Library triggers downtown redevelopment
At nearly three-quarters of a century old, the Independence Public Library no longer could keep up with the needs of the small community in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
With less than 1,500 square feet for materials and people, the library was desperate for more space. The library had been built when there were 1,300 people living in Independence. Today, there are more than 8,000. Built in 1929, the library originally had only two electrical outlets in the entire building. The building was crowded and outdated.
“Kids would be sitting on the floor in the middle of the aisle doing homework,” says Robin Puccetti, the library’s director.
In 2003, Independence opened the doors to its new $1.8 million library, a state-of-the-art, green building that’s more than fives times the size of the former building. The new library includes plenty of room for people to sit and read, as well as a community room that’s booked most days out of the month. The library also has 16 public computers and is preparing to go wireless. Puccetti jokes there are electrical outlets everywhere.
But the Independence Public Library–built on two former brownfields sites–has also been a catalyst for economic redevelopment in the town’s historic downtown. Private developers are investing about $16 million into two projects: The Independence Cinema and Independence Station, a mixed-use development, are being built near the library.
“This has been a catalyst for other projects,” agrees Jim Glass, environmental specialist with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). “For revitalization for a rural downtown area, this is the first step to what appears to be a significant journey.”
The library is built on the former sites of the Indy 76 Gas Station and the A-Z Auto Parts store, neighboring businesses for about 50 years. In 1995, the owners of the gas station began decommissioning their underground storage tanks. Five tanks and 100 tons of contaminated soil were removed in the 1990s.
As DEQ was preparing to issue a No Further Action letter to that property owner, more contamination was discovered during work on underground utilities in an adjacent alley. Further investigation suggested the contamination was not coming from the gas station, but from the neighboring auto parts store. It appears the former owner dumped waste oil on the site.
It was during this time that the city decided to purchase both properties. It was a wonderful location for the public building, says City Manager Greg Ellis. It’s close to city hall and the post office, creating a nice civic center.
The city purchased the properties and was awarded a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant and a $500,000 Special Public Works Fund loan from the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department to demolish the former auto parts store and to construct the library.
Ellis sees many benefits to developing a brownfields site into a public space. He calls the $1.8 million cost of the library “seed money” that’s now attracting redevelopment.
“It’s a matter of livability and bringing services to people,” he says.
And with its first brownfields project completed, the city now has some valuable experience it can use in the future. “I don’t have any fear of brownfields contamination now,” Ellis says. “You do it one step at a time.”
