16C — March 16 - 29, 2018 — Pennsylvania — M id A tlantic
Real Estate Journal
www.marejournal.com
P ennsylvania
By Skelly Holmbeck and Brian Clark, Esq. BCONE, one of the key ways to be connected to redevelopment successes in PA & the NE region
hy Brownfields? Brownfields rep- resent an economic treasure trove of value for developers and provide sig- nificant benefits to local com- munities when developed. Brownfields are underutilized properties where the presence or potential presence of haz- ardous substances, pollutants or contaminants complicate the expansion or redevelop- ment/reuse options for such properties. Cleanup challeng- es include liability concerns for developers and future prop- erty owners. Conversely, the W
upside is typically the location and the existing infrastructure availability (existing water and sewer lines, electrical power, rail and highway cor- ridors, mass transit). Pennsylvania’s brownfields program, which has been in place since 1995, has proven to be a national model for transforming abandoned and idle properties into active economic opportunities. Un- der the Pennsylvania Land Recycling and Environmental Remediation Standards Act (Act 2) over 6000 brownfield sites have been returned to
productive use, thereby pro- viding jobs and tax revenues to local communities across Pennsylvania. EPA estimates that brownfield redevelopment sites increase residential prop- erty values from 5 to 15%. One brownfield redevelop- ment gem is situated on the waterfront in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Navy Yard, formerly home to the Phila- delphia Naval Shipyard and Naval Base, was closed in the 1990s and then categorized as a Superfund site. A public- private partnership between the land owner (Philadelphia Authority of Industrial De- velopment), the master devel- oper (Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation), developer (Liberty Property Trust) and Synterra Partners, an urban design and project management firm, formed to redevelop the site that is now home to the Penn State Ener- gy Center, GlaxoSmithKline, and the headquarters the Urban Outfitters. Sustainable development has been a focus, with seven LEED buildings to date, a walkable campus feel with considerable green space, and innovative stormwater management. What is BCONE? BCONE--the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast-- is a non-profit organization with brownfield professionals ( developers, property owners, lenders, attorneys, contrac- tors and environmental con- sultants) from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Conn., and Delaware. BCONE is a clearing house of information on the latest developments-- both regionally and national- ly—on trends in new technolo- gies and financial incentives to improve the redevelopment process. As the northeast region has a large number of aging industrial tracts, infor- mation sharing and network- ing with colleagues in other neighboring states has led to improvements in the cleanup processes and financial incen- tive options that states and municipalities may use to at- tract new businesses. SkellyHolmbeck is senior consultant at Advanced Geoservices Corp. and BCONE Board Member. Brian Clark, Esq. is a shareholder at Buchanan Ingersoll &Rooney PC and member of BCONE Advi- sory Board. n
Urban Outfitters headquarters
Lehigh Valley Arts on Brownfields April 19, 2018
Bridgeworks Enterprise Center, 905 Harrison St., Allentown, PA
Learn how the Arts are being used to spark Brownfield Redevelopment in the Lehigh Valley. We will meet at the Bridgeworks Enterprise Center in Allentown and depart via bus for tours of the Artsquest Steelstacks facility in Bethlehem, the Easton Silk Mill in Easton, and the Bridgeworks Enterprise Center (former Mack Truck) facility in Allentown. Along the way we will celebrate the successes of these projects and inspire attendees to leverage the Arts to redevelop brownfield sites. The event will include an interactive discussion with: LEhigh VALLEy ECONOmiC DEVELOpmENt CORpORAtiON, pADEp, USEpA, BCONE, pA DCED, NJit tAB , and others, followed by a networking reception at the Bridgeworks facility.
1:00 - 1:30 REgiStRAtiON 1:30 - 4:15 pm SitE tOURS
4:15 - 5:45 pm WORkShOp 5:45 - 7:00 pm NEtWORkiNg
Registration & Sponsorships available at: www.brownfieldcoalitionne.org/event-2734811
For further information contact: Sue Boyle, BCONE Executive Director at sboyle@geiconsultants.com; ph 856 608 6860
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