What are Brownfields?

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines Brownfields as “abandoned, idle or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.”  Usually Brownfields are sites of old factories or other businesses.  Many times Brownfields are unsightly and strewn with illegally dumped garbage.  

Brownfields can have all kinds of dangers—debris, dilapidated buildings and even dangerous, toxic chemicals.  Some dangers are easy to see—broken windows and glass, rotted wood floors, rusty nails and pipes, and old barrels.  Other dangers are not visible and harder to detect—toxic chemicals that can be harmful to people if they eat them, breathe them or get them on their skin.  

Riverside Mills Brownfield Site

What is a Brownfields Showcase Community?

A partnership of more than 15 Federal agencies with interests in Brownfields redevelopment nationally designated 16 Brownfields Showcase Communities. 

In 1997 Rhode Island became one of the Brownfields Showcase Communities.  A partnership of The City of Providence, the State of RI, and the Providence Plan is working to address the community's Brownfields.  This partnership is addressing the Woonasquatucket River watershed area, with a focus on developing the Woonasquatucket River Greenway Project. 

Brownfields Showcase Communities have three main goals:

1.  To promote environmental protection, economic redevelopment and community revitalization through the assessment, cleanup and sustainable reuse of Brownfields;

2.  To link Federal, State, local and non-governmental action supporting community efforts to restore and reuse Brownfields;

3.  To develop national models demonstrating the positive results of public and private collaboration addressing Brownfields challenges.

Redeveloping Brownfields

·   Brownfields are identified by the City or State.  People can help local City and State officials by helping to identify Brownfields sites. 

 ·   After the City identifies possible Brownfields, each site must fit the EPA definition of Brownfields in order to receive federal and/or state funding for environmental sampling.  Environmental assessments are a costly, time consuming step in the redevelopment process.  Based upon results from an assessment, a plan for cleaning the site is formed and presented to the public.  Once a funding source has been identified, the site is eventually redeveloped.

·   The RI Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) also plays a big role in Brownfield cleanup.  RI DEM evaluates and prioritizes Brownfields to ensure that sites are properly cleaned to protect human health and the environment.  RI DEM also works to prevent petroleum or other hazardous chemicals from leaking out of Underground Storage Tanks (USTs). Many Brownfields have USTs that were once used to store chemicals or fuel for industrial work. If a UST is leaking, RI DEM performs tests to determine the extent of contamination.  Once funding is obtained, RI DEM hires a licensed professional to clean the site.

Where are the City's Brownfields?

In Providence Brownfields can be found wherever industry used to be. Because Providence used to have many mills and factories, the City has many potential Brownfields.  When Providence first became part of the Brownfields Showcase Community program, the RI DEM and EPA identified two pilot sites in Providence that would serve as starting points for the City.  Because a major focus of the City's Brownfields efforts involves the creation of the Woonasquatucket River Greenway Project, the chosen pilot sites are located along the River.  The map (right) shows the locations of these two pilot sites—Lincoln Lace & Braid, and Riverside Mills. Also noted on the map is the location of the future Button Hole Golf Course, a state owned Brownfields site.  It is also being redeveloped as part of the Woonasquatucket River Greenway efforts.  Other identified Brownfields in Providence that are not included in the Brownfields pilot include the following properties.  Some of these sites have already been redeveloped: 

•  Brookwood Investments, 669 Elmwood Ave.

•  Edward’s Supermarket, 200 Niantic Ave.

•  Excell Manufacturing, Silver Springs Ind. Park

•  Louttit Laundry, 93 Cranston St.

• RAU Fasteners, 102 Westfield St.

• U-Stor-It Corporation, 711 Branch Ave.

• Vargus Manufacturing Co., 150 Niantic Ave.

• Met School, 362 Dexter St.

• Times Squared Academy, Vesta St.

• Springfield Street Schools, Springfield St.

• Gorham Manufacturing, Adelaide Ave.

How are Brownfields Cleanups Funded?

