Practice Guides:

 These guides are intended to provide urban and regional planners and policy makers with practical, useful tools. We aim to make them straightforward, easy to apply in the real world, and understandable without any special training or education. Resources suggested within them can be pursued to get more information in depth.

• Practice Guide # 1 Public Strategies for Cost-Effective Community Brownfield Redevelopment
• Practice Guide # 2 Managing Growth with Fairness:  The Regulatory Takings Test of Smart Growth Policies
• Practice Guide # 3 Closing the Brownfield Information Gap:  Some Practical Methods for Identifying Brownfields
• Practice Guide # 4 Utilizing Environmental Insurance for Brownfield Redevelopment
• Practice Guide # 5 Dealing with Growth:  Alternatives to Large Lot Zoning on the Urban Fringe
• Practice Guide # 6 Greyfields:  The New Horizon for Infill and Higher Density Regeneration
• Practice Guide # 7 Construction & Demolition Debris Recycling for Environmental Protection and Economic Development
• Practice Guide # 8 Brownfields: Historic Preservation as a Redevelopment Option
• Practice Guide # 9 Contaminated Properties: History, Regulations, and Resources for Community Members
• Practice Guide # 10 Brownfield Redevelopment: Make it Possible!
• Practice Guide # 11 Brownfields Program Placement in Local Governments
• Practice Guide # 12 Public Involvement: How Active Participation in Environmental Issues and Decisions Makes Economic Sense and Broadens the Knowledge Base

Practice Guide #1

Brownfields, which are land that is either contaminated or perceived as having some sort of contamination, are an increasingly important focus for economic redevelopment. This Guide will assist economic development organizations, developers, and local government agencies in understanding the brownfield development process. The Guide demystifies the tangle of legal, technical, and financial issues involved. Workable approaches for development are identified, as well as best practices which lead to successful projects.  

Practice Guide # 2  

Managing Growth with Fairness: The Regulatory Takings Test of Smart Growth Policies

Government officials, developers, and residents all identify some growth issues that they claim need to be addressed. However, many parties are concerned that land use policies, such as smart growth programs, will limit private property rights of owners, affecting an owner’s ability to use land to its fullest economic potential, however that potential is defined.   Constitutional “takings” limitations, which states that private property shall not be taken for public use without fair compensation, is intended to protect private property owners. Growth management regulation, on the other hand, is intended to protect the public from the potentially high costs of cumulative private actions, such as unchecked urban sprawl. The intended effect of most land use controls and growth management efforts is to protect and increase the value of private property.   This Guide offers an introduction and review of current Federal and State takings law as it affects growth management and smart growth policy tools. Taking a case-by-case look at both the takings and planning legislation and implementation regulations, the Guide applies the regulatory takings test to the current growth situation and offers suggestions for developing land use policies that address both sprawl and regulatory fairness.   Keeping in mind that state law governs most land use regulations, an appendix of this document reviews land use cases specific for each of the eight states in EPA Region IV. This Guide is designed for local governments, including planners and other local development officials, planning commissioners and county officials, and the general public with an interest in, but possibly little familiarity with, issues in land use planning.

Practice Guide #3

Closing the Brownfield Information Gap: Some Practical Methods for Identifying Brownfields

Communities have had a difficult time determining the scope and breadth of their brownfield situation. Brownfields are properties which either are contaminated or are perceived as contaminated from past uses, such as gas stations or drycleaners or numerous other uses. There is often a lack of information, often due to property owner reluctance to reveal contamination potential because they fear liability problems. This creates a vicious cycle of fear and stigma which decreases chances for redevelopment. Developers and potential homeowners avoid properties and entire neighborhoods due to suspected but unknown contamination potential.

This Guide presents a method for communities to address the brownfield information gap, allowing them to bypass individual property owner objections through a creative combination of existing formal and informal government records. Using assumptions based on the United States EPA’s official definition of a brownfield, environmental, land use, and property tax information can be collected on an individual property basis. This allows communities to develop a comprehensive brownfields profile that will help reduce the stigma effect of suspected brownfields and will further community-wide redevelopment efforts.

Practice Guide #4

Utilizing Environmental Insurance for Brownfield Redevelopment

Practice Guide #4 provides a briefing for state and local development officials to guide their deliberations about whether or not to pursue insurance coverage as part of their approach to reuse of brownfield sites. In the event that officials decide to pursue coverage, the Guide offers guidance on how to assure that the appropriate tools are obtained from the insurance industry.

