Brownfields for sale. How do you find them?
The word is out: brownfields make for good development. They are often in areas where infrastructure already is in place. Developing them can save a community’s limited open space. And, with partners such as your state environmental agency or EPA, you have resources to help you through the assessment and cleanup phases.
So just where do you find a brownfield to buy?
Each state in EPA Region 10 has a listing of brownfields sites on its state environmental agency Web site. These lists are a good start. Searching through the listings may give you an idea of land that’s available and in what regions or counties. The lists are at:
Alaska: http://www.dec.state.ak.us/SPAR/csp/brownfields.htm
Idaho: http://www.deq.idaho.gov/Applications/Brownfields/index.cfm?site=brownfields.htm
Oregon: http://www.deq.state.or.us/wmc/cleanup/brn0.htm
Washington: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/tcp/sites/SiteLists.htm
However, these lists are just a start. Many don’t give the current status of the property, such as whether it’s for sale. With a property in mind, now the work is up to you.
Next, tap into the community’s knowledge, advises Keith Donahue, brownfields program manager for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). For example, the Capital City Development Corporation in Boise has identified at least 30 petroleum sites for redevelopment in its community.
“Local government can be a great source,” Donahue says. “They will know the properties lying there stagnate.”
Other resources include local consultants, economic development officials and real estate agents, says Sharon Kophs, brownfields program manager for Washington State Community, Trade and Economic Development. You can even give your state environmental cleanup agency’s brownfields program a call to ask for assistance.
Unique to Oregon is OregonProspector (http://www.oregonprospector.com/). The Oregon Economic Development Association put together this Web site for businesses interested in relocating or expanding a business in the state. The Web site provides a database of available sites and buildings, some of which are brownfields, by city, county, type of property and size.
When looking at properties, there also are signs to look for that may point to a brownfield distinction. If it’s an abandoned property, that’s usually a good indicator the property is a brownfield. If the back taxes haven’t been paid, that’s an indicator the property may be for sale.
In Idaho, infill developers already do a good job of finding these properties for sale, Donahue says. His department has seen some “national players,” developers from outside the state, looking to expand or open a new office. Those developers understand brownfields can be a tool to get into a community. Donahue expects to see this attitude spill over into the general building industry.
While states have been compiling an inventory of brownfield sites, few have taken that list as far as the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The agency’s Land Recycling Program created PA SiteFinder as a one-stop-shop for brownfield buyers and sellers. The site (http://www.pasitefinder.state.pa.us/) is an online real estate directory of brownfields for sale or lease in Pennsylvania. Sellers can list their properties. Buyers can do searches using criteria such as sale or lease price, property size, building space or location by county or region. The site also compiles financial incentives for brownfields redevelopment and will put a user in contact with resources such as lenders, consultants and attorneys.
Hooking up these buyers with sellers is important to the brownfields program, says John Carnahan, brownfield coordinator for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. One of Carnahan’s goals is to send out a mass distribution list to the owners of these sites in Alaska to see if they are interested in selling their properties. His department also could inform prospective purchasers if they are eligible for federal assistance, he says.
“A lot of people just want these things out of their hair,” Carnahan says. “And there are people looking for them.”
