By Brett Rosenberg
October 18, 2004

Conference President Akron Mayor Donald L. Plusquellic addressed over 5,000 participants at the Brownfields 2004 Conference held in St. Louis September 20. Joining Plusquellic during the opening plenary session were St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Mike Leavitt, Lt. General Carl A. Strock, Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Thomas D. Shope, Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Interior, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and Dr. Richard Spinrad, Assistant Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ocean Services and Coastal Zone Management.

Citing the estimated 500,000 brownfields sites awaiting redevelopment nationwide, Plusquellic outlined several tools the U.S. Conference of Mayors and his 2004 Metro Agenda advocate. Notably, Plusquellic described several means of creating public programs to leverage private sector investment on brownfields, creating a variety of tax incentives that encourage the redevelopment of brownfields sites, including those that are currently being "mothballed," and encouraging the use of pension funds for investment in community revitalization projects.

One of the key tools that Plusquellic emphasized was the Brownfields Redevelopment Action Grant, know as BRAG, which would be modeled after the Urban Development Block Grants of the 1970s and 1980s. BRAGs, according to the mayor, would allow cities the means to leverage private sector investment by using a proportional financial match to fill funding gaps in vital brownfields redevelopment efforts.

Plusquellic prefaced his keynote address about the critical role brownfields redevelopment plays in sustaining local economies by describing the early days of his career as a public official. Confessing to his lack of knowledge of brownfields as a city councilman 31 years ago, the mayor suggested that Akron, with its history as a tire manufacturing center, provided a crash course in urban renewal as it transitioned into the 21st century economy. Through a series of major plant closures, lost jobs and abandoned factories, the city felt the brunt of national recessions and the decline of many major U.S. manufacturing sectors, Plusquellic said.

The mayor said he learned the importance of redeveloping these blighted areas. "As an elected official, you quickly learn the cost of doing nothing. The cost [of brownfields] to the community and society is immense," he said, adding, "People with government responsibility note these costs even though private businesses may think otherwise."

Over the past several years, Akron has repositioned itself as a diverse manufacturing, technology, education, and research center. Newsweek magazine picked Akron as one of "America's Top 10 Hot Tech cities a few years ago. This sort of transition has created numerous opportunities in Akron and around the nation to redevelop former industrial areas into real estate that supports new economic activity.

Brownfields redevelopment has yielded astounding success to date, according to Plusquellic and the Conference of Mayors' most recent Brownfields Survey. Since the brownfields program began, 121 cities have successfully redeveloped close to 1,200 brownfields sites, consisting of nearly 11,000 acres of land. 627 sites are currently being redeveloped, comprising close to 9,000 acres. All this redevelopment has, so far, created over 83,000 jobs and billions of dollars in tax revenue for local governments.

Plusequellic closed his remarks with a challenge: "The time has come for all of us to work together in focusing on the needs of our cities to impact national urban and suburban policy. All of us have an opportunity at hand that together we can assure passage of these key pieces of legislation. This will require a concerted and coordinated effort. It is imperative that all of us are aligned and heard as a unified voice and force in Washington."

Mayor Slay Welcomes Brownfields 2004 Participants to St. Louis

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay welcomed attendees to the Brownfields 2004 Conference by noting the 100th anniversary of the 1904 St. Louis Worlds Fair and related redevelopments. Through over $650 million in public and private investment, Missouri brownfields tax credits, and Historic Preservation tax credits, St. Louis has been very successful in returning abandoned and underutilized industrial areas to new, clean and economically sustainable developments. Noting that St. Louis is currently a "city under construction," Slay recounted some of the 25 completed or ongoing brownfields redevelopments in the city, promising another "100 years of greatness." These efforts, Slay said, are critical because "central cities are worth saving; it is essential to capitalize on existing assets to outstrip the market for suburban sprawl."

The White House Hosts Brownfields Roundtable

Mayors and other public officials participated in a roundtable discussion with Ruben Barrales, White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. This forum provided participants the opportunity to share their ideas with the Administration about issues that affect their communities as well as to hear about major initiatives and continuing programs designed to address their concerns.

Augusta (GA) Mayor Bob Young urged Barrales and the Administration to continue supporting brownfields redevelopment efforts through allowing the flexibility and innovation at the local level. Young urged the decoupling of the Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) from the HUD Section 108 loans; the development of a direct grant program similar to UDAG and DBG for brownfields redevelopment; the lifting of prohibitions on administrative costs in federal grants; and amending unrelated business tax policies as a means of further invigorating brownfields programs.

Rockford (IL) Mayor Doug Scott highlighted the importance of HUD Section 108 loans and noted several success stories in his community as a result of their availability. He suggested that Opportunity Zones, similar to Empowerment Zones, could advance additional brownfields redevelopment efforts.

Bartlett (TN) Mayor Keith McDonald suggested that the federal government would benefit by including local decisions and needs in grant making processes. He said that local involvement in reporting standards during brownfields redevelopment would streamline redevelopment, as would local officials and advisory comities at EPA and HUD.

Mayoral Participation — Brownfields 2004

Other mayors contributed their varied brownfields redevelopment experiences during the Brownfields 2004 Conference this September in St. Louis.

Speaking about municipal brownfields funding strategies, Scott presented his community's efforts in redeveloping several large areas, including a contaminated 10 square mile Superfund site. Scott described several approaches his city took to acquire abandoned property and finance redevelopment. Rockford's strategies included assistance from HUD, several grants, including U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Pilot Program grants and money from the state of Illinois, tax increment financing and several forms of tax credits to encourage private investment. By retaining local authority, according to Scott, Rockford was able to develop the resources necessary to move several projects forward.

New Bedford (MA) Mayor Fred Kalisz, Jr. described his community's participation in a new program known as Portfields, which involves redeveloping waterfront property and old port facilities. As a pilot program in an interagency partnership between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, New Bedford has focused its efforts to enhance port infrastructure and marine transportation systems, improve public access and recreation, and restore coastal habitats. Bellingham (WA) and Tampa (FL) are also currently participating in the Portfields program.

Young moderated a session focused on local government brownfield programs. He outlined two brownfield projects that Augusta was focused on including an abandoned 11-acre scrap yard and the Augusta Canal Atlanta Gas Light clean-up project. The canal is now designated as a National Heritage Area and also serves as the primary storm water drainage point for the downtown area. The canal will be widened from 12 to 35 feet and deepened by about three feet. According to Young, the project will remove contaminated soil and ground water, improve hydraulics, and incorporate recreational and redevelopment projects. The project is estimated to be completed by 2005.