Image courtesy of Smart Growth America
Coalition Brownfields Inventory and Assessment Program
The Brownsfield Assessment program can lead to underutilized, vacant, and abandoned properties being developed.
The program leads to eventual redevelopment providing jobs, new tax revenues, affordable housing, and recreational areas.
All properties public and private are eligible for participation in the program.
What’s New?
Additional Funding Received for 2022-2026!
In May 2022, RVCOG was selected to received additional funding from EPA focusing on newly created or identified brownfields that are in the Almeda fire area in Phoenix, Talent, and Jackson County. The funding can be used to help with needed assessment work for rebuilding. Funds can also be used at other areas in Jackson County to continue the successful program.
The program has officially started. We are working to schedule a kick-off meeting in February with stakeholders. Public information will soon follow.
Project Contact:
Greg Stabach, RVCOG Natural Resources Program Manager (email), (541) 423-1370
Current Project June 2022-Present
What is a Brownfield?
A brownfield is a property, of which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence, or potential presence, of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. It is estimated that there are more than 450,000 brownfields in the U.S. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties increases local tax bases, facilitates job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure, takes development pressures off of undeveloped, open land, and both improves and protects the environment.
The above information is from the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information on brownfields:
EPA Brownfield Site – https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/overview-epas-brownfields-program
Project Updates (February 2023)
Core Team Kick-off Meeting held on February 7th, 2023
-Presentation (pdf)
-2022-2026 Site Nomination Form
Community Meeting (Public) planning is underway.
Work Completed 2017 – June 2022
Funding to complete a Brownfield Community Wide Assessment was received from EPA in October 2017. Coalition partners include the City of Medford, City of Central Point, City of Grants Pass, and Jackson County.
The program looked at both public and private sites that may be contaminated by petroleum or hazardous materials. EPA funding allowed the program to:
- Inventory and prioritize brownfield sites
- Conduct Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments to determine if there is contamination, If contamination was identified, the assessments also identified the contaminants, sources, and extent of the contamination.
- Complete site-specific clean-up or re-use plans
- Complete area wide planning (AWP) activities in focus areas. Two focus areas were identified and a plan was completed for the Liberty Park neighborhood.
- Provide public outreach on the project and get community input on priorities through a Brownfields Advisory Committee
Project Updates and Products
Public Involvement Plan (Draft)
Site Nomination Form – Public and Private Properties
Project Activity (October 2017 to March 31, 2022)
- Fourteen coalition meetings have been held (December 2017 – September 2020).
- Inventory work completed for focus areas.
- Public Involvement Plan, Site Nomination Form, and other deliverables completed.
- Quarterly reports submitted to EPA.
- Public meetings held in Grants Pass and Medford.
- Class held with Rogue Valley Realtors.
- 9 Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) and 8 Phase II ESAs have been completed.
- Work is ongoing for additional Phase I’s and Phase II’s.
- One Contaminant Media Management Plan (CMMP) has been completed.
- Area wide planning has started for two locations – Liberty Park and a corridor along Table Rock Road
- An inventory of potential brownfields in portions of Phoenix and Talent along Highway 99 was completed with funding provided by Business Oregon.
- Held an online public meeting on Monday, November 1st to talk about program accomplishments and next steps.
- Applied for funding for continuation of the program in December 2021.
- We completed final reports for the project in March 2022.
- In May 2022, we received notice that we were awarded additional funding for the next phase of the assessment which will focus on areas impacted by the Almeda Fire in Phoenix, Talent, and unincorporated Jackson County.
Upcoming Meetings and Events:
No additional meetings are scheduled for this portion of the project.
Project Contact:
Greg Stabach, RVCOG Natural Resources Program Manager (email), (541) 423-1370
General Information and Resources
To learn more about brownfields, click on the links and videos below:
https://www.oregon.gov/deq/Hazards-and-Cleanup/env-cleanup/Pages/Brownfields.aspx
https://www.orinfrastructure.org/Infrastructure-Programs/Brownfields/
Video on brownfields and the Eugene-Springfield-Lane County Coalition: