cost in the context of potential end uses.

6) Assess the cost of building reuse. Verify Phase 1 site assessment identification of asbestos, lead-based paint and other hazardous issues, and develop preliminary cost estimates.

7) Develop a schedule for the remediation. Consider how the schedule for redevelopment may inter-relate to the schedule of remediation. Do remediation techniques need to be altered to accommodate redevelopment? Can long-term remediation techniques be unobtrusively built into the new facilities? 
Also consider a phased development approach. Perhaps some of the cleaner parcels can be redeveloped first to generate income to pay for remediation at the less-clean parcels.

8) Develop a Phase III investigation (if necessary) to coordinate remediation closure requirements with redevelopment features and timing. Finalize the screening level investigation to achieve the necessary level of data quality, and data quality objectives, required to secure DEC closure.

9) Fold the “environmental personality” costs and timing into the redevelopment proforma … and wait for the transaction deal to be cooked! BFN

Ken Kastman, PE, is a senior principal engineer and vice president of URS Corporation, leading the company’s property redevelopment network from the Chicago office.

Read Rochester’s Poster Child, the case study this article is based on, and other expert advice on the Orchard-Whitney site from the varying perspectives of the Brownfield News editorial board:
DEVELOPER’S DEPARTMENT Can you find a good apple in this orchard?
TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT What a personality!
INSURANCE DEPARTMENT Perfume and lipstick to help developers see past flaws
ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT Financial reporting considerations not a deterrent
COMMUNITY DEPARTMENT A good place for all of us to live in
OWNER’S DEPARTMENT A potential for renaissance
U.S. EPA DEPARTMENT The classic brownfield story line

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