The environmental insurance industry has developed largely in response to the needs of private investors and their financiers, who wanted to manage the particular risks associated with the uncertainties inherent in brownfields redevelopment. While the use of insurance may be a cost-effective approach for public and public-private economic development organizations, the insurance industry had been oriented toward private firms and, therefore, had not developed products specifically for public uses. In the past, the insurance industry may not have been able to provide exactly what was needed for brownfields development. However, this is changing. Local and state government personnel need to understand the risk management potentials and pitfalls of environmental insurance, even if they are only doing deals with individual private developers and not designing state, municipal, or county risk transfer programs to stimulate brownfield reuse.

The Guide reviews the major types of insurance and risk transfer that may be available and the different roles each can play in making it easier to redevelop brownfield sites. Next, it describes the stages of a brownfield redevelopment project and discusses specific coverages which could help move a project along at each step. Factors for individual projects that can affect cost and availability of coverages are addressed, as is the value that a risk transfer through insurance can provide. Current market trends in environmental insurance availability and the factors that might affect cost and availability in the future are covered. The Guide closes with information on how best to solicit and obtain the insurance advisory services (such as from a broker) needed to use the tools in a cost-effective manner. A glossary of insurance terms and a list of resource materials are provided.

Practice Guide #5

Dealing with Growth: Alternatives to Large Lot Zoning on the Urban Fringe

Many rural governmental units and counties on the edge of urban areas are experiencing significant population growth. Often these areas have agricultural roots and are uncomfortable with this growth, or, at least, with the prospect of uncontrolled future growth. There is a pervasive myth that zoning for large lots can hold urbanization at bay in rural area which are near metropolitan centers. In addition, the myth is that zoning for large lots can reduce pressures for new, and often unfunded, infrastructure in rural areas which are feeling suburbanization pressures.

One common approach to slowing the growth of population has been to use subdivision, land development, or zoning ordinances to set large minimum lot sizes for new development. The usual argument is that by setting the minimum size of the building lot at one, three, or even ten acres, the municipality will assure that the only growth which occurs will be of a high quality suburban or ex-urban (not quite rural and not quite suburban yet) nature.

Practice Guide #5 reviews the evidence that large lot subdivisions, whether imposed by regulation or by preference, have unintended consequences of which the average municipal official is unaware. Such developments may lead to more rapid rural sprawl and actually contribute to the loss of productive farmland. Most importantly, these developments lead to higher taxes for the existing population due to the higher costs of providing infrastructure, such as emergency services, transportation, and even education.

The Guide examines the current literature on the subject and presents a case against large lot sub-divisions in easily understandable terms. Alternative land use policies, such as clustering and designated growth areas, are suggested. These alternatives may generate the desired low overall density at a lower cost and with greater societal benefit, while not undermining developers’ capability to build new high quality housing.

Practice Guide # 6  

Greyfields: The New Horizons for Infill and Higher Density Regeneration

One central component of smart growth in many areas has been the redevelopment of potentially contaminated brownfields sites. Among those sites, one group of relatively large parcels of land has received less attention than they deserved – greyfield sites. Greyfields generally are defined as obsolete shopping malls or commercial strips that are typical in inner-suburban and urban neighborhoods.

Unlike brownfields, greyfields are not routinely associated with concerns about environmental liability or cleanup costs. (Both issues, however, may be relevant, especially for greyfields that once housed service stations or dry cleaners.) Even without contamination, greyfields contribute to blight and are a visual signal of neighborhood deterioration. They tend to be located on busy roads and are, therefore, well suited for reuse. In fact, a major advantage of greyfields is their proximity to bus lines. In addition, greyfields tend to be large enough to support a variety of retail, commercial and residential uses.

This guide looks at greyfields as a special class of abandoned areas for which "best practices" in regeneration and re-densification efforts can begin to be identified. Using land which has been used previously saves undeveloped land which is out farther from the urban core from development. Several barriers to reuse, such as typical local zoning and land use, are identified. Lessons from greyfields that are getting attention from developers and local governments are examined. These lessons can be applied to other sites and areas that are also prospects for more infill activity and higher density regeneration. Both infill (reusing previously developed land) and higher density regeneration (helping to revitalize urban cores) can be tools to prevent sprawl.

Practice Guide # 7

Construction & Demolition Debris Recycling for Environmental Protection and Economic Development
Best Practices Appendix

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste makes up 25-45% of the waste that ends up in our landfills. This amount significantly contributes to the increased environmental impact of landfills across the country. C&D debris comes from both the construction of new structures and the demolition of existing structures. Reusing and recycling this waste has enormous positive impact by significantly reducing the need for landfills, as well as reducing the need to extract and use raw materials. Money and resources are saved, which in turn promotes economic development. The debris itself is a valuable resource. Recycling and reusing C&D waste can support jobs and generate significant revenue in sales.