One of the major obstacles to Brownfields redevelopment is finding the funds for site cleanup.  Site cleanup, called remediation, is very expensive, ranging anywhere from a few thousand dollars up to millions of dollars, depending on the extent of contamination.  Developers, who want quality properties for redevelopment, often look for land in suburban settings where the cost of site remediation is not an issue. Site evaluation and testing, possible legal liabilities, and other factors can easily increase costs and serve to deter private participation in bringing contaminated sites back to productive use.  This is why Brownfields can remain undeveloped for so many years.  Funding is also an obstacle because in order for Brownfields to qualify for federal assistance, sites must not be privately owned.  Municipalities must first gain ownership of sites, then receive federal funding for site remediation.   

There are three federal agencies that provide the majority of funding for Brownfields remediation. 

1. EPA:    Although it cannot fund the actual cleanup activities, nor can it fund petroleum remediation, the EPA funds site assessments and remediation planning.

2. HUD:   HUD offers assistance through its Community Development Block Group (CDBG) funding.  It also can assist through its Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI).

3.  EDA:  The Economic Development Administration also offers financial assistance for remediation of economic development projects.

The following are state laws that provide tax credits or other incentives for Brownfields remediation:

• Industrial Properties Remediation and Reuse Act, 1995

• Revitalization of RI’s Industrial Mill Buildings and Establish a Specialized Investment Properties and Reuse Act, 1997

• Brownfields Tax Incentive Package

Examples of Providence Brownfields Sites

Lincoln Lace & Braid-Pilot Site

• This 9-acre parcel sits between the Woonasquatucket River, Merino Park, and a large public housing project.  The population next to Lincoln Lace & Braid is 56% minority, of which 48% live in poverty.  Future use will complement these surroundings. 

• On April 15, 1996 the Coast Guard responded to an oil release into the Woonasquatucket River at Lincoln Lace & Braid.  Because it was oil contamination, under CERCLA, the EPA could not pay for cleanup.  The State of RI paid for cleanup.  This episode sparked action at the site.  Three areas of environmental concern have been identified, and remediation cost estimates reach $1 million.  An on-site landfill, a hazardous sluiceway and petroleum contaminated soil are the three major issues for remediation. 

• The RI DEM just finished sampling the site so that they can prepare a remedial design for capping the landfill and filling the sluiceway.  Funding for the sluiceway was obtained through a grant from RI DEM and EPA, under §319 of the EPA Clean Water Act.  Eventually the sluiceway will be restored to high quality wetlands.  Petroleum remediation was recently completed under the supervision of the RI DEM.

Oil remediation at Lincoln Lace & Braid

Future Brownfields Sites

In addition to the two Brownfields sites in the Brownfields Showcase Community, Providence has many more places that may qualify for the federal remediation funding.  The RI DEM has identified 15 potential Brownfields sites within the Woonasquatucket Greenway corridor.  Because the goal for the Greenway project is to create greenspace along the Woonasquatucket River, these sites will be managed much like Riverside Mills and Lincoln Lace & Braid.

Many more future Brownfields sites can be identified within the areas that are planned for redevelopment under the New Cities Plan.  Most properties in the Narragansett Landing area (see arial map at right) may qualify for the Brownfields federal funding.  However, unlike the pilot sites, these Brownfields will not be part of the Greenway Project.  The Mayor envisions this area of redevelopment to include business, residential and greenspace opportunities.  In order to ensure quality planning and mixed-use redevelopment this project will require significant cooperative efforts from the Mayor, the City's Planning & Development Department and federal agencies.   

This map shows the Mayor's planned area for redevelopment in Narragansett Landing.  Phase I redevelopment, which will happen first, along with Phase II redevelopment both have many potential Brownfields sites

EPA Regional Brownfields Coordinator
Mr. John Podgurski
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 1, MC: HI0
John F. Kennedy Federal Building
Boston, MA 02203
(617) 918-1209
Fax: (617) 918-1291
podgurski.john@epa.gov

Brownfields Showcase Community
Woonasquatucket River Greenway Project
Ms. Jane Sherman
The Providence Plan
56 Pine Street , Suite 3B
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 455-8880 Fax: (401) 331-6840
jsherman@providenceplan.org