▼

Brownfields

Show All Answers

1. What are “Brownfields”?

“Brownfields” are properties that contain or potentially contain hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants that complicate the property’s expansion or redevelopment. Just about every community in Massachusetts has at least one such site and they represent a drag on the tax base because they often sit vacant for long periods of time. The goal of Framingham’s Brownfields program is to clean up these idle properties and get them back in use so they can once again contribute to the Town’s tax base.

2. How does a community benefit from brownfield redevelopment?

Brownfield redevelopment can help a community in many ways. Many brownfields sites are in unattractive, economically depressed parts of a neighborhood. Cleanup and redevelopment of the sites can encourage higher property values and create jobs, as well as positively impact the local economy by creating a safer, healthier urban space to house businesses and residences.

3. Why are brownfields a problem for my community?

Brownfields can pose a number of threats to a community's well being, including:

• Potentially harm human health and the environment
• Reduce local employment opportunities and tax revenue
• Limit economic growth and development
• Attract vandals, open dumping, or other illegal activity
• Lower surrounding property values and contribute to neighborhood deterioration
• Contribute to urban sprawl as businesses relocate to farmland and open space

4. How can brownfield redevelopment benefit my community?

Communities around the country have realized that responsible brownfield redevelopment can transform environmentally impaired property into productive uses and can bring the following community benefits:

• Improved public health and environment
• Economic growth and increases in local employment opportunities
• Revitalized neighborhoods
• Increased local tax revenues
• Reduced public service demands

5. Is there a cost to not cleaning up brownfield sites?

Yes, when brownfield sites are not cleaned up and redeveloped they can have real financial impacts on a community. A boarded up factory that sits idle can cost a local government thousands of dollars each year. In addition to the lost local tax revenues, municipal governments often need to devote their limited police, fire, and other public services to respond to vandalism, open dumping and other problems at the site. Also, city officials must spend time responding to concerns about the site.

6. What are the benefits of brownfield redevelopment to property owners?

In addition to providing benefits to surrounding communities, property owners that clean up and reuse their brownfield properties may benefit directly by:

• Avoiding potential environmental enforcement actions by federal, state and local regulatory agencies that could impose penalties and costly cleanups;
• Receiving tax benefits for cleaning up and reusing the property;
• Reducing the likelihood that contamination from the property will migrate off site or into the groundwater under the site, thereby limiting liability for, and long term costs of, cleaning up the property;
• Creating good will within the community;
• Reducing the potential need to address liabilities associated with the property in financial statements and Securities and Exchange Commission filings;
• Realizing an enhanced return from the property by making it more valuable and marketable.

7. How much will the cleanup cost?

The cost of the cleanup will vary considerably depending on many factors. The level, type, amount, and extent of contamination are key determinants. For example, if the groundwater under the site is contaminated, the cost of cleanup is likely to be much higher than if just the soil is contaminated. If the contaminated materials need to be transported off site for treatment that will also affect the cost. The cost will also depend on the standards that apply to the cleanup, particularly whether the use of the property is considered in setting cleanup levels. If a brownfield property is cleaned up to commercial use standards, for example, rather than residential use standards, the cleanup will typically be less expensive. The cost to the property owner of the cleanup will also be affected by whether there are other parties, such as previous owners of the property that are also responsible for the contamination and can contribute to the costs.

8. How long will the cleanup take?

The length of the cleanup will vary according to the level, type, amount and extent of the contamination, as well as the cleanup standards that apply to the site. A site with extensive soil and groundwater contamination that is cleaned up to residential standards is likely to take longer to clean up than a site that has only minimal contamination and will be used for industrial purposes. Factors such as the time of year, or unusually bad weather can affect the duration of the cleanup. In most cases, technical consultants will be hired to perform the cleanup. The pace of the cleanup will also be contingent in part on the consultants' schedules and levels of efficiency.

9. What is Framingham’s Brownfields strategy?

The Town of Framingham received a $200,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in April, 2008. The grant is intended to “provide funding for recipients to inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct cleanup and redevelopment planning and community involvement related to brownfield sites.” The Town’s grant is “community-wide” as opposed to “site-specific”. This will allow investigations and assessments of a number of vacant or underutilized properties throughout the town with a focus on the Downtown and Southeast Framingham areas. The bulk of the funding will pay for a state-approved Licensed Site Professional (LSP) to prepare a comprehensive inventory of vacant or under utilized properties and to perform more detailed assessments on a series of properties chosen based on their potential for redevelopment and re-use. The program will fund detailed assessments on as many as eight properties. The grant provides for a targeted public outreach campaign that includes multi-lingual education and opportunities for community feedback on both brownfields and redevelopment issues. This project can have far-reaching effects for community revitalization including mitigating environmental impacts, stimulating economic development, and the engagement of under-served and minority populations. The goal of the program is to lay the groundwork for a successful redevelopment of selected properties that will contribute toward the Town’s revitalization efforts. Framingham is about to apply to the EPA for a second round of Brownfields funding that will enable the Town to conduct site assessments on properties having petroleum contamination.

10. Who do I contact for more information regarding Framingham’s Brownfields effort?

The grant is being administered by the Town of Framingham’s Community and Economic Development office. For more information, please visit our Brownfields website at www.framinghamma.gov/brownfields or contact Gene Kennedy, Assistant Director, at (508) 532-5455 or brownfields@framinghamma.gov for additional information.