This guide defines C&D wastes, identifies barriers and opportunities for recycling and reusing these, and provides easy to understand information about how to assess construction and demolition waste streams, current trends in reuse and recycling C&D debris, as well as innovative trends in recycled products with potential markets. Interventions for local governments to promote C&D reuse and recycling are reviewed. Resources such as federal and state programs supporting C&D recycling, publications, and relevant associations are provided.

A Best Practices Appendix, which can be down-loaded separately, highlights how some communities have taken these concepts and used them to promote economic development through business creation and employment generation. 

Practice Guide # 8  

Brownfields: Historic Preservation as a Redevelopment Option

Historic Preservation is a useful approach when redeveloping brownfields and one that offers sound economic benefits. Often brownfield sites contain one or more buildings that can be reused for commercial and/or residential purposes. Even though a developer or economic development official might be inclined to raze the existing structures and build the development from the ground up, preserving the buildings and restoring them to their former appearance may, in fact, contribute to strengthening the neighborhood, the community, and the economy by placing an emphasis on the history and culture of the place.

his practice guide is intended to be used as a resource when the future use of a brownfield site that contains older and historically significant structures is being determined. The guide explores reasons for historic preservation and funding sources that are available at the federal, state, and local levels for a brownfield/historic preservation redevelopment project. Case studies of successful rehabilitation and renovation projects are provided.

Practice Guide # 9 

Contaminated Properties: History, Regulations, and Resources for Community Members

Environmentally contaminated properties represent both an opportunity and a burden for many communities. Many sites with perceived or real contamination are located in urbanized areas with access to public transportation or other centrally located amenities, often providing good development options. Regardless of where they are located, when a property suffers from real or perceived contamination – or is simply underused or idle – its full potential and benefits to a community are not being realized. Sites that are either contaminated or perceived as contaminated are called brownfields. Addressing these sites through successful redevelopment efforts can lead to increased land values, new economic activity, potential aesthetic or other area-wide benefits, in addition to reducing risks to human health and the environment.

The guidelines concerning cleanup and redevelopment can often be overwhelming. Different types of pollution may require specific responses under different federal and state laws or regulations. The various rules may, however, become useful tools when an individual knows how to navigate through them. This guide offers a background history on federal and state laws and regulations. The guide also explains how these laws and regulations can be used to promote re-development and how would-be redevelopers can work with the requirements. Our objective is to demonstrate to individuals, businesses, communities, and public officials the net economic benefits than can be gained from redeveloping these contaminated properties.

Practice Guide #10

Brownfield Redevelopment: Make it Possible!

Practice Guide #11

Brownfields Program Placement in Local Governments

The process of creating a local brownfields program requires that city officials make decisions on the placement of that program within their governmental structure. Recognizing the fact that creating a new bureaucracy is both time and resource consuming, localities usually opt to place their brownfields program within an existing structure. However, what most local governments do not recognize, or account for, is that the organization of their local government and the structure of their existing bureaucracies can have significant influence on the outcomes of their local brownfields program. Existing bureaucracies have embedded cultures, missions, and goals which will all dictate how the programs they control will be handled. In addition to the embedded facets of existing bureaucracies, relationships with other local agencies will also contribute to the success or failure of a local brownfields program. This practice guide will help local officials answer the question “Where do I put my brownfields program?” by offering some insights into the impact that the placement of a program can have on that program and by outlining some examples of placements that have had successes and failures. If a city makes the decision to create a brownfields program, it is imperative that local officials understand the impacts organizational placement can have.

Practice Guide #12

Public Involvement: How Active Participation in Environmental Issues and Decisions Makes Economic Sense and Broadens the Knowledge Base

Many public organizations, both federal and state, as well as non-profits, have within their agency mission statement or as part of their mandate references regarding involving the public and encouraging community participation. Citizen, public, and community involvement has established its place within most plans, whether these come from federal, state, or regional agencies or from the private sector. Increasingly, citizens are demanding a voice in planning issues, especially environmental ones. This guide provides a brief summary of the benefits and costs of public involvement for environmental programs or plans and agencies involved. Key points to consider when initiating public involvement are listed and illustrated with several case studies. A list of useful resources, including books and websites, is given at the end.

Coming Soon:

Developing New Uses for Low-to-No-Market Brownfields: The Affordable Housing Solution