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The assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of Brownfields
(properties with real or perceived contamination issues) is a
high priority for the City of Burlington. Site conversions improve
environmental conditions, reduce risk to human health, increase
the tax base, create new jobs and greenspace, and curb sprawl.
The Burlington Brownfields Program,
run out of the Community and Economic Development Office
(CEDO), expedites brownfield redevelopment using a comprehensive,
direct-service approach.
The Program
commissions Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments
with funding provided by the
Environmental Protection Agency,
Vermont DEC,
Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, and other sources.
The program leverages significantly
more financial and in-kind resources through grants, loans,
and donated services.
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CEDO works closely with non-profit and private partners,
community leaders, state and federal agencies, city
departments, and the Vermont Department of Environmental
Conservation to expedite these complex transactions, and
return historically underutilized properties into
community assets.
In recognition of this work, the City's Brownfields
Program has been selected twice by the Environmental
Protection Agency as a national "Showcase Community
Finalist" (1998, 2000). Frequently called upon for
conference presentations on brownfields, the City was also
selected as a "Brownfields Mentor Community" for Wheeling,
West Virginia in 1999.
Despite these successes, many complex and challenging
sites remain in the City. While it is now common for
developers to redevelop contaminated properties, significant
barriers stand in the way of redevelopment – financial and
liability issues, legal roadblocks, historic and
archeological issues are a few examples. The Burlington
Brownfields Program engages developers in anticipating and
resolving these and other development issues, any of which
can de-rail an otherwise viable project.
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Political support for Brownfields redevelopment is strong at all
levels. Changes in local zoning, state and federal law have improved
the redevelopment climate. Lending institutions have developed
protocols for creating loan products specific to contaminated sites,
and new insurance products have become available. A variety of
funding sources, some created in the past few years, help to defray
the increased costs often associated with these sites. Visit
http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/wastediv/SMS/RCPP/Loans_Grants.htm
for more information.
There are other potential sources of funding, loans, and tax
credits dependent on the type of development, end use, and
ownership.
The City of Burlington’s Brownfields Program contracts qualified
firms to conduct Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments
with both USAEPA and CDBG funding. These assessments are conducted
on properties slated for redevelopment that have potential
contamination issues. There is no pre-qualification process: each
site contract will be awarded separately. Requests for Proposals for
each assessment contract will be published on this web page and in
the Legal Notices section of the Burlington Free Press.
Nick Warner, Special Projects Manager
nwarner@ci.burlington.vt.us
802-865-7173
Page last updated
July 23, 2009
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